Avigdor Lieberman has such a way with words. Israel’s ultra-controversial Foreign Minister went to visit el-Zarnouk today, a Bedouin town in Southern Israel, to emphasize the fact, much to residents’ anger, that the government considers illegally built. His subtext was to point to the fact that unauthorized structures in the village are still standing even though, to his disappointment, the state yesterday began evacuating Jewish settler homes that are illegally built on Palestinian land.

As Lieberman spoke to reporters, an Arab lawmaker, Taleb el-Sana, came to heckle him. “You have no business to be here,” el-Sana said. “You are persona non grata in the Bedouin communities. You act like the mafia.”

Did Lieberman continue in dignified manner? Or come up with a witty response? Nope, instead he threw out that stick insult that members of the Israeli right love to throw out at Arab with whom they are in conflict. “You are a terrorist,” he retorted.

Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief

You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.

And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.

That’s where you come in. Gifts of any size keep the Forward free and accessible to everyone and ensure we have the resources we need to power the Forward at this critical time for American Jews.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. Will you support our work today?

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT