The UN Needs To Restore Its Credibility With Israel

After the United Nations released a 23-page report this week detailing gang rapes and genital mutilation of Israeli women and girls during the Hamas-led slaughter of October 7, the UN’s special rapporteur on violence against women and girls said she’s not convinced that any rapes took place. No one should be surprised, for at least two reasons. First, the special rapporteur, Reem Alsalem, …

Israel’s Critics Sidestep Bigger Threats Elsewhere

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week signaled a partial reversal of his coalition’s plan that would threaten the nation’s democratic character by letting the Knesset override judicial decisions, calling the effort a “mistake.” The signal was a heartening one to the plan’s opponents at home, and to nervous audiences abroad who fear Netanyahu and …

Joe Biden keeps snubbing Netanyahu – here’s why

President Joe Biden’s state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist who is cracking down on opposition leaders, journalists and minorities, points up the compromises presidents make as they balance America’s security needs with its desire to promote freedom and democracy around the world. Biden seeks closer U.S. ties with India, which recently became the …

Israel’s tortured choice on Russia

To a devoted Zionist, Israel’s response to Russia’s slaughter in Ukraine is an agonizing sight. That’s because the siege of Ukraine presents a particularly challenging clash between Israel’s strategic and moral interests. On the one hand, Israel is heavily dependent on Russia as it confronts the radical regime in Iran and its terrorist proxies in …

The problem with Holocaust trivialization

“Even in Hitler’s Germany, you could … cross the Alps into Switzerland,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at a Washington rally this week to protest vaccine mandates. “You could hide in an attic, like Anne Frank did.” Kennedy’s suggestion that people suffer more from vaccine mandates than the victims of Adolf Hitler’s reign is particularly …

The West Faces A Big Human Rights Test With The Taliban

The West faces a key test of its commitment to human rights as the Taliban cements its rigid rule in Kabul. At the moment, Western nations and the global financial institutions over which they hold considerable sway are demanding that the Taliban respect human rights as a condition of receiving the economic aid that Afghanistan …

Cuba Protests Could Presage Brighter Regional Future

As video of protests in Havana circulates on social media, many are wondering about Cuba’s future. Why now? What’s changed for everyday Cubans? And, most importantly, what do the protests mean for the island nation’s communist government and its grip on power? “The basic economic situation is what’s pushing people to go out and raise …