Meron Rapoport

Meron Rapoport is an editor at Local Call.

Recent Articles

Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, meets with internally displaced people in Rafah during his visit to the Gaza Strip, Dec. 12, 2023 (UNRWA Photo)

‘If UNRWA implodes tomorrow, there’d be no alternative’

Still functioning despite Israel's ban, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini explains how the agency is laying the groundwork for future Palestinian institutions.

By Ghousoon Bisharat and Meron Rapoport February 27, 2025

A large billboard posted by the Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv, in support of U.S. President Donald Trump, Feb. 5, 2025. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

The damage of Trump’s Gaza plan has already been done

The proposal to cleanse Gaza of Palestinians tapped into a deep undercurrent in Israeli society — endangering any chance for a peaceful future in the region.

By Meron Rapoport February 7, 2025

A large billboard in Jerusalem depicts U.S. President-elect Donald Trump urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war, January 13, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Forget Trump — agreeing to a ceasefire was Netanyahu’s own calculation

In Israel, the war in Gaza has become a burden on the government, the military, and society as a whole. Trump only gave Netanyahu an excuse to cut his losses.

By Meron Rapoport January 17, 2025

Graffiti of a police officer revealing a pristine beach behind the separation wall in the Palestinian village of Abu Dis, near Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, March 6, 2006. (Melanie Fidler/Flash90)

Widening the cracks in Israel’s war machine

Israelis’ waning trust in Netanyahu and the direction of the war, along with shifts in global public opinion and accountability, offer leverage to exploit.

By Meron Rapoport January 8, 2025

Syrians in Germany celebrate the fall of Assad Regime, December 8, 2024. (Wikimedia Commons)

‘Democracy won’t come to Syria overnight. But now, we have hope’

From exile, Bassam Al-Kuwatli long dreamed of Assad's fall. As head of the Syrian Liberal Party, he now plans to return to push for a democratic future.

By Meron Rapoport December 11, 2024

Moshe Ya'alon attends a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Israeli government, Tel Aviv, April 6, 2024. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

The real reason a former Israeli army chief called out ethnic cleansing in Gaza

Less concerned by the plight of Palestinians, Moshe Ya’alon fears the impact on the defense establishment of Netanyahu’s anti-democratic revolution.

By Meron Rapoport December 5, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a state ceremony marking the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on October 7, October 27, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

With or without Sinwar, Netanyahu has no interest in ending the war

The Hamas leader’s death could make the return of Palestinian governance in Gaza more likely. For Israel's government, that scenario must be thwarted.

By Meron Rapoport October 30, 2024

Palestinian residents, joined by Israelis and internationals, hold a weekly protest in Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem, March 24, 2023. (Heather Sharona Weiss/Activestills)

Conversing as unequals: Jewish-Palestinian partnership at a crossroads

Awni Al-Mashni and I have spent years meeting with Israelis and Palestinians across the land to discuss visions for the future. Do we still have answers?

By Meron Rapoport October 23, 2024

Israeli soldiers operating in Gaza city, July 28, 2024. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)

A plan to liquidate northern Gaza is gaining steam

As Israeli ministers, generals, and academics bay for a decisive new phase in the war, this is what Operation Starvation and Extermination would look like.

By Meron Rapoport September 17, 2024

Demonstrators outside the Likud headquarters in Tel Aviv, September 2, 2024. (Itai Ron/Flash90)

To sacrifice or free the hostages? Israeli protesters have chosen a side

Fearing for the remaining captives, the mass rallies that erupted across Israel were essentially demanding an end to the war — and Netanyahu knows it.

By Meron Rapoport September 4, 2024