Today the idea of a hopeful, humane Zionism is obsolete. For more than 100 years Jews wrestled with Zionism’s darkness. Daphna Levit profiles those thinkers, who range from enshrined heavyweights like Buber, Albert Einstein, and Hannah Arendt, through more specialized contemporary scholars, journalists, activists, and lawyers. All of them once believed in a hopeful Zionism; all resisted its darkness; not all of them went all the way to renounce it completely.

The coronavirus continues to surge across the West Bank and Gaza, prompting Palestinian authorities to shut down entire cities, restrict movement, and for a first time threatened punitive damages for violations.

The latest Trump move to bribe an Arab nation into “recognizing” Israel means practically even less than the first 3 “normalizations” — but could inflame a smoldering colonial conflict some 4000 miles to the west of Tel Aviv.

Dr. Hanan Ashrawi resigned from the PLO, calling for reform within the Palestinian political system. Nada Elia says her call is already being met by the next generation of vibrant Palestinian leaders, but they are far outside the system Ashrawi is looking to revive.

Jewish groups and individuals from around the world stand in solidarity with the recent statement by Palestinians and Arabs challenging the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

Dave Reed talks with Olivia Katbi Smith, national U.S. organizer for the BDS Movement and co-chair of the Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, about being the target of internet harassment, and Michael Arria interviews Palestine Legal’s Meera Shah about their new website that tracks anti-BDS legislation around the U.S.

In a report investigating human rights violations in jewellery supply chains Human Rights Watch cites diamonds from Zimbabwe and Angola but fails to mention diamonds from Israel.

With less than a month left in office for President Trump, the current US administration is working hard and fast to secure more normalization deals in the region.

Human rights are understood to include civil, constitutional, individual, and collective rights. Palestinian citizens are deprived of all of these rights in the State of Israel.

Israel has become a big issue in Georgia Senate runoff race. Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock runs away from previous Israel-critical statements. He has now “condemned” BDS and indicated he would never condition aid to Israel for human rights abuses. The AIPAC-linked group DMFI has now endorsed Warnock for Senate.