John Kerry

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Cybertech Israel Conference, in Tel Aviv, January 31, 2016. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Trump is just what Netanyahu needs to annex the West Bank

His ideological proximity to the new U.S. president will allow Netanyahu to advance plans for the de facto annexation of the West Bank. Now all he needs is Trump’s approval. By Menachem Klein A slip of the tongue from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month is worthy of attention. In an unprepared response to a Likud Knesset…

By +972 Magazine February 10, 2017

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks on Middle East peace, Washington, DC, December 28, 2016. (State Dept Photo)

The real impact of UN Resolution 2334 has yet to come

The heart of the UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements is territorial, picking up where 242 left off almost 50 years ago. It will also likely serve as the framework for this month’s Paris Peace Conference. By Shemuel Meir UN Security Council resolution 2334 caught Prime Minister Netanyahu off guard. Out of the clear…

By +972 Magazine January 9, 2017

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. (State Dept. Photo)

Kerry’s parameters force Israel to take a hard look in the mirror

John Kerry’s speech this week clearly and rationally explained why the status quo will not enable Israel to maintain its Jewish and democratic character. Are Israelis paying attention? By Elie Podeh and Nimrod Goren Throughout 2016, analysts were wondering what – if at all – will be President Obama’s final move regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The options discussed…

By +972 Magazine December 31, 2016

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks on Middle East peace, Washington, DC, December 28, 2016. (State Dept Photo)

Kerry implicitly acknowledges two states is all but a fantasy now

The Secretary of State asked if they really wanted to live with the moral consequences of a one-state reality. He doesn’t understand this isn’t an issue that preoccupies the average Jewish citizen of Israel. Over the past three decades Israel has seen seven prime ministers (and several more elections), political assassinations, two intifadas, a peace…

By Lisa Goldman December 30, 2016

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks with EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini,September 26, 2014. (State Dept Photo)

After the UN, the EU must lead the way on Israeli settlements

Resolution 2334 should be seen as a belated step towards mobilizing the international consensus. But to give it any real effect, states will need to build on the resolution with a view to making it operational. The EU is best positioned to do so. By Hugh Lovatt Much of the discussion about the UN Security…

By +972 Magazine December 28, 2016

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry listens as European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini addresses reporters on July 18, 2016. (Wiki Commons)

U.S. abstention is a message to Europe: End Israel’s impunity

The U.S. essentially admitted that its unyielding defense of Israel in the diplomatic arena was a disastrous strategy. With Obama bowing out, Europe will need to act on this lesson. Shortly after the UN Security Council passed its resolution criticizing Israeli settlements on Friday, the U.S. State Department issued a press statement by John Kerry…

By Amjad Iraqi December 25, 2016

A elderly Palestinian man walks past an Israeli soldier stationed in the center of the occupied city of Hebron, West Bank, October 29, 2015. (Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

How Americans really feel about equality for Palestinians and Israelis

The Obama administration is only willing to discuss a one-state solution in terms of apartheid and violence. But asked whether Jews and Palestinians should be equal, the vast majority of Americans suddenly become one-state supporters. And then there’s sanctions… Thirty-seven percent of Americans think the United States should respond to ongoing Israeli settlement construction with…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man December 6, 2015

The separation wall being built in al-Walaja, December 7, 2010. Once completed, the wall will completely surround the village. (Photo by Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Can we call it one state and be done with it?

The debate over whether we are living in a single state is irrelevant – the answer is a resounding yes. The real problem is that freedom and equality are only extended to some of its subjects. “You’ve just crossed the Green Line.” I say it every time I take a friend or a group from abroad…

By Amjad Iraqi November 8, 2015

Mahmoud Abbas. (Olivier Pacteau)

Abbas’ peace project has hit a dead end

He chose the path of moderation. He agreed to a small Palestinian state alongside Israel. He won the support of America and Europe. He proved his obligation to maintaining security for Israelis. And he got nothing in return. The tragedy of Mahmoud Abbas, part one of a two-part series. By Menachem Klein Many hopes were…

By +972 Magazine September 30, 2015

A Palestinian is carried after being wounded in clashes with Border Police officers in the Old City of Jerusalem, September 13, 2015. (photo: Faiz Abu-Rmeleh/Activestills.org)

What’s happening in Jerusalem?: A roundup

Dozens of Palestinians and several Border Police officers wounded in third day of clashes over restrictions to Jerusalem’s holiest site. Tensions erupted in East Jerusalem and the West Bank on Friday, as dozens of Palestinians and three Border Police officers were wounded in the third day of clashes over restrictions on Muslim worship in one…

By Edo Konrad September 18, 2015

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu addresses a joint session of the U.S. Congress, May 24, 2011. (Photo by Avi Ohayun/GPO)

The ‘anti-Zionist’ camp goes mainstream in Israeli elections

Both Netanyahu and Livni are leveraging their international influence for electoral gain: Netanyahu in Congress and Livni at the United Nations. And, will the real Zionist camp please stand up? Elections are almost always referendums on the incumbent, and an incumbent always has an advantage against any challengers. One of those advantages is the ability…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man January 23, 2015

The United Nations Security Council, December 30, 2014. (UN Photo/Loey Felipe)

Security Council’s election message to Israelis: Keep ignoring the occupation

Israel and Washington together blocked a UN Security Council resolution calling for the implementation of a negotiated two-state solution within a year. Abbas’s diplomatic efforts have hit a brick wall. The Israeli government came out with the upper hand yesterday at the United Nations Security Council: a joint effort by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S.…

By Noam Sheizaf December 31, 2014

File photo of a Palestinian woman voting in Bethlehem. (Photo by Activestills.org)

Who says Palestinians don’t have a vote in Israeli elections?

By warning that a Palestinian UN resolution might strengthen Netanyahu, Kerry is actually suggesting that Palestinians can influence Israeli elections — just not in the direction Washington was hoping for. The United States is trying to scuttle UN Security Council resolutions seeking an end to the occupation under the pretense that it could strengthen right-wing…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man December 20, 2014