dan shapiro

Mobile homes and fruit trees represent the expanding edges of the Israeli settlement of Ma'on, which is taking land from the South Hebron Hills village of Al Tuwani, West Bank, April 2, 2014. (Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

The end of normalcy for Israeli settlements?

Stricter trade guidelines, harsher rhetoric and corporate responsibility campaigns all send a clear message: Israel’s closest allies are no longer willing to passively accept the occupation, and the only consensus on settlements is that they are illegal. The United States appears to be following the European Union in taking symbolic steps to challenge the aura…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man January 29, 2016

Israeli Jews at the scene of an attempted stabbing in Beit Shemesh, outside of Jerusalem, October 22, 2015. The two suspected Palestinian attackers were shot by Israeli police. (Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

How to mourn terror victims as a leftist

Leftists always worry that the Right will exploit violence to advance its political agenda, so we remain silent. The Left needs to learn how to mourn while rejecting the political programs of our leaders — and even the victims. On Sunday, Dafna Meir, mother of six was murdered in her West Bank home with three…

By Dahlia Scheindlin January 19, 2016

Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama in the Oval Office, March 2012 (photo: The White House / Flickr)

Netanyahu and Obama find a shared interest — screwing the Israeli people

Despite the years of endless clashes of both personality and policy, this dramatic political saga really won’t surprise you one bit. The rather lousy relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and U.S. President Obama has been the subject of much discussion in recent weeks as former Ambassador Michael Oren brought already ridiculous levels of behind-the-scenes…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man July 3, 2015

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Demonstration in front of Ramle prison in solidarity with Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi, February 4, 2013. Issawi has been on hunger strike for 194 days and is currently held in an Israeli medical detention center in critical condition. (Photo by: Keren Manor/Activestills.org)

As Palestinian hunger strikes come to a head, world begins to take notice

Four Palestinian prisoners are on hunger strikes to protest their administrative detention and the conditions in which they are being held. While the EU calls on Israel to respect its obligations toward Palestinian prisoners’ human rights, an Israeli NGO reports they are being treated unethically in hospital. All anyone in Israel has spoken about for…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man February 18, 2013

NoamSheizaf, NoamS

The American ambassador’s Twitter diplomacy

The new American ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, has a Twitter account. What does he tweet? For example, a message on his visit to a missile battery (in both Hebrew and English). @AmbShapiro And here is the video of my visit to see the Iron Dome battery near Ashkelon. http://fb.me/HrUHkp4F What doesn’t he tweet? His…

By Noam Sheizaf August 10, 2011