Meretz

Palestinians survey the destruction following an Israeli air strike, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 14, 2019. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

On the Gaza fence, a call for stability — not vengeance

The latest round of deadly violence in Gaza has already taken the lives of at least 34 Palestinians, including eight children. Meanwhile, in Israel’s southern towns, residents want stability — not more war. Israelis in the southern towns of Sderot, Ashdod, and Ashkelon are no longer interested in vengeance. Perhaps it’s their weariness and desperation, or…

By Oren Ziv and Dahlia Scheindlin November 15, 2019

Democratic Union party leaders Ehud Barak, Stav Shaffir and Nitzan Horowitz hold a press conference launching their campaign ahead of the Knesset elections. Tel Aviv, August 12, 2019 (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Meretz is the last Jewish anti-occupation party. But for how long?

As Israel’s center-left and centrist parties have dropped the topic of the occupation over the years, Meretz has remained the sole Jewish party to emphasize ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But can it continue to hold out amidst running mate Ehud Barak’s talk of annexation? By Meron Rapoport Meretz has seen its fair share of criticism…

By +972 Magazine September 6, 2019

Meretz Chairwoman Tamar Zandberg and Meretz MK Issawi Freij take part in a hearing in the Knesset Internal Affairs and Environment Committee, November 6, 2013. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Meretz facing internal pressure to become Jewish-Arab party

As the Zionist left struggles to stay relevant, some members of Meretz are proposing a new way forward. Top members of the Zionist left-wing Meretz party are trying to transform their party into one based on full Jewish-Arab partnership, just a month after it passed the election threshold thanks in large part to increased support from the Arab…

By Oren Ziv May 21, 2019

Latest

Supporters of Labor and Tzipi Livni’s ‘Zionist Camp’ at a rally calling to oust Prime Minister Netanyahu, Rabin Square, Tel Aviv, March 7, 2015. (Photo by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Why the Zionist left died this week

Stuck in a Zionist paradigm, Israel’s mainstream left-wing parties are unable to put forth a vision of equality and inclusion for all in Israel-Palestine. Tuesday’s election results were obvious to anyone paying attention. Although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party and rival Benny Gantz’s Blue and White won the same number of Knesset seats, Gantz has already conceded to…

By Edo Konrad April 10, 2019

Israelis gather at a rally calling for a change of government and to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, March 7, 2015. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

It’s time to stop asking why the Israeli left has disappeared

For Israeli left-wing voters, nothing is more important than overthrowing Netanyahu. Yet despite their common cause, the left remains anything but united and it is polling at unprecedented lows. There is one thing shared by nearly every Israeli who does not define her or himself as right-wing: a profound desire to oust Benjamin Netanyahu. And…

By Dahlia Scheindlin February 14, 2019

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu poses for a selfie with a Likud activist during a party faction meeting in the Knesset, July 9, 2018. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

Do Israelis vote for political ideology or cult of personality?

Although Israelis have historically voted for strong political frontmen, it seems that dazzling personalities are no longer sufficient to winning elections. It turns out that voters are looking at the values, worldview, and policies. Last October, Lior Shlein, Israel’s top satirist, made a convincing case that Yair Lapid is a cult leader. Lapid was a TV celeb…

By Dahlia Scheindlin February 7, 2019

The Women's March on Philadelphia, January 20, 2018. (Rob Kall/CC BY 2.0)

In the age of Trump and Netanyahu, progressive values are winning

The victories of progressive candidates in U.S. midterms and Israel’s municipal elections prove that it’s possible to overturn national far-right policies. By Bar Gissin and Maya Haber Something remarkable happened in the last few weeks: progressive candidates won elections in Israel and the United States, despite the rise of far-right, anti-democratic politics in both countries.…

By +972 Magazine November 16, 2018

Over 150 Jews and Arabs attend the first-ever pride event in the mixed city of Lod, central Israel, July 26, 2018. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Mixed city holds Israel’s first ever Jewish-Arab pride event

Thursday’s event is the first pride event ever to include a speech by an Arab MK. ‘We cannot demand respect while disparaging the other. It is impossible to fight for my equality and not for that of others,’ MK Issawi Frej told the crowd. Over 150 members of the LGBTQ community and their supporters took part in a joint…

By Haggai Matar July 27, 2018

A burned field belonging to kibbutz Nir Oz, after it was lit on fire by kite bombs flown from Gaza, May 15, 2018. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

How do Israeli journalists report on a place they can’t reach?

For the past 11 years, Israeli journalists have been forbidden from entering Gaza. This has affected not only their reporting, but also the way fellow Israelis understand what is happening there. By Oren Ziv / Activestills.org The main obstacle that faces anyone who wants to report on what is happening at Gaza protests from the Israeli…

By Oren Ziv May 18, 2018

Standing Together activists during a demonstration at Israel's Tunnels Checkpoint, between Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

The new Jewish-Arab movement that plans to save the Israeli left

Standing Together, a new joint Arab-Jewish movement, is aiming to transform Israeli politics. It won’t be easy, but the Israeli left’s first step back to power might be believing that it can win again. The Israeli left is in the midst of an historic crisis. Out of power for over 20 years (with the exception…

By Joshua Leifer April 9, 2018

Najana Kombi, the refugee neighborhood where many Eritrean asylum seekers who came from Israel live. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Pushed out by Israel, asylum seekers find only limbo in Uganda

+972 Magazine joins Meretz MKs Mossi Raz and Michal Rozin in Rwanda and Uganda to find out what happens to the asylum seekers Israel is deporting there. After meeting humanitarian organizations, parliamentarians, and refugees, one thing becomes clear: Most are forced to continue their quest for safety and security elsewhere.

By Oren Ziv February 27, 2018

Kigali, Rwanda. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Sent to Rwanda by Israel: ‘We have no food or work. Don’t come here’

Ahead of a mass planned deportation, +972 Magazine joins two members of Knesset on a trip to Rwanda and Uganda to investigate what happens to the asylum seekers Israel is sending there. The one thing that remained most elusive: a future for asylum seekers pushed out of Israel. By Oren Ziv KIGALI, Rwanda — A dark…

By Oren Ziv February 10, 2018

Palestinian and Israeil flags (Activestills)

Defying racist legislation: New bill seeks to turn Israel into a true democracy

In the face of an onslaught of nationalist, anti-Arab laws, one lawmaker is proposing a simple alternative: transforming Israel into a state for all its citizens. A few years ago, my colleague Noam Sheizaf conducted a fascinating interview with the executive director of Adalah, Hassan Jabareen, in which the former raised the idea that the rise of…

By Orly Noy February 6, 2018