More and more, members of Israel's ruling parties are matching their public statements to the reality they are implementing every minute on the ground: Israel's opposition to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state and a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict.  Economy Minister and Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett is the latest MK to join a robust list of Israeli government coalition members who have publicly stated that the two-state solution is dead and that the notion of a Palestinian state is a thing of the past. Although it's no new position for him, Bennett is making it clear that no…

The decision not to define 'price tag' attackers as terrorists shows the settler lobby's influence in the Israeli government and highlights the inequality of law and law enforcement in the West Bank. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his security cabinet have declared that 'price tag' perpetrators - thugs who attack Palestinian property in the West Bank, vandalize Christian or Muslim holy sites and private homes of left-wing activists within the Green Line - will not be labelled "terror" groups, but rather as "illegal associations." The designation is important because it indicates which laws authorities can apply in their effort to crack…

A new bill allowing discrimination against Israelis who don't serve in the army contradicts some of Israel's Basic Laws, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein wrote in an opinion published Sunday evening. The bill, he added, will hurt population groups which are already discriminated against. According to the draft legislation, favoring people who served in the IDF will not be considered discrimination nor will it be challengeable in court. Since Palestinian citizens of Israel are not required to serve in the military and most ultra-Orthodox are exempted from doing so, the new bill will give employers and real-estate owners a legal way…

The Israeli government's Ministerial Committee for Legislation decided today (Sunday) to back a bill by MK Yariv Levin (Likud) which will allow discrimination against Arabs and ultra-Orthodox in employment and real-estate rights. According for the suggested legislation, favoring people who served in the IDF will not be considered discrimination nor will it be challengeable in court. Since Palestinian citizens of Israel are not required to serve in the military and most ultra-Orthodox are exempted from doing so, the new bill will give employers and real-estate owners a legal way to reject Palestinian applicants. Palestinians are underrepresented in almost all areas…

The coast that allows Israelis a respite from the heat is now in danger. Israel's public beaches are about to face massive construction that will decrease their public territory and destroy their ecological balance in favor of upscale hotels and apartment buildings. Now, a new protest movement lead by environmental activists, is fighting to safeguard the beaches from what may be their demise.

Israeli society is undergoing a process by which the words 'Eritrean' and 'Sudanese' are becoming synonymous with the word 'cleaner,' while 'Filipina' has long ago become synonymous with 'caregiver.' And who else is behind the education process if not the Interior Ministry and the Justice Ministry? The job market in Israel has always been divided along nearly impenetrable national and “racial” lines; the Knesset, like the Supreme Court, is careful to maintain the divisions. In the past the divisions were primarily between Mizrahi Jews, Muslim Arabs, and Christian Arabs. These days there are different groups as well. There is a direct link…

While a third of the Knesset joins the pro-settlement caucus, one member of the coalition warns of a 'South African' future. The Israeli political conversation has a strange sense of déjà vu these days: on Wednesday, during a panel organized by the think-tank Molad, Knesset Member Ofer Shelah of Yesh Atid warned that if Israel fails to disengage from the West Bank, it will face a similar fate to that of Apartheid South Africa. “The occupation,” said Shelah, “corrupts Israeli society. It corrupts the army, corrupts Israeli justice, Israeli media, Israeli psyche and Israeli language." Facing Shelah at the panel…

After nearly two weeks of holding Istanbul's central square, Turkish police raided and took back Taksim Square from protesters Tuesday, pushing the protest camp back into Gezi Park where the demonstrations began in late May. Photos and text by Oren Ziv ISTANBUL -- Turkish police took over Taksim Square Tuesday morning, pushing the anti-government protests into Gezi Park. Despite over 30 barricades built on the roads leading to the square, police forces entered the square within minutes, firing tear gas and using water canons against protesters who tried to block their approach. The clashes continued throughout the day as protesters set up…

Last month, Israel's Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved a draft law to regulate Bedouin settlement in the Negev. The committee approved the Prawer Plan, which will bring about the destruction of dozens of Bedouin villages in the Negev, further dispossession of their lands and severe poverty and unemployment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHRJn9P7L6I Related: Revisions to Prawer Plan for Negev Bedouin expose the farce of law in Israel The unequal right to water in unrecognized Bedouin village

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Ofir Akunis took Netanyahu's position that settlement construction is not an impediment to a negotiated solution with the Palestinians to a whole new level. According to a report in Haaretz Tuesday: ... [Akunis asserted] that past experience has shown that a halt to construction has only driven the Palestinians away from negotiating with Israel. "The Likud policy is very consistent. Our call to the Palestinians to enter into direct peace negotiations without precondition is in effect," he said. (Emphasis mine) Akunis, the same Likud lawmaker who in the last Knesset proposed a bill to limit all foreign…