It pays to be knowledgeable about the Arab Conquest of the Levant when engaging Jew-haters who call us colonialists. We can learn some interesting aspects of the impact of the Conquest on the contemporary population, even from an Israeli archaeologist who seems reluctant to acknowledge that Israel is the country he is working in. I…
Creative writers’ writing is always autobiographic to some extent, sometimes more openly so. The three pieces reviewed in a recent academic article all describe the writers’ personal experiences of being detained at Ben Gurion Airport. I read the two stories; the third, a book, was unavailable to me. The literary analysis of them, certainly a…
Many accuse Israel of Judaizing place names in the modern State of Israel. In fact, if you search Google Scholar for academic papers using the search term “Judaization Project” you will get 136 items for 2020 alone (correct for 17 Nov). These accusations are part of a campaign to promote a supposed “historic Palestine” as…
I recently critiqued an article that used the term “historic Palestine” nine times in 21 pages without offering a definition even once. It is taken for granted that the reader would know what this term means. Not being a historian myself, I asked the historian Prof Amatzia Baram to explain it to me. He responded…
I have heard Israelis express disappointment that Bibi did not wait for the official results before congratulating Biden on his win, thinking that the legal challenge to the results may reverse them and Trump ends up being sworn in for a second term. Ever the consummate politician, I have the feeling Bibi knows exactly what…
I find it amusing when an article, such as that by Ibrahim Saïd, sets out to bash Israel but then explains Israel quite well and shows that the author understands what we are really all about. And then he uses this as if it is a bad thing. * * * * * We should…
Let’s engage in a little thought experiment. France is going through hard times. As if fighting the Coronavirus is not enough, it has also had to deal with two terror attacks in two weeks (the beheading of a teacher in Paris and the stabbing murders of three Christians at a church in Nice). The news…
A healthy economy affects the health of society in many aspects. Countries have recognized that they must balance between health costs and socioeconomic costs when deciding how to handle the pandemic crisis. Lockdown, which obviously curtails freedom of movement, puts the economy in danger. Has locking down, which cuts the chain of infection for its…
Many are jealous when we see photos of Swedes, South Koreans and Japanese going about their lives in spite of the Coronavirus pandemic and not locked down as we are in Israel. And the debate rages vigourously about whether or not the second lockdown, which began on Rosh HaShana, was necessary or, in fact whether…
In these days of low-trust, fake news, conspiracy theories, social media rants and high confusion, I decided to turn to two doctors I trust. They are not putting up podcasts and they are not advising the government. They have not put themselves forward as Coronavirus experts. And they are not seeking a Facebook or Twitter…
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