Opinion

• Opinion

  All Your Gaza Questions Answered in 1 Interactive Map

  Confused about Gaza? You’re not alone. Le Monde has created an animated map to help people who can’t tell Gaza from the West Bank navigate the facts. Say what you will about supposed French bias against Israel, the map is fairly informative, easy to follow and essentially lays out the bare bones of a very…

  By Anne Cohen

  < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  7 Ways for Bibi and Barack To Move Ahead

  Getty Images (JTA) — President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are not the best of friends – that seems pretty clear by now. But following reports during the Gaza conflict of cut-off phone calls, tough talk of “demands” and eavesdropping, it may be time for them to figure out a way back to…

  By Ron Kampeas Aug 7, 2014 | 5 min read
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  Opinion

  Benjamin Netanyahu Confronts Minefields After Gaza War

  Israel didn’t participate in the Cairo negotiations that produced the 72-hour Gaza cease-fire on Tuesday morning, August 5. The invitation had come just hours after an earlier 72-hour cease-fire collapsed with the ambush and attempted kidnap of Lt. Hadar Goldin. That was the fifth cease-fire to collapse in 25 days. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu,…

  By J.J. Goldberg Aug 7, 2014 | 5 min read

Columnists View All

• Alyssa Katz What I learned at a Holocaust survivors’ Purim party

  

• Rob Eshman Gavin Newsom isn’t waffling on Israel — he’s voicing sensible ideas in an era of outrage

  

• Dan Perry The moral degradation of Israel’s far-right is even worse than you think

  

• Emily Tamkin We must rewrite the rulebook for fighting antisemitism — or conspiracists like Joe Kent will win the narrative wars

  

• Jay Michaelson Antisemitism is exploding on the right but the Jewish establishment is focused on the left

  

The Latest

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  Opinion

  Yup, Rand Paul Wanted To Cut Israel Aid

  Getty Images (JTA) — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has cultivated Jewish support as he considers a presidential run, tells Chris Moody of Yahoo News that he never made a legislative proposal to cut assistance to Israel. “I haven’t really proposed that in the past,” Paul told Yahoo News when asked if he still thought the…

  By Ron Kampeas Aug 6, 2014 | 2 min read
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  Opinion

  Did Right-Wing French Jews Provoke Anti-Semitic Violence?

  In late July, the French newspaper Libération revealed that the Ministry of the Interior is considering outlawing the Ligue de Défense Juive (the Jewish Defense League, known in French by the acronym LDJ). The ministry opened this dossier following the dismal ruckus outside the Don Isaac Abravanel synagogue two weeks earlier in Paris. According to…

  By Robert Zaretsky Aug 6, 2014 | 4 min read
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  Opinion

  6 Ways To Spin the Gaza War

  Getty Images (JTA) — Now that the latest Gaza conflict appears to be nearly over it’s time to take stock of the winners and losers. Who won the war? Perhaps more than the other two Gaza conflicts in the last six years, Israel is the clear winner this time. The Israel Defense Forces dealt a…

  By Uriel Heilman Aug 5, 2014 | 6 min read
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  Opinion

  Jews Shouldn’t Blame Palestinians for Getting Killed

  Getty Images For Israelis and Palestinians, as well for their friends and family around the world, these past few weeks have been torture. Each day for Israel brings new rocket attacks, new cross-border terrorist raids, new funerals and shivas for IDF soldiers. Each day for Palestinians in Gaza brings new rounds of artillery shelling, fresh…

  By Logan Bayroff and Jacob Plitman Aug 5, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  Stem Tide of Anti-Semitism in Europe

  (JTA) — The conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is spilling over into Europe, where in the past several weeks, Jewish communities have witnessed a chilling display of anti-Semitism, the likes of which has not been seen in many years. European governments need to act decisively to stem this tide of hatred. No longer…

  By Robert Singer Aug 5, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  News Quiz: What is Javier Bardem’s Big Regret?

  Singers, swingers and Klingons . They’re all here in this week’s quiz, along with Javier Bardem — who probably wishes he wasn’t.

  By Lenore Skenazy Aug 5, 2014 | < 1 min read
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  Opinion

  4 Things About the Times of Israel ‘Genocide’ Blunder

  So the blogosphere and social media were aflutter late last week over a post by a blogger at the Times of Israel which raised the possibility that Israel is justified in committing genocide against Hamas. Here are my four take-aways: It’s best to first read the thing you are railing against. The post, by Yochanan…

  By Jane Eisner Aug 5, 2014 | 3 min read
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  Opinion

  A Punk Rocker, Tisha B’Av and Our Love of History

  The receptionist looked horrified. Well, maybe I exaggerate a bit. But she was definitely taken aback by the visitor, whose longish reddish hair, wrap-around sunglasses, piercings, leather jacket (over a tee) and boots set him apart from most of the people who are usually buzzed into Agudath Israel’s offices. I had been expecting him. He…

  Aug 4, 2014 | 3 min read