Monday, February 08, 2010
For years, the world’s media has tracked Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons - how much enriched uranium they have or how many centrifuges they’re now using. But why does Iran want a nuclear bomb in the first place? Why this fervent, obsessive attempt to develop a nuclear device? Menashe Amir, one of Israel’s top Iranian experts, explains how a bomb fits in with Iran’s messianic drive for this weapon of mass destruction.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Most people have heard about Iran's drive for a nuclear weapon, but it's not as well known that their understanding of the last days drives their nuclear passion. In this fourth segment of our interview with Iranian expert Menashe Amir, he explains their understanding of the end of days and their preparation for the Mahdi, Shiite Islam's messiah. This helps put in context Iran's passionate drive for a nuclear weapon.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
So how does one of Israel's leading experts on Iran believe the West is handling the threat of Iran? Sadly, not so well.
In this third segment of our interview with Menashe Amir, he gives his perspective on how the leaders of the West are treating perhaps the greatest threat to freedom in our day.
He also addresses the historical parallels between the present time and pre-World War II.
Click here for the first two segments from Menashe Amir:
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
What’s the goal of Iran’s President Ahmadinijad? What also do the ruling mullahs of Iran really want? What’s their motivation?
Menashe Amir says it’s imperative for the West to know that destroying Israel is just the first, not the last goal of this tyrannical regime.
He believes the West - considered the Christian world to Iran - needs to sit up and pay attention.
Several months ago, millions of Iranians took to the streets and shouted “Death to the Dictator!” It was an unprecedented protest against Iran’s tyrannical rulers. Two of those protesters were hanged just last week in an attempt to silence future protests.
We recently spoke with Menashe Amir, one of Israel’s leading experts on Iran. Few people understand the mindset of the Iranian people like Amir. We asked him a number of questions and have put his interview into several segments.
In this first segment, Amir addresses the current mood of the Iranian people. What are they feeling? And what can we expect in the future. For those that want a deeper insight into the current situation with Iran, I believe Amir’s insight is invaluable.
Monday, January 25, 2010
In December 2008, Israel launched an attack on Gaza to stop the daily rocket attacks on its civilian population by Hamas and other terror groups. Israel's military operation called "Operation Cast Lead" succeeded in reducing the number of rockets raining down on its southern border towns.
But many critics of the Jewish State accused Israel of using "disproportionate" force during its campaign. Now supporters of Israel are turning that word around and pointing out that Israel, out of all proportion to its size. has provided a "disproportionate" humanitarian response to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.
We went to Israel's Ben Gurion Airport early Saturday morning to watch the latest Israel medical team leaving for that Caribbean nation. We spoke with Shachar Zahavi, the founder of IsraAid, an Israeli humanitarian organization and Galit Cohen, one of the volunteers leaving for Haiti.
Zahavi explained their motivation, including the unique obligation Jews feel as a result of the Holocaust. or as it is also called, the Shoah.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the foreign press this week. Before he took questions, he expounded on the three main threats he feels are facing the Jewish State. Not surprisingly, the main threat he mentioned was Iran. As the United Nations considers stronger sanctions within a few weeks, he said the time to stop Iran's nuclear progam s now.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
What's happening in Israel? What's the mood of the people? What do they think about the threat of Iran, the "peace process" or even the recent earthquake in Haiti? We talked this week with Mitchell Barak, the founder of Keevoon Research about these topics and more. For those who watch Fox News, I would call Mitchell the "Frank Luntz" of Israel, someone who has his finger on the pulse of Israeli public opinion like Luntz does in the States. Here's our conversation and his analysis of where Israel stands today.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Turkey and Israel sparred in a diplomatic showdown this week, providing one more sign these traditional allies are moving apart. The diplomatic brouhaha centered on the treatment Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon gave the Turkish ambassador. Ayalon called the ambassador in to protest the broadcast of a Turkish television program called "The Valley of the Wolves" that portrayed Israeli Mossad agents kidnapping Muslim children. This program followed another TV dramatic series called "Ayrilik" that aired not long ago depicting Israeli soldiers executing innocent Palestinians by firing squad. These anti-Semitic programs are just some of the latest examples of the way Turkey is turning against Israel.
But as the week unfolded, the attention turned away from Turkey’s actions but instead towards Ayalon’s treatment of his diplomatic counterpart. Ayalon made clear his displeasure through a number of unmistakable diplomatic signs. With cameras rolling, the Turkish Ambassador was made to wait outside. When he came into Ayalon’s office, he was made to sit in a lower chair, in front of a table with an Israeli flag but with no Turkish flag on display with no traditional handshakes or smiles offered. Turkey responded in kind. It threatened to withdraw its Ambassador unless a formal apology was issued. On Thursday Ayalon apologized but the diplomatic furor hid an underlying reality Ayalon hoped to uncover: not only is Turkey becoming more brazenly anti-Semitic, Turkey is shifting sharply away from the West and moving towards the Islamic republic of Iran and its allies. Israel and Turkey have had strong ties for years, a strategy based on shared interests and security challenges by the Mediterranean allies. But all that may be changing.
Historically, Turkey has straddled the line between East and West. It’s seen in its very geography. The Bosporus Straights run through its capitol, Istanbul, with Europe on one side and Asia on the other. The divide represents the two competing world views Turkey faces, Islam or a secular society. It’s clear the direction Turkey is heading now.
Professor Efraim Inbar of the Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies told us the current troubles between Israel and Turkey are just one sign of shifting loyalties. He says recently Turkey, “'Invited' (Iran’s President) Ahmadinejad to visit Turkey, which is a deviation from the western policy.They also invited the Sudanese president to visit Turkey. They side with Hamas even in contrast to the behavior of the moderate Arab states.”
Inbar feels the roots of this shift came several years ago. “A new party came to power in 2002, which has Islamic roots, which has some kind of Islamic identity and as a result of the domestic preferences they want to become closer to the Muslim bloc.”
Israeli commentator Michael Freund made the same point in his Jerusalem Post article today: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1263147884942&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull
“Indeed, his (Ayalon’s) critics are missing the mark. Like it or not, Turkey has been steadily embracing a more radical stance ever since Recep Tayyip Erdogan's (Turkey’s Prime Minister) rise to power earlier this decade. Under his stewardship, the once proudly secular and pro-western country has shifted gears, cozying up to the likes of radical states such as Iran and Syria. In the past year, Turkey has openly defended Teheran’s nuclear program, signed various cooperation agreements with Damascus and moved to expand trade and cultural ties with the two rogue regimes.
And in the process, it has increasingly demonstrated outright hostility and antagonism toward the Jewish state. Take, for example, Erdogan's remarks this past Monday at a joint news conference in Ankara with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri. With barely-concealed contempt, Erdogan said that Israel "threatens global peace" and enjoys "disproportionate power," and asserted that the IDF had attacked Palestinian civilians in Gaza with white phosphorus shells, which he labeled "weapons of mass destruction." During his tirade, Erdogan also condemned Israel for defending itself by carrying out an air strike in Gaza Sunday in which three Islamic jihad terrorists planning attacks against Israelis were killed. "What is your excuse this time?" he said, as if we owe him an explanation.”
Inbar believes Turkey’s relations with the Jewish state reflect a litmus test to other Western countries. He warns, though, that it’s not just a problem for Israel but for the West, the U.S. and NATO. This week’s diplomatic furor may subside but Turkey’s change in allegiances will have a profound impact on the future of the Middle East, something Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon meant to reveal all along.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
What does one of Israel's leading counter terrorism experts say about the Christmas bomber and the way U.S. officials handled this security breach? We interviewed Boaz Ganor, the executive director of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism about Israeli airport security. He offers his views on what he sees as a colossal failure of counter terrorism.