The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer

Out in July By James M. Dorsey Thank you for joining me today. No doubt, you will have noticed that The Turbulent World has no sponsors and no advertisers. This guarantees the column and podcast’s independence. Instead, The Turbulent World depends on the support of its readers and listeners to cover the cost of producing the column and podcast. You can contribute by clicking on Substack on the subscription button at http://jamesmdorsey.substack.com and choosing one of the subscription options.  To watch a video version of this story or listen to a n audio podcast click here . Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s refusal to end the Gaza war is about much more than avoiding a reckoning that could end his political life and potentially land him in prison. No doubt, Mr. Netanyahu has a personal interest in prolonging the war. But reducing the drivers of Israeli policy to the prime minister’s interests neglects the far greater stakes invested in a permanent ceasefire. Agree...

 By James M. Dorsey Thank you for joining me today. No doubt, you will have noticed that The Turbulent World has no sponsors and no advertisers. This guarantees the column and podcast’s independence. Instead, The Turbulent World depends on the support of its readers and listeners to cover the cost of producing the column and podcast. You can contribute by clicking on Substack on the subscription button at http://jamesmdorsey.substack.com and choosing one of the subscription options. To watch a video version please click here . To listen to a n audio podcast click here . Even by Israeli standards, Uri Tzafon (Awaken North) is a far-right fringe group. Amid mounting tension with Lebanese Shiite political group and militia, Hezbollah, along the Lebanon-Israel border, Uri Tzafon is calling for Israeli settlement of southern Lebanon. The group has yet to gain traction. Uri Tzafon’s membership is in the low teens. Less than 300 people attended the group’s recent online conf...

 By James M. Dorsey Thank you for joining me today. No doubt, you will have noticed that The Turbulent World has no sponsors and no advertisers. This guarantees the column and podcast’s independence. Instead, The Turbulent World depends on the support of its readers and listeners to cover the cost of producing the column and podcast. You can contribute by clicking on Substack on the subscription button at http://jamesmdorsey.substack.com and choosing one of the subscription options. To watch a video version of this story or listen to a n audio podcast click here . History repeats itself, albeit with a tweak. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari’s public questioning of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Gaza war vow to destroy Hamas echoes the military’s message three decades ago to then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin during the first Palestinian Intifada in the early 1990s. “We can solve this but not at a price that either you or we are willing to accep...

 By James M. Dorsey Thank you for joining me today. No doubt, you will have noticed that The Turbulent World has no sponsors and no advertisers. This guarantees the column and podcast’s independence. Instead, The Turbulent World depends on the support of its readers and listeners to cover the cost of producing the column and podcast. You can contribute by clicking on Substack on the subscription button at http://jamesmdorsey.substack.com and choosing one of the subscription options. To watch a video version of this story or listen to a n audio podcast click here . Israeli military triumphs and exploits often produce battlefield victories that fail to garner political gains. The Gaza war has changed that paradigm. It has produced neither a military nor a political victory. Adding fuel to the fire, Israel has abandoned the notion that soft power is as important as hard power in the vein of scholar Joseph Nye, who recently cautioned that “ignoring or neglecting soft p...

 By James M. Dorsey Thank you for joining me today. No doubt, you will have noticed that The Turbulent World has no sponsors and no advertisers. This guarantees the column and podcast’s independence. Instead, The Turbulent World depends on the support of its readers and listeners to cover the cost of producing the column and podcast. You can contribute by clicking on Substack on the subscription button at http://jamesmdorsey.substack.com and choosing one of the subscription options. To watch a video version of this story or listen to a n audio podcast click here . Hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin and his Hamas counterpart, Ghazi Hamad. Credit: The Turbulent World A former Israeli hostage negotiator suggests Hamas may be willing to shift the paradigm in Gaza ceasefire negotiations. The problem is that Israel is not interested, while Hamas’ commitment to the idea is unclear. Moreover, negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt have for months failed to bridge ...