‘Auf Wiedersehen,’ Roger Waters?

Once upon a time, Roger Waters was a hero in Germany. In July 1990, a few months after the razing of the Berlin Wall, the former Pink Floyd frontman performed the group’s 1979 album “The Wall” on the Potsdamer Platz in the newly reunified city. Read more

Opinionated Pronouncements

At the best of times, Israel is the target of unsolicited verbiage from all and sundry. Read more

Israel continues Russia-Ukraine diplomacy efforts

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Tuesday, the latest in a series of conversations between Israeli and Russia and Ukraine officials in an attempt to mediate between the two sides. Read more

Feintooner

This week’s cartoon…The Piecemaker [Putin grows a Stalinesque moustache] Read more

Israel faces Russia policy change, or perhaps political posturing, regarding Syria

Lebanese media outlets as well as Saudi Arabia’s London-based Asharq Al-Awsat have reported that Israel’s freedom of action against Iran in Syria is dwindling as Russia makes changes to its policy vis-à-vis its relationship with Israel. But this so-called reversal of policy by Russia may be manufactured news and does not necessarily reflect reality. Read more

Putin plays with the Holocaust

Back in January, the unlikely figure of Paddington Bear—the cuddly, bright-eyed cub much adored by young children down the years—ran afoul of the Russian government. Read more

U.S. President Trump: A balance sheet

U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin served to increase the paranoia about him to an all-time high…writes Isi Leibler. Read more

Trump and Putin focus on Syria-Israel, Arab-Jewish conflicts

Defusing the Syria–Israel conflict and resurrecting the primacy of Security Council Resolution 242 in resolving the Arab-Jewish conflict have emerged as positive outcomes from the Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki this week…writes David Singer. Read more

Netanyahu to Putin: Iran needs to leave Syria

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday, just hours after Israel shot down a Syrian drone that had infiltrated Israeli airspace. Read more

Netanyahu meets Putin

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Read more

Trump and Putin must co-operate to defeat Islamic State…writes David Singer

President Trump made his intention to destroy Islamic State crystal clear in his stirring address to the Congress on 28 February: Read more

Skirt-fronting Putin Can Help Eradicate Islamic State Crisis…writes David Singer

The possibility of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott shirt-fronting Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in Brisbane next month over the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH 17 in Ukrainian sovereign territory with the loss of all on board – including 38 Australians – has receded following Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s 25 minute meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the Asian Europe Summit held in Milan this week. Read more

Putin, Ukraine and the Jews…writes Isi Leibler

The international crisis created by Putin’s military incursion into Crimea has also served to highlight again Russia’s relationship to the Jews. Read more

Putin’s Russia Now a Force in the Middle East…writes Isi Leibler

President Obama’s abysmal failure to provide leadership during the Syrian crisis represents a turning point in the Middle East and has paved the way for President Putin’s Russia to emerge as the dominant regional force, a position it had surrendered after the breakup of the Soviet Union.  Read more

Syrian Free Army Signing Own Death Warrant…writes David Singer

The swift agreement between Russia and America to collect and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons has been an impressive diplomatic achievement – marred only by the fact that it has taken three weeks longer to reach this point because of their joint failure to focus on ending the use of chemical weapons in Syria – rather than focusing on who was responsible for the atrocity that caused the deaths of 1429 Syrians on 21 August. Read more

Hide and Seek…writes Michael Kuttner

At some stage most children have played the game hide and seek where a designated individual closes his/her eyes, counts to 20 or 50 or 100 while the other kids run and hide as quickly as possible. Read more