Between Dome of the Rock and a Hard Place
There was always a certain paradox with claiming you are an Israeli progressive who believes in freedom and democracy and other universal ideals ethnic exclusion and demographic threats. But recent events are bringing these contradictions to the fore in what I would argue is a new way. Yitzhak Laor expands on this theme in Haaretz: [...]
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Fresh after the news that Israel intends to annex an additional 1200 hectares of Palestinian land AND news that Israel was constructing another 900 Jewish-only housing units in Gilo (in occupied East Jerusalem), AND news that yesterday the symbolic cornerstone of a new settlement-colony in Nof Zion was established, even after all these insane actions [...]
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Whether or not Iran is attempting to develop their nuclear weapons capacity, Netanyahu’s myopia towards Iran is terrifying. Believing that Iran constitutes a “grave threat” to Israel, even as he visits Israel’s nuclear-armed submarines that provide essential deterrence against any hypothetical nuclear attacks, Netanyahu continuously and concretely threatens Iran with war. Note that even though [...]
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We often hear about Israeli discrimination against its Arab citizens and against Palestinians under occupation. It is in fact “common knowledge”, according to Judge Yuval Shadmi. One aspect of discrimination that we don’t often hear about is Israel’s formal system of discrimination against Jews. What do I mean? Israel is not a secular state. Its [...]
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Gideon Levy is one of Israel’s most extraordinary journalists. Spend the seven minutes necessary to watch this video. Levy is an absolutely critical resource in understanding the situation in Israel/Palestine. In this interview, published at Pulse Media, he discusses the Israeli mindset and compares Israel to the drug addict that keeps getting delivered drug money [...]
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Proponents of Israel often tout the country’s judicial system as evidence of its cultural sophistication and commitment to democratic ideals. Well, a case that was decided last week significantly complicated this picture (as does, for example, an earlier ruling, which was the subject of this blog’s first post). The case concerned a 17-year old Palestinian [...]
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Yesterday I posted an article about the evolution of Israeli responses to the currently tabled Palestinian threat to unilaterally declare independence. First, there was silence and confusion from Israel. Then, in sequence, the reactions moved from pleading with the Palestinians to threatening them if they took their case to the UN Security Council. Today, MK [...]
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Every week, Palestinian, Israeli and international activists protest the separation wall. Here is a two-minute introduction to an excellent looking movie about this growing movement called Bi’lin Habibti. Note Bi’lin is one town whose agricultural land was annexed by the wall, undermining Palestinian livelihoods. Related Posts:Reconsidering Goldstone’s reconsiderationHillel president and CEO Firestone provides a perfect [...]
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Yesterday it was revealed that the Israel interior ministry has commissioned blueprints for annexing and developing an additional 1200 hectares in East Jerusalem and the nearby settlement of Maale Adumim. Today, still more news of massive new settlement construction: Despite US pressure to cease building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem neighborhoods, the capital’s [...]
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The following argument is becoming a frequently heard talking point of the settlement project. It goes as follows: to prevent Jews from living anywhere they want, you are discriminating against them. To suggest Jews ought not to first steal and then move (in contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention) onto occupied Palestinian land is simply [...]
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