Outside the Beltway

The next phase of Israel’s attack on Hamas has begun.

An effort yesterday to bring about a cease fire in Gaza came to naught when Hamas rejected the proposal.

Things look to be going from bad to worse in Gaza.

Middle East peace talks are apparently in such bad shape that the U.S. is thinking of releasing Jonathan Pollard as an incentive to Israel.

After eight years in a coma, Ariel Sharon has passed away.

The Iraqis need to learn to govern themselves, and conservatives blaming President Obama for renewed violence need a history lesson.

The IDF has finally put a woman in command of a battalion. They’re decades behind American forces.

Was Arafat poisoned? A new report raises some questions, but answers none of them conclusively.

Wendy Lower documents the half-million women who helped Hitler carry out the Holocaust.

Bombing Country B to “send a message” to Country A is not a valid argument for bombing Country B.

Secretary of State Kerry becomes the latest American official to wade into the Middle East’s longest lasting quagmire.

A Tel Aviv woman found her car towed and a handicapped parking space painted around where she’d left it.

Alex Pareene’s annual hack list omits an obvious candidate: Alex Pareene.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas appears to be heading in one unfortunate direction.

Not surprisingly, television and reality don’t really coincide.

For the fourth day, American and other embassies became the focus of mass protests in many Muslim nations.

In another sign that things may not be going so well between Washington and Jerusalem, President Obama will not be meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu when he’s in the United States.

Another platform controversy?

What should have been a simple parliamentary procedure, conducted under President Obama’s orders no less, turned into something of an embarrassment.

A new IAEA report may make an Israeli strike on Iran in the near future more likely than it has ever been.

Under German law, this ceremony, which Jews believe dates from the time of Abraham, is now illegal.

Some troubling, sad, and downright puzzling stories

The war in Afghanistan has not been a topic of discussion in the Presidential campaign, but that’s largely because there’s not much left to talk about.

Since Israel’s system is far more “socialist” by American rhetorical standards, I am not sure what his point was.

The Romney campaign has hurt the press corps’ feelings.

The candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood is the next President of Egypt, but the political future of Egypt itself remains quite murky.

Jeffrey Goldberg asks, “What if Mitt Romney were Jewish?”

Is there a Romney Doctrine?

Mitt Romney won big last night, Newt Gingrich was Newt Gingrich, and the race is coming to the beginning of the end.

Newt Gingrich’s comments about Palestinian nationhood came up during last night’s debate.

The Secretary of Defense has some words of warning for those advocating military action against Iran.

President Obama explained his position on the Palestinian statehood resolution today, but one wonders if anyone listened.

Foolishly, the Palestinians are going forward with their effort to get Palestinian statehood recognized by the United Nations.

Was it wrong for the NFL to schedule its opening Sunday on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks?

The Ya Der Hey Edition OTB Caption Contest^TM is now over.

The Supreme Court is being asked to decided if Congress can overrule a foreign policy position the U.S. has held since 1948.

Tim Pawlenty’s foreign policy speech shows him siding with the hawks, and joining in the neocon distortion of Reagan’s legacy.