Jonathan Cook

Jonathan Cook is a writer and journalist based in Nazareth, Israel. His latest books are Israel and the Clash of Civilizations: Iraq, Iran, and the Plan to Remake the Middle East (Pluto Press) and Disappearing Palestine: Israel's Experiments in Human Despair (Zed Books). Visit his Web site.

No Room for Arab Students at Israeli Universities

Measures designed to benefit Jewish school-leavers applying for places in Israeli higher education at the cost of their Arab counterparts have been criticized by lawyers and human rights groups. The new initiatives are viewed as part of an ongoing drive by right-wing politicians in Israel to demand “loyalty” from the country’s large minority population of … Continue reading “No Room for Arab Students at Israeli Universities”

US Arms ‘Bonanza’ in Middle East 

Two of the United States’ closest allies in the Middle East, Israel and Saudi Arabia, are on the brink of signing large arms deals with the US in a move designed to ratchet up the pressure on Iran, according to defense analysts.  America has agreed to sell Saudi Arabia 84 of the latest model of … Continue reading “US Arms ‘Bonanza’ in Middle East “

Suspected Torturer Gets Key Police Job in Jerusalem

A police officer known as “Major George” who is accused of torturing Arab prisoners in his previous role as chief interrogator in a secret military jail has been appointed to oversee relations with Jerusalem’s Palestinian population, it has emerged. The decision has been greeted with stunned disbelief from human rights groups, who say unresolved allegations … Continue reading “Suspected Torturer Gets Key Police Job in Jerusalem”

Israeli Settlers Step Up ‘Price-Tag’ Policy

A rabbi from one of the most violent settlements in the West Bank was questioned on suspicion of incitement last week as Israeli police stepped up their investigation into a book in which he sanctions the killing of non-Jews, including children and babies. Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira is one of the leading ideologues of the extreme … Continue reading “Israeli Settlers Step Up ‘Price-Tag’ Policy”

One-State Debate Explodes Myth About Zionist Left

A fascinating debate is entering Israel’s political mainstream on a once-taboo subject: the establishment of a single state as a resolution of the conflict, one in which Jews and Palestinians might potentially live as equal citizens. Surprisingly, those advocating such a solution are to be found chiefly on Israel’s political Right. The debate, which challenges … Continue reading “One-State Debate Explodes Myth About Zionist Left”

Israel Stops Listening to Its Judges

The Israeli government is facing legal action for contempt over its refusal to implement a Supreme Court ruling that it end a policy of awarding preferential budgets to Jewish communities, including settlements, rather than much poorer Palestinian Arab towns and villages inside Israel.   The contempt case on behalf of Israel’s Palestinian minority comes in the … Continue reading “Israel Stops Listening to Its Judges”

Israeli Education Minister to Punish Supporters of Academic Boycott

Hundreds of Israeli college professors have signed a petition accusing the education minister of endangering academic freedoms after he threatened to “punish” any lecturer or institution that supports a boycott of Israel. The backlash against Gideon Saar, a member of the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, comes after a series of moves suggesting he … Continue reading “Israeli Education Minister to Punish Supporters of Academic Boycott”

Israel Plans Second Dig in Ancient Muslim Graveyard

Israeli authorities are pressing ahead with plans to build a courthouse complex on a large historic Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem that is already at the center of protests over plans to locate a “Museum of Tolerance” there. The proposed courthouse is expected to provoke stiff opposition, especially from Islamic groups, after it was revealed that … Continue reading “Israel Plans Second Dig in Ancient Muslim Graveyard”