2023

JEFFREY SACHS—To understand the foreign-policy scam, think of today’s federal government as a multi-division racket controlled by the highest bidders. Despite these remarkable and costly debacles, one following the other, the same cast of characters has remained at the helm of US foreign policy for decades, including Joe Biden, Victoria Nuland, Jake Sullivan, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, and Hillary Clinton. What gives?

MARWAN BISHARA—But Israel’s colonial nature dominated its behaviour at each and every turn. It wasted countless opportunities to end its occupation and live in peace with its neighbours. To paraphrase Israeli diplomat Abba Eban’s infamous quip, Israel “never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity”.

Instead of ending its occupation, it doubled down on its colonisation project in the occupied Palestinian territories. It has multiplied the number of illegal Jewish settlements and settlers on stolen Palestinian lands and networked them through special bypass roads and other planning projects, creating a dual system, a superior, dominating one for the Jews and an inferior one for the Palestinians.

INDRAJIT—While there is no straight line from Izz al-Din al-Qassam to the martyrs brigade that bears his name, there is an ideological connection. The brigade is also committed to armed jihad and signs off most statements saying ‘it is indeed a jihad of victory or martyrdom.’ And so the struggle (one translation of jihad) goes on, with Al Qassam at the vanguard.