A Plague in Time for Passover

Staff / Truthdig Mar 29, 2010 Haaretz’s Akiva Eldar has seized upon the holiday to suggest a biblical metaphor: “For 43 years, the Israeli public -- schoolchildren, TV viewers, Knesset members and Supreme Court judges -- have been living in the darkness of the occupation.” Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Israeli Columnist to Gov’t: Don’t Use Holocaust Remembrance Day as PR

Staff / Truthdig Jan 28, 2010 Members of the Israeli government marked Holocaust Remembrance Day in various locations around Europe on Wednesday, invoking the refrain of "never again" and commemorating the millions killed -- but according to Haaretz's Gideon Levy, some of these leaders also used the occasion to serve more contemporary, and unsuitable, ends. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gideon Levy: Bad Journalism Is a Gift to Occupation

Staff / Truthdig Aug 28, 2009 Haaretz's Gideon Levy writes that the "cheap and harmful journalism" of the Swedish organ harvesting story has made life more difficult for opponents of the occupation: "The Israeli occupation is ugly enough without the contribution of Nordic fairy tales [A]ny exaggeration in describing the occupation's cruelty will ultimately damage the struggle against it". Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

How Can You Trust the Cowardly BBC?

Robert Fisk / Truthdig Apr 18, 2009 The BBC Trust's report on Jeremy Bowen's dispatches from the Middle East is pusillanimous, cowardly, outrageous, factually wrong and ethically dishonest. But I am mincing my words. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Most Israelis Disapprove of Their New Government, Poll Finds

Staff / Truthdig Apr 1, 2009 There's no putting it any better than Haaretz did: "The Knesset approved Benjamin Netanyahu's return as prime minister last night amid allegations that his new government is bloated, convoluted and unprepared to deal with Israel's many problems." The newspaper surveyed the Israeli public and found that 54 percent already disapprove of the new regime. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Labor Joins Israel’s Far-Right Government

Staff / Truthdig Mar 25, 2009 Israel's next government just got a little less ultraconservative, as Labor has agreed to join the coalition-in-progress of conservatives, nationalists and religious fundamentalists in exchange for a commitment to continue negotiations with the Palestinians. It remains to be seen, however, whether Labor's MPs can stomach the agreement. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Israel’s Kingmaker in Legal Limbo

Staff / Truthdig Feb 13, 2009 With his party holding 15 seats in the Knesset, Avigdor Lieberman of the ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu is poised to pick Israel's next government. Lieberman would like a choice cabinet post in exchange for anointing the next premier, but he's under investigation for allegedly laundering millions of overseas dollars. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Livni Surprises In Israel Election

Staff / Truthdig Feb 11, 2009 Tzipi Livni, leader of the centrist Kadima party, took a slight lead in exit polls and early returns after Israelis voted Tuesday in parliamentary elections. However, with Likud a close second and a splinter ultraconservative party set to win about 15 seats, conservatives may be the real winners. Update Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The ‘Blood Pipeline’ Test

Staff / Truthdig Jan 5, 2009 Haaretz's Gideon Levy recalls the mathematician whose dutiful students drew up plans for a "blood pipeline" without questioning why it should be built. With Gaza, he warns, Israel faces such a test and "when the time comes for reckoning, we will need to remember the damage this war did to Israel." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Will Obama Be a True Friend of Israel?

Staff / Truthdig Nov 11, 2008 The U.S. presidential election was watched with interest, of course, by Israelis, some of whom favored John McCain because they believed he would have been a better "friend of Israel" than Barack Obama will be. Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy wonders if there aren't some problems with this idea. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Israel (Almost) Has a Woman Prime Minister

Staff / Truthdig Sep 18, 2008 Though it wasn't immediately official, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni won control of the country's ruling Kadima party and, if she is successful in forming a governing coalition, will be the first woman prime minister in more than three decades. Livni is currently Israel's lead negotiator with the Palestinians and, according to the newspaper Haaretz, was seen as likelier to reach a deal than her party rivals. Update Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Scores Killed in Israeli Attacks on Gaza

Staff / Truthdig Mar 2, 2008 Attacks by Israeli forces killed more than 70 Palestinians on Saturday as fighting intensified in northern Gaza, prompting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to call the incursion "more than a holocaust." Two Israeli soldiers were killed and seven were wounded, the Israeli military reported. Updated. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )