Israeli reservists frustrated, willing to fight in Gaza again

Published on November 26, 2012

At 6:30 a.m. on Friday morning, two days after the current round of fighting in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas began, the phone rang in Rafi’s house in Jerusalem, calling him up for reserve service in his combat infantry unit.

Israeli cabinet authorizes mobilization of up to 75,000 reservists

Published on November 16, 2012

Israel's cabinet authorized the mobilization of up to 75,000 reservists late on Friday, preparing the ground for a possible Gaza invasion after Palestinians fired a rocket toward Jerusalem for the first time in decades.

Who’s winning the foreign policy debate?

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on October 17, 2012

It is often assumed that foreign policy is a field in which deeds matter more than words. But looking at the two presidential candidates in the 2012 election cycle, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney, one might end up with the opposite impression: It is words, not deeds, that make their foreign policies seem different.

Securing Syria chemical weapons may take tens of thousands of troops

Published on August 16, 2012

The United States and its allies are discussing a worst-case scenario that could require tens of thousands of ground troops to go into Syria to secure chemical and biological weapons sites following the fall of President Bashar Assad's government, according to U.S. and diplomatic officials.

Israeli troops foil terror attack on Egypt border

Published on February 21, 2012

Israeli troops thwarted a terror attack on Israel's border with Egypt.

Israel arrests troops for anti-Palestinian vandalism

Published on December 6, 2011

Three Israeli soldiers were arrested on Tuesday for suspected involvement in pro-settler vandalism and arson, the military said, following a series of attacks in the West Bank that have exacerbated tensions with Palestinians.

The Arab Spring and Iraq

Published on October 26, 2011

The Arab Spring, as a moniker for the revolution that seemed about to sweep the Middle East earlier this year, has given way to far less cheerful seasonal metaphors — from long, hot summer to dark, dismal winter. In Egypt, where “people power” toppled Hosni Mubarak’s corrupt dictatorship, the dream of freedom has morphed into a nightmare of mob violence and military crackdown. In other countries whose dictators have been more willing to use extreme savagery to hold on to power, the opposition is getting slaughtered — except for Libya, where Western intervention has made the difference.

Iraqis fret about security after US withdrawal

Published on October 21, 2011

Iraqis fretted about the ability of their armed forces to protect them from violence after U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday all U.S. troops would withdraw by the end of the year.

Timeline of Iraq war

Published on October 21, 2011

President Barack Obama said on Friday the United States will remove the remainder of its troops from Iraq by the end of the year and that "after nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over."

U.S. to pull out of Iraq nearly nine years after war began

Published on October 21, 2011

President Barack Obama said on Friday he would pull U.S. troops from Iraq this year, almost nine years after the U.S. invasion, after he failed to convince Iraq that several thousand troops should remain in part as a balance against neighboring Iran.

Report: Israel to allow more Egyptian troops in Sinai

Published on August 26, 2011

Israel will allow more Egyptian troops to be deployed in the Sinai in order to keep order in the increasingly chaotic peninsula, according to a report in The Economist.

Israeli troops kill Palestinian approaching border

Published on August 17, 2011

Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian man who entered a security zone near the Gaza-Israel border.

Israeli troops kill 3 nearing security fence

Published on February 17, 2011

Israeli soldiers shot and killed three Palestinians in Gaza who were approaching the security fence in an attempt to plant explosive devices, the Israeli military said. The Israeli military said the men were approaching the fence in the northern Gaza Strip.

Israeli troops go on alert amid Lebanon’s political turmoil

Published on January 13, 2011

Israeli troops on the border with Lebanon went on high alert following the collapse of Lebanon's government. No additional reservists have been called up, however, according to reports. Military officials reportedly are concerned that Hezbollah, whose exit from the government caused its collapse, would initiate a disturbance on its border with Israel in order to deflect attention from the political crisis.

Jewish troops in Iraq can practice their faith, thanks to Navy rabbi

By Lilly Fowler
Published on December 25, 2008

A short distance from the area where many historians believe the Talmud was written, Rabbi Jon Cutler leads one of the only functioning synagogues left in Iraq.

AUDIO: Iranian American Jews —Supporting U.S. troops

By Karmel Melamed
Published on June 10, 2008

Nessah Synagogue's young Iranian Jewish professionals discuss their support for U.S. soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as their preparation of 'care packages' for U.S. forces.

Iranian Jewish kids fill care packages for troops, JFS honors goodness of Goldstines

By Danielle Berrin
Published on June 5, 2008

In which our loyal readers take us to task for various and sundry

Published on March 8, 2007

Letters to the Editor

Analysis: Jewish silence on Iraq continues

By James D. Besser
Published on January 25, 2007

The fact that a large majority of Jews opposes the war but their communal representatives refuse to speak out may accelerate the estrangement of so many from organized Jewish life, especially among younger Jews.

The big con about Iran

By Larry Derfner
Published on October 5, 2006

There is no military option in Iran. If we didn't learn this from the Americans' ongoing experience in Iraq, we should have learned it from Israel's recent experience in Lebanon.

When the Dust Settled

By Rabbi Mordecai Finley
Published on July 13, 2006

Last week's portion ends with a ferocious battle; this week's begins with the after action report and the distributing of medals. We learn the names of those killed
and those rewarded and then all the troops are mustered and counted, to see who remains alive from the fighting.

Worst Fears Come to Pass for Foes of Gaza Pullout

By Marc Ballon
Published on July 6, 2006

Leaving Gaza also made sense morally, said Daniel Sokatch, executive director of the Progressive Jewish Alliance.

"For Israel to remain a democratic and Jewish state, it cannot occupy and control millions of Palestinians indefinitely," he said.

Musical Journey in Time

By Avner Hofstein
Published on May 4, 2006

Ah the '60s. Those were the days when Geula, Aliza and Hedva would prance around in their khaki skirts in the Israeli military band -- they were the highlight in entertainment for the young and naive Israel.

Israel’s Future—Not Terrorism—Won in Gaza

By Hirsh Goodman
Published on August 25, 2005

After the dust has settled and Israel concludes its unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, a key issue will be whether the move will enhance its security or not. Will it be perceived as a "victory for terror" as the right wing has claimed, or a "base for Islamic terror" as former Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said? Or will it enhance Israel's overall security posture? There is absolutely no question at all that from a security perspective this move will in the short, medium and long run only enhance Israel's security.

The Gaza settlements were a strategic dinosaur. They were built in the early 1970s as a buffer between a hostile Egypt and a hostile Gaza. Israel has been at peace with Egypt for almost three decades. The nearest Egyptian gun or tank to the border with Israel is on the other side of the Suez Canal, hundreds of kilometers away. Given the massive military outlay in protecting the 8,000 or so settlers, Gush Katif had turned from a strategic asset to a strategic burden.

Good Old Days

By Rob Eshman
Published on April 3, 2003

Later that same day in Orange, we popped in to some of the antique shops that radiate from the central plaza. In a world of eBay, even antique stores seem antique. In one store, I thumbed through a stack of old advertising posters, and out fell a red-white-and-blue sheet, the size of a movie theater lobby card, depicting a silhouette of a soldier against an American flag, printed with the words "Operation Desert Storm 1990-1991." It was $7.50.

The fact that relics of the last war are already collecting dust alongside World War II-era Japanese ammo belts ($60) and war bonds calendars ($24) made me wonder how, 10 years hence, we'll regard Gulf War II. Will it resonate with world-shifting portent that World War II mementos do? Or will it seem by comparison to today's war somehow small, eclipsed in our mind by more immediate threats and darker developments?

As soon as we returned to the car and turned on the radio, the answer seemed clear. U.S. soldiers had encountered some fierce resistance -- several had been killed, many others taken prisoner. By Monday, there were reports of more missing, of Iraqi troops using guerilla tactics to inflict casualties. Areas that the Army initially announced in coalition control were now in the midst of firefights -- I know, because I've watched several unfold on TV with surreal intimacy.

Gaza/Bethlehem First—and Last?

By Naomi Segal
Published on August 29, 2002

Reports of the death of a gradual Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire plan may be premature.

A lot of evidence surfaced this week that the initial skepticism that greeted the "Gaza/Bethlehem First" plan was justified. But there were also facts to buttress the optimistic view that the plan might reduce nearly two years of violence.

High Morale

By Avi Machlis
Published on April 12, 2001

As Israeli-Palestinian violence hits the six-month mark, Israeli military officials report that soldiers remain motivated to serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Leaving Lebanon

By Eric Silver
Published on March 26, 1998

Israel signed the Oslo peace agreement with itsold enemy, Yasser Arafat, because by 1993 the alternatives had becomeinsufferable. The Palestinian intifada, a revolt of thestreet, was sapping the morale of the Israeli army, fighting a futilesix-year battle with one hand tied behind its back. Nightlytelevision footage of soldiers in combat fatigues, chasing teenageboys wielding slingshots and petrol bombs, was undermining Israel'sdeterrent credibility in its confrontation with the Arab states aswell as its international moral case.