| |  | | | | | | | Ramadan has begun and in Gaza, hunger and desperation only grows. In Israel, hopelessness also mounts. Soldiers continue to die, most of the 200,000 internally displaced are no closer to returning home, especially in the north, as tensions with Hezbollah intensify. Itay Chen, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, one of the hostages, was declared dead after Israeli officials confirmed he was killed October 7. His body was taken by Hamas.
Many have been taken aback by the seemingly callous attitude towards the hostages by Israel's government. Ishay Rosen-Zvi gives insight into why, arguing that for Israel's rising jingoistic, messianic religious right, the war in Gaza is about recovering pride and projecting power. Desperate hostages held by Hamas don't fit their narrative.
Etan Nechin takes on the controversy of philosopher Judith Butler's recent comments, and how it reflects a crisis in left-wing thinking about Israelis and Palestinians – not least by the self-styled "radicals." Andrea Mammone posits that Italy and France's far right parties have seized on the Gaza war to ramp up their pro-Israel posturing, despite the neofascist antisemitism entrenched in their political milieu and calls for Jews to reject their "allyship."
Page Fortna writes that beating that beating Hamas requires unconventional thinking, and suggests that Israel provide massive amounts of humanitarian aid to shelter and feed Palestinians in safe havens, including within Israel proper.
Eva Illouz and Tamar Hostovsky Brandes criticize the disproportionate power the ultra-Orthodox have, arguing no country has such a dysfunctional social contract like Israel does. | | |
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