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Author: David Gerstman

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David Gerstman

David Gerstman blogged as Soccer Dad from 2003 to 2010. Formerly a computer programmer, he is now a blogger for The Israel Project's The Tower blog.

Posted by David Gerstman on April 16, 2019 11 Comments
Scientists at Tel Aviv University announced the creation of a 3D heart that has cells and blood vessels, The Jerusalem Post reported Monday. While the heart is small and not yet functional, it shows that, in the future, a heart could be made, which would help eliminate the need for transplants for patients suffering from heart failure. The 3D heart is about the size of a rabbit's heart, but scientists could use this process to create a larger organ to fit a human.

Posted by David Gerstman on April 13, 2019 20 Comments
Commemorating Iran's National Nuclear Day, President Hassan Rouhani announced that the Islamic Republic would soon make advanced centrifuges operational, the Washington Free Beacon reported Thursday. Rouhani, according to the report, which was based on a translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), not only announced the installation of 20 IR-6 centrifuges but seemingly threatened, "If yesterday you feared our IR-1 centrifuges—well, here you go!" He also boasted that during the past year "we have acquired missiles and weapons that you could not have imagined."

Posted by David Gerstman on April 11, 2019 6 Comments
Many in the media and policy circles are fretting about the effect Benjamin Netanyahu's reelection will have on the peace process. But few are examining the true impediment to peace: the Palestine Authority. A recent Washington Post article took the approach that a Netanyahu victory "clouds prospects" for the success of the Trump administration's yet-to-revealed peace plan. Though the article refers to the Palestinians, it doesn't mention the Palestinian Authority, PA President Mahmoud Abbas, or Hamas.

Posted by David Gerstman on April 08, 2019 19 Comments
With election day on Tuesday, April 9, in Israel, will Benjamin Netanyahu win his fourth consecutive bid (and fifth overall) to become Israel's prime ministe Or will he be displaced by a ticket headed by Benny Gantz, two other former chiefs of staff, and former journalist Yair Lapid? Lori Lowenthal Marcus provides a synopsis of the parties and process. Haviv Rettig Gur has a more comprehensive overview at Mosaic.

Posted by David Gerstman on February 21, 2019 17 Comments
Once upon a time, not too long ago, The Washington Post was a somewhat reasonable voice on matters of foreign policy, especially regarding the Middle East. Since it supported the nuclear deal with Iran in 2015, and fought Donald Trump's election the following year, its views have become increasingly marginal.

Posted by David Gerstman on October 31, 2018 30 Comments
Following the horrific massacre of eleven Jews at a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday, liberal commentators have not only blamed President Donald Trump for the climate in which the massacre took place, but also Trump's Jewish supporters. One of those commentators was Aaron David Miller, famous for being a Middle East peace processor in the 1980s and 90s.

Posted by David Gerstman on May 14, 2018 26 Comments
President Donald Trump's decision last week to withdraw the United States from Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has occasioned a lot of hand-wringing by his critics (and by fans of his predecessor Barack Obama). After all, the storyline goes Iran was adhering to the deal, so the United States was damaging its credibility by trashing a deal that it had entered into. Of course, that doesn't tell the whole story. President Obama, knowing that he couldn't sell the deal to the American people and their representatives, made an executive agreement. But governing effectively means playing by the Constitution's rules even when it's inconvenient. (Funny how none of Obama's acolytes, who tell us that Trump is destroying our democracy, seem the least bit bothered by Obama's blatant disregard of the Constitution.)

Posted by David Gerstman on April 11, 2018 26 Comments
An editorial in The New York Times on Monday blasted President Donald Trump for not having a plan for Syria. I don't know if Trump does or doesn't have a plan for Syria. What I do know is that Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama did have a plan for Syria - and it is the reason we keep seeing carnage there. What's worse, The New York Times enthusiastically supported Obama's plans affecting Syria.

Posted by David Gerstman on January 16, 2018 11 Comments
One of the predicted outcomes of the nuclear deal with Iran, contrary to what President Barack Obama claimed, is that it would strengthen the hands of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the "hardliners" in the regime. (I don't believe there are moderates in the regime. It is a revolutionary regime that seeks to export its ideology across the region. President Hassan Rouhani would not have been allowed to compete or win if he did not subscribe to the same ideologies as the hardliners.) Rather than opening up or liberalizing Iran, the deal was correctly predicted to lead to further repression.
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