cast lead

Illustrative photo of Israelis taking a shooting class in a Jerusalem gun shop, October 15, 2015. A number of Israeli leaders have called on citizens to arm themselves in response to a wave of Palestinian stabbing attacks, and the owner of this shop reported an increase in demand for personal weapons. (Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

The only valid parallel between America’s gun problem and Israel

Both countries have a sickness, an addiction of the collective. When something shatters our ceiling of horrible things, you want to think we’ve hit rock bottom. The only shred of hope after a mass shooting is that the slaughter of innocents will finally stun people into seeing how America has gone mad on guns. Maybe…

By Dahlia Scheindlin December 8, 2015

A pro-Israel rally, Washington D.C, July 18, 2014 (photo: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Against ‘hasbara’: Explaining ourselves to death

The Israeli obsession with showing ‘our side’ of the story not only guzzles financial and human resources — it is a conscious attempt to distract the world from policies of occupation. Last week, the CEO of the global French-owned cellular provider Orange made headlines when he told a Cairo press conference that he would like to end…

By Dahlia Scheindlin June 9, 2015

Bodies lie on the floor of Kuwaiti Hospital after Israeli attacks in Rafah, Gaza Strip, August 3, 2014. Since Al Najjar Hospital was closed, Kuwaiti, a nearby private hospital, opened its doors for emergency cases. So far, Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,676 Palestinians, including 378 children (photo: Activestills)

Gaza war: It’s about keeping the Palestinians under control

Israel has been waging a single war since the mid-70s. Its goal is to avoid sharing power or assets with the other people living on this land. The Gaza war wasn’t about creating a new order, but about maintaining the old one. At the time of this writing, Operation Protective Edge has come to an…

By Noam Sheizaf August 7, 2014

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Israeli tanks on the Israel-Gaza border. (photo: Activestills.org)

Who are the Israelis refusing the call of Protective Edge?

On Saturday evening, another anti-war demonstration was held in Tel Aviv. A few hundred people marched and chanted and hoped that rumors of a drawdown were true. With minimal numbers and attention, the demonstrations have had little impact. But there doesn’t seem much else that those opposed to the war can do. Soldiers and reservists…

By Dahlia Scheindlin August 4, 2014

Palestinian women cry after Israeli air strike on Gaza Strip. (photo: Activestills.org)

How can you possibly oppose this war?

Someone asked me an innocent question: “What is the position of Israelis who are against the war?” There are obvious answers. First, this is a disproportionate war that harms huge numbers of civilians. The IDF is bombarding an area that it has already imprisoned by occupation from 1967, and then through suffocating border, movement, import…

By Dahlia Scheindlin July 19, 2014

Israeli soldiers inspect their tanks on the Gaza border during Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012. (Photo by Activestills.org)

‘Wars on Gaza have become part of Israel’s system of governance’: An interview with filmmaker Yotam Feldman

In his new documentary, ‘The Lab,’ Yotam Feldman explores how Israel’s weapons industries interact with the country’s politics, economy and military decision-making. Israeli weapons, military technology and know-how become more valuable because they have been field-tested in its wars and combat against Palestinians and neighboring countries. A conversation with Yotam Feldman about his film, arms…

By +972 Magazine May 22, 2013

IDF White Phosphorus bomb over Gaza during operation Cast Lead, December 2008 (Image from Al Jazeera broadcast)

Israel gives up white phosphorus, because ‘it doesn’t photograph well’

By Idan Landau A certain air of nostalgia dominated Maariv’s headline last Thursday: “Due to criticism in the world, IDF parts ways with white phosphorus”: just like the old Galil assault rifle and the old two-way radios that generations of soldiers grew familiar with. A couple of years ago we learned the IDF was giving…

By +972 Magazine April 28, 2013

Judge Richard Goldstone at mission of Council of Human Rights of UN investigating Israeli offensive in Gaza, December 2008 (UN-Geneva CC BY NC ND 2.0)

The real winner of Hamas-Israel ceasefire: Justice Richard Goldstone

By Jeremiah Haber There is now a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, thank God. The senseless military operation initiated by a blundering Israeli overreaction, and resulting in death, destruction, and fear in civilian populations, was only the latest in a series of such operations. And an examination of the ceasefire “understandings,” virtually identical with those after…

By +972 Magazine November 24, 2012

Smoke is seem from the Gaza strip, after the Israeli air force attacked the area near the Israeli border, November 15, 2012.

Cut off from everywhere: When Gaza feels like another world

The transformation of Palestinians into objects and the attempt to undermine the relationships they have with one another form the context in which this latest assault on Gaza must be understood. By Vicky Hosker Although less than three hours away from Bethlehem, Gaza often feels like another world to me. The distinguishing feature of Israel’s…

By +972 Magazine November 16, 2012

Assassination of Hamas leader Ahmed Al-Jabari, November 14 2012 (video: IDF Spokesperson)

Politicians line up behind Israeli assault on Gaza

Israel launches a fresh operation on the Gaza Strip, killing Hamas leader Ahmed Jabari and several civilians. In the meanwhile, the opposition has never seemed so haggard. The assassination of Ahmad Jabari, the architect of both the recent Gilad Shalit prisoner swap and, more importantly, the détente that prevailed between Israel and Hamas for the…

By Dimi Reider November 14, 2012

Gaza from a distance, January 2009 (Photo: Yossi Gurvitz)

IDF general: Goldstone ‘nothing’ compared to next Lebanon clash

Israelis are ever so sensitive to threats from “the other side,” be it Palestinian militant groups or Iran’s leaders. It’s understandable; nobody likes vows to wipe his or her country off the map. Yet for some reason, the same people become tone-deaf when it’s Israel that threatens its neighbors. A well-known example is Israel’s current…

By Noam Sheizaf July 6, 2012

PA billboard in Ramallah in support of Palestinian statehood. Photo by Joseph Dana

Int’l court rejects Palestian appeal – and Palestinian statehood

The International Criminal Court released a statement on Tuesday rejecting Palestine’s petition to investigate allegations of Israeli war crimes in the 2009 Gaza war, known as Cast Lead. With the fairly predictable decision, Israel avoids another round of international opprobrium. But there is also a symbolic meaning: another failure for Palestine’s unilateral statehood bid. The…

By Dahlia Scheindlin April 4, 2012

Why I am proud of my work for J Street

By Max Socol In 2010, less than a year after returning to the United States from Israel, I helped establish J Street DC Metro. Like Moriel Rothman, I was deeply disturbed by Cast Lead, which had defined my time in Israel. I felt strongly that an American initiative would be needed for the bloodshed to stop,…

By +972 Magazine March 29, 2012