Joshua Leifer

Joshua Leifer

Joshua Leifer is a member of the Dissent editorial board. He is the author of “Tablets Shattered: The End of an American Century and the Future of Jewish Life.”

Recent Articles
Democrats head Yair Golan, National Unity head Benny Gantz, Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid, and Yisrael Beyteinu party Avigdor Liberman hold a joint press conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem, November 6, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Israel’s opposition is plotting a return to power. But it remains its own worst enemy
Despite a strong showing in the polls, Israel’s center-left camp is still in denial about its only trump card: joining forces with Palestinian-led parties.
By Joshua Leifer September 15, 2025
Daniella Weiss at the Nachala Hanukkah celebration, calling to resettle Gaza, in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, Dec. 26, 2024. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
Inside the Israeli movement to recolonize Gaza
Capitalizing on the Gaza war, Nachala has pushed to rectify what it sees as the 'historical injustice' of Israel's 2005 disengagement. If the ceasefire falters, the group is ready to pounce — with little standing in its way.
By Joshua Leifer February 11, 2025
Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate ahead of the Democratic National Convention, Dearborn, Michigan, August 18, 2024. (Courtesy of Uncommitted National Movement)
‘The Uncommitted movement did a service to the Democratic Party’
As the Democrats’ convention begins, political strategist Waleed Shahid discusses the possibilities for shifting the party on Israel-Palestine.
By Joshua Leifer August 20, 2024
Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz seen during a visit in the settlement of Vered Yeriho, in the Jordan Valley, January 21, 2020. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
Benny Gantz is taking Israel back to the future
Gantz has become the face of the Israeli center today: racist, militarist, and committed to the perpetual subjugation of Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line.
By Joshua Leifer February 20, 2020
Sen. Bernie Sanders at the 2019 Iowa Democrats Hall of Fame Celebration, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 9, 2019. (Lorie Shaull/CC BY-SA 2.0)
Why are American Jews so afraid of one of their own?
There is nothing radical about Bernie Sanders’ views on Israel, yet the American Jewish establishment seems bent on portraying the Democratic front-runner as an anti-Semite.
By Joshua Leifer February 16, 2020
View of the separation wall as seen from the Palestinian town of Abu Dis. February 26, 2017. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)
The Israeli center’s road to endless occupation
'Catch-67' claims to find a middle ground between the left's and right's concerns over the occupation. Its real proposal is to keep the status quo intact.
By Joshua Leifer January 23, 2020
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) speaks at the 2019 J Street National Conference, October 28, 2019. (Photo courtesy of J Street)
For J Street, holding Israel accountable is still a step too far
J Street's 2019 conference heralded a new willingness to challenge unconditional military aid to Israel. But the organization was quick to reaffirm the status quo.
By Joshua Leifer November 7, 2019
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump visit a memorial outside the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh Tuesday, October 30, 2018, following the mass shooting that left 11 worshippers dead. (Andrea Hanks/White House)
Over 100 Jewish scholars condemn Trump admin for exploiting anti-Semitism
More than 100 Jewish academics sign open letter demanding the Trump administration stop exploiting anti-Semitism in order to quash criticism of Israel on college campuses. Jewish academics are fighting back against the Trump administration’s attempts to silence criticism of Israel on college campuses. More than 100 Jewish scholars have signed an open letter to the U.S. Department…
By Joshua Leifer October 6, 2019
A mural depicting President Donald Trump kissing an Israeli army watchtower is seen on the separation barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, August 4, 2017. (Flash90)
Israel’s one-state reality is sowing chaos in American politics
Until U.S. lawmakers and major Jewish organizations adjust to the current one-state reality, the acrimony that has marked the last several years under Netanyahu and Trump will only intensify. For decades, the two-state solution has been the central pillar of the bipartisan pro-Israel consensus in Washington. Since the signing of the Oslo Accords, every single U.S. administration has been…
By Joshua Leifer August 26, 2019
Hundreds of American Jews protest against ICE raids at an Amazon store in New York City, August 11, 2019. (Gili Getz)
Thousands of Jews protest ICE raids across U.S., 44 arrested in NYC
A growing movement of American Jews is mobilizing against U.S. immigration policy across the country. ‘We’re fighting for the soul of our country, for our very humanity.’ NEW YORK CITY — Hundreds of American Jewish demonstrators staged a sit-in at one of Amazon’s flagship stores in New York on Sunday, to protest the company’s ties…
By Joshua Leifer August 12, 2019
Most Read
  1. The myth of Israel's Arab doctors
  2. Netanyahu's ‘total victory’ vow kept him in power. Now it may be his undoing
  3. ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza
  4. PODCAST: What happens to Palestinians in Israeli prisons?
  5. Under Israel’s watch, Palestinian gangs are sowing chaos in the West Bank
  1. Netanyahu's ‘total victory’ vow kept him in power. Now it may be his undoing
  2. Under Israel’s watch, Palestinian gangs are sowing chaos in the West Bank
  3. ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza
  4. The myth of Israel's Arab doctors
  5. Farewell to the artist who connected Palestinians to themselves
  1. ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza
  2. As Israel sabotages Gaza talks, Hamas’ new ‘warrior leader’ faces his first challenge
  3. Arms sales to Israel are slowing. But that's only half the story
  4. Qusra is where Israel’s lies about settler violence hit a wall
  5. Life in a laboratory of Israeli ethnic cleansing