Outside the Beltway

A man who survived great horrors to become a tireless witness for truth and advocate for human rights has passed away.

Donald Trump’s speech yesterday at a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition was as bizarre as anything else we’ve seen from him.

After thirty years in Federal Prison, Jonathan Pollard is a free man. Make no mistake, though. Pollard is not, and never has been, a hero and he deserves to be remembered as nothing but the criminal that he is.

President Obama has apparently come to the same realization as many of his predecessors, that trying to craft a legacy by single-handedly bring about “Middle East Peace” is largely a waste of time.

In a case that took seven months to decide, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Presidency’s broad authority in foreign affairs, and inserted itself just a little bit in the thorny politics of the Middle East.

Starting tomorrow, we can expect to see the Supreme Court hand down decisions in some of its most high profile cases. Here’s a preview.

The Vatican has announced that it will recognize Palestinian statehood, but this is not going to resolve the underlying issues that prevent a Palestinian state from actually coming into existence.

The Iranian nuclear accords are barely 24 hours old and some people have already made up their mind about them.

Yet another probable rift between the U.S. and Israel over Iran.

Benjamin Netanyahu is trailing in the final polls leading to Tuesday’s election, but he still may be able to form the coalition needed to stay in power.

The Supreme Court will decide if Congress can override American foreign policy when it comes to declaring who has dominion over Jerusalem.

The two sides in Gaza keep extending the humanitarian cease fire, but remain miles apart on the major issues dividing them.

Well, it was nice while it lasted.

The war in Gaza seems to be winding down, but the underlying issues remain.

The Israeli public if overwhelmingly behind the war in Gaza, and that means it will probably continue for awhile.

Hopes for a temporary respite in the Gaza conflict faded away today.

The next phase of Israel’s attack on Hamas has begun.

An effort yesterday to bring about a cease fire in Gaza came to naught when Hamas rejected the proposal.

Things look to be going from bad to worse in Gaza.

Middle East peace talks are apparently in such bad shape that the U.S. is thinking of releasing Jonathan Pollard as an incentive to Israel.

After eight years in a coma, Ariel Sharon has passed away.

The Iraqis need to learn to govern themselves, and conservatives blaming President Obama for renewed violence need a history lesson.

The IDF has finally put a woman in command of a battalion. They’re decades behind American forces.

Was Arafat poisoned? A new report raises some questions, but answers none of them conclusively.

Wendy Lower documents the half-million women who helped Hitler carry out the Holocaust.

Bombing Country B to “send a message” to Country A is not a valid argument for bombing Country B.

Secretary of State Kerry becomes the latest American official to wade into the Middle East’s longest lasting quagmire.

A Tel Aviv woman found her car towed and a handicapped parking space painted around where she’d left it.

Alex Pareene’s annual hack list omits an obvious candidate: Alex Pareene.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas appears to be heading in one unfortunate direction.

Not surprisingly, television and reality don’t really coincide.

For the fourth day, American and other embassies became the focus of mass protests in many Muslim nations.

In another sign that things may not be going so well between Washington and Jerusalem, President Obama will not be meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu when he’s in the United States.

Another platform controversy?

What should have been a simple parliamentary procedure, conducted under President Obama’s orders no less, turned into something of an embarrassment.

A new IAEA report may make an Israeli strike on Iran in the near future more likely than it has ever been.

Under German law, this ceremony, which Jews believe dates from the time of Abraham, is now illegal.

Some troubling, sad, and downright puzzling stories

The war in Afghanistan has not been a topic of discussion in the Presidential campaign, but that’s largely because there’s not much left to talk about.

Since Israel’s system is far more “socialist” by American rhetorical standards, I am not sure what his point was.

The Romney campaign has hurt the press corps’ feelings.