J14 leader Daphni Leef has been charged with rioting, more than half a year after she was violently arrested during an attempt to reignite the protest movement of the summer of 2011. Her trial will begin on January 23. By Leehee Rothschild Look at this photo of Daphni Leef. Look at her, thrown at the floor, crushed under uniformed men - uniforms which define them as the guardians of law and order and give them the authority and power to use reasonable strength, allowing them to define what's reasonable. Look at them triding on her, pulling her, dragging her, beating…

The assassination of Zuhair al-Qaissi, which sparked the escalation in the south, points to Israel's weak Supreme Court, a lack of transparency and accountability, and the state's flip attitude towards its judicial branch--as do some street signs in Tel Aviv The recent escalation between Israel and Gaza began after Israeli forces assassinated Zuhair al-Qaissi, a leader of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a militant group composed of members of various Palestinian parties. Haaretz noted that the PRC was "the organisation that captured Gilad Shalit", the Israeli soldier who was freed in October 2011. The army says that al-Qaissi was behind the August 2011…

This picture, taken an hour ago in Lod by Amnesty Israel, pretty much says it all: The bulldozers are not digging out people from under the rubble - they're burying people's lives under it. They're not clearing the wreckage of the storm - they're unleashing the storm onto the bare heads of 50 (fifty!!) children and 30 adults. Their original sin was to be born Arab - and thus to be destined to live outside the planning process in Israel, to be forced to build without permissions, even though they are full citizens in "the only democracy in the Middle East."…

The Headlines: Unilateralism > Palestinian President Abbas has raised the possibility of asking the UN Security Council to recognize a Palestinian state, if negotiations with Israel are stalled. In response, Netanyahu called for avoiding unilateral moves. He did not mean to include, of course, settlement construction that changes facts on the ground. Two prominent Jewish Americans, considered close to Obama, visited [Heb] Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and urged Netanyahu to proceed with negotiations. In the background, the administration is increasingly frustrated by Israel’s policy. > The German mediator, working on a deal between Hamas and Israel to secure the…

 The Headlines: An Ugly Fight over Benefits to Yeshiva Students > The governing coalition is split on the issue of social benefits for Yeshiva students. The ultra-orthodox parties demand their continuation, despite a Supreme Court ruling to the contrary. Other ministers, including in Likud, are strongly opposed. Attempts to include university students in the bill have not taken off, because the criteria (three children, no apartment, no car, no other income) are clearly tailored for the ultra-orthodox community. This blatant discrimination is outrageous, but so is calling an entire community ‘parasites’ and ‘thieves’ on the front page of a national…

The Headlines: Most Palestinian are (still) Willing to Recognize a Jewish State >Surveys continue to show that a (diminishing) plurality of Palestinians is willing to recognize Israel as a Jewish state if all other outstanding issues are resolved (Yedioth). > Defense Minister Barak (Labor) criticized Netanyahu, for not pushing forward the negotiations with the Palestinians (Yedioth). Barak is quoted on the front page of Yedioth claiming Israeli shouldn't insist that the Palestinians recognize it as a Jewish state now. "We don't need an aggressive Churchill now, we need De-Gaulle," said Baak, refering to the French president who ended the war…

The Headlines: What does Rabin’s Murder Mean? > Israel commemorates Prime Minister Rabin, assassinated in 1995 by an extreme right-winger, because of his involvement in the Oslo accords with the Palestinians. But what should we do on this of remembrance: recite Rabin’s individual life story? Condemn political violence in general? Should we critically examine the ideology that led to his murder, or is that too partisan? > The crime wave in Lod continues, despite a virtual military occupation of the mixed Arab-Jewish city. The Sidelines: Palestinian Land > The Supreme Court is enraged at the government, for the constant delays…

The Headlines: Demonstration against Racism > Thousands demonstrated against the proposed loyalty oath bill, and other racist and anti-democratic proposals. > The US and other major countries have expressed disappointment at the decision to resume settlement construction in East Jerusalem. A planned meeting between Netanyahu and Palestinian President Abbas was cancelled. The Palestinians and some Arab countries are promoting the idea of UN recognition for a Palestinian state in 1967 borders. > Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, regarding the release of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit (held in Gaza for over four years), have resumed. Israel also notes 24…

The Headlines: Jews and non-Jews > The government is likely to approve today a proposed bill, which will require all new non-Jewish citizens to declare their loyalty to Israel as a “Jewish and democratic” state. Ha’aretz [Heb] and Yedioth focus their criticism today on Ehud Barak, leader of the Labor party, who supports the law despite opposition from all his party’s ministers. The tone of coverage in Ma’ariv and Yisrael Hayom [Heb] is indifferent and supportive, respectively (but not respectfully). > The head of Elad, an organization which promotes the settlement of Jews in Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, hit…

The Headlines: The Dollar declines, Israeli politics sink even lower > The dollar has sharply declined throughout the world. In Israel, the national bank has been trying to stop this development (which would hurt exports and economic growth) by buying huge amounts of foreign currency. Predictably, it is failing to exclude Israel from the global trend. This is an interesting and important story, but let us put it in perspective: the exchange rate is right now about 5-6% below what it was most of the year, and other currencies (and export markets) are unaffected by this trend. > Defense Minister…

Headlines: Disloyalty to Judaism and Democracy Netanyahu has decided to support a proposed bill, which would require new citizens to proclaim their   allegiance not just to Israel, as they are required to do right now, but specifically to Israel as a “Jewish and democratic state”. The law would apply only to non-Jews, and all outlets agree that it was specifically tailored to deny citizenship to Palestinians who marry Israeli Arabs, and wish to become citizens. The coverage is largely neutral, though, focusing on coalition intrigue and the impact on the peace talks. Nobody referred to the irony of this proposal:…

Headlines: Yesterday’s new today > This is a news roundup, but do the newspapers necessarily publish news? This is yet another day when the Yom Kippur War protocols capture the headlines, without revealing anything significant about that war that we didn’t already know. Israel was caught by surprise despite sufficient intelligence? Jordan was a secret ally? Israeli leadership considered extreme measures? These are just about the best known facts about that war. > Is the city of Lod in the grip of a crime wave? There have been 8 murders this year in a city with a population of 74,000,…