Welcomed, Then Attacked by Yitzhar

By Max Buchdahl November 5, 2019

That was all the time it took to make it clear that there is no “both sides” when it comes to the brutalizers of Yitzhar and the nearby Palestinian villagers who are brutalized by them.

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Is Naftali Bennett Gollum?

By Jonathan Katz January 8, 2015

“We’re done apologizing; we love Israel; we’re joining Jewish Home!” So goes the smart-alecky, unavoidable, possibly un-Jewish, and certainly controversial video released by Naftali Bennett’s Jewish Home (HaBeit HaYehudi) party in preparation for the upcoming Israeli elections. The party – and Bennett, of course – advocates a right-wing, ultra-nationalist agenda: annexing 60% of the West…

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Presbyterian Divestment Works, Israel Stands Down, Palestine Goes Free

By Derek M. Kwait July 9, 2014

July 6, 2014: The recent decision of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to divest from three companies, Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola, it sees as playing an instrumental role in Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories, has succeeded beyond the church’s wildest expectations, ending the occupation and bringing about peaceful co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians mere weeks…

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Israel Now is What White South Africa Was

By Jonathan Katz May 7, 2014

 Activists often term Israel’s Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and sometimes Israel itself, as constituting an “apartheid state.” So too do political figures concerned with ending the awful situation – be they Omar Barghouti, John Kerry, or Tzipi Livni. Indeed, it is a convenient, short, and powerful way to term the brutality of…

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What we Talk About When we Talk About Settlements

By Amram Altzman December 9, 2013

Bloomberg columnist Jeffrey Goldberg wrote an editorial last week explaining why Israeli settlements in the West Bank are not the central issue in the Middle East today. He explains that, yes, settlements are definitely one of the obstacles to peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, but then proceeds to list the ways in which the…

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Book Review: “The Accidental Empire”

By mmoncaster November 30, 2010

For anyone interested in Israeli history, I would highly recommend The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of Settlements, 1967-1977, by Gershom Gorenberg. Even if you don’t traditionally mix with history, have no fear! Gorenberg’s account of Israel immediately following the Six-Day War is an accessible, crisp read. Through a carefully crafted mix of anecdote,…

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The Good Fight

By Ben Sales December 16, 2009

I love forgetting Christmas. In America, this was impossible. Come Thanksgiving I would lose myself in a rush of jingles, trees and presents, but when I went to Israel in the December of my senior year I noticed that everything seemed quieter: fewer songs blared through public speakers, the malls were less crowded and the…

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