golda meir

A pro-Israel rally, Washington D.C, July 18, 2014 (photo: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Overcoming Jewish America’s Israel fantasy

The idea of Israel has long been an integral part of Jewish-American identity. But with a generational change among American Jews and increasingly stark political differences with Israel’s leadership, could this be the dawn of a new era? Last summer Michael Oren, who served as Israel’s ambassador to the United States from 2009-13, blithely offended virtually…

By Lisa Goldman December 31, 2015

Toya Graham pulls her son out of riots in Baltimore (Screenshot)

My Palestinian mother was like Baltimore’s Toya Graham

In the first Intifada, my mother recognized the need to resist but she also wanted to keep her daughter safe — so she locked the doors and hid the keys. But if we are to be consistent, shouldn’t police officers’ mothers be responsible for stopping brutality? Shouldn’t Israeli soldiers’ mothers put a stop the arrests…

By +972 Magazine May 3, 2015

Right-wing demonstrators protest in front of a demonstration against the Israeli attack on Gaza, in Rabin Square, Tel Aviv, July 26, 2014. Right-wing activists protested nearby and attacked left-wing activists during and after the protest. One left-wing activists was hospitalized with a head injury. (Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

How Europe’s Jews lost their humanity in Gaza

The racism that has swept across Israel is devastating to behold. It is also an abdication of what Jews have prized for centuries: A sense of common humanity. By Gilad Isaacs For centuries Jews knocked on the door of Eurasian civilization. As they stood precariously on the doorstep they understood that crossing the threshold –…

By +972 Magazine August 1, 2014

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Israeli Air Force F-15 takes off (photo: IDF Spokesperson

The dark heart of Israel’s regional military policy

When you believe your enemies hate you more than they love their children, as Golda Meir put it, there’s no real deterrence against them; you have to keep bombing. Most people in the West, I’d say, think that if Israel gives up the occupation, it will be healed. It will no longer be a danger…

By Larry Derfner February 28, 2014

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak in a briefing to to press on Iran (photo: IDF Spokesperson / CC BY-NC 2.0)

What does the future hold for Israel’s military politicians?

Could the Jewish state ever be lead by a class of non-military politicians? Until there is a peace agreement with the Palestinians, it seems unlikely. And even then, who knows? By Thomas G. Mitchell Historically there have been two types of Israeli leaders who have been willing to give up territory to the Arabs in exchange for…

By +972 Magazine February 22, 2014

Palmach troops overseeing the displacement of Palestinians from the central city of Ramlah in July, 1948. (Photo: Palmach Archive)

The Nakba: Addressing Israeli arrogance

For Israelis wishing to participate in a common struggle, relieving ourselves of our ignorance and arrogance should be the top priority. Not for the sake of Palestinians – for our own sake, to restore our own humanity. By Tom Pessah About a decade ago, when I was studying for my first degree at Tel Aviv…

By +972 Magazine May 15, 2013

Romney visit: Hitting the ‘Palestinian punching bag’ again

Over the years, Israeli politicians have used various disparaging remarks to describe Palestinians. During this U.S. election, it looks like American politicians have adopted the same tactic, as recently shown during Mitt Romney’s visit to Israel. By Amer Zahr Look, as a Palestinian, I’m used to hearing racist epithets thrown my way. I’ve heard Abba…

By +972 Magazine August 2, 2012

Demonstrating in Sheikh Jarrah. (photo: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Notes from the suicide watch

Reopening 1948: Israel made another step towards a transformation into a bi-national state Sunday, when the Supreme Court legitimized the Palestinian right of return. Naturally, that’s not what the Court had in mind, but that was the result. The Court decided that a large part of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood belongs to the heirs (and…

By Yossi Gurvitz September 30, 2010