The PA Is Winning in Area C

The Palestinian Authority’s decade-long plan to take control of the West Bank’s Area C is being implemented successfully. This is a historic game-changer in the 100-year-old conflict that requires an immediate and massive Israeli response.

The Truth About Financial Aid to the Palestinian Authority

A dramatic letter written by a former terrorist who is running for president of the Palestinian Authority reveals the extent to which the budgets funneled to the PA from Israel and the world fuel death and terror. The time has come for the world to take notice.

Is the Phrase “State of Palestine” Catching On?

In 2013, Mahmoud Abbas proclaimed that henceforth the Palestinian Authority would be called the “State of Palestine.” It is worth noting how successful he has been in popularizing the phrase, and among whom.

Fighting COVID-19 vs. Upholding Civil Rights

A Pavlovian resistance to government measures put in place to lower the COVID-19 infection rate in Israel is reaching the point that politicians and citizens are deliberately undermining public health for political ends masqueraded as civil rights.

Iran’s Intelligence Minister Sends a Clear Signal to the Biden Administration

Erfan Fard
February 12, 2021
Paper No. 1929

A recent television interview with Iranian Minister of Intelligence Mahmoud Alavi provides President Joe Biden’s national intelligence team with useful information as it assesses how to deal with the Iranian regime.

Alexei Navalny and Public Dissent in Russia

The massive protests staged in Russia by supporters of opposition leader Alexei Navalny pose a serious threat to the country’s political elite. The Kremlin has a problem on its hands no matter what it does. Whether Navalny is kept in prison or released, his movement will be strengthened, and it has the potential to fuse to broader public dissent over Russia’s long-term economic performance and government ineffectiveness.

Now It’s the Turn of the Palestinian Voter

The decree signed on January 15 by Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas announcing elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council on May 22 and to the PA presidency on July 31 is an attempt to remind the international community, and especially the new US administration, of the continued relevance of the Palestinian problem.

The ICC’s Decision to Investigate Israel Is Baseless but Dangerous

The decision of the International Criminal Court to investigate alleged war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem is baseless but still dangerous. The ICC is yet another highly politicized UN institution, not a real court of justice. The decision and the prosecutor’s conduct have both violated the Court’s own rules. The ICC is also trying to investigate the US for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. Israel and the US should coordinate an intensive campaign to delegitimize the Court and ensure that the next prosecutor, who is scheduled to begin service this summer, is professional, ethical, and honest.

Many Iranians Privately Reject State-Mandated Religious Conservatism

A recent online survey by two Dutch universities of Iranian attitudes toward religion has revealed a stunning rejection of state-imposed adherence to conservative religious mores as well as the role of religion in public life.

An Arrest in the US Shows the Islamic Republic’s Influence in the West

The FBI recently arrested an Iranian academic for failing to register as a foreign agent in accordance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Kaveh Afrasiabi was arrested in Massachusetts and is believed to have received more than $250,000 from the Iranian regime to disseminate its propaganda in the guise of objective analysis. Iranian agent-scholars are easy to recognize: they always oppose the overthrow of the regime and they oppose any form of sanctions. They criticize the regime on occasion as a means of concealing their role as agents.

Perspectives Papers