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Winnipeg Free Press > Opinion > Columnists > Columnists

Samuel Segev

About Samuel Segev:

Samuel Segev is the Winnipeg Free Press correspondent in the Middle East. He is based in Tel Aviv.

  • Looking for small victories in the Mideast

    TEL AVIV -- Thomas Friedman's column in Sunday's New York Times may give us the clue to America's over-reaction to Israel's blunder in its building policy in East Jerusalem. In his column, Friedman wrote that during his visit to Jerusalem last week, U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden told his Israeli interlocutors: "What you are doing here undermines the security of our troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. That endangers us and endangers regional peace".

    View Full Column | 16/03/2010 1:00 AM | 8

  • Iraq vote advances democracy

    TEL AVIV -- Sunday's Iraqi parliamentary elections were certainly an important chapter in the country's history. They did not represent, however, the "rebirth of a nation," as generously described in a recent issue of the American Newsweek magazine.

    Seven years after the eviction of Saddam Hussein, and due to the cruel practices of the Baath Sunni regime, Iraq is still not ready for the kind of democracy that former U.S. president George W. Bush envisaged. It is still an "Iraq-racy," as it was beautifully defined by Gen. David Petraeus, the head of the Central Command who was in charge of the coalition troops in Iraq during the delicate period of 2007-08. Petraeus explained Iraq is developing a unique system of government that is still not based on shared identity, but on sectarian and tribal alignments.

    View Full Column | 9/03/2010 1:00 AM | 3

  • Fanning the winds of war

    TEL AVIV -- Last week's trilateral summit in Damascus between Robert Ford, the U.S. ambassador in Iran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syrian President Bashar Assad and Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Hassan Nassrallah, had puzzled many western observers.

    Upon the appointment of an American ambassador, after an absence of five years, many wanted to believe that Assad would cool his relationship with Iran and would block Iranian arms transfers to Hezbollah. That was naive. Assad has no incentive to weaken his ties to Tehran. On the contrary, he believed his continued ties to Tehran would only increase his value and would increase the American incentives.

    View Full Column | 2/03/2010 1:00 AM | 18

  • Assassination shows skilful planning

    TEL AVIV -- The obsessive concentration of the world press on the use of faked European passports in the killing of Hamas operative Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai last month diverted attention from the operational aspects of this act. The lessons are now being studied by all intelligence services in the world.

    The most important lesson is the penetration of Hamas, Syrian and Iranian security services. From information gathered from the media and other sources, it's clear that the killers visited Dubai several times in the past and knew all the security arrangements in the country. They were aware, of course, of the videos and the sophisticated monitoring equipment in the airport and the various hotels. Hence, they took into consideration the possibility that their passport photos could be exposed.

    View Full Column | 23/02/2010 1:00 AM | 2

  • Obama does an about-face

    TEL AVIV -- One year after Barack Obama occupied the White House, the priorities of his Middle East policy are totally changed -- from a confrontation with Israel over the Palestinian problem to an extremely co-ordinated policy towards Iran.

    It is worth dwelling here briefly on how this reversal of priorities had occurred. When the liberal Obama assumed power last January, his top priorities were a reconciliation with the Islamic world and solving the Palestinian problem. To achieve this goal, he travelled to Turkey and Cairo, visited Saudi Arabia, made advances to Syria and sent three conciliatory messages to Iran.

    View Full Column | 2/02/2010 1:00 AM | 0

  • Lots of peace plans, a little progress

    TEL AVIV -- Israel and the Arab world on Wednesday will be watching with great interest United States President Barack Obama's State of the Union address to Congress.

    In a recent interview with Time magazine, Obama admitted that he "overestimated" his ability to persuade both Israel and the Palestinians to resume their peace negotiations. Nevertheless, Obama made it clear that the U.S. will continue to work with the parties to achieve that goal.

    View Full Column | 26/01/2010 1:00 AM | 0

  • 'Robust effort' to restart peace talks limps forward

    TEL AVIV -- One week before embarking on a new "robust effort" to resume the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, U.S. Middle East Envoy George Mitchell stepped on a self-made land mine. In an interview with PBS's Charlie Rose on Saturday, Mitchell said that the U.S. remains committed to achieve "an Israeli-Palestinian, Israeli-Syrian and Israeli-Lebanese peace."

    When asked what the U.S. would do should this effort fail, he replied "under American law, the U.S. can withhold support on loan guarantees to Israel."

    View Full Column | 12/01/2010 1:00 AM | 3

  • Storms rage around Yemen

    TEL AVIV -- The failed attempt to blow up Northwest Airline's flight 253 over Detroit on Christmas Day was new proof that the problems the United States is facing in the Islamic world are deeper and more complex than President Barack Obama initially expected.

    This attempt came shortly after Maj. Nidal Malik Hassan assassinated 13 fellow Americans on Nov. 5 at Fort Hood military base in Texas.

    View Full Column | 5/01/2010 1:00 AM | 1

  • Iranian issue most volatile in Middle East

    TEL AVIV -- As the year 2009 comes to a close, the Middle East is facing multiple crises that could shape its future: The confrontation with Iran; the growing instability in Iraq in the wake of U.S. troop reductions; the uncertainty of the war in Afghanistan; renewed Saudi tension with Iran because of its subversion in Yemen and its ambition to have a foothold in the Gulf of Aden; Syria's ability to restore its influence in Lebanon; and, of course, the continued stalemate in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict due in part to the deepening rift within Palestinian ranks.

    Of all these crises, the most serious is the confrontation with Iran, which could escalate into an armed struggle should Israel decide to try to destroy Iran's nuclear installations.

    View Full Column | 22/12/2009 1:00 AM | 4

  • Obama puts heat on Turkey

    TEL AVIV -- Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is facing the toughest challenge to his political career: How to enforce his government's decision to freeze all settlement activity in the West Bank, for the next 10 months.

    The freeze excludes East Jerusalem and also excludes public buildings, such as schools, nurseries and synagogues.

    View Full Column | 8/12/2009 1:00 AM | 2

  • Chill quickly turns to thaw between Turkey, Israel

    TEL-AVIV -- Amid discreet signs of a gradual thaw in Turkish-Israeli relations, Turkish President Abdullah Gul begins today a three-day official visit to Jordan.

    Gul is accompanied by his foreign and trade ministers. They are expected to sign an agreement for a strategic dialogue between the two countries, similar to the one signed in 1997 between Israel and Turkey. To facilitate tourism between the two countries. Jordanian and Turkish trade ministers will sign an agreement to abolish visa fees and will discuss possible Turkish investments in Jordan's expanding tourism industry.

    View Full Column | 1/12/2009 1:00 AM | 6

  • How Afghanistan, Pakistan might affect Israel

    TEL-AVIV -- U.S. President Barack Obama is facing the most challenging problems of his presidency: Afghanistan and Pakistan and their impact on Iran and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

    Addressing a closed meeting in Tel-Aviv with members of the Institute for National Security Studies, Bruce Riedel, a former CIA chief in Israel, said that the war in Afganistan in particular likely will define Obama's foreign policy. The stakes for Obama are enormous: The future of NATO, the risks of another 9/11, the danger of nuclear war in South Asia and the costs of sustaining an increasingly unpopular war.

    View Full Column | 25/11/2009 1:00 AM | 0

  • U.S. 'weakness' encourages Iran, Turkey

    TEL AVIV -- The failure of American efforts to revive the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations has exposed the moderate Arab world to its worst situation in years. What is now generally perceived as "American weakness" has led to a dramatic rise in power and influence of two non-Arab Muslim countries -- Iran and Turkey -- at the expense of Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The continued clash with Iran over its nuclear programs and the complicated situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan are absorbing much of U.S. President Barack Obama's time. This leaves American diplomacy limited time to deal more effectively with the Middle East problems.

    View Full Column | 17/11/2009 1:00 AM | 0

  • Abbas throws peace process into turmoil with threat to quit

    TEL-AVIV -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting last night in Washington with U.S. President Barack Obama came at a time of critical impasse in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

    This crisis was prompted last Thursday by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's announcement that he will not seek another term of power, after the presidential and parliamentary elections on Jan. 24. Abbas is not resigning his position immediately. But in one dramatic move, Abbas threw the ball back into Obama's court. After losing face by backtracking on his demand for a total Israeli freeze of its settlement activity in the West Bank, Obama is now forced to devise a new plan that would restore Arab confidence in his ability to achieve peace in the Middle East.

    View Full Column | 10/11/2009 1:00 AM | 7

  • Clinton trying to plug holes in Obama's credibility

    TEL-AVIV -- Israel is awaiting with great in­terest the results of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's discussions Monday with Arab foreign ministers in Marrakech, Morocco. Clinton went to Morocco after her failure to convince Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to resume "without any further delay" his peace negotiations with Israel. Abbas insisted on Israel declaring a total freeze of its settlement activity in the West Bank as a pre-condition for resuming negotiations.

    View Full Column | 3/11/2009 1:00 AM | 7

  • Strategic crisis exposed

    TEL-AVIV -- The cancellation of the Anatolian Eagle air exercise in Turkey has exposed for the first time publicly the depth of the strategic crisis between Turkey and Israel.

    Israel disclosed on Sunday that joint North Atlantic Treaty Organization air force exercises, code-named Anatolian Eagle, had been postponed because Turkey was excluding the Israeli air force. The United States and Italy both pulled out.

    View Full Column | 14/10/2009 1:00 AM | 13

  • Ahmadinejad outfoxed Obama

    11Based on intelligence pieced together from various sources, both the U.S. and Israel have known for some time about the Qom facility.

    Beginning in 2002, when an Iranian dissident group told the U.S. about the uranium-enriching facility at Natanz, the CIA intensified its search for other plants in Iran. They detected 12 suspect sites. When inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency asked to inspect these sites, however, they were referred by Iran to the Natanz facility.

    View Full Column | 29/09/2009 1:00 AM | 0

  • In a clutch situation, Obama shifts gears

    TEL AVIV -- U.S. President Barack Obama achieved a diplomatic victory by having Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas meet with him today in New York.

    The aim of the meeting near the UN is to relaunch the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which has been deadlocked since Obama became president eight months ago. If successful, Obama will likely highlight his achievement in an address to the General Assembly on Wednesday.

    View Full Column | 22/09/2009 1:00 AM | 2

  • Obama's concession to Iran rankles

    11In his acceptance letter, Obama withdrew a basic tenet of former president George W. Bush, who demanded an Iranian commitment to freeze its uranium enrichment as a condition for conditioned talks.

    Because of the sensitivity of the subject, Israeli sources refused to be identified by name. But in private, off-the-record discussions, they said that the U.S., as the leader of the free world, was being watched by the entire region.

    View Full Column | 15/09/2009 1:00 AM | 2

  • Obama's Mideast fumbles disappoint Israel, Arabs

    TEL AVIV -- Israel and the entire region are following with great unease what appears to be a steady decline in President Barack Obama's ability to lead the Free World.

    Obama's shotgun approach to the region and his determination to reverse -- at any cost -- all of former president George W. Bush's policies without a cohesive alternative strategy, have disappointed many of his supporters in the region. Seven months after Obama occupied the White House, and three months after his Cairo speech, it is now clear that there was more to that than was at first apparent.

    View Full Column | 1/09/2009 1:00 AM | 4

  • New alliance emerging in the Middle East

    TEL AVIV -- Syrian President Bashar Assad's visit to Tehran last week has revealed a new regional element that has been largely ignored by Western observers. Assad's visit was officially described as a goodwill trip to congratulate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his re-election as Iran's president. But what came out following Assad's meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was an idea for an unofficial quadripartite alliance between Syria and Iran, with Turkey and Iraq joining.

    Israeli sources anticipated such a proposal. They said that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was not ignorant to this idea. While officially struggling to join the European Union, Turkey has begun to accept the possibility that its European dreams are unlikely to materialize. At the same time, Turkey's hopes for a mediating role in peace talks between Israel and Syria, are also beginning to fade. Israel now insists on direct negotiations with Damascus.

    View Full Column | 25/08/2009 1:00 AM | 1

  • First Fatah convention in 20 years

    TEL-AVIV -- Israel, the United States and the international community will follow with great interest the three-day convention of Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah organization, which opened in Bethlehem Monday. It is the sixth Fatah convention and the first to be held in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The 5th convention was held in 1989 in Tunis.

    View Full Column | 5/08/2009 1:00 AM | 2

  • Obama backtracks on housing

    TEL AVIV -- Israel had improved its bargaining position vis-a-vis U.S. efforts to achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

    Contrary to earlier expectations, U.S. President Barack Obama now appears ready to accept Israel's compromise proposals that the freeze on building in settlements will not affect the completion of some 2,500 housing units in the West Bank.

    View Full Column | 28/07/2009 1:00 AM | 1

  • Imposed peace pact worrisome

    TEL AVIV -- The arrival next week to Israel of U.S. Secretary of Defence Robert Gates, national security adviser Gen. Jim Jones, and Middle East envoy George Mitchell, will help determine whether a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is possible, or whether the region is moving towards the more dangerous path of imposed solution. It is said that U.S. President Barack Obama will be ready with such a blueprint by September. Israel is totally opposed to an imposed solution. Israeli officials recall that right after the 1967 Six Day War, the Arab countries refused direct negotiations with Israel and called for an imposed solution. Because of the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the Third World supported Egypt and Syria in this endeavour. In Khartoum in September 1967, Arab leaders ruled: no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel and no negotiations with Israel.

    View Full Column | 22/07/2009 1:00 AM | 4

  • Israel hardens policy on Lebanon

    TEL AVIV -- Three years after the Second Lebanon War, Israel has officially adopted a new deterrence policy based on the use of disproportionate power against its potential enemies.

    Addressing a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that henceforth Israel will hold the Lebanese government responsible for any attack launched from within its territory "including Hezbollah attacks."

    View Full Column | 14/07/2009 1:00 AM | 0

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