Israel hearts apartheid South Africa (how they miss those glory days)

Daniel Blatman, Haaretz: The historical background of the Israeli apartheid state-in-the-making that is emerging before our eyes should be sought in 1967. It is part of a process that has been going on for about 44 years: What started as rule over another people has gradually ripened – especially since the latter part of the…

What Israel does to dissidents; smear and damn

Gideon Levy in Haaretz: About two weeks ago, I was invited to the Jewish Book Week in London, following the publication in English of my book “The Punishment of Gaza.” The Jewish establishment in Britain threatened to boycott the event, the organizers considered hiring security guards, and roughly 500 people, mainly middle-of-the-road Jews, filled the…

Attacking Libya isn’t about making us feel good

Bombing Libya is welcomed across the world from so many supposedly well-meaning types who haven’t a clue about what the country is like or what they’re really backing. But hey, Gaddafi is a bad man! This Haaretz editorial weighs the risks: While the joint Western and Arab action against Libya’s dictatorial regime has widespread support,…

Gideon Levy on Israel’s choice of self-delusion

One of Israel’s true heroes: “With the huge dramatic turmoil in the Arab world in the last few weeks . . . finally there is a new spirit in the world and in the Arab world and tyrannies will not last forever. The Israeli occupation is by far one of those tyrannies.” So ended a…

Israel is doing wonderful job at playing with itself

Bradley Burston in Haaretz: Former Foreign Ministry director-general Alon Liel told Army Radio last week that at this point, “more than half” of Israel’s career diplomats disagree with the government’s actions, and that many feel that the government’s policies are leading to unprecedented isolation and de-legitimization of Israel.

What is Israel selling internationally? Intel and occupation

Gideon Levy in Haaretz on Israel’s largely gutless diplomatic core. He could have equally damned the Zionist lobby globally, a bunch of (mainly) men simply repeating Israeli talking points. Occupation? What occupation? Look over there, rabid anti-Zionists, that’ll change the subject: Our diplomatic corps today is comprised primarily of spineless propagandists void of values or…

Israeli blogger documenting his country’s descent into fascism

Haaretz reports: “It’s important for me to say that personally I love this country,” Shaltiel says. “I would not be doing all this if I didn’t love it.” But the erosion of the foundations of democracy here is gathering momentum, he says, a process he naturally feels more intensely since he started to collect information.…

Israel drives itself off a cliff and the Zionist lobby mumbles to itself

As the 2nd J Street conference finishes in Washington – where, despite the group’s conservatism, they were at least willing to engage in debate over BDS – the American Zionist community seem confused that many Jews at the event wanted justice for the Palestinians. This doesn’t make you a Jew-hater, by the way. Sigh: The…

With US veto, Washington clearly wants end to Jewish state

Gideon Levy in Haaretz on the Obama administration’s disastrous decision last week: The first veto cast by the United States during Obama’s term, a veto he promised in vain not to use as his predecessors did, was a veto against the chance and promise of change, a veto against hope. This is a veto that…

Text and images ©2024 Antony Loewenstein. All rights reserved.

Site by Common