Israeli right

Meretz Chairman Nitzan Horowitz (right), Former Israeli Prime Minister and leader of Israel Democratic Party Ehud Barak (center) and Israeli MK Stav Shaffir seen during a Democratic Union election event in Tel Aviv, July 30, 2019. (Photo by Flash90)

Israel’s Ashkenazi elites won’t let Mizrahim lead the left

More than 70 years after Israel was founded, the old Ashkenazi guard of the Israeli left is still doing everything in its power to prevent Mizrahim and other oppressed groups from taking the reins. By Lev Grinberg Give or take a few seats, it seems things will remain much as they were following Election Day on…

By +972 Magazine September 16, 2019

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman visit the separation wall between Israel and the West Bank near the village of Tarqumiyah, July 20, 2016. (Haim Zach/GPO)

The Israeli right stopped talking about occupation, and that will hurt it at the polls

Netanyahu has joined forces with religious radicals who have stopped talking about Palestinians and are instead pushing a homophobic and sexist agenda. It may just might seal his political doom. By Meron Rapoport It didn’t take long for Prime Minister Netanyahu to use the doomsday weapon against Avigdor Liberman immediately following the last elections. Netanyahu blamed his…

By +972 Magazine August 27, 2019

Temple Mount activists take part at a Sacrifice procession at the Cardo in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

How the once-fringe Jewish Temple Movement is going mainstream

The Jewish Temple Movement has for years tried to change the status quo in one of the most contested holy sites in the world. Now the most mainstream figures on the Israeli right are finally listening. By Yonathan Mizrachi The Hebrew and Muslim calendars have, at times, had an effect on the political conflict surrounding the…

By +972 Magazine August 14, 2019

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Avigdor Liberman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen at the opening winter session of the Knesset, October 23, 2017. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

The right wing in Israel is in a deep crisis

Snap elections just weeks after Israelis went the polls are the result of a rivalry between Liberman and Netanyahu, but that’s just part of the story. The right is immersed in a crisis of identity, leadership, and politics. By Meron Rapoport What happened to Avigdor Liberman? Why did he insist on cutting short what will…

By +972 Magazine June 2, 2019

Yahya Sinwar, new leader of Hamas, inspects the border with Egypt from thr city of Rafah, July 6, 2017. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

The Israeli right is now openly saying it wants to keep Hamas in power

As the latest round of fighting in Gaza and southern Israel died down, it became clear that keeping Hamas in power has become a central tenet of the Israeli right. By Meron Rapoport The idea that Hamas is an Israeli creation is nearly as old as Hamas itself. Researchers, journalists, high-ranking Israeli military and government officials…

By +972 Magazine May 12, 2019

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked's satirical campaign ad mocks the Israeli left for its opposition to her attempts to weaken the judicial system.

In Israel’s elections, only the far right is talking about democracy

A new campaign ad by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked signals that this time around, only the far right is talking about democratic norms — and how to undo them. Does the opposition have a response? Of all the aspects of political campaigns that voters love to hate, none is more maligned than the political advertisement.…

By Dahlia Scheindlin March 22, 2019

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen in the Knesset plenum ahead of the vote on the Jewish Nation-State Law, July 18, 2018. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

What will it take for Israel’s right-wing voters to say enough?

A small group of right-wing voters could tip the balance and lead to a change of government in Israel. Who are these voters, what do they care about, and would a Kahanist party in the Knesset be a step too far? Until one week ago, it looked unlikely that Benjamin Netanyahu could lose an election.…

By Dahlia Scheindlin March 1, 2019

Israeli right-wing protesters shout at a pro-peace demonstration, Rabin Square, Tel Aviv, August 9, 2014. Hundreds gathered in Tel Aviv to protest Israel’s attack on Gaza, despite a police decision to revoke the demonstration permit. (Keren Manor/Activestills)

Attempts to ‘bypass’ Israel’s High Court will create a ‘tyranny of the majority’

The government wants to strip the High Court of Justice of its ability to strike down unconstitutional laws, giving the government carte blanche to violate civil and human rights. The Israeli government has in recent days advanced legislation to limit or strip the country’s High Court of Justice of its ability to strike down laws it…

By Joshua Leifer April 17, 2018

Right wing activists protest in front of the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv during Operation Protective Edge, July 29, 2014. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

In the crosshairs: Israel’s war of attrition on political dissent

The attempt to outlaw Israeli human rights organizations means the Jewish state may soon be forced to shed its image of a liberal democratic state. Are Israelis ready for that? The war of attrition against Israel’s human rights community took a dark turn last week. Hardly anyone noticed. According to reports, Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin is currently working on…

By Edo Konrad October 22, 2017

Thousands of Israeli Jews wave flags as they mark Jerusalem Day in Damascus Gate on their way to the Western Wall, East Jerusalem, May 24, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The slow death of Israeli citizenship

As the Right consolidates its power over nearly every sphere of Israeli politics, it is slowly turning citizenship into a matter of ideology. Non-Jewish citizens aren’t the only ones who will suffer. By Marzuq Al-Halabi The concept of citizenship in Israel has always suffered from significant inadequacies, whether due to the Law of Return or to…

By +972 Magazine October 15, 2017

A settler stands and prays on top of her home roof during the demolition and evacuation of 10 structures in the Ma'ale Rehavam outpost, West Bank, May 14, 2014. (Nati Shohat/Flash 90)

There is no right-wing one-state solution

Seven years after publishing a feature on Israeli settlers who support equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians, it’s time to revisit the idea. There is nothing the Israel Right loves more than adopting the criticism of its rivals on the Left in order to justify its rule. Strangely, this criticism has turned into a main…

By Noam Sheizaf September 11, 2017

Border police officer stands in front of Palestinian as they wait to cross from Qalandiya checkpoint outside Ramallah, West Bank, into Jerusalem to attend the Ramadan Friday Prayer in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, July 26, 2013. Photo by: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org

Israel’s problem isn’t Palestinian nationalism — it’s Palestinians themselves

Most of the circumstances that made the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ripe for resolution — or at least made the peace process attractive to both parties — have all but disappeared over the past decade. Many Israelis were likely happy to read The New Yorker article titled “The End of This Road: The Decline of the Palestinian National Movement” earlier…

By Noam Sheizaf August 20, 2017

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with his wife Sara stand alongside Likud party members at a rally in his support, as he and his wife face legal investigations, Tel Aviv, August 9, 2017. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

It’s not Netanyahu — it’s a country drunk on power

Even if Netanyahu’s corruption scandals force him out of office, Israeli politics will still be guided by the idea that Palestinians must be pummeled into submission. By Marzuq Al-Halabi It’s easy to understand the expressions of joy and hope emanating from the broad spectrum of Israelis who are fed up with the Netanyahu government and…

By +972 Magazine August 14, 2017