Extremely moderate
Editorial cartoon
Americans who care deeply about Israel have to make two decisions regarding the upcoming election.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kicked off his re-election campaign on Monday, saying Israel had new unspecified \”capabilities\” to act against Iran\’s nuclear threat, an issue he said he had placed at the heart of the global debate.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said a national dialogue leading to elections was the way towards a solution to Syria\’s crisis, in remarks broadcast on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dedicates much of his time to thinking about how to handle the Iranian nuclear issue, considering it a rapidly approaching existential threat. Not surprisingly, it was also the main topic of a wide-ranging interview he gave with Israel Hayom before Rosh Hashanah. Here is what the Israeli leader had to say:
Egypt\’s new president may lack real foreign policy clout for now, but the mere fact that a Muslim Brotherhood man is at the helm of the biggest Arab nation will embolden fellow Islamists seeking revolutionary change around the Middle East.
Egypt\’s Islamist President-elect Mohamed Morsi voiced interest in restoring long-severed ties with Tehran to create a strategic \”balance\” in the region, in an interview published on Monday with Iran\’s Fars news agency.
On May 5, President Barack Obama kicked off his re-election campaign in front of a crowd of 14,000 people at Ohio State University. Obama presented his new campaign slogan, “Forward,” and strongly criticized his presumed Republican opponent Mitt Romney.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee likes to promote an image of bipartisan bonhomie at its annual policy conference. But that’s not always easy, especially in a presidential election year and with partisan passions running high over Middle East policy.
Iran\’s parliamentary election this Friday is a potentially decisive battle in the struggle between political and religious hardliners, but it is unlikely to alter Tehran\’s stand on its deadlock with the West over its nuclear program.