Ofir Akunis

An Israeli settler youth living in a confiscated Palestinian home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah covers his face with the Israeli flag, September 2, 2011. (photo: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

Trump is the president settlers could only dream of

Although U.S. policy toward Israeli settlements has fluctuated over time, successive American officials have consistently taken a dim view of the settlement movement. Trump and his advisors may change all that very soon. By Derek Davison Although President-elect Donald Trump and his foreign policy team are only beginning to develop their agenda for his coming administration,…

By +972 Magazine November 13, 2016

Balad MK Haneen Zoabi, Febuary 8, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Israel’s national scapegoat

Since members of Israel’s parliament can’t take out their anger about the Turkey reconciliation deal on Netanyahu, they go for the easiest target around — Haneen Zoabi. For all nine years of my childhood in Iran, I never personally encountered anti-Semitism. We lived in a mixed neighborhood, I studied at a Jewish high school along…

By Orly Noy June 30, 2016

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks out at the Negev desert in Sde Boker, November 18, 2015. (Photo by Kobi Gideon / GPO)

The duality of Israel’s occupation, at home and abroad

Slowly but surely, the process of shedding democratic characteristics in favor of ‘ethnocratic’ ones is becoming clearer and clearer for all to see. By Tomer Persico (translated by Maya Haber) Over the last few weeks we have heard about the collapse of the delicate duality the Israeli government has been trying to preserve for years.…

By +972 Magazine March 29, 2016

Latest

A right-wing Israeli activist yells at a left-wing Israeli activist in East Jerusalem. (Photo: Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Are Israelis too scared to have opinions anymore?

A law barring public broadcasters from expressing opinions is just the latest in a long line of legislative and regulatory attempts to limit speech in Israel. At 3:24 a.m. on September 3rd, Israeli parliamentarians passed a controversial law to revamp the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA), the body responsible for public radio and television. At the…

By Dahlia Scheindlin September 10, 2015

Ofir Akunis (photo: Yotam Ronen / activestills.org)

Likud MK: Settlement construction is good for peace with Palestinians

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…

By Mairav Zonszein June 11, 2013

‘Why don’t you write about Syria?’

Reports on Syria have become a public commodity in the political conversation regarding Israel/Palestine, and the Palestinian refugees in Syria have become an object in a debate, not living people that need urgent help. It’s not unusual for any report on a wrongdoing by the IDF in the occupied territories to be received here with comments…

By Noam Sheizaf February 10, 2013

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing the cease fire between Israel and Hamas (photo: Koby Gidon/ Government Press Office)

The Likud presents: The craziest, most radical list ever expected to win elections

Knesset members behind attacks on the left, Arabs and asylum seekers won the day at the Likud primaries. All moderates but one were pushed down the list, and probably won’t serve in the next Knesset. The Likud, Israel’s ruling party the last four years, and the one expected to win the next elections according to…

By Noam Sheizaf November 26, 2012

Human Rights March, December 9, 2011

Human rights march in Tel Aviv to counter anti-NGO legislation

The true essence of the foreign funding bill is its subjugation of all Israeli civil society organizations to the government’s whims. On Friday, December 9, 2011, Israeli civil society fights back at the human rights march By Ehud Uziel The revised Akunis-Kirschenbaum foreign funding bill backed by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Lieberman is…

By Haokets December 1, 2011

Natural gas discovery: 2010’s most underestimated story

The New York Times reports good news for Israel: Exploratory drilling off Israel’s northern coast this week has confirmed the existence of a major natural gas field — one of the world’s largest offshore gas finds of the past decade… As I wrote in the past, this story has not garnered the attention it merits.…

By Roi Maor December 31, 2010