--Senior Yedioth political affairs commentator, Sima Kadmon, writes a scathing piece about the Netanyahu family in the wake of the police recommendation to indict Sarah Netanyahu.*
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On May 25, APN hosted a briefing call on the political development in Israel, following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s signing a new coalition agreement with right-wing firebrand Avigdor Lieberman, appointing Lieberman to the position of Minister of Defense. Eldar, a senior columnist with al-Monitor, spoke about the implications for Israel, its security, and its relations with the Palestinians and the world.
There aren’t many holidays that take note of an absence, of when something ceases, of an end. But there is such a holiday: Lag B'Omer - the 33rd day between Pesach and Shavuot. It is a little-known Jewish holiday that celebrates (among other things) the cessation of a divinely-sent plague that resulted from people not showing one another adequate respect. We could all use a day of true respite, a day that reminds us how desperately we need to end the plague of violence and hatred. Imagine one day without violence and counter-violence, without the fear of being stabbed or brutalized, a day without the occupation, a day without victims – on both sides. Given all the tumult in the world and our own rough-and-tumble elections, we yearn for THAT Lag B’Omer NOW. The plague we suffer from is not divinely sent, but one of human choices and actions. It takes work and time to end it, but humans are clever, and when motivated, we are able to work true wonders. Political conflicts are not decreed by fate. They are ours to resolve. It starts with one day. |
Lag B'Omer is celebrated with joy and huge bonfires throughout Israel. But every year, Hebron settlers use this holiday as an opportunity to steal Palestinian furniture to burn in their bonfires. This year, an activist caught settlers in Hebron doing just this and shared it with Peace Now. Stand with us and with our Peace Now colleagues in Israel. Help us stand up to the extremist settlers. |
Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.
This week, Alpher discusses what happened last week, with Israel beginning last week with a Likud-Labor unity government, blessed by the president of Egypt, and ended with an even more right-wing government and the departure of a defense minister who stood up for IDF commanders with liberal values; the fallout; and where this leaves civil-military relations in Israel.