29Jan/20

Thoughts about the “Deal of the Century”

Uncategorized, , ,
US President Donald Trump puts his hands on Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's shoulders as they deliver joint remarks on a Middle East peace plan proposal in the East Room of the White House in Washington, 28 January 2020.

The Palestinian side has rejected the US president’s peace plan. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said that the Palestinian people will send Trump’s “deal of the century” to the “garbage can” of history, adding that the United States will eventually recognize Palestine within its original 1967 borders.

Dr. Nir Boms, a research fellow at the Moshe Dayan Centre at Tel Aviv University and the coordinator of the TAU Workshop on Israel and the Middle East, shares his opinion on whether Trump’s ‘deal of the century’ is going to work out or not, and possible scenarios that may follow its announcement.

Sputnik: Trump’s peace plan calls for two states, Israel and Palestine, with the Palestinian capital in parts of East Jerusalem. The plan calls for a 4-year freeze on Israeli settlement activity, and a doubling of Palestinian territory. Could such a plan work ? 

Boms: There are many plans that were suggested and unfortunately have not worked completely. This plan is not a simple plan. It requires the acceptance of both sides, including the Palestinian side, which at this point rejects it, vehemently. It needs the backup of other allies, who have so far indicated that they are not going to accept it. So I think that feasibility, at this moment in time – unfortunately, it does not seem very likely.

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11Jan/20

Jerusalem- Damascus strategic dynamics – Jerusalem Studio 477

Middle East, Syria,

A major focus of tension this year is sure to be the Israel-Syria relationship. while gradually coming out of its domestic nine-year conflict, Israel’s northern neighbor is still hosting forces threatening it – most prominently, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards elite Quds Force, as well as the Lebanese Hezbollah organization.
Panel:
– Jonathan Hessen, host.
– Amir Oren, analyst.
– Dr. Nir Boms, Research fellow, Moshe Dayan center at Tel Aviv University.
-Colonel (Reserve) Reuven Ben-Shalom, cross-cultural strategist and associate at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism.
-Prof. Ze’ev Khanin, Expert on Russian and Middle Eastern Studies, Bar Ilan and Ariel Universities.

08Dec/19

The Fuel of a Revolution

Iran, Lebanon, Middle East, Syria, Uncategorized, , , , ,

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Iran in recent weeks, after the government announced a tripling of the price of gasoline. Credit: Belga

Faced with crippling international sanctions, revenue shortfalls and budget deficits, the Islamic regime in Iran seems to have made a fatal miscalculation by suddenly tripling the price of gasoline, a move which appears to put an entire region in flames.

Frustrated by worsening economic conditions, soaring prices and devastating national currency devaluation, Iranians from across the country immediately took the streets to demand a reversal of the decision. But what seemed to have started as a peaceful civil demonstration – in where drivers turned off their vehicles in the middle roads and highways  –  quickly escalated to a full-fledged uprising in nearly 100 cities. But not just in Iran. In Iraq, protesters burned the Iranian consulate in the holy city of Najaf and in Lebanon hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets, demanding the resignation of a government dominated by pro-Iran factions.

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