Exactly 200 years ago, a disturbing painting debuted in Paris, depicting a massacre in a distant corner of the Mediterranean. No other work in the artistic canon speaks more to the events of October 7 than this one.
Another memorable passage re: Edward Said and Bernard Lewis from Robert Irwin, now dead at 77, author of the definitive history of Orientalist scholarship. RIP.
Fifty years ago, on July 4, 1974, Hajj Amin al-Husayni, the “Grand Mufti” of Jerusalem, passed away in Beirut, Lebanon, at the American University Hospital. At age 79, he died of natural causes. I review his legacy.
I was sorry to learn that Robert Irwin has died at 77. He wrote the definitive history of Orientalism (my review at the link). I invited him to Israel in March 1998, and he lectured at Tel Aviv University. See too this memorable passage. RIP.
The president of Columbia University, Minouche Shafik, has resigned. Who should get credit for the kill? I’ve been documenting the malaise at Columbia for over twenty years, and my take may surprise you.
I am also greatly saddened.
@Martin_Indyk
brought me to the fledgling
@WashInstitute
for the first time in 1987. He was an indefatigable entrepreneur in his adopted country, a lover of Israel, a connoisseur of US policy, a tireless advocate of peace, and a mensch. RIP.
With great sadness, the Trustees, Fellows and Staff of
@WashInstitute
send their deepest condolences to the family of Ambassador
@Martin_Indyk
-- the organization's founding executive director -- who passed away today.
“Bibi: My Story,” Netanyahu’s memoir, sold well. In November 2022, it spent three weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It remains the most reliable starting point for understanding the miscalculations leading up to October 7.
If anyone still dwells on the Mufti, it’s the Israelis, including their current PM, who find him useful as a supposed link between the Palestinian cause and Nazism. Not unfair from
@Martin_Kramer
but his Nazi sympathies were VERY widely disliked.
The West's role on the global stage, particularly in the Near East, is under intense scrutiny.
Join us in Washington, DC, on September 4th to study the two prominent and contrasting voices in this conversation: Charles Malik and Edward Said.
RSVP:
@EVKontorovich
As I have demonstrated, Israel did not adopt the doctrine of uti possidetis juris in 1948. In fact, it took the radical position that it was born without any borders, and these could only be determined through peace negotiations.
Did Netanyahu’s 2022 memoir mislead Hamas leaders to believe that they enjoyed immunity from destruction? And did this belief embolden them to implement their plan, assuming he would stop short of toppling them? At the link.
Minouche Shafik will always be remembered as the president who called in New York’s finest to handcuff some of Columbia’s worst. I’d be surprised if the next president is made of sterner stuff.
It’s one century to the murder of Jacob Israël de Haan by the Haganah. An opponent called his life “an amazing human story.” I touch on that story, and translate the strongest contemporary condemnation of the assassination.
The TIME fact check of its interview with Netanyahu links back to my November post that quoted his memoir, where he wrote he had “bigger fish to fry” than Hamas. A quote for all TIME.
Minouche Shafik will be remembered as the president who called in New York’s finest to handcuff some of Columbia’s worst. I’d be surprised if the next president is made of sterner stuff.
It’s 30 years to the AMIA terrorist bombing in Buenos Aires: an attack on uninvolved Jews done to terrorize Israel, planned and carried out by Hezbollah. I wrote this assessment close to the event: “The Jihad Against the Jews.”
“Bibi: My Story,” Netanyahu’s memoir, sold well. In fall 2022, it spent three weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It remains the most reliable starting point for understanding the miscalculations leading up to October 7.
Did Netanyahu’s ‘22 memoir mislead Hamas leaders to believe that they enjoyed immunity from destruction? And did this belief embolden them to implement their plan, assuming he would stop short of toppling them? At the link.
In his TIME interview, Netanyahu dilutes his responsibility for Israel's Hamas strategy pre-Oct. 7. In his 2022 memoir, he praised himself for showing restraint. Now he attributes that restraint to others. And did his memoir embolden Hamas?
The pro-Israel stakeholders at Columbia have always been weak, and what Congress thinks doesn’t much matter on Morningside Heights. In my view, Minouche Shafik’s fall should actually be counted in the pro-Palestine column.
With all due respect,
@EricCortellessa
did not confront Netanyahu with the most pertinent quotes re: his view of Hamas pre-Oct. 7. They are at the link.
For
@TIME
's new cover, I interviewed Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem with Israel on high alert awaiting an Iranian attack.
The story of how Israel arrived at this precarious moment is entwined with Bibi's personal ambitions and vulnerabilities.
Link:
Minouche Shafik always be remembered as the president who called in New York’s finest to handcuff some of Columbia’s worst. I’d be surprised if the next president is made of sterner stuff.
Minouche Shafik will always be remembered as the president who called in New York’s finest to handcuff some of Columbia’s worst. I’d be surprised if the next president is made of sterner stuff.
It’s one century to the murder of Jacob Israël de Haan by the Haganah. An opponent called his life “an amazing human story.” I touch on that story, and translate the bravest contemporary critique of the assassination.
Palestinians: What do you think of Haj Amin al Husseini? Spoiler: Most have never heard of him. You’d likely get a more informed answer from the average Israeli.
Did Netanyahu’s 2022 memoir mislead Hamas leaders to believe that they enjoyed immunity from destruction? And did this belief embolden them to implement their plan, assuming he would stop short of toppling them?