We, like you, treasure democracy, humaneness, justice, and civil and human rights. We are not asking for sympathy. But a lot more empathy and understanding would sure be in order.   Sometimes our “Aha!” moments come when we least expect them or when they were least intended. Such a moment …

Anyone who has visited a checkpoint in Judaea or Samaria, or has spent time in Hebron, has likely seen the phenomenon of activists and anarchists filming soldiers up close. So up close that they are often inches away from the soldiers, all the while hurling abuse and accusations against them. …

They brought their boy home with no prisoner exchange, no concessions, no nothing.   Every so often, we have the opportunity to learn a much-needed lesson in the art of statecraft.  Israel just received such a lesson from its Druze community. The Druze are a small and historically persecuted religious …

Years of living in Israel has made one ole focus on what is really important ahead of the upcoming election season here in Israel. Every so often, I realize that even after 13 years of living full-time in Israel, I still have the sensibilities of an American. One way this …

Israel must not give in to U.S. demands, but protect and nurture its own sovereignty and pride. We are in the season of Sukkot, a joyous holiday. One of its most pervasive and powerful messages is the tenuousness of life.  The sukkah symbolizes the idea that ultimately, we are dependent …

It is time to assert our sovereignty over our holiest site, to send a clear message to the world that the Temple Mount will indeed be a place for free worship. The expression “ground zero” connotes the place of essence, of origin, of fundamental significance. In Israel, Har Habayit, The …

We must stand up for the rights that place Israel on the right side of law, justice and sovereignty.   My organization, Im Tirtzu, has been pleased to partner with Canadians for Israel’s Legal Rights (CILR)—and I have been privileged to personally take part—in a series of highly informative webinars …

I believe that an across the board right-wing coalition, religious and secular, can and must address these issues. Elections in Israel can be viewed as punishments or as opportunities. I would suggest that the lengthy string of inconclusive outcomes preceding the recently dissolved government were the former. Conversely, the Bennett-Lapid …

Israel has stopped the Western clock that was ticking during the 1950’s. We continue to embody the key values that drove an optimistic post-WWII West, particularly in the United States. BARS AND restaurants do a brisk business at Mahaneh Yehuda in Jerusalem. Israel regularly ranks as one of the happiest …

Whether or not the current government falls, there are essential issues that must be dealt with by any ruling coalition. Israel is currently mesmerized by the soap opera our government has become:  Specifically, will the current coalition expire, and if so, when and how?  As engrossing as the show might …

There are alternative narratives and then there are alternative universes. The first might employ fabricated ideas and “facts,” but the latter is a complete departure from anything like reality. Welcome to the alternative universe of Palestinian “sovereignty.” There have been many stories on the recent Jerusalem Day festivities, in particular …

What ensued has been one of the greatest failures and embarrassments of the state of Israel: the willing severance of the connection of the Jewish people from its holiest site. For centuries, indeed millennia, our ancestors have reaffirmed the centrality of Jerusalem to their understanding of what it means to …

The Israeli government must reassert its sovereignty and control, starting with the Temple Mount. The columnist Melanie Phillips has suggested that governments should fight anti-Israel hate and antisemitism through the adoption of the successful though controversial law enforcement strategy known as Broken Windows Policing (BWP). BWP holds that the police …

Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh has thrown down a gauntlet that must be picked up by those he describes as “rubbish.” Op-ed. In what should be cited as a classic example of the Laws of Unintended Consequences, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh has just reminded the Government and the People of Israel …

If being an Arab in Israel is a catastrophe, one is hard pressed to imagine what a success would look like.   May 15 is marked by Palestinian Arabs and probably a substantial percentage of Israeli Arabs as Nakba Day, the day of catastrophe.The catastrophe in this telling is the …

Israel should counter fictitious Palestinian narratives, like the “threat” to Al-Aqsa, by ceaselessly telling the truth to the world In a geopolitical version of the movie “Groundhog Day,” the Palestinians have continually employed a series of dog whistles that are intended both to rally the faithful and gain the sympathy …

“Haaretz” has a nervous breakdown over the removal of the Hamas flag. Sometimes seemingly insignificant events open up a world of understanding to the true state of things. This is the story of one of those events and its aftermath. Recently, the art department at Sapir College in Sderot, the …

Not exercising control in situations has larger implications than the matter at hand. Seen as weakness, it can be exploited. Op-ed. Increasingly, we are warned by various leaders or influencers that we Israelis need to restrain ourselves, that we are doing things that will be seen to be provocative. And …

Focus on Jewish Refugees and Humanitarianism are the same thing. It is because Israel is a Jewish State that it goes the extra mile. Op-ed. The pictures are horrific; the details are shocking. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has prompted worldwide revulsion and a justified desire to do something, anything, …

The Ukraine crisis has been an opportunity for anti-Zionists and antisemites to reinvigorate their demonization of Israel. It is impossible for any feeling human not to be revolted, disgusted and horrified by the pictures and stories coming from Ukraine. Wholly apart from all the political motivations and machinations, the impact …