european union

A Palestinian man plays with his daughter in front of his residential structure following an Israeli demolition in Al Hadidiya, Jordan Valley, West Bank, October 11, 2018. (Ahmad al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

PHOTOS: Israeli bulldozers demolish homes in West Bank villages

Israeli bulldozers demolished nine Palestinian structures in the West Bank villages of Al-Hadidiya and Al-Jiftlik late last week. By Ahmad al-Bazz/Activestills.org Israeli bulldozers demolished nine Palestinian structures in two communities in the Jordan Valley last Thursday. The structures belong to three Palestinian families who live in Area C in the West Bank village of Al-Hadidiya in…

By Activestills October 14, 2018

Israeli policemen scuffle with Palestinian demonstrators in the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar, east of Jerusalem, on July 4, 2018. (Flash90)

The audacity of unchecked power in Khan al-Ahmar

An entire Palestinian village is facing destruction. What follows will dictate the fate of Palestinian communities all over the West Bank. By Hagai El-Ad Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman’s recent op-ed in the Jerusalem Post – designed to whitewash the war crime of the destruction of an entire Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank –…

By +972 Magazine October 9, 2018

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a joint press conference at the King David Hotel, Jerusalem, October 4, 2018. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

Despite high hopes, Merkel calls village’s demolition an ‘Israeli decision’

The residents of Khan al-Ahmar had hoped the German chancellor would demand Netanyahu back down from the imminent demolition of their hamlet. Instead, she called the matter an ‘Israeli decision.’ By Oren Ziv Ever since Israel’s High Court of Justice gave its final stamp of approval to the demolition of the village of Khan al-Ahmar last…

By Oren Ziv October 5, 2018

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Joint List Chairman Ayman Odeh meets with EU Foreign Policy Chief Frederica Mogherini in Brussels earlier in September (Joint List Spokesperson)

The potential of the Joint List in Brussels

The EU has become effectively paralyzed in its ability to react to and meaningfully impact the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A recent visit by Arab members of Knesset represents an opportunity for both the EU and civil society in Israel to engage in new ways. By Nimrod Goren The EU quite frequently expresses criticism over Israeli policies…

By +972 Magazine September 16, 2018

Palestinian, foreign, and Israeli activists try to block an Israeli bulldozer preparing for the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar, July 4, 2018. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

The moment of truth for EU policy on Israel-Palestine

Whether European states follow through on their threats and warnings over the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar will determine a great deal about the EU’s relevance and its ability to influence Israeli policy vis-a-vis the Palestinians. European powers are going to have to make a crucial choice in the coming week. Two months after five EU…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man September 5, 2018

Palestinians take part in a protest against aid cuts, outside the United Nations' offices in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, January 28, 2018. (Abed Rahim Khatib/ Flash90)

The problem with international aid to Palestine

The Palestinian people have become dependent on foreign humanitarian aid to survive, but its adverse effects are strangling their economy. By Liora Sion International aid to the Palestinians is very generous. The United Nations is aiming to raise approximately $540 million per year for the five million Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza. That’s a…

By +972 Magazine March 20, 2018

Jewish settlers clean the newly harvested grapes at a winery in the West Bank settlement of Gush Etzion, September 8, 2014. (Gershon Elinson/Flash90)

Ireland to vote on settlement trade sanctions bill

The law would prohibit the import and sale of goods and services that originate in settlements in occupied territories, targeting Israeli settlements but also other occupations worldwide. Previous European laws made do with ‘differentiation’ measures. Ireland’s parliament is set to vote on a bill Tuesday to prohibit trade with illegal settlements in occupied territories, including those…

By Edo Konrad January 30, 2018

Palestinian burning a picture of US President Donald Trump during a protest against US President Donald Trump's latest decision to recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Rafah, in the Southern Gaza Strip on December 8, 2017. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

Trump’s threats against the Palestinians should worry Israel

The Netanyahu government is celebrating Trump’s recent declaration and threats against the Palestinians as victories, but Jerusalem should wait before opening the champagne. The Trump Administration on Tuesday threatened to withhold millions of dollars in aid that it sends to the Palestinians each year, accusing them of not wanting to negotiate a peace deal with Israel. Nikki Haley,…

By Haggai Matar January 3, 2018

Construction workers clear land for new caravans in the settlement of Ofra, West Bank, January 29, 2017. (Yaniv Nadav/Flash90)

When the Israeli Right and BDS activists agree

Right-wingers like Miri Regev and BDS activists have come to the same conclusion: that after 50 years of occupation, it is impossible to separate the economy of the settlements from Israel’s economy as a whole. The Israeli government is in the midst of an internal debate that mirrors a debate in left-wing and progressive circles…

By Haggai Matar December 22, 2017

Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian youth during a protest against Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Hebron, West Bank, December 7, 2017. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90)

Europe, wake up and smell the coffee

Netanyahu’s Israel openly mocks the values that Europe claims to hold dear. When will European leaders stand up and reject the unacceptable reality of the past 50 years? By Hagai El-Ad European foreign ministers attending Prime Minister Netanyahu’s breakfast in Brussels this Monday may find their thoughts wandering, as the guest of honor once again…

By +972 Magazine December 10, 2017

A EUBAM Rafah monitor at the Rafah crossing, January 1, 2006. (Patrick Child/EU photo)

EU border monitors have been waiting to go back to Gaza for 10 years

Gaza’s Rafah border may reopen soon now that Fatah and Hamas have agreed to a reconciliation deal. But that doesn’t mean that the EU mission, which has been sitting and waiting near Tel Aviv at a cost of millions of euros a year, will be going back to work anytime soon. For the past 10…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man October 13, 2017

Hundreds of Catalan independence supporters rally against a visit by King Felipe VI to Girona, Catalonia, June 26, 2014. (Ariet/CC BY-NC 2.0)

No, Catalonia isn’t Palestine

Some in Israel are drawing parallels between the Catalonian demand for national self-determination and Palestinian independence. The two situations are nothing alike. The referendum over Catalonian secession underway in Spain is turning into a serious political crisis, which threatens to become a European crisis that could dwarf even Brexit. The European Union has succeeded at tampering…

By Noam Sheizaf October 1, 2017

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara arrive in Hungary, July 17, 2017. (Haim Zach/GPO)

Calling Bibi’s bluff: Why Israel depends on a liberal, open Europe

Netanyahu can bash the EU all he wants. At the end of the day, the future and security of Israel depends on its political and economic ties with the EU, not vice versa. By Eitay Mack (translated from Hebrew by Ofer Neiman) Last Wednesday, the media leaked a recording of a private conversation between Netanyahu and…

By +972 Magazine July 25, 2017