Mr. Adelson, a friend and supporter of Prime Minister Netanyahu, poured almost 100 million dollars into six Republican campaigns, but saw only one of his candidates win. Sore losers: Israel Hayom, the free daily paper owned and published by American gambling billionaire Sheldon Adelson, didn't try to hide its disappointment over the results of the U.S. elections. This morning, a large headline in the news section declared that "America chose socialism." The sub-headline reads: "Obama's second term in the White House could lead to a greater economic crisis than that of 2008." Early this week, articles in Israel Hayom were still…

The president gets a second chance to challenge the status quo on the Palestinian issue. But will his personal dislike for Netanyahu translate to effective pressure on Israel? I wouldn't bet on it. 1. Israel was mentioned 34 times in the final presidential debate, and in the end, it didn't matter. The Republican strategy in the last four years – going after the White House for "throwing Israel under the bus" – did not hurt Jewish support for the president. According to exit polls, Obama got 70 percent of Jewish votes, a slight decrease from 2008, overall matching the votes…

It's true that there isn't much difference between the two candidates on foreign policy, and it's true we could use a little less American ambition globally. But if you're letting foreign affairs discourage you from voting, you're playing that same old imperial game, and you're doing it at the expense of much more immediate and crucial issues - especially women's rights.  Here's a nagging feeling I've been having all day long: I appreciate many, many people feel badly disappointed by Obama, and especially by his conduct in the Middle East. (If I had any hopes of him when he was…

President Obama's record on the Palestinian issue is so bad that the winner of the upcoming elections is irrelevant. Four years ago, I traveled to the United States to cover the Democratic and Republican conventions. It was an inspiring experience, largely due to the unique feelings that accompanied the candidacy of (now) president Obama. Judging from afar, it seems that much of this excitement is gone, and the current elections are a frustrating and rather cynical experience. Still, if I were an American living in the U.S., I probably would have voted for President Obama for many reasons – from…

U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican contender Mitt Romney faced off in Boca Raton, Florida in the third and final debate on Monday. The debate focused on foreign policy, with a major emphasis on the Middle East. +972 bloggers discuss the debate, the candidates, and their positions on the region.

The political parties, along with media, will sell a story of a tight battle, but the Likud-led majority is as stable as it was four years ago. A quick breakdown of the upcoming elections, expected to take place in roughly ninety days.  Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday evening his intention to hold early elections in roughly three months. Elections were due to take place in November 2013 in any case, but Netanyahu estimates that he will have trouble passing next year's budget in the current Knesset. The following is an excerpt from Netanyahu's statement tonight: Today, I finished a round of…

Political maneuvering scores headlines in Israel and abroad. The New York Times reported this morning on a "growing rift" between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The disagreements between the two regarding the strike on Iran's nuclear facilities and the government's attitude towards the American administration have found their way into the public sphere, with proxies for both sides attacking each other on every possible issue, from policy to personal character. So, the strongest political alliance Israel has known in years is coming to an end? Don't be so sure. Despite the obvious differences in their political approach…

Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's persistent claims that he is not meddling in the upcoming U.S. elections, a TV commercial that will air on select Florida networks on Thursday stars the Israeli leader. Released by Politico one day ahead of its scheduled broadcast, the ad features a bit from the prime minister's recent speech, in which he criticizes the U.S. government for failing to establish sufficient "red lines" on Iran's nuclear program. The ad is sponsored by an American nonprofit 501 c (4) called Secure America Now, an organization founded after the 9/11 attacks committed to impacting U.S. national security. A quick look at…

The most widely read paper in Israel believes that Romney basically told the truth about the '47 percent.' Except for the radical fringe of the Republican Party, there is almost an absolute consensus that Mitt Romney's "47 percent" remark was stupid and damaging to his candidacy. A story on Politico yesterday quoted the many attacks on Romney from leading right-wing columnists, among them Peggy Noonan, David Brooks, Bill Kristol, Jonah Goldberg, Michael Warren, David Frum and more. Yet in Israel, Sheldon Adelson's paper, Israel Hayom, chose to put a different spin to the affair. Quoting an interview by Ann Coulter…

It’s common knowledge that Benjamin Netanyahu would prefer Mitt Romney in the White House. They’re pals, they used to hang out in the States, they’re closely coordinated. In fact, in the exposed “secret video” on Mother Jones, Romney boasts that some of the consultants he hired for his campaign had worked for Netanyahu in the past. So, it wouldn’t far fetched to say that when it comes to talking points on the Middle East, Romney gets his material straight from the top. From Bibi. That’s why I was so jealous of Americans yesterday. They finally heard what Bibi thinks, even…

In the video below, Mitt Romney implies that the two-state solution is dead, and after essentially stating that all Muslims in the Middle East are a threat to Israel, sums up his foreign policy strategy with "hope that ultimately, somehow, something will happen and resolve it." Oh, and he also thinks the West Bank borders Syria.  In a covert video from a May fundraiser for Mitt Romney published by Mother Jones on Monday, the Republican presidential candidate articulated that "there is just no way" for there to be a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and rendered any efforts at negotiations basically…

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu seems to have miscalculated with his latest attempt to bait President Obama and manipulate the results of the U.S. elections results. On Monday, Netanyahu leveled what the New York Times described as "unusually harsh public comments about Israel's most important ally," regarding the Obama administration's policy on Iran. Speaking in English one day after Secretary of State Clinton said the United States was "not setting deadlines" regarding military action against Iran, Netanyahu said: The world tells Israel 'wait, there's still time'. And I say, 'Wait for what? Wait until when?' Those in the international community who…

Despite criticism at home and even from Defense Minister Barak, Netanyahu doubles down against the American president, on the eve of a close election. The public rift between the American administration and Israel is deepening: earlier today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched an unprecedented attack against the administration, stating that "the world has no right to stop us" (from attacking Iran). It was clear that the quote was directed at President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton, as Netanyahu was referring to the American refusal to declare a "red line" that would lead to an American strike on Iran if crossed.…