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In-Depth Issues:
Israel in Direct Contact with Syria, Exploring Normalization - Amir Ettinger ( Israel Hayom)
Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Sunday that Israel maintains an ongoing dialogue with Syria's new government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Hanegbi explained that "the reality involves direct dialogue, daily communication across all governmental levels."
"I personally conduct these discussions with political representatives of their government. Israel and Syria share numerous common interests, particularly concerning Iran."
Hanegbi identified Syria and Lebanon as prime candidates for normalization agreements with Israel, building on the Abraham Accords model.
He indicated that "if normalization occurs, we will consider" a potential Israeli withdrawal from the Syrian buffer zone.
See also below Commentary: Why Syria Let Israel Use Its Airspace to Strike Iran - Maya Cohen ( Jerusalem Post)
Iran's Foreign Minister Says Nuclear Facilities "Seriously Damaged" - Farnaz Fassihi ( New York Times)
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Thursday in an interview with Iran's state television that the country's nuclear facilities had sustained "significant and serious damage."
"I have to say, the losses have not been small, and our facilities have been seriously damaged."
IDF: Iran Is No Longer a Nuclear Threshold State ( Globes)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir has said in closed discussions in recent days that "Iran is no longer a nuclear threshold state."
Even if elements of Iran's nuclear program remain intact, the severe blow to the whole chain puts Iran a long way away from being able to develop a nuclear weapon.
Israel-Aligned Hackers Hobbled Iran's Financial System - Angus Berwick ( Wall Street Journal)
While Israel and the U.S. were bombing Iran's nuclear sites, Israeli authorities, and a pro-Israeli hacking group called Predatory Sparrow, targeted financial organizations that Iranians use to move money and sidestep the U.S.-led economic blockade, Israeli officials said.
Predatory Sparrow, which posts updates of its activities on X, said last week that it crippled Iran's state-owned Bank Sepah, which services Iran's armed forces and helps them pay suppliers abroad, knocking out its online banking services and cash machines. Iranian state media acknowledged the damage.
The group also breached Nobitex, Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchange, extracted $100 million in funds, and forced the platform to shut down.
After Attacks on Iran, New Questions about Its Leader - Yeganeh Torbati ( Washington Post)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is being blamed by many Iranians for pursuing a nuclear program that left Iran internationally isolated and its economy straining under sanctions, and for misreading the willingness of Israel and the U.S. to attack.
Practically overnight, the missile and nuclear facilities developed over years at a cost of billions of dollars have sustained heavy losses, and the regional network of allied militant groups he has fostered, such as Hamas and Hizbullah, has been eviscerated.
Some supporters are signaling concerns that he is weakened and failing to forcefully lead.
"It seems clear to me that Khamenei has never been weaker, that his supporters within the regime have never been weaker," said Afshon Ostovar, a professor and Middle East expert at the Naval Postgraduate School in California.
"There’s got to be some sense that everything they’ve put their energy into for the last two generations really has not panned out."
Anti-Israel Activists Damage Tanks Destined for Ukraine at Belgian Arms Factory - Carl Deconinck ( Brussels Signal-Belgium)
Anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian activists carried out co-ordinated action on June 23 against two Belgian companies - OIP in Tournai and Syensqo in Haren - accusing them of complicity in Israeli military operations in Gaza.
About 100 masked activists entered the grounds of defense company OIP, a Belgian subsidiary of Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems, and damaged tanks intended for delivery to Ukraine.
"They entered our buildings with grinding wheels and hammers, said CEO Freddy Versluys.
"We now face a delay of at least a month in delivering crucial equipment to Ukraine," estimating the damage at nearly 1 million euros. He added that about 80% of the protestors were women.
France Says It Intercepted Iranian Drones Targeting Israel ( Reuters)
France's military took part in efforts to stop Iranian drones targeting Israel, Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Wednesday.
"I can confirm that the French army intercepted less than 10 drones in the last few days during the different military operations conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Israel, either by ground-to-air systems or via our Rafale fighter jets," Lecornu said.
Hamas Tortures Gaza Civilians while World Distracted - Henry Bodkin ( Telegraph-UK)
Ahmed al-Masri, 26, was one of the key organizers in northern Gaza of protests against Hamas in April and May.
This week, pictures emerged of al-Masri on a stretcher, his legs a bloodied mess. He was abducted by Hamas gunmen and brutally tortured. His feet were deliberately broken with large stones and iron crowbars; he was also shot in the legs.
The atrocity is part of an escalating wave of bloodshed unleashed by Hamas to keep control of an increasingly desperate population.
In recent weeks, reports have multiplied of people being dragged out of aid lines, tortured in basements, or simply executed in broad daylight.
One video, published gleefully on Hamas-affiliated social media, showed masked figures using a long metal pole to smash a blindfolded man's kneecaps.
Those who make it to hospital are sometimes hunted down and finished off in the wards.
Israel's Secret Weapons Race Restarts - Yuval Azulay ( Calcalist)
The ceasefire has launched Israel and Iran into an accelerated arms race, as both countries prepare for the next round of conflict.
Israel's defense establishment will seek to develop new capabilities to maintain Israel's technological and qualitative edge over Iran.
Israel urgently needs to replenish its stocks of interceptors, missiles, and bombs, while also developing advanced generations of weapons to address future threats.
Israel's defense industries are sitting on a massive backlog of orders from both domestic and international buyers. Following the war with Iran, Israel's defense companies secured another wave of orders from the Defense Ministry.
Meanwhile, NATO's decision at its recent summit to double member states' defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 - driven by fears of a Russian invasion - opens vast new opportunities for Israeli companies in the arms market.
Operational success in Lebanon and Iran, and the real-world battlefield testing against Hamas, have only burnished the global reputation of Israel's weapons, even among European countries that often harshly criticize Israel's Gaza operations.
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- Khamenei Declares Victory over Israel and America
In a televised address on June 26, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei congratulated the Iranian people on their "victory" over Israel and the U.S. He claimed the Zionist regime has been nearly annihilated and "crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic" during the war, and said the U.S. directly entered the conflict because it feared the Israeli regime's total destruction. Khamenei added: "Nevertheless, they have achieved nothing in this war."
He argued that the American strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities had "failed to achieve anything significant" and that President Trump had exaggerated the impact of those strikes. He said the Islamic Republic delivered a "resounding slap in America's face" by attacking Al-Udeid Base in Qatar.
(MEMRI-TV)
- Trump Suspends Possible Iran Sanctions Relief after Khamenei Speech - Barak Ravid
President Trump had hoped Iran would agree to a meeting with the U.S. next week, in which the White House planned to offer incentives - including limited sanctions relief - to jumpstart negotiations. But a defiant video message Thursday by Khamenei - who declared victory over Israel and claimed Iran had dealt the U.S. a "slap in the face" - derailed that effort.
Trump wrote on social media, "Why would the so-called 'Supreme Leader' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war torn Country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the War with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie." Trump wrote that in recent days, he had been working on the possible removal of sanctions imposed and other measures that would give Iran a chance for "a full, fast, and complete recovery" after the war. "But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday, "The Great and Powerful Iranian People, who showed the world that the Israeli regime had NO CHOICE but to RUN to 'Daddy' to avoid being flattened by our Missiles, do not take kindly to Threats and Insults. If Illusions lead to worse mistakes, Iran will not hesitate to unveil its Real Capabilities, which will certainly END any Delusion about the Power of Iran."
Trump said at a press conference Friday that if talks with Iran move forward, the U.S. will demand that Iran give up its remaining stockpile of enriched uranium. He added that the U.S. will use military force to prevent Tehran from enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels in the future.
(Axios)
- Israeli Spies Have Been in Iran for Years - Gabrielle Weiniger
Leaked intelligence documents seen by The Times appeared to reveal the full extent of Iran's nuclear and missile ambitions. The conclusion of Israel's spy agency, Mossad, as well as other military intelligence arms, was that the regime was racing ahead to develop these ambitions.
An intelligence source told The Times on Friday that Israel had been monitoring multiple locations through intelligence agents for years, with each location having "boots on the ground beforehand." Intelligence officers used spies on the ground to map the layout of the Natanz facility, Iran's main enrichment site.
Israel's reconnaissance infiltrated, attacked and destroyed a facility in Isfahan, the Nur and Mogdeh sites for calculation and labs, the Shariati military site, and the large hangar at Shahid Meisami which manufactured the plastic explosives used for testing nuclear weapons, as well as other advanced materials and chemicals.
The documents also pointed to the infiltration of the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which was attacked in the later days of the war, and of nuclear sites such as Sanjarian, which developed components involved in the creation of nuclear weapons.
Agents in Iran visited every workshop and factory that were later attacked, enabling Israel to target "the entire industry that supported the manufacturing of large amounts of missiles," according to an intelligence source. The dozens of locations and sites attacked included Muad Tarkivi Noyad which produced all the carbon fiber needed to produce missiles. Others included sites for guidance, navigation and control of missiles and the production of warheads and engines. (The Times-UK)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- Israel Uncovers Extensive Hamas Terror Network in Hebron
The IDF and Israel Security Agency uncovered an extensive Hamas terror network in Hebron that was planning imminent terror attacks, they announced Wednesday. Over 60 terrorists organized into 10 terror cells were arrested; most were released prisoners. They had been conducting weapons training, gathering intelligence on Israeli targets, manufacturing explosives, and assembling IEDs. Several firearms, grenades, and ammunition were found.
(Jerusalem Post)
- Hamas Clashes with Gaza Militia Supported by Israel - Lior Ben Ari
Exchanges of fire broke out on Friday in Khan Yunis after Hamas terrorists shot and killed Mohammed Barbakh, a man affiliated with Fatah who helped provide security to the humanitarian aid distribution centers run by the Al Shabab clan with the support of Israel.
After Barbakh was shot, a Hamas sniper positioned himself on the roof of the Nassar hospital and targeted people gathering outside his home.
Hamas has established a base in the hospital and uses its ambulances to transport people and weapons.
After the shooting, Al Shabab clan members set its entrance on fire. (Ynet News)
See also Gazans Bypass Hamas to Secure Aid Delivery - Shachar Kleiman
Palestinian clans and tribes in northern Gaza secured international aid convoys Thursday without involvement from Hamas. Akef al-Masri, a senior clan representative, emphasized this represents "a first step in a series of steps" to secure supply convoys and prevent looting and violence.
(Israel Hayom)
See also Hamas Struggles to Maintain Gaza Control amid Clan Revolts and Waning Iranian Backing - Nidal Al-Mughrabi
Hamas is battling to survive in Gaza in the face of rebellious local clans and relentless Israeli military pressure. Intelligence assessments showed it had lost its centralized command and control and was reduced to limited attacks. One Israeli security source said the average age of Hamas fighters was "getting lower by the day."
A source close to Hamas told Reuters that Israel's terms for ending the war - including Hamas leaders leaving Gaza - would amount to total defeat, and Hamas would never surrender. "We keep the faith, but in reality it doesn't look good," the source said.
(Reuters)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
War with Iran
- Why Iran Is Now a Couple of Years from a Bomb - Yonah Jeremy Bob
Based on professional evaluations, top IDF sources are adamant that Iran's nuclear program has been pushed back by at least a couple of years, maybe longer. The IDF knows for certain that it has completely destroyed thousands of Iranian nuclear centrifuges as well as almost all of Iran's sites for constructing centrifuges.
In light of the Mossad penetrating Iran with literally hundreds of agents, it is unlikely that the Iranians succeeded in moving a large amount of 60%-enriched uranium from any facility with Israel completely missing this. But IDF officials will not dismiss the possibility that, somewhere, Iran managed to hide some small amount of uranium from Israel during the war. And there are probably some centrifuges somewhere that were not completely broken.
Iran will need several months or longer to dig out what was not destroyed and several more months or longer to build new facilities. Only then can it try to restart uranium enrichment or get existing uranium to higher, weaponized levels.
At that point, Tehran will hit another wall. While Iran had been advancing in making enriched uranium into a nuclear warhead, nearly all of Iran's weaponization activities were bombed.
This means it would need to redo nearly all of those weaponization activities, which on its own could take a couple of years.
IDF officials have high confidence that the sheer number of areas in which they destroyed or substantially harmed Iran's nuclear program makes it nearly impossible for the Islamic Republic to carry out all of the activities needed for producing a nuclear weapon in less than a couple of years. They also believe the destruction of so many nuclear processes may set back Iran even longer. (Jerusalem Post)
See also IDF Officials Sure Iran Will Try to Make a Nuclear Comeback, but They'll Be Ready - Yonah Jeremy Bob
IDF officials said Thursday that Iran will likely try to make a nuclear comeback but Israel will be even more ready in the future to stop it again, given the confidence and experience gained from this war. During the war, the IDF dropped 4,600 bombs on Iran, with the Islamic Republic hitting Israel in residential areas only 36 times.
(Jerusalem Post)
- Why Syria Let Israel Use Its Airspace to Strike Iran: "Every Blow to Iran Is a Benefit" - Maya Cohen
Israeli planes crossed Syria to reach Iran, University of Haifa Professor Amatzia Baram said in an interview with Maariv on Thursday. He explained that the new Syrian government had "an interest in the Israelis attacking Iran as much as possible. Every blow to Iran is pure benefit to al-Sharaa's regime."
Any blow to Iran weakens the largest strategic rival of the new regime in Damascus.
This is why the Syrians would not interfere with the Israeli operation, even if they had the capability to do so.
Baram emphasizes that al-Sharaa has no real interest in confronting us. "We took the Golan Heights from Assad, but the Golan is not a sufficient reason for a bloody conflict. Even the Assad family, Hafez al-Assad and his son Bashar, essentially recognized de facto that the Golan belongs to us, since they didn't try to take it back after 1973, and every Syrian knows this. In other words, there is already a precedent of half a century where the Syrian regime has accepted Israeli control over the Golan. Therefore, Syrian nationalists and jihadists who try to incite the public against al-Sharaa for not going to war to liberate the Golan will face discomfort."
In fact, al-Sharaa is "quietly grateful to us for what we've done. The Iranians are looking for a way to get rid of him and return Syria to their sphere of influence. He knows this." Moreover, Israel effectively deters both the Shiite militias in Iraq and Hizbullah, two of al-Sharaa's natural enemies.
"Al-Sharaa sees that the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Hizbullah did nothing during the 12 days of the war, despite the fact that Iran built Hizbullah specifically for this moment." (Jerusalem Post)
- The Myth of Iran's Invincibility Has Been Shattered - Nadeen Ebrahim
Iran's image of invincibility crumbled in the space of hours on June 13, when Israel launched a surprise, unprecedented attack deep inside Iran, shattering Tehran's sense of security and unraveling its carefully cultivated aura of strength.
Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group, said Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is likely seen as having destroyed Iran's deterrence and "rendered the country vulnerable. A lot of the blame is put on him and his decision-making - his inflexibility at the negotiating table, his defiance in the face of much stronger conventional military powers."
Questions may also arise about the role and the importance of a Supreme Leader in the long term, Vaez said.
Vaez added that "There is a strong desire from the Revolutionary Guards and military forces in Iran to double down and adopt a much more entrenched position, further militarizing the internal sphere and even eventually pursuing nuclear weapons as the ultimate deterrent."
The paranoia around Israel's infiltration in government will likely lead to a "purge" at the top level of the system, he said.
Moreover, "The Islamic Republic had one social contract with society, which is that it deprived them of all freedoms...in return for providing security. Now, that image has been shattered in the eyes of the Iranian people," Vaez said. (CNN)
- Did the Attacks on Iran Succeed? - Richard Nephew
It is still too soon to say exactly how much the Israelis and Americans set back Iran's nuclear program.
Even Iran probably does not understand the full scale of the damage to its enterprise. But experts can start to catalogue the tangible results.
They know that the attacks dealt serious damage to Iran's enrichment facilities and killed many top scientists. They know that important equipment was blown apart and buried. But Iran may still have much of what it needs to make a weapon, either because it is safely in storage or because it can be salvaged from the rubble. The country may never produce a weapon. Or it could produce one very quickly.
This much is clear: Iran's nuclear program was badly mauled. Iran's three main nuclear sites were all seriously damaged. Entire parts of Isfahan and Natanz were outright destroyed. Iran's Arak reactor was destroyed. The Israelis also attacked several other research and development sites throughout Iran, including the organization responsible for nuclear weapons-related research and development. The deaths of at least a dozen Iranian scientists in the Israeli strikes have cost Iran decades of practical knowledge useful to building nuclear weapons.
The Israeli and U.S. attacks dealt a blow to Iran's nuclear ambitions, at least in the near term. But they are clearly not the end of the story. As a result, American policymakers must be prepared for a situation in which Iran makes a dash for a weapon. Iran will almost certainly reconstruct its program in more protected spaces. Israel has demonstrated that it has deeply penetrated the Iranian nuclear enterprise. But Iran's counterintelligence operatives will be on particularly high alert.
The writer, a senior research scholar at Columbia University at the Center on Global Energy Policy, served as Deputy Special Envoy for Iran during the Biden administration. (Foreign Affairs)
- The Israel-Iran War: Concluded but Not Resolved - Dr. Raz Zimmt
The U.S. decision to actually use military leverage to prevent Iran's breakout toward nuclear weapons is an important precedent that may ease the path for future administrations to do the same if necessary.
Iran is likely to portray the war as a success regardless of its actual outcome in an effort to construct a narrative that the Islamic Republic is capable of withstanding prolonged confrontation with Israel and causing it serious harm in return.
There is no indication that Iran is currently interested in returning to a negotiated framework - especially not one that would require concessions perceived in Tehran as capitulation to U.S. dictates, including the relinquishment of Iran's enrichment capabilities. Moreover, it is doubtful that Iran would agree to an intrusive inspection mechanism by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
If no agreement is reached, Israel will have to pursue a long-term campaign, combining kinetic strikes with covert operations to prevent an Iranian breakout. On the other hand, a nuclear deal would do little to prevent continued progress along a covert path. Moreover, any agreement that results in lifting economic sanctions would offer the regime a lifeline and enhance its capacity to continue its malign activities across multiple arenas. It could also restrict Israel's freedom of action against Iran.
The battle against Iran is far from complete. The Israeli and American strikes do not offer a comprehensive answer to the full range of threats posed by the Islamic Republic - which openly calls for Israel's destruction. Ultimately, the long-term solution to the Iranian threat lies in regime change in Tehran.
The writer, a veteran Iran watcher in the IDF, is Director of the Iran and the Shiite Axis program at INSS.
(Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University)
U.S.-Israel Relations
- Israel Is the Most Reliable Partner the U.S. Has in Matters of Global Security - Walter Russell Mead interviewed by Tunku Varadarajan
"Just when the conventional wisdom that America was in terminal decline had congealed into place, the airstrikes suggest that American power remains unique in world affairs," said Walter Russell Mead, 73, among the most original thinkers on foreign policy in this country. He says the U.S. faces a real threat from "the axis of revisionists" - China, Russia, North Korea and, at least "until quite recently," Iran. Complacency in the face of this threat would be fatal.
As events in Iran have shown, Israel - a small non-NATO ally - is in many ways the most reliable partner the U.S. has in matters of global security. The Israeli prime minister is "the only leader, really, to have been able to throw back the revisionist axis in a very serious way. And Trump has given him some critical support."
"Israel is a fantastic ally. It's an ally that spends a higher percentage of its GDP on defense than we do. And it's an ally that America is trying to hold back, rather than whip on. It's more eager for the fight than we are." Israel's strategic interest, while not identical to America's, is "broadly enough aligned with ours, so that we're usually on the same side on the big issues." (Wall Street Journal)
- For the First Time in History, U.S. Forces Joined an Israeli Military Campaign - Shayndi Raice
Benjamin Netanyahu has spent three decades sounding the alarm about Iran's nuclear program.
On June 12, Netanyahu ordered the Israeli air force to strike Iran alone, without any assurance that the U.S. would join in. So far, the decision appears to have paid off. The operation has proved Israel's military and intelligence supremacy over Iran, shifting the balance of power in the Middle East.
For the first time in the long history of the two countries' close relationship, U.S. forces joined an Israeli military campaign, providing the massive firepower needed to complete the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. As Trump watched Israel land successful opening blows, he expressed admiration for the strikes on social media and hinted in calls to reporters that the U.S. had played a bigger role than known.
It was ultimately Netanyahu's willingness to go it alone against Iran that helped convince President Trump, said David Friedman, former U.S. ambassador to Israel in Trump's first term. "Once he saw that, and the overwhelming dominance of the Israeli air force, he was prepared to enter into an unprecedented partnership with Israel, both in terms of its success and its scope."
(Wall Street Journal)
Palestinian Arabs
- A Supreme Court Victory for Victims of Palestinian Terrorism - Sander R. Gerber and Ezra Husney
On June 20, the U.S. Supreme Court held that foreign entities that kill Americans abroad through acts of terror can be held to account in American courts. In 2004, U.S. citizens sued the Palestinian Authority for its role in terror attacks that killed their family members. A New York federal jury found the PA liable, but in 2016, the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that the authority couldn't be subject to the jurisdiction of federal courts. The Supreme Court has now unanimously rejected the Second Circuit's interpretation of the law.
Citing the Taylor Force Act of 2018 and referring to the PA's pay-to-slay policy, the justices noted Congress's "longstanding policy of deterring these sorts of payments, which the United States has determined promote acts of terror that may injure or kill Americans." With Israeli cooperation, the plaintiffs should eventually be able to collect damages by attaching Palestinian Authority tax revenue and assets. Then justice will truly have been done. (Wall Street Journal)
See also Text: Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Organization Decision (U.S. Supreme Court)
Observations:
- Those of us in the Bibi critics' club have to confront an uncomfortable fact: Especially over the past 10 months, Netanyahu has impressively remade the face of the Middle East. He's degraded Hamas and Hizbullah, two of the vilest terror regimes on the planet. He has made the Iranian theocracy look pathetic and decrepit.
- Israel has demonstrated its vast military and intelligence supremacy over its enemies, establishing total freedom of the skies over much of Iran. It has shown that its agents can penetrate enemy organizations and find and kill their militant leaders. Netanyahu's actions have contributed to the toppling of the Assad regime in Syria and have helped the legitimate Lebanese government regain control of its own territory. The Axis of Terror is in shambles.
- We know that Israel and the U.S. have the will and capacity to attack Iran anytime and anyplace. We know that if Iran reconstitutes its nuclear program, Israel and America have the capacity to deliver a much more devastating blow.
- I think Netanyahu was right to be obsessed with Iran over the past several decades. Iran has been the central source of instability in the Middle East ever since the 1979 Iranian revolution. Other issues in that region are secondary. I also think Netanyahu was right to go on offense and take a maximalist response to the events of Oct. 7.
- Over the past few decades, Iran has methodically built a noose around Israel with terror armies and advanced weaponry. For decades, both Israel and the U.S. were willing to tolerate the noose. Dismantling it seemed too hard and risky. That changed on Oct. 7. Suddenly the looming noose began to appear intolerable.
- Netanyahu, and the Israeli public generally, decided to respond to Oct. 7 not with the limited retribution campaign that many of us outside observers were supporting, but by attempting to dismantle the whole noose, including Hizbullah and Iranian nukes, and that now looks like the right call. Occasionally I see lawn signs asserting that "war is not the answer," but here was a circumstance in which war was the answer.
- Many of Israel's enemies in the Middle East actually believed the narrative floated among overheated activists on Ivy League campuses that Israel was more of a colonial outpost than a real country and that the Jews could be pushed out of Israel the way the Belgians were kicked out of their colonies in Africa. They paid for their belief in that myth by suffering devastating defeats. If the Middle East is ever going to be a more peaceful place, it will be because everybody finally acknowledges, even at Columbia, that Israel is not going to be exterminated from the river to the sea.
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