Israel

The USG Open Source Center paraphrases Arabic news items in the newspapers of the Sunni Arab monarchies of the Gulf, many of which express concern about the thaw in US-Iranian relations. These countries are grouped in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that comprises Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman. Bahrain […]

Iran

Israeli Nuclear & other Arms compared to Iran’s

Juan Cole

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu came to the US on Monday to lobby Washington against a diplomatic resolution of the conflict over Iran’s civilian nuclear enrichment program. Netanyahu insisted that Iran’s “military nuclear” program be completely dismantled, even though the UN inspectors continue to certify that no Iranian uranium has been diverted to military purposes. […]

Iran

Why Israel’s Plan to Bomb Iran is more Dangerous to Israel than Obama-Rouhani Diplomacy

Juan Cole

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has made no secret of his dismay that the Obama administration is entering into what look like serious negotiations with Iran over the latter’s nuclear enrichment program. Israeli hawks such as Netanyahu want the US to bomb the Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities in Natanz near Isfahan and in Fordow near […]

Iran

Iranian President Rouhani acknowledges Holocaust as Crime against Jewish People

Juan Cole

The speech of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to the UNGA pledged that Iran has no nuclear weapons program and said that Iran never would. The new Iranian president said he was committed to a time-bound set of negotiations over the country’s nuclear enrichment program. His remarks were encouraging, but unspecific about the ways he could […]

Government surveillance

US NSA Gives Israel Raw Intelligence on US Citizens (Chamberlain)

Juan Cole

Jacob Chamberlain writes at Commondreams.org The National Security Agency openly shares unfiltered intelligence files with the Israeli government, according to a classified document leaked to the Guardian newspaper by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. As the Guardian reports Wednesday, the NSA memorandum details an "intelligence-sharing agreement" between the two countries and shows that the "US government […]

Israel

American Jews Divided on Syria Strike, Many Oppose AIPAC

Juan Cole

That the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is pushing Congress toward attacking Syria is no secret. As usual, however, AIPAC is out of touch with Jewish Americans. There is a good reason for which the proper diction for AIPAC is “an Israel lobby” rather than “a Jewish lobby.” AIPAC doesn’t represent the views of […]

Iran

Israeli Press on Syria Delay: History will Mock Obama (OSC)

Juan Cole

The USG Open Source Center translates or paraphrases passages from the Israeli Hebrew press on President Obama’s decision to seek Congressional advice and consent regarding responses to Syria’s use of chemical weapons. Some slammed him, some were supportive or understanding : Historians To Mock Obama, President’s Actions Convey Weakness “Obama Playing Dumb” by Hagay Segal […]

Egypt

It’s not about Democracy: Top Ten Reasons Washington is Reluctant to cut off Egypt Aid

Juan Cole

another 80 people died in violence in Egypt on Friday, as Muslim Brotherhood crowds protested the military crackdown on their sit-ins that cost hundreds of lives this week. Some of the violence resulted fro police heavy-handedness, some from an armed Brotherhood attack on a police station. The continued unrest upped the pressure on the Obama […]

Israel

Iran, Israel, and Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Opposition to Zionism (Goldman)

Juan Cole

Shalom Goldman writes at Islamicommentary: In the past few weeks the war of words between Jerusalem and Tehran has intensified. In what now seems a cyclical phenomenon, the politicos in both capitals hurl invectives and warnings at each other, and then retreat back into relative silence. The actual shadow war between the countries continues in […]