Opinions

This pair of words, “Don’t compare”, has become a common phrase, used with a mix of humor and bitterness whenever, well, the comparison is screaming to the heavens. The prohibition is absolute. Completely forbidden. No questions asked. No why, no how, no under what circumstances, and not even a moment’s reflection on why it is so forbidden. And indeed, Amir Pansky, one of the most dedicated activists on the ground, does not compare. He only remembers the stories of his father

I often hear people asking, “Why aren’t there Palestinian peace leaders?”Never mind that, once again, we look at “them” as if we have leaders who spend all day sincerely trying to make peace; or that there is no real symmetry in the balance of power; or that Israel has a long record of sidelining, imprisoning, or eliminating Palestinian leaders and activists who try to struggle through nonviolent means. When I hear these arguments and try to respond to them, I realize that it

The way the Netanyahu regime sabotages language itself is always on my mind. I assume this has been written about here once or twice already, because honestly, they are so good at it. And when I say “so good," I mean their relentless efforts to label every act of violent settler aggression as “self-defence," every instance of abandonment and failure as “governance," every act of budgetary theft benefiting the sectors they represent as “strengthening heritage," and people like

In the increasingly darkening reality we live in, it's hard to make distinctions between various injustices. And yet, one of the places where the erosion of the rule of law has been worn down to the bone is in the almost total separation between Jews and Arabs when it comes to the law's treatment and its enforcement. Remember civics lessons? Remember how we all learned and knew how to recite that "everyone is equal before the law"? This principle – the principle of equality b

My heart breaks for Gaza. I see the images and videos coming from there, and I hear my own heart cracking. After the total destruction Israel has wrought there, with most of the population now living in tents, the flood that has arrived now – when everything is submerged and there's nowhere to flee, when the scant food available gets soaked and ruined, when the cold strikes 24/7 against the drenched people – the misery is indescribable. And here, in the place that bears prima

When we look at Jewish Israeli society, we all recognize and can recite the "divide and rule" policy the regime has been employing for years. And without a doubt, it has been successful. Netanyahu and his partners have managed to fracture Israeli society into tribes, ethnic groups, geographic areas, and political opinions in such a way that people are almost willing to kill each other over differing views. Similarly, the same people, the same prime minister, are conditioning

From the YouTube link to the film: This special feature documentary  goes inside one of the most closed institutions in the world: the Israel Defense Forces during the war in Gaza. Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War presents first-hand accounts from IDF soldiers who served in Gaza after October 7th 2023. Speaking openly – many for the first time – they describe what they recall seeing on the ground: the bombardment, the civilian impact, the pressure, the confusion, and momen

What do you call it when police or military forces enter your place of residence – city, village, home – and take you with them into the unknown, without you having done anything, without you or your family knowing why, and in fact, as it turns out later, without any reason at all? So if you're Jewish, it's called "kidnapping," and if you're Palestinian, it's called "arrest." Ruti Lavi writes about yet another particularly painful manifestation of the occupation and apartheid

"I think I don't really understand what's the big story there," I wrote in my friends' group on Friday, after it was reported that the Military Advocate General had resigned. "They're angry that she released a video of prison guards abusing inmates? Is that what all the fuss is about?" "Yes," E replied to me. "The abuse itself doesn't interest them – it's not considered, it's not an event. What interests them is that it was brought out into the open”. So, I now understood, th

For the sake of full disclosure, I'll say that Hamza and I worked together for three years. We know each other well, and there's a solid foundation of mutual respect between us. I know that Israeli Jews who read this text of his might wince here and there. And yet, I think it's important to bring in the Palestinian voice that sees reality from a perspective different from the one the Israeli public looks through. Most of us live here without really knowing this viewpoint at a

So here we are, with a ceasefire agreement that some are even calling "peace," and Trump, our new bestie, is even saying it's forever; the living hostages have finally returned home, and the fallen are arriving slowly too, to be buried in loving hands and broken hearts. Seemingly, the end of days. And yet, the feeling of distress doesn't cease; the feeling, beyond the immense relief over the hostages' return, continues to be a mix of horror and defensiveness – at least for th

Amid the overall complexity of life here, and especially in the past two years, everyone longs for change. Which really means that no one is satisfied. But saying “change” isn’t enough. Simply because it only says what we don’t want – that is, what exists now – and doesn’t say what we do want. What kind of change are we hoping for? What do we actually want this place to become?The return of all the living hostages this week brought a collective sigh of relief, of course. Yet

Adi Ronen-Argov (★), Ayala Shalev (☆) – A conversation after hearing about the Hostages’ Release. What’s going on here? ☆ Hey Adi, what a...

Yom Kippur carries so many meanings across so many layers of life. It might be the most important day from a religious point of view, one...

One of the horrors Israel is using in Gaza is deliberate starvation. Israel prevented aid trucks from entering the Strip for many months,...

This text was initiated by Iris, out of that awful feeling shared by the few who actually follow what Israel is doing in Gaza. She then...