Mitchell Plitnick

Mitchell Plitnick is a political analyst and writer. He is the author, with Marc Lamont Hill, of “Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics,” published in February 2021 by The New Press. He also hosts the “ReThinking Foreign Policy” podcast. Twitter: @MJPlitnick.

Recent Articles

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, Davos, January 21, 2016. (Haim Zach / GPO)

Can the U.S.-Israel relationship survive a far-right government?

Israel’s new coalition and growing hostility toward AIPAC are straining the countries’ ‘unbreakable’ bond. But don't expect major U.S. policy change.

By Mitchell Plitnick November 30, 2022

President Donald Trump speaking at the annual AIPAC policy conference in, Washington, D.C. on March 21, 2016. (Lorie Shaull/CC BY-SA 2.0)

AIPAC’s insurrectionists for Israel

By endorsing candidates who tried to sabotage the elections, AIPAC has demonstrated how far it will prioritize Israel's interests over U.S. democracy.

By Mitchell Plitnick March 28, 2022

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets fired from the Gaza Strip over the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, May 16, 2021. (Avi Roccah/Flash90)

Iron Domegate is a victory in disguise for Palestine advocates

The dramatic vote in Congress over extra funding for Iron Dome has widened a public debate on the occupation that Israel and its allies would prefer to avoid.

By Mitchell Plitnick October 6, 2021

View of the Ben & Jerry's factory shop in Yavne, July 20, 2021. (Flash90)

Why Israel’s ice cream war could backfire

Israel is hoping that anti-BDS laws will scare U.S. companies like Ben & Jerry's from divesting from settlements. Here's why that gambit might fail.

By Mitchell Plitnick August 1, 2021

The Israeli and American flags screened on the walls of Jerusalem's Old City to mark one year since the transfer of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, May 14, 2019. (Aharon Krohn/Flash90)

‘Equality’ is finally breaching Washington’s debate on Israel-Palestine

A policy paper centering equal rights for both peoples marks a radical break from the Israel-centric discourse of mainstream U.S. think tanks.

By Mitchell Plitnick May 6, 2021

Prime Minister Netanyahu delivers a speech to both houses of Congress in Washington D.C. May 24, 2011. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

How hawkish Democrats are impeding Biden’s Middle East policy

From the Iran nuclear deal to the Israeli occupation, conservative Democrats are raising the political costs of adopting a more progressive U.S. foreign policy.

By Mitchell Plitnick April 13, 2021

President Donald Trump addresses the crowd at Target Center in Minneapolis, MN, for his 2020 presidential campaign rally on October 10, 2019. (Nikolas Liepins/Flickr)

In the US and Israel, voter suppression is the ruling parties’ game plan

Trump's attempts to intimidate voters speaks volumes about the anti-democratic strategies shared by right-wing forces around the world.

By Mitchell Plitnick October 26, 2020

Illustrative photo of Israeli Border Police officers guarding a settlement in the West Bank city of Hebron. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

America’s long history of tolerating Israel’s illegal expansion

The U.S. has never treated Israeli settlements as illegal, as expansion continues with little resistance from Washington. Still, Pompeo’s declaration will likely become the new normal.

By Mitchell Plitnick November 20, 2019