Egypt

A supporter of Egypt's ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, holds a poster of him with Arabic writing reading "The people support the president," Cairo, Egypt, on July 06, 2013. (Wissam Nassar/Flash90)

In Morsi’s death, Israel proves it prefers a non-democratic Middle East

Israel is not interested in democracy as a value. On the contrary — it has a great deal of interest in making sure it keeps bearing the title of ‘the only democracy in the Middle East.’ While many Palestinians were perturbed by the death of Egypt’s former president, Mohamed Morsi, and Knesset members of four of the…

By Orly Noy June 21, 2019

Palestinians in Ramallah protesting the U.S.-led economic workshop, to be held in Bahrain as part of the Trump administration's "Deal of the Century" plan for ending the conflict, June 15, 2019. (Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

Palestinians take to the streets to protest Bahrain workshop, Trump peace plan

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declares major protests across the occupied Palestinian territories next week to coincide with the Bahrain workshop. By Ahmad Al-Bazz Dozens of Palestinian activists and political representatives marched against the U.S. “Deal of the Century” and the upcoming Bahrain workshop in Ramallah city center on Saturday. Protesters held Palestinian flags and signs…

By Activestills June 17, 2019

An Israeli soldier stops asylum seekers from approaching the Egyptian border.

Soldiers testify on how IDF sent asylum seekers back to Egypt

Despite High Court rulings and official Defense Ministry procedures, Israeli soldiers sent back over 40 asylum seekers to Egypt in June 2015. The IDF top brass tried to cover up the incident. Israeli soldiers turned away two groups of Sudanese asylum seekers crossing into the country in June 2015, sending them back to Egypt in…

By Social TV October 26, 2017

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks through binoculars during his visit to the border with Syria, August 18, 2015. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

As Mideast borders open, Israel is more isolated than ever

Over the past decade, Middle Eastern countries have viewed their borders as a physical obstacle. The recent warming of relations between Arab states has led to increase in trade, leaving Israel more regionally isolated than ever before. By Moran Zaga Over the last month, border crossings have opened along both the Jordan-Iraq and Iraq-Saudi Arabia…

By +972 Magazine September 18, 2017

IDF soldiers take part in the first Independence Day parade in Jerusalem following the Six-Day War, May 1968. (Moshe Baier/Yehudit Garinkol Collection, CC 2.5)

What we choose to ignore about the 1967 War

The sins of the 1967 War are still with us. Not only in the continuing crime of the occupation and the new victims it takes, but also in the unanswered questions and the still unaccounted for victims. By James J. Zogby In June of 1967, I was in the midst of my final weeks in…

By +972 Magazine June 17, 2017

Israelis covered fireworks in central Jerusalem on Independence Day, May 5, 2014. (Hadas Parush/Flash 90)

Why I’m going on hunger strike on Israeli Independence Day

As Israelis go out to enjoy barbecues and fireworks, I will be fasting in solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike, and the millions of Palestinians who live under occupation. By Adi Golan Bikhnafo On Tuesday, as the smell of barbecued meat and fireworks envelops Tel Aviv, I will be fasting in Jaffa’s Clock…

By +972 Magazine May 1, 2017

Building the separation barrier around Shuafat refugee camp, East Jerusalem, 2013. (photo: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

How nationalism takes shape on Israeli and U.S. borders

Americans and Israelis need to resist not only border walls, but also the sentiments and systems that make them possible. By Nadia Naser-Najjab In promising to build a new wall along the American border with Mexico, U.S. President Donald Trump has openly sought to mine the deep racism and chauvinism that runs through parts of American…

By +972 Magazine February 3, 2017

African asylum seekers jailed in the Holot detention center protest behind the prison's fence, February 17, 2014. (Photo by Activestills.org)

Netanyahu’s wall isn’t about immigration — it’s about race

Netanyahu’s recent boast that he has stopped all illegal immigration to Israel isn’t quite true: his southern border wall is only aimed at preventing black people from entering Israel irregularly. By Asaf Calderon The United States is on fire. After two weeks in office, President Donald Trump has already managed to sign a series of Executive…

By +972 Magazine February 3, 2017

International Red Cross members try to secure an ambulance for ill Palestinians for transport to Israel as Israeli tanks stand watch, northern Gaza near the Erez Crossing, June 19, 2007. (Ahmad Khateib/Flash90)

Israel deems comatose Gaza man a security threat

Abed al-Karim Abu Haloub has been in a coma in Gaza for over 40 days, requiring treatment in the West Bank. Israel repeatedly refused to allow him to leave. Israeli authorities repeatedly refused to allow a Palestinian man from the Gaza Strip to receive medical treatment in the West Bank, denying his travel permit on security…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man November 24, 2016

Portraits of the Arab boys who were beaten, tortured, and shot to death before being returned to their families. (Courtesy of Al-Jalil)

The gruesome murder of five Arab boys refuses to disappear — 55 years on

Beaten, tortured, and shot to death: this is the story of five Arab boys who met a gruesome fate at the hands of Israel’s security forces in September 1961. Ben Gurion’s government refused to tell the truth of what really happened. By Makbula Nassar Last week marked 60 years since the Kafr Qasim massacre. Although the event…

By +972 Magazine November 5, 2016

Moshe Dayan reviews troops in Sharm el-Sheikh at the end of the 1956 war. (IDF Spokesperson)

The war that cemented Israel’s place in the Middle East

The 1956 Sinai War was Israel’s first war as an established state, and followed eight years of hints at the possibility of peace. In the eyes of its Arab neighbors, the ’56 war aligned Israel with the former colonial powers, setting the stage for decades of hostility and war. “The military attack on Egypt caused Israel…

By Haggai Matar November 2, 2016

An anti-regime demonstration in Menbej, in the Aleppo countryside, March 8, 2013. (Foreign and Commonwealth Office)

Western democracies, it’s on you to end the carnage in Syria

Only once Western democracies have committed their resources to ending the atrocities in Syria can they turn inward to rid their societies of the hate and bigotry that plagues them. By Ilan Manor Words matter. Words help us understand the world we inhabit and shape our response to events far and near. Some refer to the events unfolding in Syria…

By +972 Magazine October 7, 2016

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. (photo: Shutterstock.com)

How Israel’s relationship with Egypt’s Sisi might come back to haunt it

Bonds with Israel cannot guarantee long-term stability of a regime that is not based on popular support and relies on oppression to maintain its rule. By Itay Mack (translated by Tal Haran) Egypt’s foreign minister’s first visit to Israel in nine years, and his meeting to discuss an Egypt-backed peace initiative with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should not have come…

By +972 Magazine July 19, 2016