Opinion

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  Bibi Bops Buji or Bye-Bye Bibi?

  From David Letterman’s Monday night monologue, a news update explaining where things stand in the Israeli election. It works best if you read it out loud: As Israelis go to the polls this week, Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu trails significantly behind Isaac “Buji” Herzog. This is a reversal of last week, when Bibi bested Buji. But…

  By J.J. Goldberg

  < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  Lame Effort To Counter Generals’ Attack on Bibi

  A right-wing Israeli activist group tried today to counter the anti-Netanyahu campaign of a reserve generals’ peace group, Commanders for Israel’s Security, by announcing its own list of “Officers and Soldiers Against the Partisan-Political Use of the IDF.” The pro-Netanyahu daily Israel Hayom reported on Monday that Im Tirtzu, best known for its attacks on…

  By J.J. Goldberg Mar 17, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Why Tzipi Livni Dropped Out of Race for Prime Minister

  Getty Images Every election cycle needs an eleventh hour surprise, and this year’s belongs to Tzipi Livni, who managed to grab the headlines from Netanyahu and change the discussion with her last-minute announcement she’s forgoing the opportunity to serve as prime minister in rotation, if her party, the Zionist Union, leads the next coalition. Livni’s…

  By Nathan Guttman Mar 16, 2015 | 2 min read

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  Opinion

  Ayman Oudeh Has Already Won Israel’s Election

  Ayman Oudeh with his family / Facebook According to an Arab friend who lives in the Middle East, the most exciting Arab leader is an Israeli. His name is Ayman Oudeh. He is a 40-year-old Muslim attorney from Haifa with a wife and three kids. The newly-formed political party he heads — the Joint List…

  By Lisa Goldman Mar 16, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Don’t Believe the Hype — Bibi Is Still in Driver’s Seat

  With the Knesset election season heading into the homestretch, Israelis are discussing the last week’s final polls, potential results and coalition permutations. While these polls give cause for the left to dream of a March Madness Cinderella story, recent election poll history suggests it is all going to end up in tears. The air of…

  By Steven Klein Mar 16, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  66 Years of Israeli Voting in 1 Cool Graphic

  If you want to see in one shot why many Israel observers are tearing their hair out in response to the country’s electoral process, feast your eyes on this cool infographic from the Economist. The chart shows the breakdown of each election since 1949 until the projected results of tomorrow’s vote. At the top are…

  By Gal Beckerman Mar 16, 2015 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  When the Talmud Tells You Who To Vote For

  After voting many Israelis will have a picnic or go to the beach — no matter whom they vote for / Getty Images (JTA) — “Whom to vote for and whom not to vote for?” Thus begins page 17 of the Talmud’s Tractate Voters. It continues: “One should not vote for Likud or Zionist Union…

  By Hillel Kuttler Mar 16, 2015 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Voting Out Israel’s 1%

  A few days before the general elections in Israel, more than a few of my liberal friends are dispirited. Some of them have become embittered. Even if there is a good chance that this time a center-left bloc can beat Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, these hopeless Israelis argue, nevertheless, that the main reason for replacing…

  By Michael Karpin Mar 16, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Meet the Man Fighting Eruv ‘Terrorists’ in the Hamptons

  A still from The Daily Show’s segment on eruvs, showing an “eruv hat” If Jack O’Dwyer didn’t exist, Jon Stewart might have invented him. You might remember The Daily Show’s hilarious 2011 video report on the bitter controversy surrounding a proposed eruv (religious boundary) in Westhampton Beach, New York. Simply by venting to correspondent Wyatt…

  By Michael Kaminer Mar 15, 2015 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  Swarthmore Hillel Puts ‘Open’ Status to Good Use

  Swarthmore Hillel students It was 5:25pm when I walked into the room full of murmuring college students. Swarthmore Hillel’s first event addressing the conflict in Israel and Palestine was about to begin. I took my seat among the 60 other students, who were all chatting amiably and nervously, waiting for the event to start. I…

  By Aaron Wagener Mar 15, 2015 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  How Zionist Union Could Build Ruling Coalition

  With four days left before Israelis go to the polls, the battleground is noticeably shifting from the fight for voters’ ballots to the fight over the shape of the next governing coalition. Specifically, the battle has begun for position within the expected Yitzhak Herzog government. And the way things are shaping up, the person in…

  By J.J. Goldberg Mar 13, 2015 | 6 min read