AMMAN, JORDAN / JNS — March 26, 2021 — “The new agreement reflects Jordan’s increasing importance as a logistical and operative center in anticipation of further U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq and Syria at a time when the need for a U.S. military presence increases rather than decreases,” said Hillel Frisch. The Jordanian government publicly acknowledged a new defense agreement …
By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON
Biden Rescinds Trump’s “Muslim Travel Ban” as “Inconsistent with American Values”
By RAYMOND IBRAHIM
JANUARY 21, 2021 — No sooner did Joseph Biden enter the White House on January 20, 20201, when he began rescinding some of his predecessor’s strong immigration policies. Consider the so-called “Muslim ban.” In 2017, Trump issued travel restrictions into the U.S. from various nations. They are currently eight: Chad, Iran, Somalia, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. Although …
By RAYMOND IBRAHIM
Morocco Agrees to Normalize Ties With Israel
By JACKSON RICHMAN
Rabbi Yaakov Menken, managing director of the Coalition for Jewish Values, said “instead of a cold détente attained via surrender to unreasonable demands, these new agreements promote peace based upon common security needs and mutual medical, technological and financial benefits.” RABAT, MOROCCO and JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — December 10, 2020 — Jewish and pro-Israel groups reacted positively to Morocco’s announcement on Thursday of …
By JACKSON RICHMAN
Israel’s Iran Confrontation Is Pointing the Way to the Future of War
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — March 2, 2020 — Iran is shipping sophisticated surface-to-air missiles, drones and other missiles to its allies across the Middle East. A seized shipment, revealed by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Feb. 19, included drone and cruise missile components reportedly linked to an attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq oil facility last September. To confront the threat, Israel …
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iranian Protests Were Not about the Price of Gas
By A.J. CASCHETTA
Anyone who thinks that the recent protests in 100 cities throughout Iran were about gas prices did not pay attention to what the protesters were saying. The immediate spark that led to the Arab Spring was the 2010 self-immolation of a Tunisian fruit vendor, but the Arab Spring revolution was not about Tunisian citizens’ ability to obtain permits to sell …
By A.J. CASCHETTA
Facing Tensions On Multiple Fronts, Is Israel On The Verge Of An All-Out War?
By ISRAEL KASNETT
Speculation abounds as to whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s order to brief rival Benny Gantz on current security issues is a sign that the Jewish state is preparing for a major conflict on one or more fronts. JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — August 27, 2019 — The big news in Israel is not that Iran attempted to send kamikaze drones into …
By ISRAEL KASNETT
Is History Repeating Itself In Middle East Current Events
By JONATHAN FELDSTEIN
A confluence of current Middle Eastern events, and a 38th anniversary observed this month, may foreshadow a similar outcome from then, in the future. The Middle East events unfolding are unique and parallel on two fronts: Iran and Turkey. But there is a connection. With Iran increasing its hostility to the US, Israel and world in general, the most recent …
By JONATHAN FELDSTEIN
Trump’s Syria Fumble Right Out of Obama’s Playbook
By JONATHAN FELDSTEIN
I will never forget the first time I realize that Barack Obama was clueless about the Middle East. I was traveling in the US during the 2008 campaign. An Obama commercial stuck with me like a bone in my throat. In speaking about the Middle East he said something to the effect of ‘we will withdraw our troops and end …
By JONATHAN FELDSTEIN
The Opposite of the Tip of the Iceberg
By JONATHAN FELDSTEIN
METULA, ISRAEL — December 7, 2018 — The phrase, “tip of the iceberg“ references the fact that there’s much more beneath the surface of the water where an iceberg exists that is a greater threat than what is visible above the water. Today in the Middle East we need to coin a new phrase that references the exact opposite: that …
By JONATHAN FELDSTEIN
Kashoggi In Context
By By LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL — October 25, 2018 — Someone in Saudi Arabia – and most of the available information points to the crown prince, who is the country’s real power center – dispatched a hit squad to murder a dissident commentator inside the country’s consulate in Istanbul. This much is clear. The question now is: What to do about it? …
By By LARRY M. ELKIN, CPA, CFP®