Six years ago when Israel was in the grips of its own dire drought, the government actually considered shipping in water from Turkey — more than 1,000 nautical miles away. Instead, the country embarked on a coordinated effort of recycling used water, desalination and education. “Israel no longer has a water shortage,” said Uri Shani, [...]
Published under ‘onevoice & middle east’
Iran is a revolutionary power with hegemonic aspirations. In other words, it is a country seeking to assert its dominance in the region and it will not play by the rules. Yet, the Obama administration hopes a nuclear agreement will have a “transcendental effect” on Iran and convince it to abandon its imperial aspirations in [...]
A small ray of hope that we can maybe build on to help people across the world discover our shared humanity and in turn start driving positive change in their societies. M. is an Israeli Arab Muslim who served in the IDF. He spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. Last year, he came across a [...]
When viewed from this context, while esthetically repulsed, I am neither shocked nor overly disappointed by the polluting words spoken during the campaign by our politicians in general and our prime minister in particular. Many of these words simply reflected their commitment to win. Herein, however, lies a problem that must shock us into immediate [...]
This is likely not an issue for those who unequivocally support Netanyahu’s aggressive, nationalistic stance and cheer the fact that he won by dismissing the two pillars of American Middle East policy: the creation of a two-state solution with the Palestinians and the pursuance of a nuclear deal with Iran. Many Jews here eagerly accepted [...]
When I returned home from the studio after a long and exhausting night, I saw that many of the texts I had received while on- air—from close friends, colleagues and family members—shared a common, morose theme: Rather than ushering in the dawn of a new era, the faint grey light of morning felt like darkness-at-noon. [...]
In a world of universal apathy, the single obsession on Israel’s human rights record feels disingenuous. And given the deep history of singling out and scapegoating Jews, I can’t help but feel that the BDS movement represents yet another chapter in this history. I have spent thousands of hours directly or indirectly fighting BDS on [...]
When you grow up in a home like mine, you naturally want to continue in this vein. So I did military service as an officer in the intelligence unit 8200, I served as chairman of the Israel Anti-Drug Authority, and, in the political realm, served as cabinet secretary, member of Knesset, and as minister. I [...]
In today’s Israel, more than one in three children live in poverty. An apartment for a family of five typically costs 185 times their monthly income. The average monthly salary is less than what the Prime Minister spends on cleaning costs each month for a residence he rarely uses. Frustration with this status quo—and the [...]
“I am here as a soldier who wants to do everything required and possible for the state that I have dedicated 45 years to defend. I have no other aspirations,” he told a receptive crowd in the square where Labor prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated almost two decades ago. Recalling the trying times during [...]