Syria Is a Check on Iran, and Possibly an Open Door for Turkey
Israel’s priorities in a complex situation.
August 20, 2026
A Palestinian and an Israeli Discuss the Circumstances That Led to War, and (Mostly) Agree
It’s the Europeans who want to keep Hamas in power.
Interviewed together (in English) on a Norwegian podcast, Shany Mor and Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib discuss the proximate and long-term causes of the October 7 invasion of Israel, from the regional rise of Islamism during the 1970s through the first intifada, the “constitution” that maintains Hamas’s rule in Gaza, and the strategic calculations of Yahya Sinwar. They also cover much else, including Alkhatib’s disturbing account of a conversation with a Norwegian official who made clear that his country wants nothing to do with any effort to defeat Hamas. (Interview by Mathilde Fasting. Audio, 62 minutes.)
August 20, 2026
A Palestinian and an Israeli Discuss the Circumstances That Led to War, and (Mostly) Agree
It’s the Europeans who want to keep Hamas in power.
Jews Shouldn’t Allow Themselves to Be a Fig Leaf for Their Enemies
Mamdani’s rabbis.
A Christian Visits 7th-Century Jerusalem
A few decades after the Arab conquest.
The Antebellum Murder That Introduced Americans to the Jewish Funeral
The death of Isaac Jackson.