JPost.com - Douglas Bloomfield Reporter

Washington Watch: What does aid to Egypt get us?

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 21:59:44 GMT

Peace with Israel is the locomotive that pulls aid to Egypt through the Congress, but there are other cars on the train.

The real IRS scandal, and a way to fix it

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 22:21:11 GMT

Washington Watch: There is much more at stake than the vetting of applications for special treatment as “social welfare organizations.”

Washington Watch: Dole to GOP: Get some new ideas

Wed, 29 May 2013 22:10:32 GMT

Bob Dole, the former presidential and vice presidential nominee for the Republican party, no longer feels at home in his old party.

Washington Watch: Is Hillary inevitable?

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:28:28 GMT

Hillary Clinton has the popularity, organization, money and Bill supporting her likely nomination as Democratic candidate in 2016 elections.

Washington Watch: Whose Israel is this?

Sat, 18 May 2013 22:52:20 GMT

It is one thing for the ultra-religious to practice their belief system as they wish among themselves, and something wholly different when they try to impose it on the majority of the society.

Time for Arab League to take the plunge

Sat, 11 May 2013 22:29:47 GMT

Washington Watch: Both sides have agreed on swaps in principle, and while they remain far apart on the details, the gap is bridgeable.

Washington Watch: Arab League to take the plunge

Thu, 09 May 2013 08:37:02 GMT

It’s time for the Arab League to put up or shut up; the future of Middle East peacekeeping may depend on it.

Obama’s dilemma: No good options in Syria

Wed, 01 May 2013 22:02:25 GMT

Washington Watch: Going to war on faulty – and probably intentionally misleading – intelligence about weapons of mass destruction had to weigh on Obama’s mind.

Iranian nukes: Insurance or invitation to attack?

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:20:48 GMT

Washington Watch: North Korea’s latest round of nuclear bellicosity is a huge wild card in the high-stakes US-Israel game.

Washington Watch: Abbas dumps PA’s MVP

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:36:06 GMT

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas just dispensed with the closest thing the PA has to an indispensable man, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

Kerry’s quest: Who really wants peace?

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:22:06 GMT

What was John Kerry thinking when he asked Turkey’s anti-Jewish prime minister to be “a partner”?

Washington Watch: The Republican Party at war

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 21:30:55 GMT

Republicans are trying to reach out to Hispanics, who voted more than 70 percent Democratic last year, but that didn’t stop one of their senior House members from calling them “wetbacks.”

WASHINGTON WATCH: After Obama trip, what next?

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 22:44:04 GMT

Following Obama's ME visit, John Kerry shows "experience, desire" to undertake responsibility of resuming peace talks.

Why is President Morsi helping Israel, not Hamas?

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 22:42:39 GMT

Washington Watch: Hamas expected Morsi to end Mubarak’s cooperation with Israel’s blockade of Gaza, but if anything the noose has tightened.

Obama is promoting, not proposing, peace

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 23:38:24 GMT

WASHINGTON WATCH: Even if he wanted to, President Obama knows another US peace push wouldn’t work.

Washington Watch: Iran watching US response to NK nuke test

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 23:14:42 GMT

Secretary Kerry has said Iran will be watching the response to the latest North Korean nuclear and missile tests. So will the rest of the world.

Can Palestinians make peace with themselves?

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 22:17:48 GMT

Fatah and Hamas can’t agree on when, how or even whether to hold elections they say they want for the legislative council and president.

High hopes and low expectations

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:22:13 GMT

There is no peace process and won’t be one unless Netanyahu is pushed, and not by Obama, but by his coalition partners.

Inouye: One of Israel’s best friends in Congress

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 21:50:52 GMT

Washington Watch: “Danny was courage personified," Biden said, displaying heroism on the battlefields of World II and “incredible moral bravery” in the Senate.

Bashar Assad: Dead man walking

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 21:52:38 GMT

Washington Watch: Syrian strongman Bashar Assad has only himself to blame as he heads for history’s garbage heap.

Washington Watch: Another new Mitt Romney emerges

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 21:47:23 GMT

In running away from the far-right Tea Partiers, religious extremists and neocons, Romney tried to portray himself as a moderate who seeks world peace through prosperity.

A UN victory could be costly for Palestinians

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 21:52:59 GMT

The Palestinians already have diplomatic recognition by some 120 countries and that has put them no closer to statehood.

Washington Watch: The next president and the peace process

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 22:50:37 GMT

The next president will have to work harder to enlist the support of America’s Arab allies to give the Palestinians the backing they need to revive the peace process.

Is Netanyahu planning an October surprise?

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 22:48:17 GMT

Washington Watch: Is partisan rhetoric is aimed at preventing nuclear Iran and how much at preventing Obama’s reelection?

Washington Watch: Tough questions for Obama, Romney

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 21:38:55 GMT

I concede that Romney and Obama love Israel, are committed to its survival and don’t want Iran to get nuclear weapons.

Washington Watch: The 2012 big winner revealed

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 22:32:28 GMT

Politicians may kvetch incessantly about the money chase but they’re not about to do anything serious to stop it. They’re already too beholden to the big money folks.

Will Romney’s VP choice motivate Jewish voters?

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 22:06:53 GMT

Washington Watch: Romney’s effort to make Israel a partisan wedge issue in this campaign is overrated.

Washington Watch: Will 2013 be payback time?

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 22:11:00 GMT

If Mitt Romney is victorious, it will be payback time for the Democrats when his appointments and agenda go to Capitol Hill.

A 12-step plan to sober up for peace

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 23:05:12 GMT

Washington Watch: Ambassador Dennis Ross proposes a 12-step plan to get Israelis and Palestinians back on the (peace) wagon.

Washington Watch: Cracks in the foundation

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 12:47:51 GMT

Israel is facing tough choices on issues that will resonate far beyond its own borders.

Washington Watch: Defiantly deaf dictators doomed

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 22:59:03 GMT

today Egyptians are demonstrating in massive numbers against Mubarak, angry that a court had sentenced him “only” to life in prison.

Does anyone really want a deal?

Wed, 30 May 2012 21:17:07 GMT

Washington watch: Russian FM got it partially right when said America’s Congress, not president, is blocking compromise on Iran.

Washington Watch: Palestinian irreconciliation

Wed, 23 May 2012 22:10:25 GMT

If Fatah and Hamas can’t make peace with each other, how can they be expected to make peace with Israel?

Gridlock in Washington: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!

Wed, 16 May 2012 22:14:26 GMT

Washington Watch: In Indiana the other day Richard Mourdock served notice that if he is elected things will get a lot worse.

Washington Watch: Roadblocks on Egypt’s road to democracy

Wed, 09 May 2012 22:17:30 GMT

Growing violent protests in Egypt cast doubt as to whether Egypt's military rulers will hand over power after May presidential elections.

Washington Watch: Our man in Havana

Wed, 02 May 2012 22:26:07 GMT

A swap for Gross would be popular in the Jewish community but not in the Cuban-American community, which rails against any deals with the ‘terrorist regime’ in Havana.

Washington Watch: Republicans have ‘a real Jewish problem’

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:07:54 GMT

The root of the problem: GOP strategists focus solely on the issue of Israel, which is not a top priority for most Jewish voters.

Washington Watch: Arabs to Netanyahu: Hold your fire!

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:29:16 GMT

They want to see the Iranian nuclear program destroyed, but they fear the political fallout.

Washington Watch: Setting back the war clock

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:15:42 GMT

One of the PM’s objectives is to help defeat the incumbent because Obama in a 2nd term might not be so easily bullied.

Washington Watch: Can’t buy me love

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 23:00:49 GMT

The enthusiasm deficit has haunted Mitt Romney throughout the long and winding primary season, but loathing might save him.

Washington Watch: Fanning the winds of war

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:50:17 GMT

Mitt Romney, the putative GOP frontrunner, keeps saying if Obama is re-elected Iran will surely get the bomb and only he can stop it.

Washington Watch: Watching the Arab vote

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:02:46 GMT

Romney, Santorum and Gingrich have done little discernible to court Michigan’s Arab- American voters.

Washington Watch: Mitt Romney, man of the (rich) people

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:24:40 GMT

The Republican front-runner may be “not concerned about the very poor,” but many Jewish voters are.

Washington Watch: Banging the war drums

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:21:15 GMT

Netanyahu will be in Washington next month to speak to the AIPAC policy conference. Obama will tell the Israeli leader that sanctions are showing results and should be given more time to work.

Washington Watch: Rats deserting the sinking ship

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:34:16 GMT

Hamas is pulling up stakes and looking for a new home as Syria becomes engulfed in a bloody uprising.

A necessary act of futility

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:09:43 GMT

Jordan peace talks may be going nowhere because neither side wants them to, but to admit that would be dangerous.

The year that was– the best and the worst

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:08:41 GMT

Washington Watch: It was a good year for the Arab street; it was a bad year for dictators.

Washington Watch: Turkey: Friend or foe?

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:20:17 GMT

Ankara’s hostility to Israel could spill over to the rest of the West.

Washington Watch: Weakening Abbas only strengthens Hamas

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:26:40 GMT

The biggest danger facing Netanyahu and Abbas is that they may get carried away with their own rhetoric and step off the proverbial cliff.

Palestinian reconciliation ‘next to impossible’

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:05:23 GMT

Washington and Jerusalem shouldn’t overreact to talk about Fatah-Hamas unity negotiations. It is one thing to reach an agreement and another to implement it.

Washington Watch: Is the Mideast peace mission impossible?

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:57:25 GMT

If Abbas wanted peace, he should Netanyahu’s bluff. Settlements weren’t a hindrance to talks in the past when Palestinians, including Abbas himself, wanted to talk.

Washington Watch: Brinkmanship could spark Middle East war

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:20:16 GMT

Opposition to an Israeli strike is strongest where support is needed most: in Washington, DC.

Needed: A real foreign minister

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:01:58 GMT

Avigdor Lieberman has made enemies in so many capitals, it’s a good thing he doesn’t really have any power.

Washington Watch: Is Assad next?

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:44:32 GMT

The toll of tyrants and terror kingpins has grown dramatically during the Obama years, most notably bin Laden, al-Walaki and Gaddafi.

Will Egypt’s revolution trample the peace process?

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:33:24 GMT

If Mubarak’s successors are hostile, any semblance of a peace process with the Palestinians could be even more elusive.

Washington Watch: Will Israel become a wedge issue?

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 22:26:05 GMT

With rare exceptions, the country was not an issue in this year’s congressional elections, but federal spending was, and everything will be on chopping block in ‘tea-infused’ 112th Congress.

Washington Watch: Settlements are excuse, not obstacle

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 21:46:48 GMT

Abbas’s rigid insistence on a settlement freeze, like Netanyahu’s rigid insistence on going ahead with construction, are not the real reasons for avoiding serious negotiations.

Washington Watch: Are you Jewish enough?

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:31:58 GMT

The greatest threat to US-Israel relations has nothing to do with a secret peace plan, settlements, or boycotts. It's a question of religion.

Proximity talks are off... and crawling

Wed, 12 May 2010 21:08:25 GMT

These talks are all about process and less about actual peace.

Don't believe all you read - except this

Wed, 05 May 2010 21:36:25 GMT

As Mitchell heads back to the Mideast, beware of the verbal flak.

Obama plan – old wine, new bottle?

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 23:27:41 GMT

This move could be very risky for the Obama administration.

Washington Watch: The nuclear two-step

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 01:31:13 GMT

Arab efforts to divert attention from Iran undermine Obama’s attempt to unify the int'l community to thwart Teheran’s ambitions.

Washington Watch: Obama’s 4 questions

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:46:52 GMT

Time to talk about final status issues - refugees, borders, water and J'lem.

Washington Watch: Where’s the outrage?

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:36:40 GMT

For the most part, administration calls to end Palestinian incitement have been brief, tepid and rare compared to the focus on Israeli settlements – and Palestinians have ignored them with impunity.

It’s not about settlements, stupid, it’s about trust

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:16:42 GMT

Netanyahu did not enjoy a reservoir of trust going into this crisis, and it’s not just with Obama.

Washington Watch: Quid pro bupkiss

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:27:25 GMT

Assad and his pals understand something that Obama doesn't: In the Mideast, giving something for nothing is a sign of weakness.

Can the enemy of my enemy be my ally?

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:20:02 GMT

The latest US arms sales to the Gulf states can be part of a de facto alliance of the US, the Gulf states and Israel to deter Iran's ambitions.

Charlie Wilson’s other war

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:25:27 GMT

He is best remembered for his role in helping to drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan.

Perhaps step backward will move peace forward

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:07:06 GMT

Abbas's face-saving solution for his weakness came from George Mitchell and his idea of indirect talks.

Washignton Watch: Obama's law of unintended consequences

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:53:39 GMT

President’s proposal to ‘require lobbyists to disclose each contact’ may result in treating ‘citizen lobbying’ the same as corporate and labor interests.

Washington Watch: Turn, turn, turn

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:54:32 GMT

Obama was unusually candid recently about his Mideast peace failure.

Washington Watch: Hitler's pope was no saint

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:14:01 GMT

The Vatican insists sainthood is based on Pius XII's 'Christian life,' not his historical record, but the two elements cannot be separated, critics insist.