Lenny Ben-David, at The Blogs

Sep 3, 2024, 7:02 PM

RIP: Rehabilitate Immediately Please! The "Philadelphi Corridor" under so much discussion today reminded me of an explosion there on the Egyptian-Gaza border 20 years ago. I recalled writing about it at the time. A neighbor's son, a soldier, died there...

May 11, 2022, 6:20 PM

Change the Script! In Jenin, Israel Is Fighting an Iranian-Supported Militia

Tragically, Reporters Embedded with the Terrorists Are Wounded or Killed, but that Is the Price May 11, 2022 – This morning, the Israel Defense Forces entered the Palestinian city of Jenin to root out a terrorist militia responsible for the...

Feb 25, 2022, 11:23 AM

Featured Post

Israel’s strategic vs. humane choice in Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers take position on a bridge inside the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, February 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Why hasn't the Israeli government condemned Russia and armed Ukraine with weapons such as the Iron Dome?

Sep 23, 2021, 2:58 PM

House Democrats Shoot Down Funding for the Israeli Iron Dome Shield

May 2021: On the right, incoming rockets fired by terrorists in Gaza. On the left, Iron Dome in action. (Anas Baba/AFP via Getty Images)

Democratic Representatives forced their House Leadership to pull $1 billion funding requested by the Biden Administration for the resupply of Iron Dome Tamir missiles. Washington is not Israel's enemy, but the real enemies in the Middle East will be...

Aug 27, 2021, 12:17 PM

Far from Afghanistan, Iran’s Chess Pieces Maneuver

A graphic presentation from a Hizbullah supporter showing an Iranian oil tanker smashing U.S. sanctions and heading to Lebanon (Twitter)

Iran Shows the Flag around the African Cape, the Baltic Sea, and the Mediterranean. The game of chess may have been invented by the Persians. However, I prefer to quote a maxim from the game of basketball to describe Iran's...

Jun 14, 2021, 2:00 AM

Lesson for PM Bennett from Historical US Campaigns

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (sitting) and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid in the Knesset (credit: Knesset Spokesperson)

How long can the new government last? It depends. Bets are being taken by some on how long the new Bennett-Lapid national unity government will last. Former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made it clear that he will rock the fragile...

Nov 8, 2020, 11:20 AM

Featured Post

Biden was not to blame for Obama’s 2010 tantrum

The Bidens and the Netanyahus on one of the Vice President's visit. (Israel Government Press Office)

A decade-old diplomatic incident highlights the US president-elect's long and friendly relationship with Israel and its leaders

Oct 7, 2020, 7:03 PM

Bandar “Divorces” the Saudis from the Palestinians

Saudi Prince Bandar (Al Arabiya) addresses the Palestinians

According to Islamic law, the Palestinians could be "out" after his third pronouncement October 7, 2020 -- The second part of Saudi Prince Bandar's lengthy and astounding interview on the Israel-Palestine conflict was released today. The final third segment will be...

Sep 8, 2020, 5:08 PM

New documentary is blinded by AIPAC’s success

Lenny at impromptu session 1993 Policy Conference

How much of the film comes from a very disgruntled former employee? His face is featured on the documentary's title page. MJ Rosenberg wrote “It’s Time for AIPAC to Register as a Foreign Agent” for The Forward in March 2018,...

Jul 12, 2020, 1:39 AM

Resilience — Israel’s Reaction to Covid-19 Plague

This American Zionist Medical Unit (AZMU) arrived in Palestine in 1918 (Joint archives)

Will Israel apply lessons from fighting the first wave of the disease to the second? A version of this article appeared in The Jewish Policy Center’s InFocus quarterly The first wave of the Covid-19 hit Israel in February when a...

About Me

Lenny Ben-David served as a senior Israeli diplomat in Washington. He is a public affairs consultant, writer, researcher, editor, and historian of early photographs. Ben-David is the author of "American Interests in the Holy Land Revealed in Early Photographs." He worked for AIPAC for 25 years in Washington and Jerusalem.