Opinion

• Opinion

  Jake Tapper’s Afghan Journey

  Jake Tapper is best known as the senior White House correspondent for ABC News. But he is also the author of two well-regarded nonfiction books, a biography of wrestler-turned-governor Jesse Ventura and an account of the 2000 presidential election. His newest work, “The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor” (Little, Brown and Company), is…

  By Curt Schleier

  4 min read
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  Opinion

  Two States and E1

  Let’s put aside for the moment the international condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement of plans to build in the area known as the E1 — a block of desolate land bordered by East Jerusalem on the west and the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim on the east. Let’s put aside, too, the timing…

  Dec 5, 2012 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Jews Keep Head in Sand on ‘E1’ Settlements

  Overwhelming silence. That’s been the public stance of the leaders of most major American Jewish institutions since the Israeli government announced that they were reactivating plans to construct a new settlement in the area of East Jerusalem known as E1. This absence of public response represents a missed opportunity for leadership on an issue that…

  By Jill Jacobs Dec 4, 2012 | 4 min read

Columnists View All

• Jodi Rudoren This is my last column as editor of the Forward

  

• Jay Michaelson Mamdani’s victory is an opportunity for Jews to relearn the art of disagreement

  

• Rob Eshman ‘Israel is seen as violent’ — and Israeli chefs, once global culinary icons, are feeling the heat

  

• Nora Berman Did Netanyahu coerce Trump into attacking Iran? No — but he tried with Obama

  

• Dan Perry Trump wants to control the Israeli judiciary. Uh, good luck

  

• Emily Tamkin Zohran Mamdani’s victory proves it: The ‘gotcha’ mode of fighting antisemitism has to go

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Where Gaza Has Left Us

  Now that the fog of war over Gaza has lifted and the ceasefire appears to be settling in, a number of strategic questions and lessons emerge. Many are relevant not just to the Israel-Hamas confrontation. Perhaps most ominous for the future of the region, and most puzzling, is the impression left on Israel’s enemies by…

  By Yossi Alpher Dec 4, 2012 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Jewish Musical Chairs at J Street, Israel Project

  Jewish professionals are known to play musical chairs and switch from one organization to another. It’s mostly institutional inside baseball, but some moves are more interesting than others. Take the switch by Alan Elsner, who until recently was a top official at The Israel Project, a centrist organization devoted to the defense of Israel’s public…

  By Nathan Guttman Dec 4, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Kissing Cousins, Israel Election Edition

  Loverboy Bibi is at it again. Last year we caught Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kissing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Now he’s locking lips with Israeli Labor Party leader Shelly Yachimovich. Well, not exactly. Back in November 2011 Benetton photoshopped the embrace between Bibi and Abu Mazen as part of its controversial UNHATE ad campaign….

  By Renee Ghert-Zand Dec 3, 2012 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  FEMA on the Bimah?

  Only the heartless wouldn’t sympathize with the plight of these synagogues. The flood waters of Hurricane Sandy soared 10 feet high in the building that houses Temple Israel in Long Beach, N.Y., destroying its library, a kitchen and classrooms. A month later, the Modern Orthodox synagogue still had no power or heat, forcing its rabbi…

  Dec 3, 2012 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  You’ve Got a Friend: Why the Czech Republic Voted with Israel

  “We lost Europe,” was the way one Foreign Ministry official put Thursday morning when Germany announced it would abstain on Palestinian non-member observer state status, rather than vote against it. Indeed, twelve European Union member states elected to abstain altogether — including the United Kingdom, Poland, and the Netherlands — while fourteen voted in favor,…

  By Liam Hoare Nov 30, 2012 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  McCain Roasts Lieberman at Retirement Party

  Washington’s stars came out on Thursday night to bid farewell to retiring Senator Joseph Lieberman, at an event hosted by Israel’s ambassador to the United States Michael Oren. It was a slate of guests that would make any Washington party organizer envious, including former vice president Dick Cheney, looking in good shape after a heart…

  By Nathan Guttman Nov 30, 2012 | 2 min read
• Letters

  Not Critics

  We were surprised and disappointed by the headline and thrust of your article (“Israelis Stunned By Lack of Help for Sandy Victims,” November 23). We came here, as a group of Israeli army veterans, to build bridges between ourselves as Israelis and the people who were so severely impacted by Hurricane Sandy in Far Rockaway,…

  Nov 29, 2012 | < 1 min read
• Letters

  More Than Giving

  As a social work advocate, I was delighted to read Joel Berg’s article, “The Ethics of Street Giving” (November 16). Whether or not to give money to those who beg on the street is a dilemma many people confront frequently. The piece will help them make more informed decisions. A more important benefit of the…

  Nov 29, 2012 | < 1 min read