ISRAEL ESCALATES ITS SHADOW WAR WITH IRAN
By Andrew Richards Israel has carried out a series of attacks across the Middle East in recent weeks to prevent Iran from equipping its Arab allies with precision-guided missiles, drones and other sophisticated weapons that could challenge Israel’s defences. The attacks represent a new escalation in the shadow war between Iran and Israel, which has…
TRUMP FORMALLY RECOGNISES ISRAELI SOVEREIGNTY OVER GOLAN HEIGHTS
By Alex Pollock (with contribution by Mike Burnard) Donald Trump signed a presidential proclamation on Monday [25 March] formally recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, still considered Syrian territory under international law. The decision to recognise Israeli sovereignty over land that the international community nearly unanimously considers occupied, or at the least disputed, is…
ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASEFIRE HOLDS AMID TENSE CALM IN GAZA STRIP
27 MARCH 2019 (SOURCE: AL JAZEERA) – A Palestinian rocket struck Israel and the Israeli military conducted an air raid in Gaza despite a ceasefire announced by Hamas, but the exchange of fire appeared to end overnight on Wednesday. There were no immediate reports of any damage or casualties from the latest rocket fire, which the…
THREE KEY GEOPOLITICAL EVENTS OF 2018
By Andrew Richards 2018 Overview 2018 saw world powers battling it out in proxy wars in Yemen and Syria, expanding the fight through cyber warfare and even trying to force each other into submission by means of a trade war. Arguably, Turkey made the biggest geopolitical shift in the Middle East as the NATO…
ISRAEL AVOIDS EARLY ELECTIONS AFTER GAZA CEASEFIRE AND POLITICAL FALLOUT
By Donnelly McCleland, Chris Eden and Mike Burnard Israel avoided early elections after a key coalition partner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government said on Monday [19 November] that he would not withdraw his party, keeping the coalition intact despite a crisis triggered by a violent flare-up with Gaza militants. Education Minister Naftali Bennett said…
IRAN DEFIANT: ‘NO THIRD PARTY’ WILL LIMIT ITS SUPPORT TO SYRIA
28 AUGUST 2018 (SOURCE: SYDNEY MORNING HERALD) – Iran’s defence minister has said his country will continue its support of the Syrian government to ensure improved security in the region, adding that the nature of the two countries’ cooperation won’t be decided by a “third party”. Israel has expressed concern over Iran’s growing influence in Syria, accusing Iran…
ISRAEL’S CONTENTIOUS ‘NATION-STATE’ LAW
By Donnelly McCleland Thousands of protesters rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday [11 August] against Israel’s new law declaring it the nation-state of the Jewish people, legislation that has angered the country’s Arab minority and drawn criticism abroad. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended the law, which says only Jews have the right of self-determination…
