BEIRUT, Lebanon–Jewelry glitters in the shop windows, street cafes do a brisk business in fancy coffees and cakes, and just down the road from a lineup of fine new restaurants, an acquaintance shows off her exquisitely refurbished apartment, complete with hand-decorated tiles on the floor. Since the civil war ended in 1991, the Lebanese have […]

The year 2002 will be remembered as a low point in the long conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, when diplomacy came to a standstill, emotions boiled over, blood ran in the streets, and the prospects of all-out war drew closer. Anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic furies seemingly put to rest suddenly revived with stunning vehemence. The existence […]

My son long ago introduced me to the joys of the Onion, the hilarious Web site that features such parodies of the news as “Clinton Deploys Vowels to Bosnia; Cities of Sjlbvdnzv, Grzny to be First Recipients.” So when, on the night of the State of the Union address, my son handed me an Internet […]

While relations between Israel and Britain had been bumpy for some time, things seemed to come to a nasty head last month. First, British Prime Minister Tony Blair made time to roll out the red carpet for Syrian President Bashar Assad, but had no time to meet Israeli Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Then the British […]

Sometimes humor can teach us an important lesson. “Q: Why are there large trees along the Champs Elysees? A: So the Nazis could march in the shade!” Today, in the very same location on that wide avenue, we find anti-Israeli and anti-American demonstrations. Once again, France is giving the world trouble. It seems to always […]

In Part I, I argued that it is not Democratic positions that most entice nearly all blacks and the great majority of Jews to vote Democrat. Rather this lopsided voting is more a function of the two groups’ respective memories. As a result of millennia of Christian oppression of them, many Jews still fear religion, […]

American-Israeli relations expert Yoram Ettinger was asked today how it is that the current American administration, which has accepted Israel’s position that Arafat is no longer relevant, is “forcing” Israel to renew the transfer of monies to the PA. His response: “This happens, unfortunately, because the State Department formulates policy, the Administration passes it on […]

Recently I visited Potomac Arms, a gun shop on the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia. Making my way past the samurai swords and shotguns, I found the 17-inch Anzio Ironworks .50-caliber “take-down” rifle–named because it can be disassembled in less than 25 seconds–on display. Another brand of .50-caliber, an ArmaLite, was available in the back, […]

After Trent Lott, R-Miss., made remarks widely perceived as stupid and racially insensitive, his career as Senate majority leader went supernova. Question: What happens now to Sen. Patty Murray’s, D-Wash., career, after statements made at a Washington high school, in which she offered her analysis of Osama bin Laden’s popularity and the Arab world’s anti-Americanism? […]

Being part of the turbulent Sixties generation, I had my fill of bellbottoms, long hair, beads, Woodstock festivals, and yes, many an anti-war demonstration. It often seemed that the students of my college, University of Buffalo, were doing their best to compete with Berkeley U. for the “wildest and most militant” award. More than once, […]