Latest news with #Arab-IsraeliWar
L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Western Wall in Jerusalem vandalized with anti-war message
The Western Wall in Jerusalem on Monday was vandalized with graffiti condemning Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, triggering widespread condemnation from religious leaders and politicians. "There is a holocaust in Gaza," was graffitied in Hebrew on the southern portion of the wall, the holiest site where Jews are allowed to pray. A similar message was also scrawled on the wall of the Great Synagogue, elsewhere in the city. Israeli police said a 27-year-old suspect had been arrested and would appear in court later on Monday, with the police requesting that his detention be extended. The incident sparked immediate outrage in Israel, with the Western Wall's Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch calling it a "desecration." "A holy place is not a place to express protests ... The police must investigate this action, track down the criminals responsible for the desecration and bring them to justice," Rabinovitch said in a statement. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir – who oversees the country's law enforcement agencies – said he was shocked and vowed that the police would act "with lightning speed." Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also weighed in, saying the perpetrators "forgot what it means to be Jewish." Sharp condemnation also came from the opposition. Former defense minister Benny Gantz, now an opposition leader, called it "a crime against the entire Jewish people." The Western Wall lies in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem, which Israeli forces captured during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
Observer
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Will Syria Normalise Relations with Israel?
The possibility of peace between Syria and Israel has returned to the surface after many years of silence. The two countries have been enemies for more than seven decades and their relationship has always been full of conflict, mistrust and political disputes. But after the fall of Bashar al Assad's government and the formation of a new government in Damascus, there are now signs that Syria might be ready to change direction and open a new page with Israel. Since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Syria and Israel have fought in several major wars, especially in 1967 and 1973. Syria never recognised Israel and both countries have no diplomatic relations. One of the biggest problems between them is the Golan Heights, a mountainous area that Israel occupied in 1967 and later annexed in 1981. Most countries around the world did not recognise this annexation. Peace talks were attempted in the 1990s but failed mainly because of disagreement on the future of the Golan Heights. In December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed. A new transitional government led by Ahmed al Sharaa came to power. Al Sharaa has shown a more practical and flexible approach than his predecessor. He has spoken about rebuilding the country, improving foreign relations and even considering dialogue with Israel. According to media reports, Syria and Israel have started direct talks. The US supports this new development. Some American officials believe that Syria could join the Abraham Accords, the same agreement that helped Israel to normalise relations with the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. It is reported that US President Donald Trump encouraged Syria to take this step during his visit to Saudi Arabia earlier this year. However, many difficulties stand in the way. The Golan Heights remains the biggest obstacle. Some Israeli news reports have suggested that Syria might be ready to quietly accept the loss of the Golan in exchange for other benefits. But such a decision could create a lot of anger inside Syria and in the wider Arab world. For its part, Israel says it will not return the Golan under any condition. Another big issue is Iran. Israel wants all Iranian forces and militias like Hezbollah to leave Syria. This is an important condition for Israel. On the other hand, Iran has had a strong presence in Syria for years, especially during the civil war. Even if the new Syrian leadership wants to move away from Iran, doing so completely will not be easy. There is also concern about Türkiye. After Assad's fall, Türkiye increased its military presence in northern Syria. There are reports that Türkiye is working on a defence agreement with the new Syrian government. Israel is not happy with this and has increased its air strikes in Syria to stop any Turkish military expansion near its borders. Meanwhile, Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are following the situation closely. Saudi Arabia may see Syrian-Israeli talks as a positive signal for its own possible future steps with Israel. The UAE is already playing an active role in supporting the talks. Inside Syria, things are more complicated. The country is still weak and recovering from many years of war. The new leadership is not yet strong or fully in control of all parts of Syria. Many Syrians have been raised with anti-Israel views and normalisation could face strong public opposition. Because of all this, a full peace treaty is unlikely in the near future. However, smaller steps may be possible. For example, Syria and Israel could sign a security agreement or a non-aggression deal. This could include Israeli demands to stop the presence of Iran and Türkiye in southern Syria, while Syria would want Israel to stop its air strikes. Even if full normalisation is still far away, the recent talks show that both countries are at least willing to communicate. This is a new development after so many years of silence. The road to peace is still long and full of challenges. But the change in Syrian leadership, the interest of regional powers and international support are giving hope that something new might happen.
Business Insider
26-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Steve Hanke tells BI investors are shrugging off serious risks — and Trump is causing historic uncertainty
Investors are brushing off the Iran-Israel conflict as another brief distraction on the road to fresh highs. Steve Hanke thinks their complacency could prove costly. The professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University told Business Insider that Israel has been directly or indirectly tied to seven of the 19 major geopolitical events since 1950. Only one of those incidents — the Arab-Israeli War in 1973 — caused "lasting damage" that still weighed on stocks a year later, he said. "So, what's happening now suggests that investors believe that history is a guide," Hanke said. "They see signs of danger, but somehow think that they will escape, as they have in the past. I'm not so sure that they are right." The flagship US stock index, the S&P 500, has rallied almost 2% since June 13, the day that Israel attacked Iranian nuclear and military sites. It closed at nearly 6,100 points on Wednesday, putting it within touching distance of a record high. The rebound came despite the US bombing three Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday, and Israel and Iran accusing each other of breaking a Trump-brokered ceasefire this week. Hanke, a former economic advisor to President Ronald Reagan, was the president of Toronto Trust Argentina when it was the world's best-performing market mutual fund in 1995. He co-authored a book published in May titled "Making Money Work: How to Rewrite the Rules of our Financial System." The veteran economist and commodity trader flagged several risks that investors appear to be shrugging off. Middle Eastern conflicts and the Russia-Ukraine war were still "up in the air," and neo-conservatives "have their sights aimed at China," he said. "If that wasn't bad enough, the Trump administration is engaged not only in a tariff war but in a multitude of dramatic policy changes that have created what I termed ' regime uncertainty,'" Hanke said. Hanke was describing a situation where individuals, investors, businesses, and other entities are so unsure of regulations, future government policies, and how the economy will fare that they delay long-term planning or investment. "We have not witnessed regime uncertainty since Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Dealers in the 1930s," Hanke said. "So, the current context is quite different than the other 19 geopolitical crisis episodes." Put differently, investors should be wary of assuming the stock market will swiftly rebound from this geopolitical shock as it has from many others, given just how uncertain the world is right now.
The Age
15-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
How the clocks stopped for Netanyahu, allowing him to go ‘full Hezbollah' on Iran
Even after the October 7 massacre, Israel's military establishment feared it had only a limited window to deal with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in the north. Loading Manuel Trajtenberg, then executive director of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv, said at the time that the IDF was racing against 'several different clocks, all of them ticking down'. 'There's the military clock itself in terms of manpower and capacity but also the hostages, international pressure and even economic pressures,' he said. Looking back now, it's hard to determine what the worry was. While the 1967 Arab-Israeli War was famously wrapped up in six days, the latest conflict has been raging for nearly two years. Hamas has all but been blasted to extinction, ditto Hezbollah in Lebanon. The IDF is acting at will against anything it judges a threat in Syria and moves with impunity over Yemen. Now Iran – 'the head of the octopus' – is firmly in its sights. Part of what's changed things is the psychological shock of October 7 and the sense of existential crisis in Israel it has created. 'The diplomatic clock is a fraud, and Israel's leaders must see through it', urged Nave Dromi, director of the Israel Victory Project in the wake of the massacre. 'There can be no specific time limitations on responding to the murder, rape and butchery of 1200 people, the wounding of thousands of others and the vicious kidnapping and humiliation of 240 Israelis and foreigners'. Loading But as important in the destruction of the clock is Benjamin Netanyahu and his willingness to take on US presidents – a theme since he confronted Barack Obama over his 2015 nuclear deal with Iran from the floor of the US Congress. The Israeli prime minister then tied Joe Biden in knots over Gaza, and then Lebanon, for the final 15 months of his term. And he has now almost certainly cocked a snook at Donald Trump, who, by most accounts, wanted more time to renegotiate a nuclear deal with Tehran. 'Trump had sought additional time from Netanyahu for nuclear talks, and Netanyahu did not give it to him,' said Daniel Shapiro who served as US ambassador to Israel from 2011 to 2017, in an interview with Foreign Affairs magazine on Friday. For Iran, Netanyahu's great foe of more than 30 years, this could be very bad news indeed, with nothing obvious to stop Israel's bombing campaign against it grinding on for weeks and months. Sima Shine, a senior researcher at INSS, said there was 'no significant international pressure' to wrap things up – quite a thing for a former Mossad official and Iran specialist who spent decades battling the clock. 'There is little sympathy for the Iranian regime', she said. 'Everyone recognises its negative role in the war in Ukraine, its involvement in the Middle East conflicts, its brutal suppression of protesters – especially women – and the fact that no one wants to see it possess nuclear weapons.' At a briefing for journalists on Saturday, a senior IDF official turned things around 180 degrees, conjuring up a very different figurative clock. 'We are prepared for more … an aerial road to Tehran has effectively been opened', he said.
Sydney Morning Herald
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
How the clocks stopped for Netanyahu, allowing him to go ‘full Hezbollah' on Iran
Even after the October 7 massacre, Israel's military establishment feared it had only a limited window to deal with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in the north. Loading Manuel Trajtenberg, then executive director of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv, said at the time that the IDF was racing against 'several different clocks, all of them ticking down'. 'There's the military clock itself in terms of manpower and capacity but also the hostages, international pressure and even economic pressures,' he said. Looking back now, it's hard to determine what the worry was. While the 1967 Arab-Israeli War was famously wrapped up in six days, the latest conflict has been raging for nearly two years. Hamas has all but been blasted to extinction, ditto Hezbollah in Lebanon. The IDF is acting at will against anything it judges a threat in Syria and moves with impunity over Yemen. Now Iran – 'the head of the octopus' – is firmly in its sights. Part of what's changed things is the psychological shock of October 7 and the sense of existential crisis in Israel it has created. 'The diplomatic clock is a fraud, and Israel's leaders must see through it', urged Nave Dromi, director of the Israel Victory Project in the wake of the massacre. 'There can be no specific time limitations on responding to the murder, rape and butchery of 1200 people, the wounding of thousands of others and the vicious kidnapping and humiliation of 240 Israelis and foreigners'. Loading But as important in the destruction of the clock is Benjamin Netanyahu and his willingness to take on US presidents – a theme since he confronted Barack Obama over his 2015 nuclear deal with Iran from the floor of the US Congress. The Israeli prime minister then tied Joe Biden in knots over Gaza, and then Lebanon, for the final 15 months of his term. And he has now almost certainly cocked a snook at Donald Trump, who, by most accounts, wanted more time to renegotiate a nuclear deal with Tehran. 'Trump had sought additional time from Netanyahu for nuclear talks, and Netanyahu did not give it to him,' said Daniel Shapiro who served as US ambassador to Israel from 2011 to 2017, in an interview with Foreign Affairs magazine on Friday. For Iran, Netanyahu's great foe of more than 30 years, this could be very bad news indeed, with nothing obvious to stop Israel's bombing campaign against it grinding on for weeks and months. Sima Shine, a senior researcher at INSS, said there was 'no significant international pressure' to wrap things up – quite a thing for a former Mossad official and Iran specialist who spent decades battling the clock. 'There is little sympathy for the Iranian regime', she said. 'Everyone recognises its negative role in the war in Ukraine, its involvement in the Middle East conflicts, its brutal suppression of protesters – especially women – and the fact that no one wants to see it possess nuclear weapons.' At a briefing for journalists on Saturday, a senior IDF official turned things around 180 degrees, conjuring up a very different figurative clock. 'We are prepared for more … an aerial road to Tehran has effectively been opened', he said.
