• The death of Israeli democracy

    Al Jazeera English, February 6, 2011 As Egyptians take to the streets to demand their freedom, I ask a Muslim in Yafo if we’ll see the same in Israel. “I don’t think so,” he answers. “Even with all the mess here, we have democracy.” Do we? And for how much longer? As we speak, the …

  • Israel braces for “new Middle East”

    Al Jazeera English, January 31, 2011 As massive protests rocked neighboring Egypt, the Sunday edition of a popular Hebrew-language daily announced the arrival of “the New Middle East.” While most Israelis aren’t ready to make such bold claims, they’re keeping a close eye on Egypt, watching with a mixture of excitement, admiration, uncertainty, and fear. …

  • “Don’t take our girls”

    Al Jazeera English, January 29, 2011 Not long after religious nationalists held a rally in Bat Yam under the banner of “Jewish girls for the Jewish people,” a group of rabbis’ wives published a letter urging Jewish women not to date Arab men. Jewish-Palestinian couples remain uncommon here in Israel. But both the rally and …

  • Do the Palestine Papers help the PA?

    Maan News Agency, January 27, 2011 The Huffington Post, January 28, 2011 Earlier this week, Al Jazeera revealed the Palestine Papers — 1,600 internal documents that give a behind-the-scenes look at Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Since then, Middle East analysts, observers, and op-ed writers have been talking about the usual doomsday scenarios: the collapse of the peace …