There's "no reason to open the agreement [with Meretz] that gave Yair Golan positive momentum in the polls." That would only "show that his agreements" regarding the party slate "aren't worth the paper they're written on". - Amnon Harari www.haaretz.co.il/digital/dail...

Not a final agreement, but a very positive development: Eliminates strong possibility of wasted votes (especially by Balad, as in 2022), and likely motivates greater turnout. www.jpost.com/israel-news/...

Regarding Yair Golan's efforts to renege on the Labor/Meretz agreement: Is there even any polling to show this could be a net gain for HaDemocratim (and, if so, how much?). Or is it no more than vibes? Or maybe it's just antipathy toward an explicitly anti-occupation discourse?

From Sept. 2022. Gidon Levy was 100% wrong about the danger posed by the electoral threshold, But he was right about the distinction btwn Meretz and Labor, which has been papered over since the 2024 unification deal that now might be coming asunder. www.haaretz.com/opinion/2022...

Western diplomats called the Trump-led process "directionless" and "a disaster", with no significant increase in humanitarian aid entering Gaza, and no sense that it'll generate political change. www.reuters.com/world/middle...

The push in Labor ranks to "update" (i.e. renege on) the June 2024 unification agreement with Meretz hasn't gotten much coverage in English - but expect that to change now that today HaDemocratim chair Yair Golan openly joined the renegers' camp. (Report from 1/15) www.haaretz.com/opinion/2026...

"I canceled all my engagements in Israel this year because of my objection to Mr. Netanyahu's way of treating the whole Palestinian issue." This is a boycott, but it's not BDS. www.haaretz.com/world-news/2...

The word "disarm" actually never appears in the 20-point plan. Instead, it's a more complex "agreed process of decommissioning, ... supported by an internationally funded buy back and reintegration program all verified by the independent monitors." www.israelnationalnews.com/news/420984

If there's a tie between the blocs, "would you support or not support the establishment of a government headed by the political camp closest to your position which relies on cooperation with Ra’am (UAL), headed by Mansour Abbas" (Jews; % - Israel Democracy Institute). en.idi.org.il/articles/62950

The Insurrection Act, says the @brennancenter.org, is "dangerously overbroad and ripe for abuse". Analysis at www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res.... www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

To change policies, we also need to change hearts and mindsets. The movement offers a vision of security that's not the religion of securitism, of education that's not indoctrination, and of compassion as a tool for good. I hope folks can tune in tomorrow! us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Benny Gantz's campaign ad essentially depicts Arabs as a 5th column. When you depict a minority as a 5th column, you're feeding into the narrative of Ben-Gvir (whom Gantz says he wants to block), and the next step is worse than just political exclusion. www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Jewish leaders dwell on Diaspora Jewry turning away from Israel. They almost completely overlook the degree to which Israel is turning, has turned, away from Diaspora Jewry. A case study. www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Pollster explains why Yair Golan is pushing toward the political center: Only 11% of Jewish Israelis self-define as Left (16% of Israelis overall); 90% of HaDemocratim (~10 seats) voters are Left - meaning it has already captured almost all the Jewish left. www.maariv.co.il/news/politic...

THURSDAY, JAN 15, 12:30pm ET Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... Delighted to host Mothers Against Violence-Israel, a movement of women offering a vision of partnership & compassion in the face of gov't-instigated violence/incitement, ongoing occupation, and a climate of oppression & despair.

You can fool some people sometimes But you can't fool all the people all the time So now we see the light (What you gonna do?) We going to stand up for our right #ShabbatShalom www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhJ0...

From a Marine Corp vet, trained to deal with protesters at US embassies. "Everything I see from ICE agents is they are relishing violence..., needlessly escalating situations, looking for opportunities to shoot their weapons and beat the shit out of people." On the other site. x.com/AlexanderMcC...

"We transferred security responsibility to the Palestinians too early" in the process, Golan said of Oslo (&Disengagement). Others have offered an opposing critique - that Oslo was too slow and indeterminate a process, thereby allowing spoilers to undermine it. www.israelnationalnews.com/news/420605

"Our side has been trained by Donald Trump to never apologize and to never admit when you’re wrong. You just keep pummeling your enemies, no matter what," Marjorie Taylor Greene revealed to the NY Times recently. JD Vance has been a very good trainee.

Author and sports columnist Mike Lupica - on the other site. x.com/MikeLupica/s...

"Israeli authorities treat Israeli settlers and Palestinians residing in the West Bank under two distinct bodies of law and policies, resulting in unequal treatment on a range of critical issues." Official Israeli reaction says this is required by security threats. www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

There is video of the shooting of a woman by ICE in Minneapolis circulating that shows an ICE agent repeatedly shooting her at point blank range while she tries to drive off. There was no obvious threat to any ICE agent.

Israel Channel 13 poll shows Opposition with 57 seats, current Coalition with 53. For the umpteenth time, an Israeli news item presents the "Arab parties" (10) as sui generis, neither Opposition nor Coalition. TBH, the Opposition should be labeled here "Jewish Opposition". 13tv.co.il/item/news/po...

Expect a measured, temperate, nuanced discussion on an issue that tends not to coincide with measuredness, temperateness, or nuance. At the top of the hour.

The most prominent result, somewhat buried, seems to be: 47% plurality of Jewish voters think Mamdani’s Israel criticism reflects legitimate policy disagreements; 40% think it crosses a line, fuels antisemitism. (Note: Jewish sample margin of error is large.) forward.com/fast-forward...

"Iron laws of the world"? Some of America's most important national accomplishments are about leading humanity away from this kind of bullshit. If we let ideologues like Stephen Miller drag us back into a world where brute force is all that matters, all of us will be less safe.

Anat Kam issues a tepid "what choice do we have" call for leftists to vote HaDemocratim, even if this/that candidate isn't left enough, even if party chair Golan is "personally responsible for some of the occupation's injustices"-since another Bibi govt is possible. www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/202...

The protest movement was largely centrist, focusing on democracy for Israelis, esp. Jewish Israelis, but not really concerned with Occupation. So Golan's party is a natural home and hopefully will become the dominant centrist force, allowing for growth to its left. www.ynetnews.com/article/bjdy...

Important reminder from Aluf Benn, @haaretzcom.bsky.social EiC: Bennett embodies militarism and national-religious ideology, he's not a solid ally of the judiciary, and the question remains as to whether he'd exclude Kahanists from his coalition - or invite them in. www.haaretz.com/opinion/2026...

When one controls for income/wealth, and age, this block-level analysis shows, the non-Trump-supporting Jewish vote more or less mirrored the vote of non-Jewish New Yorkers. That finding could indicate that the Israel-Palestine question played little unique role. www.dropsitenews.com/p/zohran-mam...

First severing formal ties with the Islamic Movement, and now this. It'll be fascinating to see what path Abbas takes UAL on, but, prima facie, it seems to reflect an understanding that the key to progress is a recognition of a shared Jewish-Arab Israeliness. www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

The IHRA definition, which Mayor Adams adopted, is one of many definitions of antisemitism - and, due to its highly flawed "examples" section, certainly is not the best. One can (and should) be against antisemitism without accepting IHRA and its political overreach. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/n...

One key factor: In the wake of the Gaza War, "a negative level of net migration never before observed in Israel". www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Concerns about "transparency" - from the government that has barred foreign journalists and prevented independent access. www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Regardless of whether Bibi momentarily retains Trump's trust or not - from a historical perspective, Netanyahu's reign will probably be remembered as the period when Israel, because of his policies, lost the automatic support of the majority of Americans. www.axios.com/2025/12/26/t...

"After Hamas' October 7 attack," Ben Samuels importantly notes, "Stefanik's conservative Jewish supporters were able to maintain the dissonance necessary to ignore her support for such conspiracies" as The Great Replacement theory. www.haaretz.com/us-news/2025...

And so this is Christmas For weak and for strong The rich and the poor ones The road is so long And so happy Christmas For black and for white For yellow and red ones Let's stop all the fight - John Lennon, Yoko Ono www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMH_...

"A regional official...said that establishing a technocratic Palestinian government is the only thing that would let Hamas cede power in Gaza, even before the long, complicated talks on disarming it begin." In-depth report by @haaretzcom.bsky.social's Liza Rozovsky. www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

In September, Netanyahu predicted that Israel is heading towards int'l isolation. Katz's remarks suggest that such isolation is an actual policy goal. www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Interesting, albeit depressing, analysis and another reminder that the term 'Zionism' (and anti-Zionism) - as opposed to a focus on specific policies and biases - can create unnecessary obstacles. www.972mag.com/standing-tog...

Here's how the question was worded: Would you, in order to create a gov't without Likud & Netanyahu after the next elections, agree for Ra'am to be included in the coalition (without representation in Cabinet)? Far from ideal, but any progress in a storm. www.jpost.com/israel-news/...

"We're talkin' 'bout the dollar bill And that ol' man that's over the hill" Simply Red - live In dishonor of the White House's claims that the affordability crisis is a 'hoax'. Or someone else's fault. #ShabbatShalom www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU_c...

Most recent poll - 49%-30%. You don't need a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows. www.news10.com/news/hochul-...

Catherine Almonte Da Costa, now the mother of Jewish children, has apologized for offensive posts she shared more than a decade ago - as a teenager. Isn't such learning, growth, repair the kind of behavior ADL should davka be applauding and encouraging? www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/n...

TODAY, 12/18, 12:30pm ET-> us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... An ongoing WB Settler campaign of intimidation, destruction, violence seeks to drive out Palestinians. With Israel's army & govt failing to provide security, it falls on courageous volunteers to provide a protective nonviolent human buffer.

His Rob Reiner reaction, and now this. At the end of the day, no good policy can come from bad, petty people. I hope some of the remaining Trump admirers start to realize that. www.nbcnews.com/politics/whi...

Gadi Eisenkot hinted at a possible coalition of predominantly Jewish parties with outside support by predominantly Arab parties. Gantz advised excluding Arabs lest their inclusion strengthen racist parties [sic]. Netanyahu was more straightforward racist. www.jpost.com/israel-news/...

There's a betting market on what Trump will say tonight. Something essentially awful about that combination.

What's infuriating is that Trump's use of the phrase "Jewish lobby" as a synonym for "Israel lobby" is itself classically antisemitic - even according to the IHRA definition! www.haaretz.com/us-news/2025...