New York Times (November 1)
“After shocks from the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there’s little cushion if the fighting between Hamas and Israel becomes a regional conflict.” An escalation would cloud “the global economy’s outlook, threatening to dampen growth and reignite a rise in energy and food prices.” An escalation would also mark the first time the world has dealt with two simultaneous energy shocks.
Tags: Energy, Escalation, Fighting, Food, Global economy, Hamas, Invasion, Israel, Outlook, Pandemic, Regional conflict, Russia, Shocks, Ukraine
New York Times (October 14)
“Israel finds itself at war because of the depravity of Hamas. Further bloodshed now appears unavoidable, but the way Israel fights will begin to determine what happens next: Defeating Hamas will make Israel safer; showing disregard for the killing of civilians will not.”
Tags: Bloodshed, Civilians, Defeating, Depravity, Hamas, Israel, Killing, Safer. Disregard, Unavoidable, War
Wall Street Journal (May 5)
“With China now an economic and military powerhouse, Taiwan’s lack of preparedness is increasingly dangerous. Taiwan’s economy is two-thirds larger than Israel’s, but Taiwan spends almost two-thirds less as a percentage of gross domestic product on defense.” Especially in light of Ukraine’s invasion, this has to change and just an extra percent of military spending could prove decisive. “Through the force-multiplying miracle of modern weapons, we can help make Taiwan a porcupine and deter aggression that could have profoundly negative consequences for Taiwan, China and the world.”
Tags: Aggression, China, Dangerous, Economic, GDP, Invasion, Israel, Military spending, Porcupine, Powerhouse, Preparedness, Taiwan, Ukraine, Weapons
Wall Street Journal (May 17)
“It’s déjà vu all over again in the Middle East as another round of Israeli-Palestinian combat follows a tragic and familiar path: another spasm of violence, another media firestorm over civilian casualties, another wave of demonstrations around the world, another diplomatic kerfuffle as would-be mediators jostle, and another donnybrook in American politics over how Washington should respond.”
Tags: Casualties, Combat, Déjà vu, Familiar, Firestorm, Israel, Media, Mediators, Middle East, Palestine, Spasm, Tragic, Violence
Star Tribune (March 31)
Chile “appears poised to be among the first in the world to reach herd immunity. But experts say the country’s speedy and efficient vaccination drive—only Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Seychelles have vaccinated a larger share of their populations—gave Chileans a false sense of security and contributed to a sharp spike in new infections and deaths that is overloading the health care system.”
Tags: Chile, Deaths, Efficient, Experts, Herd immunity, Infections, Israel, Security, Seychelles, Speedy, Spike, UAE, Vaccination drive
Chosunilbo (February 24)
“Koreans have become global pariahs.” Israel, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other countries now ban travel from South Korea or impose quarantines. This is all because the “government dragged its heels over banning visitors from China…. China has ordered half of its 1.4 billion population to stay home” and “knows that the most effective deterrent to an epidemic is to limit the movement of humans.” Yet, it continued to let “its citizens freely visit Korea and other countries” while Korea “obligingly left the doors wide open.”
Tags: Ban, China, Government, Hong Kong, Israel, Pariahs, Quarantines, South Korea, Taiwan, Travel
New Yorker (May 14)
National Security Adviser John Bolton said moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem was “merely ‘a recognition of reality,’ but it was actually a suspension of disbelief.” Though dignitaries at the opening ceremony were exuberant, “none of this alleviated the sinking feeling that young Gazans had gained the world’s attention, and sympathy, through their deaths” as Turkey and South Africa recalled their ambassadors to Israel while other countries lodged condemnations.
Tags: Ambassadors, Bolton, Deaths, Dignitaries, Disbelief, Embassy, Gazans, Israel, Jerusalem, NSA, Reality, South Africa, Sympathy, Turkey, U.S.
New York Times (December 15)
“There’s been a lot of backpedaling U.S. since Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. “With the president having made a typically grandiose and poorly thought-through political gesture…wiser heads in the administration are trying to mollify Palestinians and other Arabs antagonized by his posturing.” Their efforts aren’t having much effect. “Mr. Trump could lessen the damage by specifying that the embassy, when moved, would be in West Jerusalem, and by indicating that the United States wants to recognize East Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital as part of a peace agreement.”
Tags: Antagonized, Arabs, Backpedaling, Damage, Grandiose, Israel, Jerusalem, Palestinians, Peace agreement, Trump, U.S.
Jerusalem Post (February 9)
A newly signed bilateral investment treaty marks “another milestone in Israel’s newly blossoming relationship with” Japan. “While celebrations are indeed in order, it is apparent that Israel is only scratching the surface of the potential relationship with Japan, and unless it negotiates the obstacles along the way, will never realize the full potential of trade with the world’s third-largest economy.”
Tags: Bilateral, Investment treaty, Israel, Japan, Milestone, Relationship, Trade
CNN (December 23)
“President-elect Donald Trump long ago earned a reputation for being unpredictable in his statements, but he outdid himself on Thursday. In the span of just a few hours, Trump shook international relations by undercutting the Obama administration over a UN resolution on Israeli settlements, indicated he would ramp up nuclear competition with Russia and then jolted a major defense contractor — and its shareholders — by suggesting he would ask Boeing to replace a fighter jet being made by Lockheed Martin.”
Tags: Boeing, Defense, Israel, Lockheed Martin, Nuclear, Obama, Russia, Shareholders, Trump, UN resolution, Unpredictable