Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel » Gerald M. Steinberg

Human Rights Watch Spins Another Israel-hater Into a Hero

Gerald M. Steinberg — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:07:12 +0000

One would think that someone who openly supports terror attacks on Israeli civilians would be disqualified for a human rights award. Remarkably, however, Human Rights Watch answered that question in the affirmative last week when it stood by its nominee for the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, an Egyptian blogger and activist named [...]

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Zionism as a Moral Cause

Gerald M. Steinberg — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:56:42 +0000

Sixty-five year ago, after the British occupiers departed, Ben Gurion addressed the nation, declaring “the establishment of a Jewish State in Eretz-Israel, to be known as the State of Israel”, whose legitimacy was established “by virtue of our natural and historic right.” In response, most Arab leaders immediately rejected any Jewish rights to sovereign equality [...]

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Palestinian NGO Blood Libel, Funded by E.U. and U.S.

Gerald M. Steinberg — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 17:49:43 +0000

On March 27, 2013, Miftah – a Palestinian non-governmental organization (NGO) led by long-time PLO spokesperson Hanan Ashrawi — published an article in Arabic by Nawaf al-Zaru that repeated the infamous blood libel against Jews. Referring to President Obama’s recent trip to Israel, al Zaru wrote, “Does Obama in fact know the relationship, for example, [...]

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Imagining the Exodus

Gerald M. Steinberg — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 17:16:16 +0000

I have often tried to imagine the way that Israelite slaves in Egypt responded to the ten plagues, the midnight flight and sudden Exodus into the unknown desert, the splitting of the Sea of Reeds with Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit, and the abrupt transition from bondage to freedom. Slavery was all that they and [...]

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Obama and Netanyahu: Reboot

Gerald M. Steinberg — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 17:18:39 +0000

In their second act, will Benjamin Netanyahu and Barack Obama find happiness, and cooperate on policies that will best serve both Israeli and American interests? The answer does not depend on psychology or individual personalities. Serious leaders leave their private likes and dislikes behind when it comes to serious issues – Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin [...]

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The immoral agenda of Human Rights Watch continues

Gerald M. Steinberg — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 10:11:36 +0000

In London today (January 31), Kenneth Roth, the powerful head of Human Rights Watch (HRW), will be holding a press conference and giving interviews to promote his organization’s 2012 annual report. As in the past, Roth will paint a bleak picture of human rights around the world and castigate governments – particularly Western democracies – [...]

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From Tragedy to Farce: International Human Rights Day 2012

Gerald M. Steinberg — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:21:39 +0000

2012 was another dismal year, and there is little to celebrate on International Human Rights Day. The carnage in Syria has destroyed more than 40,000 lives, and in Egypt, a new dictatorship has replaced the previous one. In Iran, last year’s democracy protesters are forgotten, and the Stalinist show trials designed to intimidate these advocates [...]

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NGO hypocrisy in Gaza

Gerald M. Steinberg — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 06:42:38 +0000

As in all of Israel’s recent wars, the current conflict has a central political dimension, in which the network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are publishing a flood of attacks on Israel using allegations of “war crimes” and “human rights violations”. These claims are often copied in the media without thought or verification, and fuel the [...]

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Restoring Israeli deterrence

Gerald M. Steinberg — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:04:05 +0000

Israel owes its survival to effective and continuous deterrence. Confronted with uniquely narrow borders and destructive threats from all directions, the threat of large-scale response has been Israel’s most effective insurance policy. When the IDF has acted effectively to deter the threats of conventional attacks from large armies, mass terror campaigns and missiles aimed at [...]

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Waiting for Turkey’s Apology

Gerald M. Steinberg — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 14:42:46 +0000

The Turkish government’s forceful response to the killing of five of its citizens in an artillery barrage fired by Syrian government forces is understandable. Turkey’s counterattack began with two days of artillery counter-strikes that reportedly killed a number of Syrian soldiers, and there are indications that an expanded operation is being planned. The Turkish parliament [...]

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Because of our sins, we were exiled from our land

Gerald M. Steinberg — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 19:53:06 +0000

Political leaders and heads of government have the moral responsibility for millions of citizens – for their security, their health and welfare, and in many other areas. There is no greater challenge – particularly when dealing with Israel’s precarious environment. National leadership is a full time job, and more. The tasks of public leadership, particularly [...]

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Euro President Barroso: Freeze Funding for Political NGOs

Gerald M. Steinberg — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 06:28:46 +0000

On the occasion of the first official visit to Israel by José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, I offer a modest proposal to our honored guest. This initiative stems from a desire to assist our European friends in strengthening democratic frameworks and reducing wasteful public spending, while also making a positive contribution [...]

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Facing the facts: Human rights, bias, and professional standards

Gerald M. Steinberg — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 19:06:30 +0000

On July 2, Prof. Françoise Hampson spoke in Jerusalem on the complexities and problems related to human-rights fact-finding missions and reports. Prof. Hampson is one of the most experienced and straight-talking experts on human rights, and in her comprehensive and brilliantly delivered address, she drew a nuanced picture of the challenges and deficiencies often found [...]

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The facade of expertise at Human Rights Watch

Gerald M. Steinberg — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 10:14:39 +0000

With the rapid increase in the number of groups promoting human rights agendas, and the accompanying media impact and international political influence, the fundamental limitations in the capabilities of these groups are often overlooked. NGOs (non-governmental organizations) such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) were founded to campaign on behalf of political prisoners [...]

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How the EU-NGO alliance destabilizes Jerusalem

Gerald M. Steinberg — Sun, 20 May 2012 03:50:06 +0000

Co-written by Gerald M. Steinberg and Naftali Balanson Jerusalem is the most complex and sensitive issue in the Arab-Israeli conflict. For over 3,000 years, the Holy City has been the focus of intense religious and national importance, as well as numerous outbreaks of violent conflict that spread across the region and the world. If this history [...]

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