Welcome to +972’s Sunday Recap! 

For years, Ras Ein al-Auja — the last Palestinian herding community in the southern Jordan Valley — has held firm the face of Israeli settler violence. But as Local Call’s Oren Ziv reported, after settlers recently set up an outpost in the center of the village, many families decided they had no choice but to leave.

In Israel, like every where else around the world, the Iranian uprising has taken over the headlines and much of the public discourse. For Orly Noy, Local Call editor, this has revealed that Israeli hypocrisy knows no limits: only moments ago, Israelis were cheering on a holocaust in Gaza — and now they dare to celebrate the valiant uprising of the Iranian people.

Omar H. Rahman discussed how Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent state, ushered in by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s visit on January 6, reflects a doctrine of endless escalation: by projecting power into the Horn of Africa, Israel aims to increase pressure on rivals, undermine regional stability, and narrow the space for diplomacy.

Last month, Hamas released a revised edition of a document that reveals how the group narrates the Gaza war today, along with its rationale for the October 7 attacks and its response to Israel’s accusations of war crimes. Menachem Klein argued that Hamas only offers ‘steadfastness’ without substance, unapologetic for its conduct, and taking credit for the damage Israel’s genocide did to itself while offering no political horizon (originally published on Local Call). 

From Jerusalem to Haifa, bus drivers and ticket inspectors are facing an unprecedented surge in attacks — be it from ultra-Orthodox youth or soccer hooligans — forcing many to choose between livelihood and safety. Charlotte Ritz-Jack wrote about the Palestinian bus drivers on the front lines of Israeli racial violence, and the Palestinian-Jewish union coming to their defense.

And Alice Austin profiled Daraq Crew — a community revolutionizing Palestinian club culture and creating space for joy at a time of acute suffering — at their New Year’s party in West Jerusalem. 

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