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.

Netanyahu Adviser Moves Out of the Shadows

As might be expected of a former senior official with Israel’s spy agency Mossad, Uzi Arad – the most trusted political adviser to Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister – has got used to being in the shadows as he exerts influence. But that is fast changing. Arad was prominent in preparing Netanyahu’s tough positions as … Continue reading “Netanyahu Adviser Moves Out of the Shadows”

How Many Secret Prisons Does Israel Have?

The United Nations’ watchdog on torture has criticized Israel for refusing to allow inspections at a secret prison, dubbed by critics as "Israel’s Guantanamo Bay," and demanded to know if more such clandestine detention camps are operating. In a report published on Friday, the Committee Against Torture requested that Israel identify the location of the … Continue reading “How Many Secret Prisons Does Israel Have?”

Pope’s ‘Pilgrimage’ Mired in Politics

Pope Benedict XVI upset the schedule on his first day in Israel by leaving an interfaith meeting in Jerusalem early on Monday night after a leading Muslim cleric called on him to condemn the "slaughter" of women and children in the recent assault on Gaza. The pontiff walked out, a spokesman noted, because Sheikh Tayseer … Continue reading “Pope’s ‘Pilgrimage’ Mired in Politics”

Turkey’s Fallout With Israel Deals Blow to Settlers 

A legal battle being waged by Palestinian families to stop the takeover of their neighborhood in East Jerusalem by Jewish settlers has received a major fillip from the recent souring of relations between Israel and Turkey.  After the Israeli army’s assault on the Gaza Strip in January, lawyers for the families were given access to … Continue reading “Turkey’s Fallout With Israel Deals Blow to Settlers “

Bedouin Baby’s Power Struggle With Israel

Little Ashimah Abu Sbieh’s life hangs by a thread – or more specifically, an electricity cable that runs from a noisy diesel-powered generator in the family’s backyard. Should the generator’s engine fail, she could die within minutes.   Ashimah suffers from a rare genetic condition that means her brain fails to tell her lungs to … Continue reading “Bedouin Baby’s Power Struggle With Israel”

Israel’s Military Mephistopheles

It is not entirely surprising that Amos Gilad, an Israeli general who once sued his own government for "irreversible mental damage" caused by his role in the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, has publicly courted controversy again.  On Monday, Ehud Olmert, Israel’s outgoing prime minister, suspended Mr. Gilad as his envoy to Egypt, responsible for negotiating … Continue reading “Israel’s Military Mephistopheles”

Is Israel’s Army Waging a Jewish Jihad?

NAZARETH – Extremist rabbis and their followers, bent on waging holy war against the Palestinians, are taking over the Israeli army by stealth, according to critics.  In a process one military historian has termed the rapid "theologization" of the Israeli army, there are now entire units of religious combat soldiers, many of them based in … Continue reading “Is Israel’s Army Waging a Jewish Jihad?”

Israel Intensified Assault in Final Days

In the last days before Israel imposed a unilateral cease-fire in Gaza to avoid embarrassing the incoming Obama administration, it upped its assault, driving its troops deeper into Gaza City, intensifying its artillery bombardment, and creating thousands more displaced people. Israel’s military strategy in Gaza, even in what its officials were calling the “final act," … Continue reading “Israel Intensified Assault in Final Days”

Israeli Assault Injures 1.5 Million Gazans

This week the death toll in Gaza passed the 1,000 mark, after nearly three weeks of Israeli air and ground attacks. But surprisingly, no one has reported an even more appalling statistic: that there are some 1.5 million injured Palestinians in Gaza. How is is possible that such an astounding figure could have passed the … Continue reading “Israeli Assault Injures 1.5 Million Gazans”

Israeli Arab Parties React to Election Ban

The only three Arab parties represented in the Israeli parliament vowed yesterday to fight a decision by the Central Elections Committee to bar them from running in next month’s general election. In an unprecedented move signaling a further breakdown in Jewish-Arab relations inside Israel, all the main Jewish parties voted on Monday for the blanket … Continue reading “Israeli Arab Parties React to Election Ban”