Hebzollah Chief: “Kill Every American Soldier in the Middle East”

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, chief of Tehran’s Lebanese proxy terror group Hezbollah, made a speech earlier this month encouraging the killing of every American soldier and officer in the Middle East. It is not every day that a terrorist leader expressly calls for the mass killing of Americans. Will Trump respond?

Denial of Citizenship as a Weapon of Repression in the Arab World

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia recently announced that they were revoking the citizenship of individuals whose “sin” was a connection to Judaism and a pro-Israeli attitude. Apart from the institutional antisemitism these measures reflect, they are a blunt reminder that these are tyrannical states and regimes in which the legal system is little more than a fig leaf.

Arab Countries Say “We Miss the Jews”

Having persecuted and purged their Jews as punishment for the rebirth of Israel, many Arabs now realize they shot themselves in the foot.

Israel: A Thriving First-World Economy in a Third-World Sea

Israel possesses assets and innovations that can solve many of the problems that plague its Arab neighbors. If peace can possibly be achieved between Israel and the Arab world, the potential for mutually beneficial practical and economic relationships is astronomical.

The Killing of Soleimani Will Not Stop Iranian Aggression

The killing by the US of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani will not temper Tehran’s intention to continue its aggressive regional policy, either directly or through its proxy organizations. Israel would do well to continue the cautious policy that has characterized its surgical military strikes against Iran’s entrenchment in Syria.

International Law and the Downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752

Iran’s prevarications about its responsibility for the shooting down of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 during the recent escalation of tensions with the US magnify its culpability and could lay it open to reparations claims by Canada, Ukraine, Sweden, and the UK, all of which lost citizens in the disaster.

The “Democratic Bloc” of the Eastern Med Cements Its Friendship

2020 is expected to be another year of fruitful cooperation for Israel, Greece, and Cyprus, which are working together to counter rising instability caused by Turkey. Their recent agreement to commit to the construction of the EastMed pipeline opens a new chapter in a friendship they have worked on for over a decade. They are taking steps to obtain American support for the trilateral scheme despite Washington’s concerns about its potential impact on the US’s long-term partnership with Ankara. Notably, the recent killing by the US of Quds commander Qassem Soleimani found Greece standing by its allies, the US and Israel, though that position risks undermining its relations with Iran.

The Battle for Libya: The UAE Calls the Shots

Last week’s inauguration of a new Egyptian military base on the Red Sea was heavy with the symbolism of the rivalries shaping the future of the Middle East as well as north and east Africa.

The Leviathan Natural Gas Field Could Be a Game-Changer for Israel-EU Relations

The vast Leviathan natural gas field off the Haifa coast could be a game-changer for Israel’s relations with the EU. Europe is currently dependent on Russian natural gas. A reliable and price-competitive natural gas alternative in the Mediterranean could diminish Moscow’s ability to use energy supplies as a political weapon against Europe.

Israel Will Miss Sultan Qaboos of Oman

The late Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said of Oman was the rare Arab leader who did not let prevailing anti-Israel trends sway him, and who refused to be drawn into the Arab-Israeli conflict. His successor would be wise to follow his lead rather than cozy up to Iran and open his country to the predations that befell Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq as a result of Iranian interference.

Perspectives Papers