Haredim

By Ali Abu Hableh | – ( Middle East Monitor) – Due to right-wing domination, Israelis find themselves approaching the General Election this month with little real electoral choice. The various right-wing parties reflect the fragmentation on the right and the minor differences between them in terms of government priorities. Only Haredi Jews appear to […]

Cults

Fundamentalist Pastor and Trumpie John Hagee, who sued over Pandemic Shutdown, Contracts COVID-19

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Last summer, the mayor of San Antonio, Ron Nirenberg, ordered all schools closed until September 7 as a mitigation measure against the spread of the coronavirus. Texas had a major outbreak this summer, one of the country’s worst hot spots. Texas has had over 800,000 cases and 16,444 deaths. Fundamentalist […]

Featured

As Netanyahu Era Ends in Israel, Anti-Arab Racism Causes Political Deadlock

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Former Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, leader of the far right Likud Party, has failed to form a government. His rival, former general Benny Gantz, leader of the Blue and White party, will now get a chance. In the US, the two big parties make their coalitions before the election, […]

Elections

What Israel’s Inconclusive Elections and Gridlock Means for Palestinians and the Mideast

The Conversation

By Martin Beck | – With no clear winner in September’s Israeli elections, both the incumbent prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his only serious contender, Benny Gantz, will now set about trying to form a governing coalition. Both are tarnished by the result. Contrary to elections held in April when Netanyahu’s right-wing party, Likud, and […]

Elections

Palestinian-Israeli Joint List Gains Seats, as Netanyahu’s Demonization Backfires

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Binyamin Netanyahu appears to have fallen short in his quest for a majority of 61 in the 120-seat Israeli parliament or Knesset. As I write, his far-right Likud Party is tied 32 to 32 with its center-right rival, Blue and White. Netanyahu campaigned frenetically and acted a little unbalanced during […]

Haredim

The Fall of Netanyahu’s Government is a Struggle over the Meaning of Jewishness, not just a Power Play

The Conversation

By Joyce Dalsheim | – Benjamin Netanyahu has hit a snag that could derail his chances of becoming the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Israel. Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition and dissolved parliament on May 29. That means Israel must hold fresh elections, which are scheduled for Sept. 17. Netanyahu is […]

Featured

Why Israeli Gov’t May Fall: Like US, Secularists and Fundamentalists are Polarized

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – We’ll know later today whether prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu will succeed in forming a government. If not, Israel will have snap elections in September. In parliamentary systems, coalitions are often made after the election. In the US, the two big parties have already made their coalitions before the election. The […]

Haredim

On Int’l Women’s Day, Thousands of Ultra-Orthodox Assault Women of the Wailing Wall

Maan News Agency

Sources confirmed that two members were injured and received necessary medical treatment

Haredim

1/3 of Israelis live in Poverty, especially Palestinians & Ultra-Orthodox

contributors

Middle East Monitor | – – Israel has one of the highest poverty rates of any developed country with the gap between the rich and the poor ever widening, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revealed yesterday. Single-parent families or families where only one parent works have a disproportionate rate of poverty, the […]