Israel and Palestine

As the Palestinian world turns

Matt Beynon ReesJuly 18, 2009 10:04Updated May 30, 2010 13:00

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Soap operas usually block out scenes with two cameras, one for each of the glaring opponents. The editor switches between each actor as they snarl and sneer. As for the plot, you can tune in every few months and nothing seems to have changed. Sorry, did I write “soap operas?" I meant to type “current Palestinian politics.”

Pies for Jesus?

Matt Beynon ReesJuly 12, 2009 10:40Updated May 30, 2010 13:00

GAN YAVNEH, Israel — I always thought that by following kosher laws religious Jews only missed out on certain flavors and debatable delicacies. Turns out that by turning their back on “treyf” they also steer clear of Jesus. At least that’s the verdict of rabbinates in two Israeli towns who’ve been denying a kosher certificate to a local cafe owner for three years — not because she doesn’t conform to the laws of “kashrut,” but because she’s a “Messianic Jew.”

Opinion: It has become more difficult to bomb Iran

Michael MoranJuly 1, 2009 21:24Updated May 30, 2010 12:59

NEW YORK — In the weeks since moderate Iranians threw down the gauntlet to the conservative clerics who run their lives, Israel has watched the unfolding drama with trepidation.

Israelis riot, thanks be to God

Matt Beynon ReesJuly 3, 2009 15:45Updated May 30, 2010 12:59

JERUSALEM — Ultra-orthodox Jews have been rioting the last few weeks against a parking lot the municipality wants to leave open during the Jewish Sabbath, leading to dozens of arrests and quite a few moderate to serious injuries. Secular activists have held protests in favor of free garaging for those who defy God by driving on Saturday. All of which is a sign of good times in Israel. Here’s why: It shows that Israelis think there’s nothing worse to worry about.

When poets do the talking

Matt Beynon ReesJune 26, 2009 06:26Updated May 30, 2010 12:59

JERUSALEM — Whenever Palestinian and Israeli artists get together for public “dialogues,” it always seems to end with the Israelis saying, “We’re sorry,” and the Palestinians responding, “Screw you anyway.” That was how it went at a literary conference in the Jerusalem monastery at Tantur where I moderated a couple such discussions two years ago. Except for the opening session.

Netanyahu holds his line

Matt Beynon ReesJune 14, 2009 16:22Updated May 30, 2010 12:58

JERUSALEM — It’s as if Obama never happened. Less than two weeks ago President Barack Obama laid out his plans for the Middle East in a speech in Cairo. He called for a freeze on Israeli settlement construction, among other things.

Obama's speech: The view from Jerusalem

Matt Beynon ReesJune 4, 2009 08:34

President Barack Obama spelled out what he expects of the Israeli government in his Cairo speech, issuing a challenge that most commentators here believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no way of meeting.

Who will blink on Israeli settlements?

HDS GreenwayJune 1, 2009 13:42Updated May 30, 2010 12:57

BOSTON — A classic diplomatic standoff in the Middle East is emerging. U.S. President Barack Obama and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu are eyeball to eyeball over Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and the world waits to see who will blink first.

Bibi in a corner

Matt Beynon ReesMay 26, 2009 06:18Updated May 30, 2010 12:56

JERUSALEM — One morning late last week, Israeli Border Police showed up at Maoz Esther, an outpost of Israeli settlers in the West Bank near Ramallah. They waited for a Bible study class to finish, tore down the settlers’ five little shacks and ran the residents off. A few hours later, the settlers returned, nailing together the battered pieces of drywall shunted aside by the government. Maoz Esther rose again.

Global music: Inbar Bakal

Jonathan CurielJuly 19, 2009 10:53Updated May 30, 2010 12:56

SAN FRANCISCO — During her upbringing in Israel, Inbar Bakal learned to love traditional music from Yemen, where her mother’s family had lived for generations.