The Damascus med-school dropout has also had somewhat of a sartorial makeover in recent years, swapping the Osama bin Laden-look for a neatly trimmed beard and green fatigues à la Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, or corporate blazers and chinos. “A person in their twenties will have a different personality than someone in their thirties or … Read more
“It is an odd choice if you’re trying to build bridges with the Trump administration,” said Dalibor Rohac of the American Enterprise Institute. And Mandelson’s past censures of Trump have already drawn the ire of his loyalists, with top campaign adviser Chris LaCivita dubbing him “an absolute moron” on social media. But perhaps Mandelson will … Read more
“Rabin was the closest prime minister to getting a peace settlement in the Middle East. He hated the settlers — really hated them. And he was ready to settle with Abu Mazen [PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas], though he didn’t like him. He understood that’s the only solution for Israel’s future,” Peri said. But Netanyahu had … Read more
Astonishingly scything through arch-foe Hezbollah’s upper echelons, remorselessly picking off leaders and military commanders one after another, Israel’s becoming increasingly bullish, convinced the disaster of Oct. 7 is being paid back. Israel is being made safer, victory snatched from the jaws of defeat — or so its leaders argue. And soon, they believe, it will … Read more
Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe. KYIV — As the U.S. ponders loosening some of the restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles to allow for the targeting of airfields and missile launch sites deeper inside Russia, Ukraine remains on tenterhooks. As it stands, Washington doesn’t appear ready to take the gloves … Read more
One of his key advisers, Mykhailo Podolyak, was even more explicit, suggesting that the surprise incursion would boost Kyiv’s position in any potential future negotiations: “You can only squeeze something out, get something, if they understand that [the war] is not going according to their scenario,” he said. “Any possible Ukrainian operations in ‘Russian border … Read more
Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe. Of course, it was never in doubt that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich would be found guilty of espionage — the acquittal rate in criminal trials held before a judge in Russia is only 0.34 percent. Plus, when it comes to politically motivated show trials orchestrated … Read more
Unsurprisingly, Blinken did get what he wanted from Gantz, who said in a statement that it was “imperative” the deal approved by Biden be implemented. Gallant, though, was much more cagey, thanking Blinken for his efforts, while emphasizing “Israel’s commitment to dismantling Hamas as a governing and military authority” in Gaza. This is because Gallant’s … Read more
As these assassinations unfolded, some reassured themselves by arguing they were the bloody handiwork of crackpots and wackos. “There are more kinds of fools than one can guard against,” remarks a character in Joseph Conrad’s period-set novel, “The Secret Agent.” Today, it’s similarly hard not to categorize the 71-year-old Cintula — the politically fluid, sometimes … Read more
Israel has been waging war in Gaza since Hamas militants killed around 1,200 Israelis and took another 250 hostage on Oct. 7 last year. Israeli strikes in the Palestinian controlled region have killed at least 35,000 people, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza which provides separate casualty figures for combatants and … Read more
