Israel’s has always been relatively tolerant of internal dissent. Relatively meaning exactly what it says. I often cite the fact that at one time meeting with anyone from the PLO was a crime, and Abie Nathan sat in jail for that crime. It is somewhat disturbing that activists from New Profile were recently arrested. Is [...]
This one comes from a project which is self-consciously about promoting peace through music:
In his op-ed piece calling for investigations of the Bush & Co torture crimes and prosecutions related to same, Dr. Paul Krugman (a man I greatly admire) says:
Sorry, but what we really should do for the sake of the country is have investigations both of torture and of the march to war. These investigations should, [...]
Already there are those (including former VP and war criminal “Dick” Cheney) who are trying to push the debate on torture to “is it effective or not.” There is nothing to debate here. It is ineffective. The Bush & Co authorized torture for one and only one purpose: to coerce people to provide false information [...]
In the subtitle to her book about the Eichman trial, Hannah Arendt coined this phrase. Essentially she meant to point out that true evil is not necessarily commited by psychopaths or “sick” people. Rather, quite ordinary human beings can commit monstrous acts when they put their faith in the values and norms of the state [...]
With the world economy continuing its nosedive and what with torture memos and pirates, Israel doesn’t seem to be in the news much these days. But it couldn’t last too long. CQ broke this story yesterday, and it even hit the New York Times today! What makes this story particularly interesting is the revelation that [...]
Reading all the news about conflict, it is easy to forget what an amazingly creative place Israel can be. This article is heavy on the blah blah, but it provides the necessary background about the artist and his incredible work.
Israel’s democracy has a three part hierarchy. If you are Jewish, Israel is a relatively democratic society. If you are an Arab citizen of Israel, not so much. Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza live under totalitarian rule. Here is the story of Samieh Jabbarin. I don’t necessarily agree with all his political views. [...]
It is rare indeed to see such blunt and direct deconstruction of Israeli policy in the New York Times. Richard Cohen does a great job. His recent time spent in Iran has apparently opened his eyes and he can now see Israeli propaganda for what it is:
This “messianic apocalyptic cult” in Tehran is, of course, [...]
Uri Avnery says it’s Avigdor Lieberman:
The appointment of Lieberman as Foreign Minister borders on the insane. The appointment of Yuval Steinitz, a professor of philosophy and a personal friend of Netanyahu’s wife, Sarah, a man devoid of any economic experience whatsoever, as Minister of the Treasury, at the height of the world financial crises, crosses [...]