Entries by Dr. Martin Sherman

You couldn’t make this up!

There may well be things more depraved than an Israeli government minister soliciting funds for a self-declared mortal foe, but none come readily to mind “Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.” —Anonymous ancient dictum—misattributed to Euripides. Israel is a country of many paradoxes and colliding opposites—many of which make it […]

Arab Violence – Root Causes and Red Herrings

If difficult socioeconomic conditions in the ultra-Orthodox community have not produced the rampant crime that afflicts Arab society, why should this be assumed to be the case among Israeli Arabs? The homicide rate in Israel generally is low by international standards, but what has emerged in Israel’s Arab streets is an alternate universe of lawlessness, […]

Tyrants, Tax-Havens and Territory

Israel must prepare for a daunting situation, in which, along its eastern frontier, it could face a huge expanse of hostile territory, controlled by radical Islamist warlords, stretching from the fringes of Greater Tel Aviv to the border of Iraq — and beyond.  “…the only certainty is that there is nothing certain”.–Gaius Plinius Secundus (“Pliny the […]

Lapid On Gaza – Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Lapid’s recent Gaza policy proposal is just one more display in an appalling catalogue of his imbecility-cum-ignorance, which, in light of his electoral success, is—in itself—a grave indictment of the Israeli voter Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe—attributed to Albert Einstein. I used to have […]

Naftali Goldfarb or Gonen Bennett?

In a single act of rash duplicity and deceit, Naftali Bennett provided the left with a prize plum from which it has been precluded for years: Broad access to positions of governmental control and influence. Bogey Ya’alon, Benny Gantz and Yvette Lieberman are knowingly endangering the security of Israeli citizens… As Israel’s Defense Minister, I declare: An […]

Gaza-Déjà vu … Again?

The problem of Gaza was created by the belief that land could be transferred to the Palestinian Arabs to provide them a viable opportunity for self-governance. We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them— A maxim attributed to Albert Einstein. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and […]

Et tu, Ahmad—The illusion of Arab loyalty

The situation that has arisen can no longer be seen as one centering on the question of individual rights but of collective survival—and it must be treated as such. … A person who, with intent to assist an enemy in war against Israel, commits an act calculated to assist [that enemy] is liable to the […]

Something to Worry About…Israel’s Legal System

The debilitating deadlock, in which Israel’s political system is mired, is in large measure the result of judicial disregard—or at least distortion—of the law. Over the past decade, the public image of the Supreme Court as an autonomous and impartial arbiter has been increasingly eroded… [T]he court and its judges are increasingly viewed by a […]

When Generals Stray Into Politics…

This week–despite the resounding failure of the “land-for-peace” formula—3 former IDF generals penned an Op-Ed, urging the Biden administration to “keep open a path to an eventual two-state solution.” “La guerre! C’est une chose trop grave pour la confier à des militaires”— George Clemenceau, commonly paraphrased as “War is too important to be left to […]

When did Palestine become Palestine?

The Palestinian-Arabs’ claim for sovereignty over what they now insist is their long yearned-for homeland arose only after 1967—i.e. when it came under Jewish administration. The Arabs didn’t provoke war with Israel in 1967 to achieve Palestinian independence…Arab rulers could have established a Palestinian state in those territories whenever they chose to do so. But […]

Jordan’s ‘House of Cards’–The implications for Israel

Israel could face a situation, where along its lengthiest border, there would no longer be a conservative, pro-Western monarchy, but an extreme Muslim regime, with incandescent hostility towards the Jewish state There is nothing certain, but the uncertain. ~ Traditional Proverb. Incoming media reports from Jordan indicate that the clash within the royal family earlier […]