A good start… to a bad ending

Olmert and Barak are attempting to ‘manage’ the conflict with Hamas. That is the wrong approach, and its failure is inevitable

Eating themselves up

Fully 40% of Israeli adults are overweight, according to Health Ministry statistics, while another 23% are obese. Thousands are classified as morbidly obese or even superobese. Worse, these numbers are rising all the time.

Who’s collapsing now?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been dancing a jig to the sounds of falling markets around the world, but now he’s finally facing the music at home.

Talking out of both sides of our mouth

Syria is rewarded, the EU is confused, and Bush makes Olmert look like a fool.

Seeds of success

Israeli teams researching plants long thought worthless are poised to lead the next great energy wave

Neither flour nor Torah

The collapse of the haredi economy is an opportunity to fix the flaws that are causing it.

Olmert seeks a legacy — Rabin’s

Ehud Olmert, who rode Ariel Sharon’s coattails to power, is trying to establish himself as the inheritor of Yitzhak Rabin.

Israel’s political merry-go-round

A week ago I wrapped up a speaking tour in the United States during which I “forecast” that things in Israel, after a long lull, were about to become very interesting. How true!
While America was busy electing its first black president, politics in Israel was undergoing such a flurry of activity that it would make [...]

Beilin bids adieu

Yossi Beilin’s announcement that he is retiring from politics marks the end of an era for left-wing dogma. The Meretz leader, polite-but-outspoken, with bookish and boyish looks, was a key proponent of the Oslo accords and very much a symbol of the peace process with the Palestinians. He is especially well known in foreign media, where his ability to speak [...]

Barak adds insult to injury

Ehud Barak has lowered his standing as defense minister by insulting the family of kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit.