militarism

An advertisement for Ichilov Hospital's Lis Maternity and Women's Hospital. (Screenshot)

Ad for Israeli maternity ward portrays fetus as future soldier

Militarism begins at conception? An ad for a maternity ward in one of Israel’s top hospitals depicts a fetus wearing a military beret and saluting. An advertisement for a maternity ward in one of Israel’s top hospitals, published in the right-wing newspaper Makor Rishon this past week, has been making the rounds on social media. The…

By Mairav Zonszein May 23, 2018

Soldiers from the IDF's Egoz Reconnaissance Unit, which specializes in guerrilla warfare in southern Lebanon. (Illustrative photo: IDF Spokesperson/Flickr)

Another unnecessary war

The following is a prediction best left unfulfilled. Faced with the drums of war, one must remain resolute, even if there is no certainty that war will break out. Too much is at stake. And if war does not break out now, it will at a later time. It will materialize one way or another. By…

By +972 Magazine February 7, 2018

An installation in Jaffa overlooking Tel Aviv, set up ahead of Tel Aviv Pride week. (Tel Aviv Pride Parade Facebook page)

Tel Aviv’s week of Pride and militarism

Next week, as tourists descend on Tel Aviv for the yearly pride parade, a separate international contingent will touch down in the city for a high-profile arms fair. By Tanya Rubinstein The upcoming Tel Aviv Pride parade has set social media, the streets and the queer community alight. In preparation for the June 9 march, the…

By Haokets June 1, 2017

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A soldier from the Nahal Infantry Brigade at the end of a training exercise in the Negev, Israel, February 16, 2015. (Evan Lang & Adi James Brown, IDF Spokesperson's Unit/CC 2.0)

The problem with Israel’s heroism addiction

The flip side of Israel’s need for heroes created in uniform, weapon in hand, is the urge to preserve the ideals associated with them and to shield them from criticism — the ramifications of which have become disturbingly clear in the case of Elor Azaria. “A nation without heroes is a house without doors.” So says the…

By Natasha Roth-Rowland January 13, 2017

Israeli Scouts. (YouTube screenshot)

WATCH: The militarism of Israel’s youth movements

While youth groups in Israel often focus on ideals such as public service, working together, and protecting the environment, they also serve as conduits for military service. An inside look at the built-in militarism of Israel’s youth movements, from all sides of the political spectrum.

By Social TV June 7, 2016

Palestinian citizens of Israel participated at the main march commemorating Land Day in the village of Deir Hanna, northern Israel, on March 30, 2015. (photo: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

In the Jewish state, equality for Arabs is impossible by definition

Isn’t it time to finally ask why every single attempt to achieve full equality for Palestinian citizens has failed? By Umar al-Ghubari (translated by Richard Flantz) This week the Israeli army radio, Galei Tzahal, conducted a survey which, among other things, polled the attitude of Israeli Jews regarding full equal rights for Arab citizens of…

By +972 Magazine January 24, 2016

How not to be sexually harassed in the IDF

May Fatal is a young soldier who was sexually harassed and perhaps stalked by her superior in the army. That’s nothing new. Sexual harassment in the IDF has been a dirty, loosely kept secret for decades, known to most women and plenty of men in Israel. Few women ever go public with their experience, and even fewer do so…

By Dahlia Scheindlin May 4, 2015

A ‘thank you’ sign sent by Israeli children hangs on an IDF tank. (Ran Zisovitch / Shutterstock.com)

When IDF conscription begins at age three

An education system that brings an inherently violent organization in through the front door is failing at its most basic obligation. This policy is the first injection of militarism, ultimately meant to prevent our children from becoming critical citizens. Ten years ago, when my oldest daughter was five years old, I already had the honor…

By Orly Noy February 16, 2015

Three Israeli refuseniks. Their T-shirts read: "We See. We Hear. We Refuse,” Tel Aviv, October 16th, 2009. (Photo by Keren Manor/Activestills.org)

Jerusalem high school alumni to students: Refuse military draft

Dozens of Jerusalem’s Israel Arts and Sciences Academy alumni publish a letter calling on future graduates to refuse to serve the occupation. Orly Noy sat down to speak to one of the signatories about the legality of the letter, militarism in the educational system and the influence of former IASA student, Sayed Kashua. Just three…

By Orly Noy December 28, 2014

Female IDF soldiers (IDF Spokesperson CC BY NC 2.0)

WATCH: Can gender equality in the IDF promote a feminist agenda?

The demand for gender equality in Israel has led women to strive for integration into the ranks of the IDF command. For some the army is a stepping stone to senior civil positions after service. But does the integration of women in combat and commanding roles in the military promote a feminist agenda? And can…

By Social TV September 24, 2014

Soldiers in an IDF honor guard hold their weapons during the funeral for a soldier killed in Gaza, July 20, 2014, Holon, Israel. (Photo by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Kitsch, death and god at Israel’s Education Ministry

The Israeli education minister’s letter to the graduating class of 2014 is evidence of the fact that Israeli education is little more than an ongoing IDF preparatory course. By Avner Ben-Amos (translated from Hebrew by Miriam Erez) A letter to the high school class of 2014 published by Israeli Education Minister Shai Piron in the…

By Haokets September 15, 2014

Three Israeli refuseniks. Their T-shirts read: "We See. We Hear. We Refuse,” Tel Aviv, October 16th, 2009. (Photo by Keren Manor/Activestills.org)

WATCH: When refusing army service is a privileged position

A group of 50 Israeli high school seniors recently sent letters to the prime minister declaring that they will refuse to serve in the army on ideological grounds. But refusing to serve the occupation can be a privileged position, one that is not afforded to various groups of Israelis of certain socioeconomic and religious backgrounds. …

By Social TV April 7, 2014

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking at the AIPAC policy conference in Washington DC, March 2012 (Photo: Amos Ben Gershom / Government Press Office)

Standing up to AIPAC means supporting Israeli dissidents

The voice of ‘pro-Israel’ militarism has been ringing through the halls of Washington D.C. since the 1970s. Now, to end the occupation, American citizens must couple their opposition to AIPAC with support for anti-occupation groups in Israel. By Philip Farah In the 1970s, Israeli TV had a great program, Nikui Rosh, that was something like the…

By +972 Magazine March 20, 2014