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August 25, 2026

Israeli leaders are condemning settler attacks. It’s a smokescreen

Welcome to +972’s Sunday Recap!

On Monday, the Israeli Knesset passed a death penalty law aimed squarely at Palestinians — and next on the agenda is a tribunal to execute those convicted of participating in the Oct. 7 attacks. Jared Hillel wrote about why Israel was previously reluctant to implement capital punishment, and how this move represents a logical extension of an already lethal carceral system.

For the past month, Iddo Elam has been gathering with fellow Israeli radical left activists in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square to protest the war with Iran. As dissent spreads to the political center and these anti-war demonstrations expand, demonstrators face violent crackdowns by Israeli police — while opposition lawmakers are still nowhere to be seen (originally published on Local Call).

A spike in West Bank settler attacks since the start of the Iran war has triggered an unusually large wave of condemnations from the Israeli right, including the chief of staff of the army, prominent right-wing commentators and journalists, and even far-right ministers. Yet as Oren Ziv argued, these denunciations are a smokescreen: they aim to obscure the fact that settler violence is state policy (originally published on Local Call).

This week, Palestinians marked the 50th anniversary of Land Day — the 1976 uprising against land confiscation, widely regarded as a foundational moment in the political history of Palestinians inside Israel. Noor Dadosh spoke with Palestinian sociologist Nabih Bashir about its enduring legacy at a time of war, fragmentation, and political impasse (originally published on Sabra).

And Meron Rapoport, Local Call editor, reflected on how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s use of historical analogies — from “super-Sparta” to Genghis Khan — betray an appetite for eternal war and barbaric aggression, a worldview now reflected in Israel’s regional policy.

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‘They already shoot us for no reason. Now they have a death penalty’
Under Israel's new law, only Palestinians will face capital punishment. Up next is a tribunal to execute those convicted of participating in the Oct. 7 attacks.
Israeli police are violently suppressing our growing anti-war protests
As dissent over the Iran war spreads to the political center, demonstrators face crackdowns while opposition lawmakers are still nowhere to be seen.
By Iddo Elam, Local Call
Israeli leaders are condemning settler attacks. It’s a smokescreen
The recent wave of denunciations from ministers, army chiefs, and right-wing pundits aims to obscure the fact that settler violence is state policy.
By Oren Ziv, Local Call
Fifty years on, does Land Day still matter for Palestinians in Israel?
Sociologist Nabih Bashir reflects on the enduring legacy of the 1976 uprising against land confiscation, at a time of war, fragmentation, and political impasse.
Less Jesus, more Genghis Khan: How Netanyahu sees Israel’s place in the world
The prime minister’s historical analogies betray an appetite for eternal war and barbaric aggression — a worldview now reflected in Israel's regional policy.
By Meron Rapoport, Local Call