In an open letter to the new Egyptian president published in the Times of Israel, IDF reservists Daniel Suhareanu and Avi Nave urge him not to throw away the decades of peace with Israel in the name of populism.
While most Egyptians are too young to have experienced the brutal wars with Israel, their aging leadership would be wise to remember: It was the 30 years of conflict that drove our leaders to sign the Camp David accords. It was the tens of thousands of dead Egyptians and Israelis that prompted Anwar Sadat to fly to Jerusalem and address the Knesset. It was the billions of dollars wasted on our many wars that compelled our leaders to make peace and secure a better future for our two peoples.
Reaching Iran through South Africa
South Africa’s relationship with both Iran and the United States could make it a valuable tool in negotiations, argue Eliot Pence and Mehrun Etebari in the National Interest.
Since the Islamic Republic’s support for the African National Congress during the apartheid era, Iran’s relations with South Africa have been strong. The bond is reinforced by South Africa’s dependence on Iranian crude oil, which makes up a quarter of its imports. Amid efforts by the United States to wean South Africa off Iranian oil, Tehran has moved decisively to shore up relations, announcing it will invest billions into South Africa’s beleaguered power-generation sector.
Despite what Time Magazine may believe, the Israeli prime minister does not enjoy the absolute power of a sovereign, writes Arik Elman in Algemeiner.
Netanyahu is not a king because the Israeli political system does not allow for a fully independent chief executive. He still has to manage his government and his coalition, and, however counter-intuitive that might be, the bigger this coalition grows, the more unruly it becomes. When the MK’s from Kadima look at the polls, which promise that, in the best-case scenario, only 8 out of 29 of them will survive the new elections, they are sorely tempted to distinguish themselves to get attention and to secure places on the more propitious lists and this can only be achieved by rebelling against the majority.
Israel’s refugee problem
In two pieces for Ynet, Yoav Keren argues for and Moshe Ronen argues against the deportation of the thousands of African refugees currently residing within Israel’s borders.
[T]his is our only state, and because should we fail to curb the flow of infiltrators, the first Hebrew city, Tel Aviv, will not remain Hebrew for long. In 20 years, the Jewish state as a whole may not remain Jewish.
[T]he refugees who already crossed the border fence are here, and we are responsible for their fate. It would be inhumane to deport them. It’s also forbidden by international conventions ratified by Israel.
