normalization

Palestinian youth hold a Palestinian flag outside the Aqsa Mosque in the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount compound, East Jerusalem. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

‘This is how you change the status quo’: Rethinking the Palestinian boycott of Jerusalem elections

Aziz Abu Sarah withdrew his historic bid for Jerusalem mayor after Israeli and Palestinian pressures, but he hopes his short campaign ‘provokes’ new ideas on how to build stronger, younger Palestinian political activism in the city. Less than a month after declaring his candidacy to become the first Palestinian mayor of Jerusalem, Aziz Abu Sarah…

By Amjad Iraqi September 28, 2018

The Israel-U.S.-Saudi alliance will likely end in disaster

By supporting the Saudi kingdom with military aid and intelligence cooperation, while ignoring the regime’s human rights abuses and support for terror organizations, Israel and the U.S. risk repeating the Cold War era’s worst mistakes. By Eitay Mack (translated by Ofer Neiman and Tal Haran) Israel and Saudi Arabia have been close partners with the American…

By +972 Magazine December 24, 2017

Left-wing activists during a protest in central Tel Aviv against the Israeli attack on Gaza, July 12, 2014. The protest ended with right-wing nationalists attacking a small group of left-wing activists with little police interference. (Photo by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Israel’s national theater must resist normalizing occupation

By agreeing to perform in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba, Habima is forgoing its values of Cultural Zionism while adopting the dangerous mindset of Miri Regev and Benjamin Netanyahu. By Misha Shulman Earlier this year Israeli Minister of Culture Miri Regev announced a new policy for the funding of the arts: artistic organizations…

By +972 Magazine October 28, 2016

Latest

Is crossing through Israel considered normalization? Saber Rebai's performance at the Rawabi Amphitheater (Samah Salaime)

The Tunisian star who filled Palestinians with hope — for one night

For one night, Tunisian megastar Saber Rebaï brought Palestinians in the West Bank just a modicum of normalcy. Rawabi, Arabic for “hills,” is a sleek name for a Palestinian city that was recently built between Jerusalem and Ramallah. Surrounded by settlements on all sides, the place looks like a standard Israeli bedroom community and has been dubbed “the…

By Samah Salaime August 23, 2016

Delegation of Israeli academics visiting Kadoorie University (photo: Haggai Matar

For first time in years, Israeli academics pay solidarity visit to Palestinian university

An Israeli delegation of academics visits Kadoorie University in the West Bank city of Tulkarm to show support following a string of IDF raids on the campus. For the first time in many years, a delegation of Israeli academics made an official visit to a Palestinian university. The first, small delegation arrived a month ago,…

By Haggai Matar May 13, 2016

Palestinians enter the main checkpoint separating Bethlehem and Jerusalem. (Activestills.org)

Alternative peace initiative comes under fire for ‘normalization’

Pressure from both Palestinian activists and right-wing Israelis has put the spotlight on a conference that will present a new model for peace and coexistence. That is, if it ever happens in the first place. A launch event for an alternative Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative, slated to take place next week in the West Bank, is…

By Haggai Matar June 4, 2015

Haythem Noor, Amir Babayoff, Bryan Burton, Nicole Kontolefa and Jonathan Raviv in ‘Martyrs’ Street’ (Left to right). (Photo by Lee Wexler/Images for Innovation)

Israeli-Palestinian ‘normalization’ debate reaches NY theater

Palestinian solidarity groups and pro-Israel Jewish groups both stay away from a theater production that addresses the extremists on both sides of the conflict. By Misha Shulman “Thank you for reaching out to us, however, as SJP has a policy of non normalization, we will not be advertising this play.” This was the response we…

By +972 Magazine April 24, 2015

Illustrative photo of a concert (Photo by Shutterstock.com)

When music becomes a place of subjugation

If we who consider ourselves to be ‘peacemakers’ cannot identify the power dynamics within our own programs and events, then what we are doing at the end of the day does more harm than good for peace, justice, and those most marginalized in this relationship: Palestinians. By B.G. Silver* In our ever-growing jungle of protracted…

By +972 Magazine December 5, 2014

Palestinians stand in front of the entrance of Remal Elementary UNRWA School which is used as a temporary shelter for people from the northern part of the Gaza Strip, Gaza City on July 13, 2014. People from northern Gaza left their homes after Israel dropped leaflets warning them to evacuate. Israeli attacks have killed at least 166 Palestinians, including 30 children. (Photo by Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Dispatch from Gaza: Why Palestinians should speak to Israeli media

When Hamas banned Palestinians in Gaza from working with Israeli media, I understood why, but could not stay silent. If we Gazans stay silent, a large part of the truth will be lost, and I don’t want the truth to be lost. By Abeer Ayyoub Since Operation Protective Edge started earlier last week, I haven’t stopped…

By +972 Magazine July 14, 2014

moha

Moderate Islam meets Auschwitz

It’s hard to think of more divisive activities in Palestinian society today. Regardless of whether one agrees with his actions, it is exceedingly rare to see someone publicly buck the fiercely dominant trends in Palestinian discourse. For nearly 40 years, Mohammed Dajani Daoudi has felt that something was wrong with Palestinian politics. In 1975, while…

By Dahlia Scheindlin April 16, 2014

System Ali. (photo: Dudi Dayan)

Arab-Jewish hip hop group challenges Israeli ‘melting pot’

System Ali, a ten-piece hip hop outfit which raps in Arabic, Russian, Hebrew and English sits down with Café Gibraltar to talk about the power of the genre, normalization, revolutionary Arab street poetry and the need to struggle for justice in their home city. By Hagar Shezaf How did it all start? We started playing in…

By Cafe Gibraltar August 22, 2013

Israelis voting in the 2013 Knesset elections (photo: Yotam Ronen / Activestills)

A personal account: (Not) voting in an age of cynicism

One simple answer to the question of why elections matter is that I feel part of something when I vote in Israel. Being away for four months, living deep inside the world of other peoples’ conflicts, provided a few more answers. For the first time since moving to Israel 15 years ago, I was not…

By Dahlia Scheindlin January 23, 2013

Palestinian and Israeil flags (Activestills)

On anti-normalization, dialogue and activism – a response

“Those who reject dialogue as a means of ending occupation are alienating even the most sympathetic activists by positing replacement of one monumental injustice – occupation oppression and dispossession – with another: envisaging the disappearance of most Israelis from the region.” An argument for why the Palestinian struggle could benefit from a new approach to dialogue.…

By +972 Magazine December 1, 2012