In the wake of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, leading Orthodox Jewish rabbis would not recognize that the Conservative synagogue was indeed a synagogue. This is because they fear legitimizing other forms of Judaism that may endanger their political-Zionist-state monopoly in Israel. Their intolerance should be a wake up call to liberal Zionists, to recognize the dangers of mixing religion and state, a core principle for Israel.
Israeli responses to the Pittsburgh massacre are exploiting it to promote their anti-Palestinian and exclusivist agenda. That understanding is at the core of Zionism; and it is no answer to anti-Semitism or the white supremacist who killed 11 Jews.
Trump is beginning to turn against Saudi Arabian leader Mohammed Bin Salman, but liberal Zionists in Israel are suggesting we go easy on him.
The Saudis have finally changed their story – they do not deny that Kashoggi was killed at the Consulate in Turkey, but say that it was merely an accident, due to a fist fight. And Donald Trump finds the story “credible,” in his capacity as apologist for Mohammad Bin Salman.
The defense of Lara Alqasem who was barred entry by Israel for her studies, was based on the notion that she does not currently practice BDS. Thus, her victory at Supreme Court is also a blow to BDS and a victory for liberal Zionists. She has become a pawn in an internal Israeli-Zionist political game, where the right and left compete against each other about who is a “better Zionist”.
Two New Zealand BDS activists who counseled pop-star Lorde to cancel Israel concert have been fined by an Israeli court for harming the “artistic welfare” of three fans, but the two are not paying, and directing funds to Gaza mental health efforts.
A Jewish-Israeli actor and Muslim-Arab-Israeli TV host get married, and Israel is on fire about it. “The pain of assimilation worldwide is consuming the Jewish people,” Minister of Interior Arye Deri said. “It’s their own private affair. But, as a Jew, I have to tell you that I’m against such things because we must preserve the Jewish people.”
Many people are convinced that a ‘two state solution’ is a reasonable compromise that would bring peace to Israel-Palestine. But considering Zionist aims and history, partition really just means more colonization of Palestine.
“It’s us or them”, says a new Israeli election poster by Netanyahu’s party, Likud, suggesting that Jaffa can be either a “Hebrew city” or one taken over by the “Islamist movement”. The bus shelter ad in Tel Aviv features a fearful image of an Arab.
Israeli left Zionist Union lawmaker Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin attended a UK Labour conference, where she said that Jeremy Corbyn is an anti-Semite because he is not “balanced” on the Israel-Palestine issue but that it would be impossible for Benjamin Netanyahu to be a racist.