Category Archives: Iran

Netanyahu’s speech by the numbers

May 24, 2011 By in America, Gaza, Iran, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Jewish issues, Sderot, Syria Leave a comment

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tonight delivered a speech to a joint meeting of the US Congress.

A numerical analysis of the words he used most sheds, perhaps, some light on where Netanyahu placed emphasis, and just as importantly, where he did not. The speech consisted of 3,549 words in total, and lasted 46 minutes and 50 seconds. The Prime Minister received 30 standing ovations. Here is a list of the words most used, in descending order:

Israel: 67 [That could be just a coincidence, but ironic nonetheless]
Peace: 50
Jewish: 19
America: 14
Iran: 12
Middle East: 12
Palestinians: 11
Nuclear: 10
Arab: 9
Friend: 8
Defend: 7
Security: 7
Freedom: 7
Terror: 7
Borders: 6
1967: 6
Jerusalem: 5
Hamas: 5
Islam: 4
Democracy: 4
God: 3
Hezbollah: 2
Holocaust: 2
Territory: 1

A purely numerical analysis of the speech seems to suggest that Netanyahu’s message to Congress and the Senate went something like this: Israel, the Jewish state, wants peace. Israel is America’s friend. Iran destabilizes the Middle East and wants to go nuclear. If Iran goes nuclear there will never be peace and there will be another Holocaust. The Palestinians aren’t ready for peace. The Arabs in the Middle East want freedom but Iran wants to spoil that. Israel will defend it’s security. Borders are not an important issue, security is more important. Forget about 1967 borders. Forget about Palestinian refugees. Jerusalem will stay undivided under Israeli sovereignty. Hamas is Israel’s al-Qaida.

Here’s a word cloud courtesy of wordle.net

Here’s a video from C-Span of the speech

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=299666-1

And here’s the full text courtesy of the PMO:

May 24, 2011

Speech by PM Netanyahu to a Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress Continue reading →

Can Israel avoid its own looming Nakba?

April 7, 2011 By in America, China, Ehud Olmert, Gaza, International Relations, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Jewish issues, Sderot, Syria, Turkey, Uncategorized Tags: Leave a comment


63 years ago Israel was born at the United Nations General Assembly. The Palestinians called it their ‘Nakba’ – catastrophe. In a twist of fate, history may be repeating itself.

Some thoughts on the situation.

Richard Goldstone can’t stop what he’s started. The brilliant, yet naïve jurist thought he was helping to make the world a better place, thought he could bring human rights to one of the world’s most intractable conflicts, thought he could get Hamas to abide by international law [he was so proud he got the mandate to include Hamas violations of human rights]. He was terribly wrong, and now he knows it, and wishes he could change it. It remains to be seen how far he’ll go to make amends. Goldstone may have retracted his war crimes charge against Israel, but his report has a life of its own. The damage has been done and will continue to be done. In September, just as the Palestinians will be asking the United Nations General Assembly for recognition of their new state, the UN Human Rights Council will be holding a scheduled status review of the implementation of the Goldstone Report. The fact that Hamas has done nothing – and will do nothing – to investigate its human rights abuses and war crimes charges [in Gaza they call outbound rockets ‘legitimate resistance’ and inbound retaliatory Israeli rockets as ‘war crimes’] will have no effect on Hamas. Israel’s dozens of internal probes and convictions will be lauded, but any open investigations will be used to hit Israel over the head with charges of non-implementation, which will then go back to the General Assembly, where, as I’ve just mentioned, the Palestinians will be asking for recognition of Palestine. Not that the Palestinians need the Goldstone Report to convince member states to vote in favor of their independence. Continue reading →

Is Israel capable of reaching out to new Arab elites?

February 27, 2011 By in Gaza, International Relations, Internet, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Jewish issues, Mossad, nuclear, Syria, Turkey Leave a comment

There is a famous saying: “for a man carrying a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.” In other words, for Israel’s top politicians and generals [is there a difference?] the tectonic change currently cracking the Middle East wide open is one big, nasty nail. Why is the ‘only true democracy in the region’ so utterly miffed by the freedom movement sweeping this area? Democratic eggs may be hatching in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Jordan, Algeria, Yemen and Bahrain; but for every newborn free-range chick taking its first steps, Israelis see a wolf in chicken’s clothing. Why? Because democracy brings Muslim extremists to power [like it did in Gaza and Iran], and them brothers want to throw us into the sea. Continue reading →

Some thoughts on the situation in Egypt

February 10, 2011 By in America, Iran, Israel, Syria, Turkey 1 Comment

There is a battle for the control of the Middle East. The US-led camp, which includes Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and Egypt is locked in battle against the Iran-led camp which includes Syria, Hizbullah-led Lebanon, Hamas, and Qatar. A new Egypt, without Mubarak, significantly weakens the US camp, regardless of what type of government emerges in Cairo. The Egyptian capital was, in the words of Aaron David Miller, America’s “first stop” on Mideast trips; the U.S. built its Mideast policy around Mubarak. Now American power in the region is on the wane, and its staunch ally has been deposed. Turkey’s strengthening ties with Iran and Syria is another significant setback for the US camp. Jordan, sensing that it may be on the losing side, has been gradually warming ties with Iran to hedge its bets. And the muddled, rumor-filled Saudi succession battle does not paint the Kingdom as a coherent, rising regional power. The events in Egypt have quickened the processes in the Middle East. Israel, increasingly isolated, is extremely worried about what the Egyptian uprising will mean for its security. It’s hard to be enthusiastic about a democratic uprising in Egypt when that country’s institutions are not perhaps ready for true democracy, and where the Muslim Brotherhood, determined to destroy Israel, will play a significant role in any new government. In the meantime, Iran’s nuclear program continues; Iraq remains fragmented and at the mercy of Iranian designs; and Lebanon has all but fallen into Iran’s orbit. Continue reading →

Desperate housewives don’t count rockets, they count days

May 27, 2010 By in Gaza, International Relations, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Sderot, Syria, Uncategorized 3 Comments

Compared to the scenario that Turning Point 4 drilled this week, the events that occurred here in 1991 can be thought of as a piece of cake. Back then, Saddam fired some 30 Scuds into the Dan region, and even though millions lived in a state of fear, only one person died, of a heart attack. Since 1948, some 60,000 rockets have been fired into Israel, killing 80 civilians. Compare that to 2006, where Hizbullah lobbed over 80 tons of explosives in 33 days of war, killing 43 civilians, while four others died of heart attacks. In this week’s drill, some 220 [imaginary] tons of explosives [theoretically] hit the Israeli home front in the first 4 days of [imaginary] war. But that’s where the theoretical ends.

Turning Point 4 is an exercise based on very realistic assessments of what Israel can expect in the next round of war with Hizbullah, Hamas, and possibly Syria and Iran. The next time round, the enemy rockets will be deadlier and more accurate – and they’ll come in concentrated blitzes of hundreds at a time. They’ll come day after day, not sporadically like in 2006 and 2009, but in concentrated barrages, timed and coordinated by an axis of enemies from the north, south and east. Continue reading →

UN-Israel relations going up in Gaza’s smoke

January 15, 2009 By in Ehud Olmert, Gaza, Iran, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Sderot, Syria, Turkey, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Looking at the massive plume of thick smoke rising above the Gaza skyline on Thursday, Israelis tasked with coordinating humanitarian aid shipments into the Strip couldn’t believe their eyes. Thousands of sacks of wheat and other foodstuffs sent through the Israeli crossings over the past weeks and stored at the food storage warehouse at UNRWA headquarters were on fire, sending a thick smoke throughout the area that could be seen from miles away. All the work Israel and UNRWA have been doing to avert a humanitarian crisis in Gaza was going up in flames, literally. Continue reading →

In Sderot, eyeing Gaza’s Black Sabbath

December 28, 2008 By in Ehud Olmert, Gaza, Iran, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Syria, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

David Bouskila had a long and busy Friday night. The workload and
consultations started again very early on Saturday morning. So at about
11:30 a.m., when he finally found a few minutes to rest, he walked into his
bedroom and let his hefty body slump onto the mattress.

The second his head hit the pillow, IAF bombs hit their marks in nearby Gaza
City causing a thunderous sonic boom which shook Bouskila’s home. Sderot’s
new mayor knew it was not a good time to catch some sleep.

David Bouskila

Credit: Sderot media center

Bouskila is speaking on his cell phone to the BBC when I catch up with him.
“We praise the IDF and the government for acting after having been under
rocket attack for over eight years,” he says. Speaking in good English all
the way through the interview, Bouskila spells out the letters of his name
to the BBC reporter on the other end of the line. Continue reading →

Barak unplugged

June 16, 2008 By in Ehud Olmert, Iran, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Sderot Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

There is nothing I can report to you from our one-and-a-half hour meeting with Defense Minister Ehud Barak at our offices today, as it was agreed beforehand that the briefing would be entirely off record.

What I can do however, is to give you my impressions of Barak at this point in time, and the thing that stands out most about him right now is that he is angry and feels that he needs to act: angry at the way the government is handling things in general; angry at Kadima, angry at what he believes are lost opportunities and wasted resources.

When talking about strategic and defense issues – Barak’s words were measured and his tone relaxed, and I got that reassured feeling that on these matters, Ehud Barak is the best possible person for the job. One year into the job as Defense Minister, Barak is confident that the security establishment is on the right track to meet the threats of the future, and he comes across as eminently believable. Continue reading →

Why announce Iranian aliya?

December 27, 2007 By in Espionage, International Relations, Iran, Israel, Jewish issues, Mossad 1 Comment

sasson_tiram_251207_014.jpg

I wrote this piece with Jerusalem Post chief diplomatic correspondent Herb Keinon.

Israel’s decision to publicize the arrival of a group of 40 Iranian immigrants Tuesday was intended to send a message to Iranian Jewry that they are wanted here, and that if emigration from Iran were one day prohibited, no one could say they did not have a chance to come to Israel, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

The decision to publicly reveal the Iranian Jews’ arrival – something that has been kept secret in the past – was made in consultation between the Jewish Agency and other governmental bodies to send a message to the remaining Iranian Jews that the sooner they decide to leave Iran the better, the Post was informed. Continue reading →

40 Iranian Jews start new lives in Israel

December 26, 2007 By in Iran, Israel, Jewish issues 1 Comment

iranian1.jpg

The Jewish Agency is working hard to bring bring all of Iran’s remaining 25,000 Jews to Israel, an official told The Jerusalem Post as 40 immigrants landed at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Tuesday afternoon.

Tuesday’s arrival is the largest-ever single group of Iranian immigrants brought by the agency to start new lives in a country that their now-former president has vowed to wipe off the face of the earth.

The Jews of Iran were “starting to feel the earth burn beneath their feet” in a growing atmosphere of anti-Semitism, said Yossi Shraga, director of Middle East immigration at the Jewish Agency.

The media has not been allowed to publish the name of a third country from which the immigrants arrived at the airport, nor the delicate and complex process by which the group was gathered and processed for aliya.

Nor have their names been released for publication. Continue reading →

Syria’s relationship status: It’s Complicated

November 25, 2007 By in America, International Relations, Iran, Israel Tags: , , 5 Comments

Reuters reports Sunday that Syria had blocked access to Facebook

Now, Damascus has said it is sending its deputy Foreign Minister to the Annapolis conference, signaling a possible shift in its close relationship with Iran, who was not invited to the peace parley.

Iran and Syria have grown very close over the past few years, despite the different ethnic constituents [Iran is Shi'ite] and Syria is ruled by the minority Alawites. What brought them together were their perceived common enemies: America and Israel. It will be interesting to watch Tehran’s reaction to this turn of events.

So, based on today’s developments, this is what Syria’s official Facebook profile would look like if it had one [Thanks to Ricky Ben-David for the illustration]:

syria2.jpg

The Syrian Arab Republic is…
Going to Annapolis
Networks: Iran, Hizbullah, Hamas, PFLP, North Korea, Axis of Evil
Interested in: The Golan Heights; The Lebanese Presidential election; Whatever I can get
Relationship status: Its complicated: Is in a relationship with Iran, but is looking to see other people because Iran is on a collision course with most of the world
Looking for: A way out of the Axis of Evil

Notification: Syria has joined the group: Peace Conference in Annapolis

Former Mossad chief: Only force will stop Iran

September 27, 2007 By in Energy and oil dependency, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Mossad, nuclear Tags: , , , Leave a comment

shabtai.jpg

From the beginning of Teheran’s march towards a nuclear capability, Israel has attempted to convince the world of the danger posed by a nuclear Iran. According to a former Mossad director, should Israel remain alone in its efforts to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions, it has only one viable option before Iran achieves its goal: to strike its most important nuclear facilities and set its program back by several years – this, instead of attempting to wipe out its program entirely, which may be beyond Israel’s ability. And once the Iranians recover and begin advancing – which they will – strike them again and again, until they decide to pursue a different path.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post ahead of next week’s Seventh Annual International Institute of Counter-Terrorism (ICT) Conference at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, former Mossad chief and current ICT chairman Shabtai Shavit says only military force can stop an Iran bent on achieving nuclear capability.

Continue reading →

Shabbat Kassam

August 31, 2007 By in Annapolis, Gaza, Iran, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Sderot, Syria Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

fire1.jpg

Fire chief David Sheetrit is not a fan of crossword puzzles.

He watches as visiting Tel Aviv firefighters pour over the Friday newspapers on Saturday. They brought them with them when they came to bolster Sderot’s fire station, which during ‘normal times’ boasts a total staff of three, Sheetrit and his two deputies. ‘Three across and five letters down: What is a Muslim religious leader called? Answer: Mufti.’ A Tel Aviv firefighter scribbles in the answer, and a short discussion on the Muslims of Gaza ensues.

Continue reading →

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