Palestinians Behaving Badly

The Palestinian envoy to Canada is asked to leave after she tweets a link to a call to "destroy the Jews." Linda Sobeh Ali, the chargé d’affaires of the Palestinian delegation in Ottawa, is just one cut above persona non grata. The Canadian government called her in for a high-level …

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Written by David Frum on Tuesday October 18, 2011

Obama Falls for Abbas' Bluff

Holding the geopolitical equivalent of a pair of twos and a pair of threes, the Palestinian Authority President has bluffed and bullied Obama into an awkward predicament. Mahmoud Abbas must be a very good poker player. Or else Barack Obama must be a very bad one. Holding the geopolitical …

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Written by David Frum on Saturday May 28, 2011

Obama's Mideast Meddling

Obama is just the latest in a long list of U.S. presidents who’ve sought to broker peace in the Middle East, and failed. It’s an issue that never goes away – a problem that never gets solved. It is peace in the Middle East. Once again it is front and center, largely because U.S. President …

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Written by Peter Worthington on Thursday May 26, 2011

Israel's Focus: Security Not Borders

If implemented, Obama's statement on borders would put the decisive power over Israel's self-defense into the hands of a new state incapable or unwilling to do the job. In his address to the Middle East, President Obama called for Israel's 1967 borders to provide the starting point for a negotiate…

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Written by David Frum on Monday May 23, 2011

Today's Palestinian Leaders Can't Deliver Peace

After Obama’s optimistic speech this morning on the peace process, an AIPAC panel on the Palestinian leadership offered a much bleaker view. Following Obama’s optimistic speech this morning about the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations, the panel on ‘Palestinian Leadership – Today and …

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Written by Tessa Berenson on Sunday May 22, 2011

AIPAC Attendees Positive After Obama Address

After his address to the AIPAC conference, many attendees were grateful Obama clarified his remarks on the '67 borders, but still had many questions. After Obama’s address to the AIPAC policy conference Sunday, attendees generally thought the president left the building with more friends than …

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Written by Tim Mak on Sunday May 22, 2011

Obama Digs in on Israel's Borders

In his speech to AIPAC, Obama surrendered to his personal exasperation with Netanyahu, and escalated a fight he had every reason to de-escalate. That was a deeply unwise speech Obama just gave to AIPAC. The president did not ask himself the first question of political speechmaking: Why am I saying …

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Written by David Frum on Sunday May 22, 2011

Obama Sends a Tough Message to Abbas

Obama may have told the Palestinians they would receive territory equal to the pre-1967 borders, but he also made it clear that any security questions would be resolved in Israel's favor. Obama's messages to Abbas: 1) You should be talking to Israel, not UN 2) Your inclusion of Hamas in your …

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Written by David Frum on Thursday May 19, 2011

The UN Statehood Vote's Real Downside

Israel's worried about the UN vote on Palestinian statehood. But the real danger could be acceptance of the "right of return" and a whitewashing of Hamas' crimes. A specter is haunting Israel.  As the Palestinian Authority is threatening to declare statehood in September with UN recognition, …

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Written by Emmanuel Navon on Tuesday May 3, 2011

Israel Flexes Its Online Diplomacy

F F has learned that Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon will visit with Facebook staff today. The visit comes days after the site banned a group calling for a Third Intifada. Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon will visit Facebook offices in San Francisco this morning to …

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Written by Tim Mak on Thursday March 31, 2011