Israel's post-traumatic war is not just about stopping Hamas rockets, but about repairing reputations -- and erasing the stain of failure.
By Aluf Benn Jan 5, 2009
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He got a rock-star reception here, but an intriguing question lingers: Which U.S. presidential candidate is better for this country?
By Aluf Benn
July 24, 2008
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President Bush's peace summit for Israelis and Palestinians ignores a painful truth -- one that we are already living in the Middle East.
By Aluf Benn
November 26, 2007
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Bush and Olmert scramble to prop up Abbas, but the Hamas takeover boosts Iran and leaves hopes for a Palestinian state in tatters.
By Aluf Benn
June 20, 2007
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A scathing criticism of Ehud Olmert's failed war on Hezbollah last summer points to much deeper problems for the country.
By Aluf Benn
May 2, 2007
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Having failed on the battlefield, Israelis question their leadership and their national direction.
By Aluf Benn
August 14, 2006
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Israel has decided to put a final stop to Hezbollah and its leader Hassan Nasrallah -- and for once the world supports it. But even if it wins this war, another is probably coming.
By Aluf Benn
July 19, 2006
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The Gaza crisis is threatening the Israeli leader's domestic credibility -- and could short-circuit his West Bank withdrawal plan.
By Aluf Benn
July 1, 2006
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Tuesday's general election was one of the most momentous in Israel's 58-year history. So why didn't the voters care?
By Aluf Benn
March 31, 2006
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Hamas' victory marks a turning point in Mideast history -- and has Israel scrambling to adjust.
By Aluf Benn
February 6, 2006
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Once despised by a generation of Israelis, Ariel Sharon became a venerated father figure. His passing from the political scene leaves the future of the Middle East in even greater doubt.
By Aluf Benn
January 7, 2006
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Ariel Sharon's split with the Likud, and the rise of Labor leader Amir Peretz, have turned Israeli politics upside down. Will the new order help bring peace with the Palestinians?
By Aluf Benn
November 22, 2005
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Israel's withdrawal from Gaza signals Sharon's abandonment of the deluded settlement policy he created. But can he survive the political fallout?
By Aluf Benn
August 18, 2005
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As Israeli battles Israeli over Sharon's plan to pull out of Gaza, the prime minister is working to keep the real prize: The big West Bank settlements. Will Bush go along?
By Aluf Benn
July 22, 2005
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For decades, Israelis have put off facing a simple question: Is Israel a Jewish state, or a state of all its citizens? But with Palestinians soon to become a majority, the issue can no longer be ducked
By Aluf Benn
May 16, 2005
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We've heard all the promises before. But this time, maybe peace really will break out.
By Aluf Benn
February 15, 2005
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Just talking about withdrawing from Gaza, which even Ariel Sharon doesn't want, has traumatized Israel. What will happen when the real prize -- the West Bank -- is on the table?
By Aluf Benn
January 5, 2005
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A hard-hitting new book by two mainstream Israeli journalists blames both Sharon and Arafat for the bloody stalemate that grips the Holy Land.
By Aluf Benn
October 6, 2004
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With his right-wing allies in revolt and Bush unable to cut him any more sweetheart deals, Israeli leader Ariel Sharon is floundering -- and he has only himself to blame.
By Aluf Benn
May 11, 2004
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While Palestinians rage at Israel's killing of Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the Hamas spiritual leader, the prime minister sees it as a possible road to peace.
By Aluf Benn
March 23, 2004
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With Israeli and Palestinian leaders hobbled and Bush fearful of intervening in an election year, there will be no progress toward Middle East peace until at least 2005.
By Aluf Benn
January 7, 2004
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Since Camp David failed, most Israelis have accepted the slogan "We have no one to talk to." A bold peace initiative has changed that -- and given rise to that rarest of commodities, hope.
By Aluf Benn
October 24, 2003
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With the resignation of Palestinian moderate Mahmoud Abbas and the U.S. caught in an Iraqi quagmire, hopes fade for Middle East peace.
By Aluf Benn
September 7, 2003
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The road map is on life support, and only the U.S. can save it. But as the election looms, a weakened Bush is unlikely to risk confronting Israel and its U.S. supporters.
By Aluf Benn
August 29, 2003
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With the Israeli prime minister facing tough criminal investigations, the Mideast cease-fire serves his political needs very well -- for now.
By Aluf Benn
August 13, 2003