A pall of uncertainty and despair hangs over Israel as its citizens head to the polls next week to elect a new leader. The enthusiasm and optimism that accompanied the election of Barack Obama, despite the problems he inherited, are nowhere to be found in the streets of Jerusalem, Haifa or Beersheva. Instead, Israelis face a difficult political choice at...

I have long admired Turkey. Yet with the outburst of animosity for Israel displayed most prominently by its prime minister in Davos, Switzerland, over the weekend, coupled with the anxiety awakened in the Turkish Jewish community, I wonder what's going on and what the future holds. If this only emanated from the "street" or from an extremist fringe, it would...