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Sunday Reads: Plan B for Israel & Palestine, Will allies trust Trump?, Love in the book of Ruth

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January 15, 2017

US

Adam Schatz writes about how ” target=”_blank”>might start keeping America in the dark due to Trump’s possible ties to Moscow:

One concern arising from Trump’s cozy relationship with Moscow is that American allies in possession of intelligence related to the actions of Russia or its associates—notably the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism, Iran—will withhold their findings. The fear is that American allies will perceive the administration to be compromised by Russia and that any intelligence they share with the Trump administration will be exposed to Moscow-linked agents.

Israel

Stuart Eizenstat and Dennis Ross present their ” target=”_blank”>serious life-quality improvements in the past decade:

Between 2005 and 2011, inflation-adjusted Arab net family income increased by 7.4 percent. As a result, the share of Arab families that were “very satisfied” with their economic conditions rose from 40 percent in 2004-2005 to 60 percent in 2010-2011.  Indeed, recent surveys show Arab families have virtually the same level of satisfaction with their lives as Jewish families.

Middle East

Amos Yadlin and Avner Golov believe that Trump should try to ” target=”_blank”>Russia and Turkey’s “marriage of convenience”:

For now at least, two repressive populist leaders, Erdogan and Putin, have struck up a marriage of convenience. Erdogan is hard at work pushing through a constitutional change that will officially make him, not unlike Putin, the sole decision-maker. They share an ingrained animosity toward the West, have no interest in interfering in each other’s internal affairs, and are unencumbered by domestic opposition, granting them a remarkable degree of flexibility. Can it last?

Jewish Journal

Alan Rubenstein examines the sophisticated ” target=”_blank”>Jewish Democrats need to fight for their party:

Jewish Democrats, in particular, have a job to do in their party, just as #NeverTrump Republicans had a job to do in theirs. For the danger to American Jewish voters is now manifesting itself in both parties—and Jewish Democrats need to face up to that fact right now, or else there won’t be a party in this country that refuses a prominent place to bigots. If Jewish Democrats think their party will be a welcoming place for them, (never mind electable at the national level), with a former associate of the Nation of Islam as its chairman, they’re meshuggah.

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