(September 10, 2026)
The Tuesday trifecta â sanctions, weird party slate and the Haaretz Oct. 7 bombshell â could have more impact later.
Archiv: the Israeli People
Coalition strengthens as People of Israel crosses threshold, despite Likud dropping one seat – poll
After the submission of party lists ahead of the Knesset elections, the coalition bloc has strengthened by three seats to 50, following People of Israelâs crossing of the electoral threshold. This is according to a Maariv poll conducted by Lazar Research, headed by Dr. Menachem Lazar, in cooperation with Panel4ALL.
However, Likud has lost one seat, falling to just 19, its lowest figure since May 29, 2025.
Report that Netanyahu was warned before October 7 triggers political earthquake in Israel
An investigation published by ‚Haaretz‘ claims the Israeli prime minister was informed by UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed, 10 days before the attack, that Hamas was planning a major operation against Israel.
In Israelâs astonishing new reality, voters expect Netanyahu to try to sabotage elections
(June 30, 2026)
The fear that Israel is actually quite close to such a postponement cuts across much of Israeli society. Iâve heard it expressed by secular liberals, military veterans, former intelligence officials, legal scholars, journalists, centrist politicians, and even some conservatives who once supported Netanyahu enthusiastically. What unites them is the growing belief that Netanyahu now considers remaining in power to be an existential necessity â and that his radical base will back him no matter what outrage he attempts.
The farce of Israelâs âliberalâ investigative journalism
Two weeks ago, the investigative program HaMakor on Israelâs Channel 13 aired a 60-minute report on the December 2023 killing of three Israeli hostages â Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz, and Samer Al-Talalka â who were shot by Israeli soldiers in Shujaâiya, eastern Gaza City, after emerging from a hiding place carrying a white flag.
Even without intimate knowledge of the details, one thing should have been clear from the outset: When soldiers fire from inside buildings at three shirtless men carrying a white flag, kill two of them, then pursue the third, call him out of hiding, and shoot him dead, the issue is not merely âmistaken identity.â The issue is that Israeli soldiers routinely shoot innocent people. One would have to be extraordinarily naĂŻve to believe that the single time this happened, the victims just happened to be Israelis.
Over half of Israelis want PM Netanyahu to retire from politics, not run in Knesset election – poll
Poll: 55% of Israelis want Netanyahu to step down, as the coalition drops to 49 seats and the opposition strengthens to a majority.
What Israelis can learn from the nightmares of an Iranian hangman
(April 9, 2026)
Still, compared to their Iranian counterparts, Israelâs far-right lawmakers have a long way to go. The list of offenses warranting a death sentence in Iran is dizzying in its scope, including burglary, prostitution, drug trafficking, homosexuality, political dissidence, adultery, and âwaging war against God.â
Under Israelâs new law, executions are to be carried out by hanging at a facility managed by the Israel Prison Service. How dull. Here, too, Ben Gvir can take inspiration from the Islamic Republic. What about a public hanging in the town square? Entertainment for the masses is not something to scoff at in these difficult times, and itâs free of charge.
And why restrict himself to only one method? The Islamic Republic has also carried out executions by firing squad, stoning, and pushing people off a cliff. Would stoning not serve as a fitting tribute to Ben Gvirâs professed commitment to Jewish tradition?
Korrespondent: UnterstĂŒtzung fĂŒr Israels Regierung bröckelt
Einer aktuellen Umfrage zufolge wollen 45 Prozent der israelischen Bevölkerung eine WeiterfĂŒhrung des Kriegs gegen Iran, berichtet ARD-Korrespondent Björn Dake aus Tel Aviv. 30 Prozent wollen eine Waffenruhe nach der Zerstörung von Irans militĂ€rischer Infrastruktur, knapp 20 Prozent eine sofortige Waffenruhe.
Former Interim President of Israel Avraham Burg Speaks Out on Netanyahuâs Killing Spree
(March 24, 2026)
Avraham Burg, former speaker of the Knesset and interim president of Israel, on why Netanyahu can never settle, only kill.
Yitzhak Rabin â The Last Speech (English Subtitles)
The last speech of prime minister and minister of defense Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated by right-wing Israeli radical on November 4th 1995 in Tel Aviv.
âWe Are Going to Live With Scarsâ: Yair Golanâs Battle for a Two-State Solution
(February 4, 2026)
We were sitting in his modest office behind a Pizza Hut in a quiet neighborhood in Tel Aviv last September. On the wall was a framed photograph of Rabin shaking the hand of King Hussein of Jordan. I asked Golan whether the rift could be repaired. âWeâre like a body thatâs been injured. We are going to live with scars. But OK.â He rolled up his shirtsleeves and pointed to a spot where a bullet from the Hezbollah sniper had sliced through his arm. âItâs possible to live with scars,â he said.
Polls: Joint List Wins 14-15 Seats
Polls show the Joint List gaining strength and win 14 to 15 seats in the next Knesset. Wednesdayâs Channel 13 survey sees far-right PM Netanyahuâs Likud party gaining one seat and the Jont List win 15. As with previous surveys, without the Joint List partiesâ support, both blocs fall short of securing the required 61-seat majority to form a ruling coalition
According to another poll, published on Thursday by the Zman Israel website, Joint list of Hadash and three Arab parties would win 14 of the Knessetâs 120 seats if elections were held today, continuing to prevent a parliamentary majority from the Zionist opposition parties.
Return of Joint List Takes Seats from Zionist Opposition
The Zionist opposition bloc achieves 57 seats, while the coalition bloc has 51, with the Joint List in the middle and the poll indicates that the opposition will not be able to form a government without the support of the Joint List. 48% of opposition voters support a government that would be externally supported by the Joint List. 37% oppose the move, and 15% answered that they do not know.
Hadash MK Ayman Odeh, said Friday during a meeting that âHadash and Arab parties are moving to form a unified joint list to confront the fascist government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections.â âThese elections are not just about arithmetic. They are a political and ethical battle to prevent the continuation of Netanyahuâs policies and those of his far-right extremist ministers,â added.
Coalition calls for Qatargate consequences mount; poll finds 50% say allegations are treason
(today)
Over the past week, at least four ministers have spoken out about the scandal, in which close Netanyahu aide Jonathan Urich and his former spokesperson, Eli Feldstein, are accused of working as lobbyists for Qatar while simultaneously being employed in the Prime Ministerâs Office. The allegation is particularly explosive because Hamasâs leadership is based in Qatar and the Gulf state has acted as a mediator in the Gaza war and the current ceasefire.
Yitzhak Rabin â The Last Speech (English Subtitles)
The last speech of prime minister and minister of defense Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated by right-wing Israeli radical on November 4th 1995 in Tel Aviv.
ŚŚŚ©ŚŚŚ Ś“ŚŚ©ŚŚŚȘŚŚȘ“ Ś©ŚŚŚ€Ś©ŚšŚȘ ŚŚ©ŚŚŚ Ś©Ś ŚąŚ
ŚŚąŚŚŚŚ Ś©ŚąŚŚŚ ŚŚŚŚŚŚŚŚ Ś©Ś ŚŚ©ŚŚŚ ŚŚ©ŚŚ© ŚŚ ŚŚŚŠŚŚ§Ś ŚŚŚ©ŚŚŚȘ ŚąŚŚ ŚŚŚ ŚŚŚŚŠŚąŚ ŚŚȘŚ ŚŚŚŚȘ ŚŚ ŚŚ©Ś§Ś€ŚȘ ŚŚŚ ŚŚŚȘŚš ŚŚȘ ŚŚ€ŚŚ€ŚŚȘ ŚŚ€ŚŚĄŚŚŚ ŚŚ ŚŚ©ŚŚ ŚŚ©ŚŚŚ, ŚŚŚȘ ŚŚŠŚŚšŚ Ś©ŚŚŚ ŚŚŚŚ ŚŚĄ ŚŚȘ ŚŚŚšŚŚŚŚ Ś©ŚŚŚ ŚŚȘŚŚ ŚŚŚȘ Ś©ŚŚ ŚŚŚ ŚŚŚŚ©ŚŚą. ŚŚŚ ŚȘ ŚŚŚȘŚŚŚŚ ŚŚąŚŚ ŚŚ ŚšŚ§ ŚŚšŚ ŚŚ€ŚšŚŚŚŚ Ś©Ś ŚŚłŚ ŚŚĄŚŚŚ ŚŚŚ ŚŚ Ś©Ś ŚŚ ŚŚŚ ŚŚŚŚšŚȘ ŚąŚ, ŚŚŚŚ©ŚŚȘ ŚąŚ ŚŚŚ ŚŚ©ŚŚŚ ŚŚŚŚŚ ŚȘ Ś©Ś ŚŚ Ś ŚŚŚ ŚŚŚšŚŚ ŚŚŚŚŚ Ś©ŚŚŚ, ŚŚŚŚŠŚšŚȘ Ś§ŚŚŚšŚ ŚŚŚȘ ŚšŚŚ ŚŚŚȘŚš. ŚąŚ ŚŚŚȘ, ŚŚŚŚŚŚ-ŚŚ©ŚšŚŚŚ, ŚŚ ŚŚŚ ŚŚŚŚŚąŚŚȘ ŚŚ©Ś ŚȘŚŚŚ ŚŚŚŚšŚŚ ŚŚȘ, ŚŚ Ś ŚŚ ŚŚŚŚ Ś©ŚŚ ŚŚŚ©ŚŚ ŚŚšŚ ŚŚ©ŚŚŚ. ŚŚ©ŚŚŚȘ ŚąŚŚ ŚŚŚ€Ś©ŚšŚ ŚŚ ŚŚŚŚŚ ŚŚ ŚšŚ§ ŚŚȘ ŚŚŚŚŚŚŚ, ŚŚŚ ŚŚ ŚŚȘ ŚŚŚšŚŚ ŚŚ, ŚŚȘ ŚŚšŚŚ ŚŚŚŚŚ, ŚŚȘ ŚŚŚ Ś©ŚŚŚ€Ś©ŚšŚ ŚŚŚŚŚąŚŚȘ ŚŚ§ŚšŚŚȘ ŚŚŚąŚ©Ś ŚŚ ŚŚ©ŚȘŚŚ§Ś.
One target at a time: The logic that helped Israeli liberals commit genocide
Yet to see the past two years not only through the prism of genocide but also as a second Nakba â a sustained project of erasure aimed at destroying both a people and the space they inhabit â may bring us closer to grasping the nature of Israelâs actions. Whereas genocide is often understood as violence for its own sake, the Nakba represents violence with a purpose: the removal and replacement of a people.
And yet, as a Jewish-Israeli faced with the horrors of the past two years, I cannot help but think in Holocaust terms. The destruction of Gaza has enabled me to better understand not only the stories of the victims but also of the perpetrators â the silent majority who facilitated atrocities through their actions and the stories they tell themselves to justify it all.
MK Odeh to Submit Bill to Knesset to Recognize Palestinian State
âI welcome the decision of the UK, France, Australia, Canada and other countries to recognize a Palestinian state,â he wrote in X, adding that the Palestinian people are no better or worse than anyone else, but nevertheless deserve the right to self-determination. âOn the first day of the winter session, I will place on the Knesset table a bill to recognize a Palestinian state. Because there are two people here, and the State of Israel must also recognize this simple fact.â
Hadash MK Aida Touma-Sliman told The Jerusalem Post that the recognition of a Palestinian state by âWestern powers is an important step, but it is not enough, too little too late.â Touma-Sliman said that Palestinian state recognition âmust be the beginning of a serious pressure campaign on Israel and its backers in the White House, including economic measures and arms embargoes.â âThe world knows that the destruction of Gaza must end, and a Palestinian state must be established alongside Israel. It is time for action,â she said.
Israel is waging a holocaust in Gaza. Denazification is our only remedy
What Israel is doing in Gaza City is not the tragic byproduct of chaotic events on the ground, but a well-calculated act of annihilation, executed in cold blood by âthe peopleâs armyâ â that is, the fathers, sons, brothers, and neighbors of us Israelis.
How is it that, despite the mounting testimonies from Gazaâs concentration and extermination camps, no mass refusal movement has taken root in Israel? That after two years of this carnage barely a handful of conscientious objectors sit in prison is truly inconceivable. Even the so-called âgray refusersâ â reserve soldiers who do not oppose the war on ideological grounds but are simply exhausted and questioning its purpose â remain far too few to slow the killing machine, let alone bring it to a halt.
Who are these obedient souls who keep this system running? How can a society so deeply fractured â between the religious and the secular, settlers and liberals, kibbutzniks and urbanites, veteran immigrants and new arrivals â unite only in its willingness to slaughter Palestinians without a momentâs hesitation?
How Israelis turned atrocity denial into an art
(August 22, 2025)
Meanwhile, the reprehensible refusal by the vast majority of the Israeli media to show what is actually happening in Gaza means that when images do manage to slip through, the public response is often little more than a collective shrug of dismissal. Yet almost every time, that shrug is accompanied by âthey deserved it,â as denial and justification intertwine in what may seem like a paradox but actually reflects two sides of the same coin.
Poll: 62% of Israelis believe government has lost publicâs confidence, majority back some form of hostage deal
Only 27% respondents answer that the government has the confidence of the majority of the population, and 11% answer that they didnât know.
Measuring support for a hostage deal, the survey finds that 26% of respondents believe that the government needs to sign a deal immediately, even if it only brings back some of the hostages, due to their deteriorating state in captivity.
Forty-six percent answer that the government should sign a comprehensive deal that ends the war in Gaza, while 18% oppose a deal, believing that the military should continue fighting Hamas even at the risk to the lives of the hostages.
Yitzhak Rabin â The Last Speech (English Subtitles)
The last speech of prime minister and minister of defense Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated by right-wing Israeli radical on November 4th 1995 in Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu surges in first poll after Iran war, Bennett‘s bloc remains ahead, election poll finds
A majority of 52% of the public supports a ceasefire with Iran, including 66% of opposition voters and 34% of coalition voters. On the other hand, 33% oppose the ceasefire (almost half of coalition voters), and 15% have no opinion.
The public is even more decisive on the issue of ending the war in Gaza and signing a deal for the release of hostages: 67% support the deal, including 90% of opposition voters and 67% of undecided voters. However, most coalition voters (54%) oppose the deal.
Israelâs greatest threat isnât Iran or Hamas, but its own hubris
We Israelis must understand â we are not immune. A people whose entire existence depends solely on military might is destined to end up in the darkest corners of destruction, and ultimately, in defeat. If we havenât learned this most basic lesson from the past two years, let alone the past eighty, then we are truly lost. Not because of Iranâs nuclear program or Palestinian resistance, but because of the blind, arrogant hubris that has taken hold of an entire nation.
For more Israelis, calling out war crimes is no longer taboo
Recognition of the armyâs atrocities in Gaza has moved into mainstream Israeli discourse. This alone cannot end the war â but it‘s a profound shift.
The Israeli army is facing its biggest refusal crisis in decades
(April 11, 2025)
Over 100,000 Israelis have reportedly stopped showing up for reserve duty. While their reasons differ, the scale demonstrates the warâs waning legitimacy.
Is Qatargate a scandal too far even for Benjamin Netanyahu?
The Israeli PM will have to call on his talent for self-preservation in the face of questions about how a foreign power viewed as an enemy was able to infiltrate the highest levels of his government
Faced with impeachment, far-left lawmaker slams attempts to silence him
(February 23, 2025)
And by the way, that [in no way] means that there is any justification for the war crimes and crimes against humanity of October 7 whatsoever. Not even the ongoing occupation and persecution and oppression of the Palestinian people. What happened on October 7 must be rejected 100%.
The second thing is that the Palestinian people didnât launch a war against Israel. Those who are guilty of the crimes of October 7 are Hamas and some other elements of course. Thatâs not the Palestinian people. The Israelis, in general, are innocents, and the Palestinians, in general are innocents. There are those who are guilty of war crimes here and there and everywhere. In my view, [they] should be caught and brought to justice in The Hague.
The Times of Israel: Does that include Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant?
Ofer Cassif: Yes.
MK Cassif: Thereâs a Fascist Atmosphere in Israel
(February 24, 2025)
âThere are attempts to silence us and to pursue and to create an atmosphere of chilling effect to terrorize us. There are attempts, again, to silence us, to prevent us from raising our political voice. We were not elected to represent those who disagree with us. Itâs our right and obligation to represent as firmly as possible our values for which we were elected. Since October 7, people have been arrested because of tweets [in which] they simply expressed sympathy for the children of Gaza, not for Hamas, perish the thoughtâŠThereâs a fascist atmosphere,â Cassif said to The Times of Israel. Above excerpts from the interview.
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS ACCREDITED TO THE HOLY SEE
A diplomacy of hope is also a diplomacy of forgiveness, capable, at a time full of open or latent conflicts, of mending relationships torn by hatred and violence, and thus caring for the broken hearts of their all too numerous victims. My wish for the year 2025 is that the entire international community will work above all to end the conflict that, for almost three years now, has caused so much bloodshed in war-torn Ukraine and has taken an enormous toll of lives, including those of many civilians. Some encouraging signs have appeared on the horizon, but much work must still be done to create the conditions for a just and lasting peace and to heal the wounds inflicted by the aggression.
Similarly, I renew my appeal for a ceasefire and the release of the Israeli hostages in Gaza, where there is a very serious and shameful humanitarian situation, and I ask that the Palestinian population receive all the aid it needs. My prayerful hope is that Israelis and Palestinians can rebuild the bridges of dialogue and mutual trust, starting with the smallest, so that future generations can live side by side in the two States, in peace and security, and that Jerusalem can be the âcity of encounterâ, where Christians, Jews and Muslims live together in harmony and respect. Just last June, in the Vatican gardens, we joined in commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Invocation for Peace in the Holy Land that, on 8 June 2014, saw the presence of the then President of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres, and the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, along with Patriarch Bartholomew I. That meeting bore witness to the fact that dialogue is always possible and that we cannot give in to the idea that enmity and hatred between peoples will have the upper hand.
At the same time, it must also be pointed out that war is fuelled by the continued proliferation of ever more sophisticated and destructive weapons. This morning, I reiterate my appeal that âwith the money spent on weapons and other military expenditures, let us establish a global fund that can finally put an end to hunger and favour development in the most impoverished countries, so that their citizens will not resort to violent or illusory solutions, or have to leave their countries in order to seek a more dignified lifeâ. [3]
War is always a failure! The involvement of civilians, especially children, and the destruction of infrastructures is not only a disaster, but essentially means that between the two sides only evil emerges the winner. We cannot in any way accept the bombing of civilians or the attacking of infrastructures necessary for their survival. We cannot accept that children are freezing to death because hospitals have been destroyed or a countryâs energy network has been hit.
The entire international community seems to agree on the need to respect international humanitarian law, yet its failure to implement that law fully and concretely raises questions. If we have forgotten what lies at the very foundation of our existence, the sacredness of life, the principles that move the world, how can we think that this right is effectively respected? We need to recover these values and to embody them in precepts of the public conscience, so that the principle of humanity will truly be the basis of our activity. I trust, then, that this Jubilee year will be a favourable moment in which the international community will take active steps to ensure that inviolable human rights are not sacrificed to military needs.
Poll: 68% of Israelis Dissatisfied with Netanyahuâs Far-Right Govt
(December 29, 2024)
A Channel 12 poll published on Friday, December 27, and held ahead of the far-right governmentâs two-year anniversary on Sunday finds that 68 percent of the public disapprove of its performance, as opposed to just 26% who approve and six percent who say they didnât know.
(…)
In addition, according to this weekâs Maariv poll if new Knesset elections were held today the opposition earned 72 seats, including six for Hadash-Taâal. Survey respondents were asked for whom they would vote said Netanyahuâs Likud and the rest of the ruling coalition far-right parties emerged with a combined 48 seats, one fewer than last week. The coalition has 64 seats and therefore needs at least 13 more seats to form a government.
Knesset Votes to Extend State of Emergency, Poll: Majority Support Ending War
(December 24, 2024)
According to a poll published by Maariv on Friday, a substantial 74% of the public says Israel should pursue a comprehensive deal to secure the return of all hostages, even if it requires halting the fighting in Gaza. Among opposition voters, support reaches 84%, while 57% of coalition voters agree. In contrast, only 16% favor a partial deal, and 10% remain undecided.
In addition, text messages published Thursday purport to show that Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Prime Minister Netanyahu, was instrumental in efforts to combat those perceived as enemies of the family, going so far as to instruct her husbandâs secretary to send activists of his Likud party to hurl obscenities at their neighbors, the parents of a fallen military pilot, who were active in demonstrations against the premier.
The correspondence of Benjamin Netanyahuâs late aide Hanni Bleiweiss, published by Channel 12 investigative program âUvdaâ (facts), indicated that the premierâs wife and son were active in efforts to dig up dirt on his political rivals; intimidate key actors in his corruption trial; and sic law enforcement on protesters against him, while seeking the promotion of police officers who complied with the request.
Netanyahu throws cold water on hostage deal prospects, and reminds us what a curse he is for Israel
(December 23, 2024)
From the beginning it was clear that the only feasible post-Hamas arrangement would be a return of the Palestinian Authority, which now runs the West Bank autonomy zones, back to Gaza, from which Hamas expelled it in 2007 by force. Israel itself once yearned for this, back when rational people governed the country. The proposals pushed by President Joe Biden for more than a year now envision versions of this, with the PA rejuvenated and assisted by Arab and perhaps other forces.
An Israel that wanted this would have ensured that Hamas is out of the way, publicly and persistently offering its remaining troops exile. Arab pressure on the group would have been overpowering. Israel would possibly get peace with Saudi Arabia as part of the bargain.
Instead, Netanyahuâs goons flooded the airwaves arguing that Israel cannot pull out of Gaza and end the war because Hamas would regain power.