PALESTINE - ISRAEL - JORDAN - SINAI

Off the beaten track tours • Visit sites • Meet locals • Discuss Human Rights & Politics

Jewish Democracy in Action

by Fred Schlomka –The term ‘democracy’ is used today by so many people from different backgrounds that the word has begun to lose any definitive meaning. In particular the dichotomy between the reality of the ‘Jewish Democracy’ in Israel and the Liberal Democracies of the West seems to be diverging rapidly, resulting in a serious […]

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Women in the IDF – Debunking the Myth of Equality

By Miri –  “The army is the supreme symbol of duty and as long as women are not equal to men in performing this duty, they have not yet obtained true equality. If the daughters of Israel are absent from the army, then the character of the Yishuv will be distorted.”  David Ben Gurion The […]

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The Bahá’ís and Israel

By Miri – Anyone enquiring about the landmarks of the city of Haifa will most likely be right away directed to the majestic Shrine of the Báb and its gardens on Mount Carmel. Together with the Shrine of the Bahá’u’lláh near Acre, these sites make out the Bahá’í World Centre. Much of the international governance […]

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The Holocaust in Israeli Society

By Yahav Zohar –  Apparently, following Israel’s recent attack in Gaza there was an upsurge in anti Israeli propaganda comparing Israeli policy to that of the Nazis. For those of us trying to affect change on the ground in Israel-Palestine such discourse seems both ludicrous and counter productive. Though millions live under the boot of […]

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On the Inaccuracy of Comparing Nazi Germany to Israel

By Miri – In response to Israel’s last assault on Gaza, demonstrations and rallies swept across the streets of many cities all over the world, and slogans in solidarity with Gaza filled social networking and media sides. Although I welcomed and agreed with the protests, some of the pictures and lines of discourse disconcerted me. […]

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Looking for a Better Place

By Miri – Demographics have always played an essential role in the conflict over this piece of land. For the secular Jewish part of the country the situation is looking increasingly grim. In a forecast issued by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) in April 2012, 44% of Israel’s pupils will be Palestinian or ultra-Orthodox […]

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An Introduction to Some Jewish Anti-Zionist Positions

By Miri – In recent years, critical positions towards the State of Israel have been increasingly delegitimised on the grounds of supposed anti-Semitic undertones. At the same time however, much criticism supposedly launched exclusively against the Jewish state and its supporters, did actually rest on a false understanding of what Zionism is and frequently conflated […]

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Internal Strife – The Case of the Mizrahi Communities in Israel

By Miri –  In recent weeks, with the riots sparked by the anti-Islam video “The Innocence of Muslims”, proponents of the discourse of a “Clash of Civilizations”, who have been warning against the “Jihad” that the “Muslim World” is launching against “Western Civilisation”, saw themselves once again confirmed.  The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis is […]

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A Brief Modern History of the Palestine / Israel Conflict

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by Yahav Zohar & the Green Olive TeamOttoman Period Israel and Palestine are two names for the same place, claimed by both the Zionist and Palestinian national movements. Despite often heard claims, this is not an ancient problem. For hundreds of years of Ottoman rule, the ethnic and religious groups here lived together in […]

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Two Cities, One Story – Jaffa and Tel Aviv

By Miri – Today’s Jaffa forms part of the joint Tel Aviv – Jaffa municipality, which often gives the impression of Jaffa being just another neighbourhood, or even a suburb of Tel Aviv. This widespread perception signifies quite an affront to the Bride of the Sea, Jaffa’s proud nickname. The city ranks as the second […]

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Underneath Tel Aviv’s Surface

By Miri –  During these hot summer months my proud Jerusalemite friends constantly complain about the heat and humidity in Tel Aviv. While I usually complain about the cold of Jerusalem, I have to admit that during the summer peaks Jerusalem’s higher altitude does provide you with a soothing breeze that you will simply not […]

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Challenging Zionism

by Eldad Brin – The Middle East is no north European Utopia. It is a thick and often dazzling ethnic and religious soup, still coming to terms with an Ottoman and European Imperialist legacy, a hotbed of religious extremism and social backwardness, poverty and want.   On the one hand, alleged religious, social, economic and […]

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