Commentary

The passing of Ahmed Qurei marks the end of an era, potentially bringing the armed struggle back to square one.

Riyadh's move hurts the prospects of expanding the Abraham Accords. It also conveys a message that Tehran should be able to continue engaging in terrorism – on the domestic front against all protest and opposition, and abroad via proxies and by supplying drones to Russia's war against Ukraine – without being made to pay any price for this.

We must always be mindful of the fact that the value of the Supreme Court is in its measure of detachment from the public mood as its justices seek to hew to the core principles of a civilized society.

As Israel experiences one of its most intense domestic crises, our prime minister has all but avoided the media spotlight. Where is the Netanyahu who threw his weight around everywhere he went during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic; where is the Netanyahu who dominates the public limelight with vigor and leadership on Iran?

If a court were to strike down a Basic Law that has been lawfully legislated, this would be a patently illegal act, tantamount to a coup d’état that would openly set the judiciary against the elected government. Until now this has been done covertly under the fog of legal obscurantism. 

A responsible government and army must do two things: The first is to listen to the voices heard and try to understand where they are coming from; the second is to see what can be done to address the issues, not worsen them.

The tone of the US State Department in recent days makes it clear: There is no room for more gaffes.

There are moments in time when national challenges must take precedence over all other disputes. These circumstances require Israel's leadership, Coalition and Opposition alike, opinion makers and community leaders, to do whatever they can to calm things down.

As we celebrate Purim, perhaps we should look at the Talmudic interpretation of the holiday to better understand our contemporary era.