More in ‘Robert Gates’

• A brilliant dissection of “the plight of secure young upper-middle-class Jewish funnypeople, who have inherited the sharp humor traditions of an oppressed minority without inheriting very much of the oppression.” [Scocca]
• The U.N. General Assembly has backed off plans for an emergency meeting regarding Israel’s response to the flotilla. [Haaretz]
• Meg Ryan and Dustin ...

U.S.-Israel relations have been a bit of a roller coaster of late. First, after the East Jerusalem settlement announcement coincided with Vice President Biden’s visit, things went way down; now, following the “charm offensive,” they seem to be back up. And who knows what tomorrow will bring.
However, notes a valuable Wall Street Journal report, throughout ...

The one uncontroversial fact about the Middle East is that the Arab-Israeli conflict is inextricably linked to every other problem in the region. Known as “linkage,” this is the one idea that has won the support of a broad consensus of U.S. congressmen, senators, diplomats, former presidents, and their foreign-policy advisers, seconded by journalists, Washington ...

• “Hezbollah has far more rockets and missiles than most governments,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday before meeting with Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak at the Pentagon. [JPost]
• Arguments took place over former Agriprocessors head Sholom Rubashkin’s sentencing for bank fraud charges. Federal prosecutors’ request for life have struck many legal experts as excessive. [NYT]
• ...

• Prime Minister Netanyahu mourned Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, and others aboard the plane that crashed in western Russia over the weekend. He called the late Polish president “a great friend of Israel.” [Haaretz/Forward]
• Accused leaker Anat Kamm said she would waive journalistic immunity, and urged Uri Blau—the Haaretz reporter who wrote the ...

• Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Virginia), whose Richmond campaign office was shot at earlier this week, said he has received threats because he is Jewish. [Haaretz]
• President Obama won’t approve the end-of-Passover prayer, “Next Year in Jerusalem,” until both sides agree on the exact wording. These things are complicated. [Frum Follies]
• A columnist faults Prime Minister ...

• Despite everything, Israel expects the proximity talks will in fact launch, and soon. [JPost]
• The IDF indicted two soldiers in military court for allegedly getting a Palestinian boy to open a suspected booby-trapped package during last year’s Gaza conflict. [LAT]
• To head off buzzed-about rioting, Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered a 48-hour full closure ...

• Vice President Joe Biden gave his big speech in Israel, after tweaking it in response to the East Jerusalem construction announcement. The speech was mostly warm, with Biden explaining, “Only a friend can deliver the hardest truth.” [JPost]
• Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledged to stick to the proximity talks, even after the construction announcement. ...

• While Defense Secretary Robert Gates talked up the need for more sanctions, Iran clarified its intentions, announcing that it will build 10 new nuclear plants. [LAT]
• Prime Minister Netanyahu directly asked E.U. ambassadors to move for further sanctions. [Ynet]
• And in case you weren’t sure: yes, enriching more uranium, even for ostensibly peaceful purposes, ...

• Barack and Michelle Obama released a Hanukkah message in English and Hebrew, saying in part, “May Hanukkah’s lessons inspire us all to give thanks for the blessings we enjoy, to find light in times of darkness, and to work together for a brighter, more hopeful tomorrow.” [CBSNews]
• On a trip to Iraq, Secretary of ...