Israel’s 70th Independence Day marked a change. What began with the establishment of the State of Israel by David Ben-Gurion is ending abruptly with none other than Donald Trump. Declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel was not just the “right…
Article Author: Ben Efrat, Yacov
In the shadow of Israel’s nation-state law: The Left ducks
The first to take to the streets against the rising tide of anti-democratic legislation was the LGBT community on July 22, 2018. They protested the government’s surrogacy law that discriminates against gay men, raising the banner of equality and drawing…
An Israeli twist on homophobia and racism
At the mass rally held by the gay movement LGBT at Rabin Square on July 22, 2018, protesters not only demanded to be accepted as different, but also called for full equality. They cried out against the injustice caused…
Kushner, Greenblatt, Friedman and the absent Palestinian president
Three of President Trump’s envoys – Kushner, Greenblatt and Friedman – spent this past weekend in Israel. They worked on Friday and marked the end of the Sabbath in a West Bank settlement. Afterwards, they returned for a second…
Even Kites Shoot
“Kite terror” is what newspapers call incendiary kites that set ablaze the fields of Israeli farmers on the “Gaza periphery.” This new terror has replaced “tunnel terror,” which, in turn, was neutralized by the IDF deployment of a new detection…
One Massacre, Many Partners in Crime
One hundred and seven Palestinians have been killed and more than 10,000 wounded by Israeli troops over the past seven weeks along the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel. The Palestinians stormed the fence and Israeli soldiers responded…
Israel’s undeclared war on Iran
Last November, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman visited Saudi Arabia, sat in a spacious armchair in the palace of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, aka MBS, and went on to write a piece in The New York Times…
Gaza cries out for bread, Israel responds with bullets
Preparations for the celebration of Israel’s 70th anniversary are underway: Culture Minister Miri Regev is feuding with Knesset Speaker, Yuli Edelstein, over the question of who will speak at the Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony. She is determined to include Netanyahu,…
Tamar Zandberg of Meretz: The end of ideology
At the time of writing (early March 2018), it is not clear whether Knesset elections are in the making, or whether Netanyahu will get a “pass” that promises him quiet until November 2019. This highly politicized drama dwarfs another drama…
Netanyahu will leave a gaping hole
It’s incredible, but his inner circle of “knitted skullcap” advisors, who saw Netanyahu as a strategic asset leading to a national-religious revolution, has turned on him. They are Shlomo (Momo) Filber, Natan Eshel, Ari Harow, Roni Alsheikh and Avichai Mandelblit.…