secularism

Itamar Ben Gvir, head of the Otzma Yehudit party, and chairman of the Religious Zionism Party, Bezalel Smotrich, at an election campaign event in Sderot, October 26, 2022. (Flash90)

Why the ‘second Nakba’ government wants to remake the Israeli state

The far right’s crusade on secular liberalism is provoking mass opposition in Israel, but it cannot be separated from the state's anti-Palestinian mission.

By Meron Rapoport and Ameer Fakhoury December 9, 2022

Illustrative photo of a woman in a burkini. (bellmon1/CC BY-NC 2.0)

Liberal Europe doesn’t understand: The burkini is a feminist issue

By banning the burkini, the French view themselves as the ones liberating veiled women from Muslim patriarchy. Instead they are only imposing a different form of oppression. By Eiad Shalabne The images of French policemen handing out tickets to Muslim women in religious garb on the beaches of Nice this past week reflect a depressing interpretation of the essence of…

By +972 Magazine August 26, 2016

Jewish settlers dance during a ceremony inaugurating a new Jewish settlement in Ras al-Amud in May, 2011. (Photo: Oren Ziv/ Activestills.org)

‘Religion and politics’ in Israel: The mythology of Jewish nationalism

The State of Israel has never attempted to build a national identity that would be ‘liberated ’from Jewish ‘religion.’ Instead, it has focused on the construction of a national identity distinct in one critical respect: it is reserved for Jews only. By Yaacov Yadgar One of the more controversial legislative bills being currently pushed forward…

By Haokets August 27, 2013

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Yair Lapid (photo: Yotam Ronen / Activestills.org)

Will surprising results stop a status-quo Netanyahu-led government?

Despite the surprising weakness of the Right-ultra-Orthodox bloc, the final result of the elections, according to exit polls, is still likely to be a status-quo Netanyahu-led government. Why? Because the big winner in this election, media personality Yair Lapid, is a vapid centrist who is likely to join Netanyahu’s coalition and make little noise on…

By Roi Maor January 22, 2013

Dispute over wine festival in Be’er Sheva mosque: ‘Muslim rage’ or Israeli hypocrisy?

Controversy erupted after local Arab residents complained that the Salut Wine and Beer Festival would be held on the grounds of a mosque-turned-museum. The public outcry from the festival-goers reveals both a fear of the ‘re-Islamification of Be’er Sheva,’ as well as a liberal approach that takes for granted the ways in which the state religion affects…

By +972 Magazine September 19, 2012

State’s attempt to challenge radical rabbis so meek it will backfire

The state’s meek attempt to detain two prominent rabbis who’ve been evading police summons for weeks only underscores how helpless the state has become before the decentralised rabbinical church. This morning, police briefly detained prominent rabbi Yaakov Yossef on suspicion of incitement by virtue of giving his blessing to the notorious King’s Torah tractate, which…

By Dimi Reider July 2, 2011