Published Articles

Why tracing the roots of conflict does not determine the moral legitimacy of responding to it Woodrow Wilson at Versailles - a treaty that, it has been argued, ended WWI and initiated WWII Several people have recently attempted to persuade me that military action against the Islamic Regime in Iran is unjustifiable, chiefly on historical grounds. They contend that British Secret Service and CIA involvement in the 1953 removal of the Iranian president fostered anti-Western sent

Why debates about Iran reveal deeper fractures within Western democracies. From right to left: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Ali Khamenei, and Khomeini’s son, Ahmad Khomeini, photographed in 1981 The conflict with the Islamic Republic of Iran has spilled far outside the battlefield, seeping into the institutions and cultures of Western democracies. This confrontation now plays out in parliaments, on university campuses, in media studios, and on online platforms, shaping not on

When reality can't be explained by the ideological paradigm that frames one's worldview, the option for most is to deny reality and double down on the paradigm - regardless of who suffers as a result. ‘Pro-Palestine’ Supporters in Manchester, UK Few things would make me happier than a transformative paradigm in which Palestinians would live free and sovereign alongside a State of Israel whose citizens, Arab and Jewish, would be eternally safe and secure. With neither Palestin

What happens when those on the 'right side of history' don't know history, and struggle to differentiate right from wrong? The banner of the article upon which the writer’s social media post was based Orwell opined that: “...however much you deny the truth, the truth goes on existing, as it were, behind your back.” Regrettably, there are many who are working hard to keep it hidden or don’t recognize it even when it’s out in the open. Though this piece begins with a reference

How similar is the Israel of the Middle East to the Israel that exists in the minds of those in the West? Why is there a disparity between the two? And who should be most concerned about it? Hostage Square in Tel Aviv today (October 13th 2025) Since the invasion of Israel, two years ago, by Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups, along with a number of civilians, three declared Israeli aims have remained constant: 1) to return the hostages 2) to remove the threat of terror

A group of visitors to Jerusalem were confronted with a narrative that contradicted everything they thought they knew. What would you do if the same thing were to happen to you? The Cotton Traders Market, Jerusalem. At the far end, an entrance to the Al Aqsa compound - Temple Mount A few years ago, I was touring Jerusalem’s Old City with a group of American senior citizens. It was mid-afternoon, and I could see that some members of the group were tired and would appreciate fi

A story that sheds light on the complex and layered nature of Jewish identity and the inextricable link between the people of Israel and the land of Israel. What we believe to be a picture of a young Devekulu Ayele, alongside his grandfather in Ethiopia Devekulu Ayele was head of the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) community of the village of Gayne in Gondar province Ethiopia. His father was the Kes (spiritual leader) of the Jews of the region. Each Shabbat, the community woul

For many Palestinians, the desire to destroy Israel is stronger than the wish to build their own State. Not only is this bad news for Israel, but it's bad news for the Palestinians too. Photographed by the writer; Saeb Erekat meeting a group of graduate students studying in the USA, at his office in Jericho, December 2018 The first person to reach out to me on October 7, 2023, to inquire about the safety of my family and me was a Palestinian friend. This moment has stayed wit

You may not know it, but Hamas didn't just kidnap and murder Jews on October 7th Posters demanding the release of the hostages (Getty Images) On October 7 th 2023 Youssef Alziadna and three of his children Hamza, Bilal and Aisha, were kidnapped into Gaza by Hamas terrorists. Youssef was employed in the cowsheds of Kibbutz Holit, close to Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip. In an ill-fated turn of events, Aisha had chosen to accompany her father and brothers to work that day

My thoughts on the superimposing of the contemporary Israeli-Palestinian conflict onto the biblical story, the prioritizing of narrative over truth and the dangers of rewriting history. Image from the Telegraph Did you know that if Mary and Joseph were alive today, they would need to pass through seven Israeli checkpoints in order to arrive from Nazareth to Bethlehem? Did you know that Mary was, in fact, named Maryam and was a poor, young, no doubt terrified Palestinian girl?

Why we need to consider not only what we say, but how we say it Performing a Nazi salute and calling for a ‘final solution’ in Montreal I’ve been following, with concern, the increasingly large number of anti-Jewish incidents taking place around the world, and earlier this week, I posted the following on social media: “Nothing says 'I don't hate Jews, I'm just against the actions of the State of Israel' like performing Nazi salutes, calling for a 'final solution' and calling

Do we ask genuine questions in order to better understand the complex reality? Or do we already assume that we know the answers and ask only questions that confirm our pre-existing views? Ta-Nehisi Coates Coates visited the Middle East for a short time, for a Palestinian literary festival, and by design, surrounded himself with left-wing Israeli activists and Palestinians. I'm fortunate that in my line of work, as well as the situations that I choose to place myself in, I'm a