Middle East
A Cartographic Conflict
For centuries, Ghajar was a poor, remote village in the Ottoman Empire. But after World War I, French colonial cartographers drew a line on a map that had long-term implications for the villagers. Today, they live in political limbo, their village claimed by Syria and divided between Lebanon and Israel.
The Jewish-Arab Novelist
The novelist Sami Michael died last year aged 97. Born and raised in Baghdad, he introduced characters previously marginalized or omitted in Hebrew literature: immigrants, Mizrahim, women and especially Arabs. His portrayals are sympathetic but unsparing, and his writing tackled issues central to Israeli society that were previously cloaked in silence.
Israeli Politicians Normalize Population Transfer
At a Feb. 4 White House press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump proposed the relocation of Gaza’s Palestinian population. He thus transformed population transfer from a near-taboo subject in Israel to a viable policy option, with dangerous implications for Palestinians, Israel and regional stability.
The Day After the War in Gaza
The Middle East faces a future of long-term political instability that will be grinding for everyone, particularly for Palestinians, Lebanese and Syrians. Israelis, despite their triumphalism, face a future of constant military conflict and international opprobrium. But certain trends speak to a reimagined, functioning future.
Reflections on the Ceasefire in Gaza
As a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Gaza takes hold, a Palestinian journalist and father reflects from exile in Cairo on survival amid unimaginable loss and the uncertainty around returning home.
Good for the Jews or Bad for the Jews? Israel’s Media on Bashar al-Assad’s Departure
Israeli media coverage of historic turning points in the region has often been entirely inward-looking, but commentary on the fall of the Assad regime in Syria offered moments of compassion and broader perspective — in stark contrast to that on Gaza.
‘Her Name Was Zehava’ Points a Uniquely Insightful Lens on the Human Cost of the Occupation
“Her Name Was Zehava” is a remarkably humane short documentary film that looks at Israel’s occupation through the lens of a Palestinian trans woman who cannot find refuge in either Palestine or Israel.