January 27

Holocaust survivor recalls kindness of US troops

Rather than surrendering them to the Allies closing in from the east and west, the prisoners feared their captors were planning to plunge their train into the Elbe River and drown everyone.

“Panic and fear spread quickly,” recalled the Polish-born Israeli who survived the Warsaw Ghetto and the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. “Just as we were at the point of despair, two American tanks came rolling down a hill and saved us.”

MEMRI: Marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day: This past year's research from the Tom Lantos Archives on Antisemitism and Holocaust denial

Seven years ago, the United Nations General Assembly designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The Tom Lantos Archives on Anti-Semitism and Holocaust Denial, launched in 2009, is the world's foremost resource on this subject, serving legislators, policymakers, and researchers around the world. 

Can there be a second Holocaust?

In recent years, the Holocaust has been subject to an increasingly sickening blend of ruthless politicization, deliberate distortion, crass commercialization and an often abject sentimentalism.

More ominously, it has also become a weapon of choice for many of Israel’s worst enemies and for a resurgent anti-Semitism which brands the entire enterprise of Holocaust memory as nothing but a “Zionist plot.”

Planning genocide in plain sight

On this grim 70th anniversary of Wannsee, let us contemplate how a disbelieving world can stand idly by as evil regimes coolly harness their bureaucracies to methodically achieve horrendous goals. Whatever the double speak (as the Wannsee crowd used the phrase "final solution" to mask its program of mass extermination), the outcome is clear to all who wish to see it. Had they been invited, the Iranian regime and the Taliban would have been enthusiastic participants in the Wannsee Conference.

The big lie returns

The man whose book Mearsheimer called “fascinating and provocative,” a work that “should be widely read by Jews and non-Jews alike,” is an anti-Semite, pure and simple. A saxophone player by trade, Atzmon was born and raised in Israel but subsequently moved to London. He proclaims himself either an “ex-Jew” or a “proud self-hating Jew” and was quoted approvingly by Turkey’s Islamist prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at the Davos conference in 2009: Denouncing Israel in vociferous terms before a horrified Shimon Peres, Erdogan quoted Atzmon as saying, “Israeli barbarity is far beyond even ordinary cruelty.”

Caroline Glick's Column One: The Zionist imperative

Today’s principal form of Jew-hatred is anti- Zionism. Anti-Zionism is similar to previous dominant forms of Jew hatred such as Christian anti-Judaism, xenophobic and racist anti- Semitism, and Communist anti-Jewish cosmopolitanism in the sense that it takes dominant, popular social trends and turns them against the Jews. Anti-Zionism’s current predominance owes to the convergence of several popular social trends which include Western post-nationalism, and anti-colonialism.

Iran nuclear questions to be exposed by inspection

Yukiya Amano, the International Atomic Energy Agency chief told AFP that the organisation's previous efforts to verify whether all its activities were for non-military purposes had been hampered by "a lack of cooperation" from Iran which he hoped would change.

Barak calls on world to stop Iranian nuclear threat

Speaking as part of a panel on Iran at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Barak told those assembled that "you can't conceive of a stable world order when Iran has nuclear weapons."

Barak: World must act against Iran before it's too late

Amid fears that Israel is nearing a decision to attack Iran's nuclear program, Barak said tougher international sanctions are needed against Tehran's oil and banks so that "we all will know early enough whether Iranians are ready to give up their nuclear weapons program."

Israeli officials think Iran retaliation threat is a bluff, NYT reports

Citing a number of officials and reports, the New York Times said that estimates that a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities “would set off a catastrophic series of events” is considered by some to be “partly a bluff,” and that these estimates are accepted at the top levels of the Israeli government.

Obama’s feckless Iran policy

Well, there is no mystery why Israel’s views on this issue and new academic works are appearing: Israel is making a concerted effort to make its own threat of military action credible. Unlike the U.S. administration that currently bemoans how disruptive military action would be, Israelis are saying the opposite: We don’t want to strike, but we could handle the fallout.

Barry Rubin: Israel is not about to attack Iran and neither is the United States: Get used to it

The radio superhero, The Shadow, had the power to “cloud men’s minds.” But nothing clouds men’s minds like anything that has to do with Jews or Israel. This year’s variation on that theme is the idea that Israel is about to attack Iran. Such a claim repeatedly appears in the media. Some have criticized Israel for attacking Iran and turning the Middle East into a cauldron of turmoil (not as if the region needs any help in that department) despite the fact that it hasn’t happened.

Iraq sectarian war flares as funeral bomb kills 29

A suicide bomber killed at least 29 people on Friday by driving an explosives-laden vehicle into a Shia Muslim funeral procession in Baghdad, heightening fears that Iraq is in the grips of sectarian conflict.

Syrian rebels claim they captured Iranian soldiers

The Syrian rebel army, dubbed the 'Free Syria Army,' posted a video on Friday featuring Iranian soldiers and officers from the Revolutionary Guard who they captured during fighting in Homs, they claimed.

The view from Damascus: Assad regime is 'weak' and 'robbing banks' to finance repression

While the Syrian regime pummels away at long-restive cities such as Deraa and Hama, the new focal point for the revolution is none other than Damascus itself. Rebels, composed now of both army defectors and armed civilians, claim to be operating openly in Harasta, Hamowriya, Su'ban, Madaya and Ghouta, kidnapping regime personnel and taking the fight directly to Assad’s most elite (and loyal) army divisions and intelligence bureaus. There's now even an all-women Free Syrian Army (FSA) brigade.

Outside Syria's capital, suburbs look like war zone

When Arab League observers headed to the suburbs of Damascus Thursday, Syrian security refused to accompany them to most areas, because they are no longer in control there.

Michael Young: A gesture Lebanon must not ignore

On Wednesday the Syrian National Council, which is leading the opposition to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad from abroad, made a significant gesture toward Lebanon.

Egypt's new face is not a source of optimism for average Israeli

Katatni and his Muslim Brotherhood comrades didn't mention the fact that their organization was not present at the first demonstrations and joined the uprising only belatedly, on Friday, January 28. The Muslim Brotherhood has managed to wrest credit for Egypt's version of the Arab Spring out of the hands of its young secular compatriots who took the first, fateful steps a year ago.

Peace treaty in peril

The new turn in Egyptian politics coincides with a major change in American Middle Eastern policy. On Nov. 25, the administration of President Barack Obama shifted its public position on the continuing standoff between the Egyptian army and the liberal demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

'Mashaal has effectively abandoned Syria HQ'

The leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, has effectively abandoned his headquarters in the Syrian capital, Damascus, diplomatic and intelligence sources said on Friday.

Ya'alon: Hamas exploiting democratic system

Democracy can help stabilize countries, he explained, but must be achieved “through education rather than elections.”

Security and Defense: Waiting for a trigger

It is true that a nuclear Iran features at the top of Military Intelligence’s threat list for the coming year, followed closely by Syria and Hezbollah. But at the same time, there is almost a complete consensus within the IDF that the most volatile front – and the one that will erupt first – is the Gaza Strip.

PA officials: Israeli border proposal a non-starter

Israel's envoy to the talks, Yitzhak Molcho, outlined Wednesday night for the Palestinians the principles and parameters that will guide Israel's policy on border issues, an Israeli government official said. According to the official, Molcho did not draw a line on a map, but rather spoke in general principles about what Israel would take into consideration when drawing that line.

Israel presents the Palestinians with its stance on borders

One of the principles that Molho presented was that in any permanent agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, most of the Israelis who live in the West Bank will remain in Israeli territory, while the Palestinians in the West Bank will be in the area allotted for a future Palestinian state.

January 26

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brushes off EU sanctions on Iran oil

"There was a time when 90 per cent of our trade was with the Europeans. It has now dropped to 10 per cent. We didn't call for this. Cut it (trade) and let's see who will incur the loss," he said. "It is the West that needs Iran and the Iranian nation will not lose from the sanctions."

Will Obama take Ahmadinejad’s bait?

Optimists may interpret Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s call for new talks with the United States and Europe about his country’s nuclear program as a sign that international sanctions are working. But the notion that Tehran is looking for a way out of the nuclear standoff is exactly what Ahmadinejad and the ayatollahs who actually run Iran want Washington to believe. With pressure mounting on the Obama administration to implement sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank–a measure that would set in motion a limited embargo on the country’s export of oil–the Islamist regime is hoping to give the president an excuse to back away from the confrontation.

Former IDF chief: Israel must prepare for possible attack on Iran

During a lecture at the Institute for National Security Studies, Ashkenazi stressed that Israel's strategy on Iran must be a combination of several approaches.

Israeli hacker team brings down Iranian websites

Israeli hackers brought down Iran's Press TV website and two websites belonging to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education on Thursday.

The hackers, who call themselves "IDF Team," said their actions were a response to a series of attacks on Israeli sites the previous day.

Shiite leader Al-Hakim urges end to Iraqi political crisis

A top Iraqi Shiite official said Thursday that the political crisis pitting Shiite officials against his country's largest Sunni-backed bloc must end.

But Ammar Al-Hakim, a powerful cleric and leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, did not offer any change in the legal challenge that started the standoff: An arrest warrant that Iraq's Shiite-led government filed against the Sunni vice president, Tareq Al-Hashemi, on terrorism charges, sending him into virtual exile to the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq.

Islamist militants led by Anwar al-Awlaki relative leave seized Yemen town

Islamist militants led by a relative of Anwar al-Awlaki, who took over a Yemeni town last week, have said they will leave in exchange for the formation of a council to govern it and the release of several jailed comrades.

Tony: Kurds and sway

If there is one group in Syria that embodies the trans-national currents running through Syrian society, and which is likely to have increasing influence in the post-Assad era, it’s the Kurds. Sitting at the intersection between Turkey, Syria and Iraq, the Kurdish minority, it is commonly recognized, will play a critical role in the success of the Syrian revolution and in the shaping of the post-Assad order.

One step forward, two steps back

On the same day, the Arab League, after a marathon meeting in Cairo, and in a further bid to bring an end to 10 months of bloodshed in Syria, decided to extend its heavily criticized, and arguably farcical, monitoring mission to the troubled country. The league also presented a framework for a peaceful transition of power and the holding of elections. But if Saleh’s flight into exile represents another feather in the cap of the so-called Arab Awakening, the league’s weak position on Syria shows more blood will no doubt be spilled before one of the main pillars of Arab authoritarianism is to be toppled.

Arab League resumes observer mission in Syria

Arab League observers in Syria, depleted by a pullout of their Gulf Arab colleagues, have resumed work for the first time in a week during which a bloody struggle between President Bashar al-Assad and his opponents has raged on.

Arab League observers resume work amid Syria violence

Security forces deployed across the Damascus suburb of Duma on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Duma, a protest hotbed that has recently seen a rise in rebel activity, was rocked by loud explosions overnight, according to activists living there. The British-based Observatory said army operations under way in parts of the countryside around the capital had led to fighting on Wednesday night but said there were no signs of clashes in Duma on Thursday since security forces deployed.

Diplomacy to remove Assad gains momentum

And, in fact, U.S. and international diplomacy aimed at removing Assad is quickly gaining momentum. An Arab League ministerial meeting on January 22 found that the Syrian government's "partial progress" was "not enough" and urged the establishment within two months of a "national unity government" based on a "serious political dialogue" with the opposition -- all under the authority of a vice president, rather than President Assad. Not surprisingly, the Assad regime rejected this plan, arguing that it went beyond the Arab League's authority, violated Syrian sovereignty, and represented "a conspiratorial scheme hatched against Syria" for foreign intervention "led by the Qatari government."

Al Qaeda 'poised to launch suicide attacks in Syria'

Bakri, once nicknamed the 'Tottenham Ayatollah', said hard line Salafi Muslim groups, including al Qaeda, and his own Al-Ghuraba group, also proscribed in the UK, are ready to help their 'Muslim brothers' with a campaign of suicide attacks against President Bashar al Assad.

Moshe Arens: Better late than never

For a change, here is good news from Beirut. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon made news during his recent visit. "I am deeply concerned about the military capacity of Hezbollah and the lack of progress in disarmament," he told a news conference in Beirut after meeting Lebanese leaders. "All these arms outside of the authorized state authority, it's not acceptable," he declared.

It's about time somebody made things clear to the Lebanese.

Egypt slaps travel ban on US NGO staff

The move comes amid a crackdown on foreign-funded NGOs.

It is likely to further strain relations between Egypt and the United States after prosecutors last month stormed the offices of groups including IRI as part of a probe into allegations of illegal funding from abroad.

Obama set to speed aid to Egypt-official

Undersecretary of State Robert Hormats, part of a U.S. delegation that held unprecedented talks last week with Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, said Washington wanted to provide "more immediate benefits" to Egyptians, who earlier this month conducted their first democratic elections in decades.

Reporter's Notebook: Tahrir Square, one year later

Fast forward a year to January 25, 2012. Again, it was a national holiday, but it has been rechristened: National Revolution Day. Like many times over the past year, Tahrir Square was filled with flags and signs, toddlers with black, red and white face paint and men clambering up lampposts and shouting from the top.

Muslim Brotherhood repeats: No talks with Israel

“Our group is not prepared to conduct dialogue with Israel – that is our decision.

. . . “It is illogical to open dialogue, any dialogue, given the current Israeli policies against the Arab peoples,” he said. “We will reject any request from the Israeli embassy to meet with leaders of the group.”

EU working on Israeli incentives package for PA

Palestinians declare exploratory talks with Israel 'a failure' as parties hold last meeting in Amman. EU's Ashton scrambles to salvage negotiations, keep Palestinians from walking away from talks. Abbas to consider next steps with Arab League next week.

Palestinians: Peace talks end with no progress

"The Israelis brought nothing new in these meetings," said one Palestinian official familiar with the talks. "We are now going to assess our options and will consult our brothers in the Arab League on February 4."

Talks ‘possible’ if Israel agrees borders — Abbas

“If we demarcate the borders, it is possible to return to negotiations, but the Israelis don’t want to determine the borders,” Abbas said, according to remarks carried by WAFA news agency.

In rare court appearance, Marwan Barghouti calls for a peace deal based on 1967 lines

Former Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti appeared in Jerusalem's Magistrate Court on Wednesday to testify in the lawsuit filed by the family of Esther Kleiman, a resident of Neveh Tsuf who was killed in a gunfire attack in 2002 northwest of Ramallah.

Barghouti, who is likely to become the next Palestinian President, was convicted by the Israeli justice system of five counts of murder – four Israelis and a Greek monk - during the second intifada. There is no question he supported and encouraged violence.

Hamas wants a ‘branch’ in Jordan

The source stressed that Hamas’ intentions to establish a presence in the Kingdom comes as part of the movement’s desire to “expand” its diplomatic reach and not a sign that the Palestinian movement is abandoning its Damascus headquarters.

Is Meshaal stepping down to step up?

Hamas is in flux. In the Palestinian territories, it is looking to reconcile with Fatah and create a unity government, even while holding onto power in Gaza. In Egypt, its sympathetic cousins the Muslim Brotherhood control the new parliament. In Jordan, its elements have an opportunity to gain ground if they can avoid getting smacked down by a panicked King Abdullah II. And most of all, in Syria, long the group’s base, it is a group non grata that is leaving: its refusal to pay obeisance to President Assad during the dictator’s months-long, violent repression of internal dissent has earned it street cred in much of the region but ill will in Damascus. So it was interesting over the weekend when the group announced that its longtime political leader Khaled Meshaal will resign. Combine it with news that Meshaal is otherwise raising his regional profile—he hopes to make an unprecedented visit to Gaza via Egypt with Palestinian President Abbas, in a huge symbolic sign of reconciliation; he plans to travel to Jordan, where he has residency papers (owing to his being born in the pre-1967 West Bank), and where Abdullah is officially welcoming him in a sign that the wind is at Islamists’ back.

'Israel has declared war on Hamas in West Bank'

Israel has declared war on Hamas representatives in the West Bank, Palestinians said Tuesday, pointing out that five legislators belonging to the Islamist movement have been arrested in the past few days.

Khaled Abu Toameh: The new hypocritical stance of Mahmoud Abbas

The Palestinian Authority has expressed outrage over the arrest of Hamas officials in the West Bank by the Israel Defense Forces -- even though the Palestinian Authority itself has also been arresting Hamas supporters in the West Bank.

January 25

‘The tide of war’

If saying could make it so, this would all be a marvelous exercise. But there’s a dangerous muddle here, in which the gutting of U.S. defense and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from overseas theaters are confused with an end to war. If the metaphor here is to be one of ocean tides, then the extension of the metaphor is that we are being invited to spread out our well-padded entitlement programs and picnic on the beach — oblivious to the signs that the water is coming back. North Korea and Iran are still working on nuclear bombs and missiles. Iran, along with its ties to al Qaeda, continues to arm and support terrorist groups such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which in turn have networks well beyond the Middle East, including in Latin America — where Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just completed yet another visit to his pals in Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Venezuela. China is busy with a massive military buildup. Russia is sending arms to Syria. And, with the U.S. nodding along, Egypt is on its way to Islamist rule. These are not developments that herald an imminent era of  peace. Neither is the plot alleged by Obama’s own Justice Department, in which Iran’s Quds Force planned to blow up the Saudi ambassador in a Washington restaurant, just last fall — sometime between Obama’s first two iterations about the receding tide of war, and the last three.

Barry Rubin: Obama’s State of the Union Speech: My response discovers some curious insights and strange formulations

My number-one complaint about Obama—not that there aren’t others but this is in first place—is that he never hints at the dangers in the region precisely because he doesn’t recognize that they exist.

Elliott Abrams: A forward strategy of freedom

U.S. President George W. Bush recognized this stark reality. "Are the peoples of the Middle East somehow beyond the reach of liberty? Are millions of men and women and children condemned by history or culture to live in despotism?" he asked at the 20th anniversary of the National Endowment for Democracy. "Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe -- because in the long run, stability cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty."

Netanyahu: Iran sanctions won't necessarily halt Iran's nuclear program

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel is working to increase international pressure on Iran, but said that thus far, sanctions were unsuccessful in halting Tehran's nuclear program.

Sanctions against Iran grow tighter, but what’s the next step?

As the Obama administration and its European allies toughened economic sanctions against Iran on Monday — blocking its access to the world financial system and undermining its critical oil and gas industry — officials on both sides of the Atlantic acknowledge that their last-ditch effort has only a limited chance of persuading Tehran to abandon what the West fears is its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Max Boot: West cannot settle for a Japanese-style status quo in Iran

Can it really be that American and European officials can’t tell the difference between Japan and Iran? That is what you would think reading today’s article by Helene Cooper in the New York Times. She writes: “Several American and European officials say privately that the most attainable outcome for the West could be for Iran to maintain the knowledge and technology necessary to build a nuclear weapon while stopping short of doing so.” As a model for Iran, these unnamed officials cite Japan:

Azerbaijan police foil Iran plot to assassinate Israel ambassador

Three Azerbaijani nationals recruited by Iranian intelligence were supplied with a sniper rifle, explosives and money and told to kill Michael Lotem, the Israeli envoy to Baku, according to the country's internal affairs ministry.

Iraq hits out at Turkey as ties worsen

"All Iraqis are proud of belonging to their country and no other. Erdogan has provoked all Iraqis with his comments, particularly those he believes he is defending," Maliki said in a statement released by his office on Tuesday, in a clear allusion to Iraq's Sunni Arab minority.

Red Crescent official shot dead in Syria

Abdulrazak Jbero, a former president of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and head of its branch in the northern town of Idlib, was shot dead while travelling on the road between Idlib and Damascus.

Iran: The Syrian highway in the fight against Israel is still open

Since the wave of protest in Syria began as part of the Middle Eastern upheavals - with the Middle East being recast in the Islamic mold - the strategic alliance between Iran (and Hizbullah) and Bashar Assad's regime has been put to its ultimate test. Both the international community and the Arab-regional system (and Turkey) are trying to impose a change that entails Bashar's ouster and the fostering of a democratic political process in Syria, with Iran (and Hizbullah) standing alone in backing Syria. At the same time, China and Russia are counter-balancing Western and Arab efforts to oust Bashar, impeding a tough resolution in the UN Security Council.

Collectively failing Syrian society

The international community, powerless and deeply divided, has so far not been acting decisively. The West, which initially hoped the regime would do a better job at managing the crisis -- and thus spare it from a risky adventure in a sensitive part of the world -- has come full circle: although the practicalities remain unclear, the consensus now favors regime-change, with dreams of regional change lurking in the background giving a hoped-for domino effect on Hezbollah in Lebanon and a besieged leadership in Iran. Russia appears concerned about heightened instability in the area at large, the prospect of further empowering Islamists, and the West's typically cavalier attempts to push its agenda under the guise of noble moral values.

Tens of thousands gather in Cairo's Tahrir Square

Thousands of Egyptians rallied in Cairo's Tahrir Square to mark the first anniversary of the country's 2011 uprising, with liberals and Islamists gathering on different sides, in a reflection of the deep political divide in the country.

Tahrir after a year

“This day is beautiful,” says Mohammed Saad, a 29-year-old unemployed translator, standing in the tent city that the Brotherhood has set up. “I’m very happy. I came early in the morning, and we’re going to stay here till Friday.”

A couple of kilometers across the city, the mood is radically different. Thousands of people with signs and megaphones in their hands march down the streets. Angry chants reverberate: “Don’t be afraid! The military has to go!”

Happy birthday to Egypt’s doomed revolution

Indeed, one year after Egypt’s heroic revolt, Washington has no heroes in Cairo, only headaches. But rather than confronting those headaches, the Obama administration has consistently chosen the path of least resistance. Thus, the SCAF’s raids on U.S.-funded NGOs has not put a halt to the $1.3 billion in military aid that Washington sends to Cairo, and the Muslim Brotherhood’s blatant stances against key U.S. interests have gone unchecked. According to Brotherhood political leader Essam El-Erian, when the Deputy Secretary of State visited the organization’s Cairo headquarters in mid-January, the Camp David Accords weren’t even mentioned.

EU transfers €55.4 mil. to UN Palestinian refugee agency

Ashton said that the EU's "continued support to UNRWA is an essential element of the EU strategy to bring peace and stability of the region." The UNRWA website also quoted her as saying that "the €55.4 million contribution we are signing today represents our ongoing commitment to the Palestine refugees."

Amb Ron Prosor addresses UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East

The primary obstacle to peace is not settlements. The primary obstacle to peace is the so-called "claim of return." Let me repeat that: the major hurdle to peace is the Palestinian’s insistence on the so-called "claim of return".

You will never hear Palestinian leaders say "two states for two peoples". If you ever hear them say "two states for two peoples", please phone my office immediately. Call me "collect" in the event of such an unprecedented occurrence.

The Palestinian Authority’s ATM

Even more interesting is his insistence he will not serve as finance minister, the job he held previous to his current post. To his credit, he doesn’t like the idea of being a front for a Hamas government whose respectability would be pimped abroad in order to continue the flow of aid from the United States and Europe.  “I do not really view myself as an ATM for the Palestinian Authority,” said Fayyad.

Israeli, Palestinian negotiators clash at Jordan meeting

A bitter confrontation broke out between the head of the Israeli negotiating team Yitzhak Molcho and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat during their meeting In Jordan on Saturday, after Erekat refused to let a senior Israeli officer present the Israeli position on security arrangements.

'No peace talks unless J'lem agrees on borders'

"If the borders are set it's possible to return to negotiations, but the Israelis do not want established borders" Abbas said following a meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II.

Hackers paralyze Israeli hospital websites, as cyber war heats up

Hackers attacked the websites of two Israeli hospitals on Wednesday, managing to bring down the sites for several hours in the latest round of the ongoing cyber war between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian hackers.

January 24

Arab Spring sees rise in anti-Semitism

“Charges of an international Jewish conspiracy have been a central motif in the anti-Semitic propaganda that has accompanied the Arab Spring uprisings. This motif has been emphasized in each of the countries especially by way of pointing a blaming finger towards Israel, Zionism and Jews conspiring against Arabs and Muslims.”

Caroline Glick: Our World: America and the Arab Spring

A year ago this week, on January 25, 2011, the ground began to crumble under then-Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak’s feet. One year later, Mubarak and his sons are in prison, and standing trial. This week, the final vote tally from Egypt’s parliamentary elections was published. The Islamist parties have won 72 percent of the seats in the lower house.

Iran's oil shock

The 27 nations of the European Union dealt a huge oil shock to Iran. They agreed to ban Iranian oil to stop its rogue nuclear program. The Europeans will immediately stop signing new contracts to buy Iranian oil. Countries with existing contracts may honor them until July 1.

After that, Iran loses 18 percent of its oil export business … or more. Some of Iran's other big oil customers — Japan and South Korea — also are scrambling to switch suppliers.

Iran: EU oil sanctions will have 'serious consequences'

"Iran condemns this EU move as illogical and unjustifiable and believes it will have serious consequences for Europeans," the Foreign Ministry said in its first official statement after Monday's sanctions. It did not clarify what the consequences would be.

Europe 'damaging own economies' with oil embargo, Iran claims

Instead of blaming sanctions for their economic woes, Iran's leadership chose the opposite course, claiming that the embargo would actually benefit Iranians while hurting Europeans.

Britain, US and France send warships through Strait of Hormuz

Britain, America and France delivered a pointed signal to Iran, sending six warships led by a 100,000 ton aircraft carrier through the highly sensitive waters of the Strait of Hormuz.

Gantz recruiting nations to combat Iran smuggling

Defense officials said Sunday that Gantz’s efforts were part of a larger initiative by the defense establishment to recruit a bloc of countries from around to world to crack down on Iranian arms smuggling in the region, particularly to Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel to United Nations: Take action against Iran

Prosor cited the last International Atomic Energy Agency report saying it proved beyond all doubt that the Islamic Republic sought to obtain nuclear weapons. He said Tehran’s efforts to enrich uranium to 20 percent-levels at its reactor in Qom could serve no other plausible aim other than to develop an atomic bomb.

France rules out early withdrawal from Afghanistan

Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, has said France would not give in to "panic" and pull its troops out of Afghanistan this year after four of its soldiers were killed there last week.

Baghdad car bombs kill 14, wound dozens

At least 170 people have died in attacks in Iraq since the beginning of the year, many of them Shia pilgrims attending religious commemorations. The last American soldiers left the country Dec. 18.

Brace for the worst in Bahrain

The stage seems to be set for February and March to be the scene of a significant intensification of tensions in Bahrain. The period will mark the one-year anniversaries of the protest movement, the government crackdown, and the “Peninsula Shield” intervention by Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council forces. More importantly, recent developments have pushed almost entirely away from substantive moves toward national accommodation or reconciliation.

Syria: Arab League mission on verge of collapse

The Arab League's peace mission to Syria was on the verge of collapsing today after Gulf states followed Saudi Arabia in pulling out.

Gulf states pull observers out of Syria, urge UN action

They said their decision came after "closely following developments in Syria and after they confirmed that the bloodshed and killings there continue [and after] the Syrian regime did not comply with implementing the Arab League decisions."

Moallem says Syria vindicated, blasts Arab "conspirators"

Syrian Foreign Affairs Minister Walid Moallem said Tuesday that a report by Arab observers vindicates Damascus by showing that Syria is implementing the Arab League initiative. Moallem also alluded to the Gulf countries in accusing "some Arabs" of conspiring against Syria.

Egypt parties refuse to commit to women's rights

Many Egyptian political parties, especially dominant Islamist groups, have refused to commit to protecting women's rights and to abolishing the death penalty, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.

Hamas leader to make historic visit to Jordan

The visit is seen as part of Jordan's effort to engage with previously shunned Islamists, who have been gaining ground across the region in the Arab Spring uprisings that toppled dictators in Egypt and Tunisia. Islamists make up the most influential opposition in Jordan and have been gaining strength in recent months, though King Abdullah II has the final say in all matters.

Gaza builders lead economic recovery – with some help from the black market

For three years, Wael Arabeed did not do a day's work. He delved deep into his life savings, accrued over 25 years of working on construction projects in Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt, to feed his family. He sold his car. He began to believe his working life was over.

But now the construction engineer has more work than he can handle. Tossing yet another tender request on to his desk, he says: "I have so many offers, I can't even look at them. I'm too busy."

EU to push Israel, Palestinians to return to full peace talks

The European Union wants Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to set aside his 2010 demand that Israel call a total halt to settlement building in the West Bank before full talks resume.

Israel is being urged to make confidence-building moves, which could include the release of long-term prisoners and easier conditions for Palestinians in Israeli army-controlled areas of the West Bank.

Israel Attorney General to investigate Jerusalem mufti for incitement

Weinstein’s request came a few weeks after Jerusalem’s Mufti Mohammed Hussein quoted a religious text that includes passages about killing Jews during a speech at the 47th anniversary celebration of the Fatah movement in East Jerusalem.

January 23

Iran rejects new EU sanctions as 'psychological warfare'

The European Union banned imports of oil from Iran on Monday and agreed to freeze the assets of Iran's central bank, joining the United States in a new round of measures aimed at reining in Tehran's nuclear development program.

Iran issues threat over EU oil sanctions

A senior member of Iran's parliament said on Monday the Islamic Republic would close the entry point to the Gulf if new sanctions block its oil exports, reiterating a threat made by officials a month ago that caused a temporary oil price spike.

Iran 'definitely' closing Strait of Hormuz over EU oil embargo

Tensions in the Gulf could reach a breaking point as a senior Iranian official said Iran would “definitely” close the Strait of Hormuz if an EU oil embargo disrupted the export of crude oil, the semi-official Fars news agency reports.

US 'opens talks with Hizb-i-Islami insurgent group'

It is the latest sign of intense political activity in Afghanistan as the US reduces troop levels and tries to broker a peace deal – and the highest level talks yet.

EU adopts new sanctions on Syria's top brass

EU foreign ministers adopted fresh sanctions against Syria's military brass on Monday, targeting a large number of security officials on a new list of people and firms hit by a travel ban and asset freeze.

Arab plan signals end of Assad era

The Arab League's latest roadmap for an end to the crisis in Syria signals that regional states see the Assad era drawing to a close, although it could yet be a slow process, analysts said Monday.

Analysis: Rocky road to unity for Syria opposition

In recent months, opposition movements in Syria have vainly tried to find some common ground that could bring together the ethnic and religious communities that make up the country. Their failure to do so goes a long way to explain why they did not get much needed international recognition and help the way Libya rebels did. Assad still feels secure in the knowledge that he represents the only legitimacy in his country, and believes he can still save his regime at the price of some concessions.

Zvi Bar'el: Rivalry among Syrian defectors could mean another military coup

Even as the Arab coalition against the Syrian regime tightens, and while Saudi Arabia has withdrawn its inspectors to the country and Qatar has upped the pressure to refer the crisis to the United Nations, fissures are emerging within the Syrian opposition which threaten to transform the uprising in the country from a civil protest movement into a military coup.

Fouad Ajami: Syria: The lost bequest of Hafez Assad

Arabs are firm believers in nasab, inherited merit passed on from father to son, a nobility of the blood. No wonder that Hafez Assad was ambivalent about his beginnings. In 1980, before a gathering of learned notables, the ruler, then a decade in power, recounted the adversity of his childhood. He recalled that at one point in his boyhood he had to quit school temporarily because his father couldn’t scrape together the modest tuition. “But we are not commoners. On the contrary, my father was a half aga.” The title “aga,” a modest one in Ottoman parlance, signified a chief, a man of some standing or means. On another occasion, in the same year, speaking to a peasant syndicate, Hafez Assad would tell them he was in truth one of them. “I am first and last a peasant and the son of a peasant. To lie amid the spikes of grain on the threshing floor is, in my eyes, worth all the palaces in this world.”

'Syria purchases 36 fighter planes from Russia'

The deal, signed in December, specifies that production of the planes will begin once initial payments are made.

Hezbollah guarded al-Assad during rally appearance

Hariri also claimed that “when Bashar al-Assad appeared in the midst of supporters in Umayyad Square [in Damascus]…he was being guarded by members of the Hezbollah security apparatus” adding “this public appearance which did not last more than three minutes was very similar to the appearance of [Hezbollah chief] Hassan Nasrallah in front of his supporters during the Ashoura [celebrations].”

Hezbollah, Iran preparing for ‘day after’ Assad

“The assessment that Hezbollah will be severely impacted by Syria’s downfall is unlikely since it will be able to fill the vacuum with assistance directly from Iran,” a senior Israeli defense official explained.

Mr. Prime Minister, good night, and good luck

Ambassador Ali stressed the need to implement agreements signed between the two countries in terms of border control, putting an end to the infiltration of gunmen, the spread of extremism, and preventing verbal attacks on Syria in its sister state Lebanon. He added that Mikati vowed to foil campaigns against Syria, including the smuggling of arms and the infiltration of militants across the border.

So it is happening. The Syrian regime wants Lebanon to increase the crackdown on anti-Assad activists, and Lebanon is accommodating. Mikati “vowed.”

Iran general’s remarks on south Lebanon draw March 14 ire

Politicians from the opposition March 14 coalition lashed out Friday at the head of Iran’s elite Al-Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards Corp, Brig. Gen. Qassem Suleimani, saying his remarks that south Lebanon fell under Iran’s influence have confirmed Hezbollah’s subservience to Iran. They demanded that Hezbollah clarify his statement. Suleimani, speaking in a conference on youth and the “Islamic Awakening” in Tehran Wednesday, said: “In reality, in south Lebanon and Iraq, the people are under the effect of the Islamic Republic’s way of practice and thinking.” But Suleimani’s remarks, which were carried by Iran’s official news agency IRNA Friday, were mistranslated by Arabic media and interpreted by March 14 politicians to mean that south Lebanon was under Iran’s influence.

Egypt's first post-Mubarak parliament opens

The parliament elected in Egypt's first legislative vote after Hosni Mubarak's ouster nearly a year ago held its inaugural session on Monday, with Islamists dominating the 498-seat chamber.

MB: Egypt assembly picks Islamist speaker

Egypt's Islamist-led parliament voted to appoint a top politician in the Muslim Brotherhood as the new assembly's speaker, the Brotherhood said on its website, a choice that would have been unthinkable when Hosni Mubarak was in power.

Egypt Islamists on eve of power ease talk of Islam

The fundamentalist group has eased off talk of Islamic-style legislation, saying it will focus on fixing Egypt's ailing economy, and it has even backed off introducing further explicit Islamic references in the new constitution it will have a major hand in writing. But it has other tools to push Egypt toward greater religious conservativism.

Barry Rubin: Egypt’s Parliament 75 percent Islamist; Egypt-Israel peace agreement is dead even if treaty still exists

But, they—or at least the Brotherhood—are determined to be cautious. Note that there is a big difference between actually being moderate and simply being patient, advancing step by step toward radical goals. The Western media will report that the Brotherhood is indeed moderate. Actually, as I review coverage over the last year it is almost impossible to find even a single article in the mass media that reports any such evidence, much less analysis, despite the massive documentation available to the contrary .

As region changes, Hamas movement shifts

Buffeted by the winds of the Arab Spring, the Hamas movement is transforming, with power shifting from its exiled leadership towards its government on the ground in Gaza, analysts say.

'Mashaal planning to visit Gaza with Abbas'

Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal is planning a trip to the Gaza Strip along with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in an effort to support reconciliation between the governments in Gaza and Ramallah, pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat reported Monday,

Meshaal's move raises doubt on Palestinian unity

Three months after securing a historic prisoner-exchange deal with Israel, Hamas's political leader Khaled Meshaal has said that he will not stand for re-election this summer. The decision comes at a critical time for Hamas as it re-evaluates its relations with sponsors Syria and Iran. And the single greatest issue is the reconciliation process with Fatah.

Khaled Abu Toameh: 'Hamas will defeat Fatah in May elections'

Moreover, internal squabbling between Fatah’s young guard and veteran leaders continues to undermine the faction’s credibility in the eyes of many Palestinians.

Hamas MPs hiding in e. J'lem Red Cross arrested

Undercover officers made the arrest upon sight, Rosenfeld said. "They are suspected of Hamas activity in Jerusalem," he said. Under Israeli law, all activity related to the Hamas terrorist organization is banned.

Abbas’s Mufti preaches Jewish slaughter

Their principal religious leader, Mufti Muhammad Hussein, provided the latest example of mainstream Palestinian opinion. Earlier this month, Hussein told a gathering commemorating the founding of the “moderate” Fatah Party the slaughter of the Jews remains their religious duty. The speech, broadcast on official Palestinian television on Jan. 9, is a classic anti-Semitic incitement to hatred and a violation of the peace accords the Palestinian Authority has signed. The fact that it is has largely gone unreported tells you all you need to know about the distorted vision of the Middle East by the mainstream media.

U.S. General urges closer ties with Israel

The meetings were closed and their contents were not revealed. But General Dempsey, on his first visit to Israel as military chief, was quoted in brief remarks released by the office of Israel’s defense minister as saying, “We have many interests in common in the region in this very dynamic time, and the more we can continue to engage each other, the better off we’ll all be.”

January 22

Barry Rubin: Why contemporary Western elites don’t understand the world and why their foreign policies fail

Today, the main theory—and one that Barack Obama wrote in his books—is that “underdevelopment” is merely the result of Western exploitation. Such a view, aside from its political implications, will do nothing to help countries improve themselves.

It makes the West a cheerleader for stagnation and reactionary forces. Endless aid is handed over to go either into subsidies to keep regimes in power or into the elites’ Swiss bank accounts. Such an approach is the welfare state on a global basis, with all the failings of that system.

Human Rights Watch chides West for aversion to Islamist groups in Middle East

"The international community must ... come to terms with political Islam when it represents a majority preference," he said. "Islamist parties are genuinely popular in much of the Arab world, in part because many Arabs have come to see political Islam as the antithesis of autocratic rule."

"Wherever Islam-inspired governments emerge, the international community should focus on encouraging, and if need be pressuring, them to respect basic rights - just as the Christian-labeled parties and governments of Europe are expected to do," he said in the introduction to the report.

Libyan Islamists rally to demand sharia-based law

Experts believe the Muslim Brotherhood is the most organized political force and could emerge as the leading political player in Libya after Gaddafi, who harshly suppressed Islamists during his 42 years in autocratic power.

'Iraq risks slipping into authoritarianism'

Iraq risks sliding back towards authoritarian rule with Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's security forces cracking down on protests, harassing opponents and torturing detainees, a US-based human rights monitor said on Sunday.

Gunmen kill four Iraqi soldiers in Fallujah

Fallujah is in mostly Sunni Anbar province, Iraq's largest by area, which was long a bastion of Al-Qaeda and insurgent forces who battled the US military following the 2003 invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.

Kudos to Iraqi Kurdistan

Domestically, Iraqi Kurdish rulers succeeded in transforming their leadership from one based on patronage networks to one based on winning the hearts and minds of their constituents through economic growth and prosperity.

And because prosperity requires good governance, the Kurdish leadership tapped native talent. Kurdish graduates from the world's finest colleges were lured back home, their experience put to government use.

The end of the U.S-Turkey alliance?

There are other manifestations of estrangement between the two countries. Ankara seems to be de-emphasizing ties with its traditional NATO allies, including the United States, and is placing a priority on strengthening links with Muslim countries. There are several developments over the past four or five years that highlight that policy pivot.

Arab League extends Syria mission by 1 month

Mission to gain additional monitors, resources; support for military intervention scant despite continued killing.

Syrian opposition want Assad referred to UN

Syria's main opposition group formally called on the Arab League to refer President Bashar al-Assad to the UN Security Council, effectively declaring its monitoring mission a failure.

Syrian troops retreat from large Damascus suburb

Douma, about 20 kilometers northeast of Damascus, is an important strategic point for the Assad regime, mainly because of its proximity to Adra, where there is a Scud missile base. In May 2010, the Times of London reported that satellite imagery showed Hezbollah fighters training in the operation of surface-to-surface missiles at a large base near Adra. The photos showed barracks, a large arsenal and a fleet of trucks used to move missiles to Lebanon.

Egypt election results: Islamists take two thirds of seats

The Muslim Brotherhood won by far the biggest share of seats allocated to party lists in Egypt's first freely-elected parliament in decades, final results confirmed, giving it a major role in drafting the country's new constitution.

Erekat calls on Israel to release Hamas's Dweik, 23 others

Chief among the prisoners Erekat called on Israel to release was Palestinian parliamentary speaker Aziz Dweik, a Hamas member arrested on Thursday. IDF soldiers arrested Dweik on suspicion of involvement with terrorist groups, and detained another lawmaker of the group from Bethlehem, Khaled Tafish.

'Haniyeh to run for Hamas Political Bureau chair'

Haniyeh's recent visits to Sudan, Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey were organized as part a campaign to acquaint the countries' leaders with the Hamas prime minister, the report explained, adding that trips to Qatar, Bahrain and Iran have been planned as well.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal 'set to run for PLO role'

Having stepped down as Hamas party chairman after 16 years at the movement's helm, Khaled Meshaal looks set to run for a senior position in the PLO in the forthcoming Palestinian elections.

Mishaal wants to step down as leader — Hamas

Hamas leader Khaled Mishaal, who survived a 1997 Israeli assassination bid, has confirmed he wants to quit after eight years in the post, the Islamist movement said on Saturday.

January 20

Arab World: Qatar, Midwife of the new Arab world

Substantively, that agreement represented the surrender of the pro-Western forces in Lebanon to the pro-Iranian ones. But it was also an indication of the vaulting ambition of Qatar. By brokering the agreement, Qatar announced its arrival as a major player in intra-Arab diplomacy.

The events of the Arab Spring were tailor-made to further increase the influence of Qatar. In addition to its financial muscle – based on one of the world’s largest reserves of natural gas – the main asset possessed by Doha is the Al Jazeera television network.

France deplores 'assassination' of troops as it threatens to pull out of Afghanistan

The killings during a training exercise at the Gwan military base in Kapisa province followed a similar attack last month when an Afghan soldier shot and killed two members of the French Foreign Legion.

IAEA to press Iran over nuclear concerns

The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief said it was his duty to warn the world about suspected Iranian activities that point to plans to develop atomic bombs, maintaining pressure on Tehran ahead of rare talks between Iran and his agency expected this month.

Iran warns Arabs against ‘dangerous’ stance on Hormuz

Iran’s foreign minister warned Arab neighbours on Thursday not to put themselves in a “dangerous position” by aligning themselves too closely with the United States in the escalating dispute over Tehran’s nuclear activity.

Calculating victory: How Iran views confronting the United States

Victory in war means accomplishing one's political objectives, and some Iranian leaders seem to believe they could advance four of their main goals through armed conflict with the United States: namely, resisting "global arrogance," creating disorder in the oil markets, justifying nuclear breakout, and rallying the nation. If Iran were to make significant progress toward these objectives via hostilities against American forces, some in Tehran might conclude that they had won. More likely, however, the optimistic expectations of these overly confident, risk taking Iranian hardliners would not be realized, and war could turn out badly for the regime. Washington can do much to shape the perceptions of both Iranian leaders and world opinion regarding the risks Iran would face from such a conflict.

Iran calls for Israel to be 'punished' for scientist

Such threats have been made before in Tehran and it is unclear how or when they might be carried out. Israel is on guard against attacks on its borders and within, notably by Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, which is supported by Iran.

The Bibi-Obama clash

But first we must understand the Iranian interest: To reach the so-called “nuclear threshold” while at the same time completing the missile program and fortifying Tehran’s nuke sites to make them immune, or almost immune, to an aerial strike. Iran aims to achieve all this without facing stifling economic sanctions already formulated by the US and the West but not yet imposed. In a few months, Tehran’s ally Bashar Assad may be able to overcome Syria’s domestic uprising. Then, Iran’s ability to threaten Israel and the West via the immense arsenal of missiles and rockets handed over to Syria, Hezbollah and the Palestinians in Gaza will be doubled.

Bangkok terror suspect: 'Mossad framed me'

The 47-year-old was arrested last week on terrorism charges after US and Israeli officials had tipped off the Thai government about a planned terror attack by Hezbollah operatives on Thai soil.

At least 6 killed as Assad fights dissent in Syria

At least six people were killed in Syria on Friday and the bodies of six others were turned over to their families, activists said, two days before the Arab League decides whether to keep monitors there despite their failure to halt bloodshed.

Syrian opposition leader seeks to counter Islamists

Syria's religious and ethnic minorities need to work together with liberal Sunni Muslims to counter the influence of Islamists in the uprising against President Bashar Assad, a prominent Sunni Muslim opposition figure said.

To Syrian rebels, Hezbollah is the 'Party of Satan'

Watch this documentary, produced by Egypt's Al Jizah News, about the Free Syrian Army's operations in the largely "liberated" city of Zabadani, about 20 miles outside of Damascus. As the chubby man in the ski mask and the fatigues begins talking for the second time, at around 1:40 in the clip, you'll need to know only this smattering of Arabic: "Hezbollah" means "Party of God." "Hezbashaytan" means "Party of Satan."

Egyptians rally ahead of anniversary of uprising

Hundreds of Egyptians are marching toward Tahrir Square ahead of the one-year anniversary of the uprising that toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.

Michael Totten: A leaner, meaner Brotherhood

Yet the Brothers didn’t make “the revolution”, as people both inside Egypt and beyond like to call what happened in Cairo this past winter. No one movement did. And now that the Islamists are no longer locked in a dialectical struggle with a one-man regime (Mubarak’s National Democratic Party no longer even exists), they are beginning to crack into factions. The political geometry of that cracking process is very interesting, possibly quite consequential, and altogether surprising to most non-native observers. 

Thailand officially recognizes Palestinian statehood

The move comes as Palestine pushes for full membership at the UN, a bid Washington opposes because it says a political settlement with Israel must be reached first.

Hamas urges end to Israel-Palestinian talks after West Bank arrests

Hamas' Gaza Strip leader Ismail Haniyeh, recently back from a tour of Arab states, praised the rise of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood in the Arab world and predicted "black days" for Israel "because the nations know their path now".

Hamas calls for end to PA-Israel talks after arrests

Hamas urged Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday to suspend exploratory peace talks with Israel following Israel's arrest of two Hamas legislators, and to stop his cooperation on West Bank security with the Israelis.

Khaled Abu Toameh: 'Hamas will defeat Fatah in May elections'

Abbas has announced that he would like to hold elections on May 4. However, many Palestinians are skeptical that he would be able to hold the vote, largely due to the ongoing dispute between Hamas and Fatah.

Palestinian Fatah movement faces election showdown with Hamas, but appears ill-prepared

Fatah, the mainstream Palestinian national movement whose survival is key to hopes for a peace deal with Israel, appears ill-prepared for a promised electoral showdown with the Islamic militant Hamas.

Top U.S. General: We have many joint interests with Israel in Middle East

Gen. Dempsey's visit came as the U.S. is trying to coordinate steps and clarify Israel's intentions with regard to a possible attack on Iran's nuclear installations.

Israel not a strategic asset? Think again

What brought the question to mind was the unnamed intelligence official quoted in Mark Perry’s latest anti-Israel slur at Foreign Policy, who said that while Israel is “supposed to be a strategic asset … There are a lot of people now, important people, who just don’t think that’s true.” For unless you think the world would be a better place if Syria had nukes right now, it’s pretty hard to argue Israel isn’t a strategic asset for America – not only because Israel is the one that destroyed Syria’s reactor in 2007, but because, as the New York Times reported last month, Washington didn’t even know the North Korean-built reactor existed “until Meir Dagan, then the head of the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service, visited President George W. Bush’s national security adviser and dropped photographs of the reactor on his coffee table.” Only then did U.S. intelligence conduct its own investigation and confirm it.

Caroline Glick's Column One: Mainstreaming anti-Semitism

It has become necessary to rehabilitate Mearsheimer because in the years since he and Walt published their conspiracy theory against Israel and its American supporters, Mearsheimer has actively embraced fringe elements in the US and the world in order to advance his campaign to discredit Israel and its supporters. As Alan Dershowitz highlighted in November, Mearsheimer wrote an enthusiastic endorsement of a psychotically anti-Semitic book written by British jazz musician and prolific anti-Semite Gilad Atzmon.