Barak calls for unilateral West Bank withdrawal

Published on May 30, 2012

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel should consider a unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank if peace talks with the Palestinians fail.

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.

Michael Oren Picked to Be Israel’s Next US Ambassador

By Rob Eshman
Published on May 4, 2009

Post-Palin Depression

By Marty Kaplan
Published on September 11, 2008

This is not just a Jewish phenomenon, though a few thousand years of expecting to be scapegoated, persecuted, exiled or killed certainly contributes to the melancholic gene Jews are known for carrying, the optimism of a Ben-Gurion or Sandy Koufax notwithstanding.

U.S. Needs Time Frame on Iraq Mission

By Sen. Russ Feingold
Published on October 13, 2005

It's been nearly two and a half years since the president gave a triumphant speech about Iraq before a banner declaring, "Mission Accomplished."

Center Court

By Rob Eshman
Published on August 4, 2005

At the Mercedes-Benz Cup doubles final last Sunday at UCLA, the clumps of Israelis in the grandstands waved their blue-and-white flags between points and yelled out encouragement in Hebrew. They were cheering on the team of Yoni Erlich and Andy Ram, who had reached the finals by defeating the top-seeded team in the world, Americans Bob and Mike Bryan.

At one point a woman began chanting, "Yisrael! Yisrael!" and a few others joined in, but mostly people just clapped and smiled, thrilled that their country could put such a team on center court.

Gaza Settler Pullout Protest Draws 500

By David Finnigan
Published on July 28, 2005

More than 500 demonstrators, mostly Orthodox Jews, gathered in front of the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles last weekend to oppose Israel's planned, upcoming pullout of settlers from Gaza.

Analysis - Sharon’s Worries   Over Pullout Mount

By Leslie Susser
Published on July 28, 2005

With the planned Israeli withdrawal from Gaza less than three weeks away, right-wing leaders say they haven't yet given up hope of preventing it.

There’s No Place for Ugly Words on Gaza

By Joseph Aaron
Published on July 28, 2005

The withdrawal of Israeli settlements and settlers from the Gaza Strip will dominate the Jewish summer.

Q & A With Daniel Ayalon

By Howard Blume
Published on July 21, 2005

The mid-August Israeli pullout from Gaza is fraught with risks and unknowns, but the Israeli government remains committed to "unilateral disengagement," says Daniel Ayalon, Israel's ambassador to the United States.

Israel, Palestinians Coordinate Withdrawal

By Leslie Susser
Published on June 23, 2005

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon conceived the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank as a unilateral step, but it's increasingly being coordinated by Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.

Israelis Still Divided on Lebanon Move

By Leslie Susser
Published on May 26, 2005

Five years after Israel completed its withdrawal from Lebanon, the jury is still out on whether then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak made the right strategic choice in pulling back troops without an agreement with Lebanon and Syria.

Nation & World Briefs

Published on May 5, 2005

Forever the rebel with a cause, Soviet-refusenik-turned-democracy-proponent Natan Sharansky has left the Israeli government rather than take part in the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

AIPAC Packs Punch Despite Fed Probe

By Howard Blume
Published on April 28, 2005

>It was a balmy spring evening, and the Jewish elite of Los Angeles had gathered in Beverly Hills to hear two U.S. senators provide a top-level briefing on Israel and the Middle East. The dinner at the Beverly Hilton was hosted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the nation’s pre-eminent pro-Israel lobby, and it was a record-setter, with 1,100 in attendance, checkbooks in hand.

Israel Skeptical of Abbas Moves

By Leslie Susser
Published on April 28, 2005

The appointment of new commanders to lead a reformed Palestinian Authority security force would seem to be a step toward meeting one of the Palestinian Authority’s key obligations under the “road map” peace plan.

Jews Try to Sell Withdrawal Plan to Jews

By Ron Kampeas
Published on March 31, 2005

Many of the major Jewish religious streams, lobbying groups and civil rights groups are encouraging the Bush administration, lawmakers and opinion makers to maintain political support for Israel's July 20 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements.

Pullout Plan Faces Budget Vote Hurdle

By Leslie Susser
Published on March 10, 2005

As plans for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and part of the West Bank intensify, its opponents are banking on one last throw of the parliamentary dice: Knesset rejection of the 2005 state budget.

If the budget is not passed by March 31, the government will fall, there will be new elections and disengagement will be deferred -- perhaps even shelved.

Sharon Wins Key Likud Party Vote

By Leslie Susser
Published on November 25, 2004

After a string of embarrassing defeats in his own party, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's victory in the election of key Likud officers raises the chances that he will be able to broaden his government and push through a promised withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- though it's still not certain.

Sharon’s Knesset Win Could Be a Loss

By Leslie Susser
Published on October 28, 2004

Tuesday, Oct. 26 may well go down as one of the more important, and bizarre, dates in the annals of Israeli politics.

Claim to Gaza

By Morton A. Klein
Published on October 7, 2004

In the debate over a possible Israeli withdrawal from Gaza -- 80 percent of which was already surrendered by Israel in 1994 according to the Gaza-Jericho First policy -- little has been said about Gaza's Jewish roots.

Claim to Gaza

By Morton A. Klein
Published on October 7, 2004

In the debate over a possible Israeli withdrawal from Gaza -- 80 percent of which was already surrendered by Israel in 1994 according to the Gaza-Jericho First policy -- little has been said about Gaza's Jewish roots.

Claim to Gaza

By Morton A. Klein
Published on October 7, 2004

In the debate over a possible Israeli withdrawal from Gaza -- 80 percent of which was already surrendered by Israel in 1994 according to the Gaza-Jericho First policy -- little has been said about Gaza's Jewish roots.

Settlers Threaten to Resist Withdrawal

By Leslie Susser
Published on July 1, 2004

No evacuation is scheduled to take place until next year, but the mood on both sides already is tense.

Sharon Plan Lacks Details on Pullout

By Ron Kampeas
Published on June 10, 2004

Now that Ariel Sharon has persuaded just about everyone -- the Bush administration, its European and Arab allies and Sharon's own contentious Cabinet -- that it's time for Israel to leave the Gaza Strip, he needs to fill in the details.

Sharon Battles for Pullout Plan

By Leslie Susser
Published on May 27, 2004

On the international front, the Israeli prime minister has weathered scathing criticism of Israel's latest military operation in the Gaza Strip, which left more than 40 Palestinians dead and dozens of homes demolished in the Rafah refugee camp.

At home, a rebellion is gathering steam in Sharon's Likud Party by opponents of the planned withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank.

Angelenos Lobby for Israel in D.C.

By Gaby Wenig
Published on May 20, 2004

"You have tears in your eyes at one moment; you are angry the next -- the emotional swing is enormous," said Michael Tuchin, a Los Angeles lawyer who was in Washington, D.C., this week for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual conference. "

Europe Pushes Palestinian Interests

By Leslie Susser
Published on April 29, 2004

After what it sees as President Bush's tilt toward Israel, the European Union is indicating that it wants to play a larger role in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- with an eye toward promoting Palestinian interests.

The Drawbacks of the Proposed Pullback

By Dr. Nadav Morag
Published on April 1, 2004

The targeted killing of Hamas founder Ahmad Yassin and the "open season" that Israel has declared against Hamas leaders and those of other Palestinian terrorist organizations must be viewed as part of a larger Israeli policy designed to achieve a number of objectives.

Will Sheik’s Assassination Bring Stability?

By Leslie Susser
Published on March 25, 2004

No one believes Israel is a safer place just after the assassination of Sheik Ahmad Yassin, leader of the terrorist group Hamas.

The question is whether the assassination and continued Israeli pressure on Hamas will contribute to stability over time.

Gaza Withdrawal Rewards Terrorism

By Morton A. Klein
Published on February 26, 2004

If Israel withdraws from the area, the PA will be able to establish a sovereign state. It will become much, much harder for Israel to prevent the continual smuggling of weapons from Egypt to Gaza or the arrival of boatloads of weapons via the Mediterranean Sea.

World Briefs

Published on February 26, 2004

American public support for Israel has declined slightly over the past year. In its annual "favorability of nations" poll Feb. 9-12, Gallup found that 59 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of Israel to various degrees, versus 35 percent unfavorable, with 6 percent having no opinion.

U.S. Could Play Positive Gaza Role

By Steven L. Spiegel
Published on February 19, 2004

Regardless of his true intentions, Sharon, by marking most of the Gaza Strip for evacuation, has almost completely given up on meaningful Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in the near future. There is a small chance that negotiations may still occur, precluding Sharon's withdrawal from occurring in a vacuum. However, if Israel chooses to navigate the risky path of unilateralism, America's goal should be to encourage a safe and secure outcome through hands-on engagement.

U.S. Should Support Right to Build Fence

By Rep. Henry Waxman
Published on February 12, 2004

Attacks on Israel are escalating again. With another deadly suicide bombing in the heart of Jerusalem, the race to thwart the infiltration of terrorists is up against yet another rush: to condemn Israel at the United Nations.

Olmert Withdrawal Plan Stirs Up Israel

By Leslie Susser
Published on December 11, 2003

In a single passionate interview recently, Ehud Olmert, Israel's deputy prime minister, managed to do what most politicians only dream about -- recast a nation's political and diplomatic agenda.

Israel Reconsiders Peace Policies

By Leslie Susser
Published on August 28, 2003

Israel launched a string of targeted strikes against terrorist leaders, warning that it would no longer distinguish between political and military echelons of any organization waging terror, including Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement.

Most Americans Mistrust Saudi Peace Plan

By JTA Staff
Published on April 11, 2002

Only 26 percent of Americans believe the Saudi peace initiative is sincere, according to a new poll of more than 1,000 Americans. Thirty-one percent believe the Saudis launched the initiative to improve their image in the United States. Sixty-two percent of respondents believe the Saudis are not ready to accept Israel's right to exist.

The plan calls for the Arab world to make peace with Israel in return for a withdrawal from all lands Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War. The survey, commissioned by the Institute for Jewish & Community Research, has a margin of error of 3 percent.

Border Bravado

By Naomi Segal
Published on April 6, 2000

Israel is downplaying threats that it will suffer cross-border attacks once it withdraws its troops from southern Lebanon.
Ever since the Cabinet approved the withdrawal a month ago, there has been speculation that Hezbollah gunmen would attack communities in northern Israel.

This week there was a new threat, issued by Lebanon's defense minister, that Syria would send its army into southern Lebanon if Israel withdraws from the area.

Barak’s Battles

By Eric Silver
Published on January 13, 2000

Ehud Barak is going to have a hard time persuading the Israeli voters to endorse any deal with Syria that entails a withdrawal from most or all of the Golan Heights. The public is drifting away from the prime minister. So far.

A Historic Yes on Wye

By Eric Silver
Published on November 19, 1998

Israel's ratification of the Wye agreement, calling for another 13-percent West Bank withdrawal in return for Palestinian security measures, was completed on Tuesday night when the Knesset endorsed the American-brokered deal by a vote of 75 to 19, with nine abstentions.

Israel’s Best Weapon: Middle East Peace

By Ofra Bengio
Published on December 4, 1997

Anger over the stalled Mideast peace process has clearlycontributed to Arab states' reluctance to help the United Statesdeter Saddam Hussein. That is one reason the United States is nowpressing Israel for a serious and credible plan for withdrawing fromthe West Bank, it has been widely reported. Yet the Israeligovernment and some hard-line American supporters not only mistakenlydeny the connection between the peace process and the maintenance ofan effective anti-Saddam coalition, but they also neglect the factthat such a coalition is in Israel's vital interests.

Another Offer Arafat Can’t Refuse?

By Eric Silver
Published on December 4, 1997

Binyamin Netanyahu has made peace, for the time being, with his own disaffected coalition by offering the Palestinians a further West Bank withdrawal that is vague, qualified and conditional. But in the atmosphere of distrust generated by the Israeli prime minister, few are convinced that he has advanced the prospects of a wider peace.