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.

Israel’s Long War Between the Generals and Extremists Is Not Going Away

Israel edged closer to civil war over the weekend than at any point in its history. By Monday night, in a bid to avert chaos, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to put a temporary halt to his plans to neuter the Israeli courts. By then, city centers had been brought to a standstill by angry … Continue reading “Israel’s Long War Between the Generals and Extremists Is Not Going Away”

The Holy Land and Us: BBC Nakba Series Obscures Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine

The BBC’s The Holy Land and Us, a two-part exploration of Israel’s founding that concluded this week, has been what pundits like to call “brave television.” The first episode featured testimony of a notorious massacre by a Zionist militia of more than 100 Palestinians, many of them women and children, in early 1948, weeks before … Continue reading “The Holy Land and Us: BBC Nakba Series Obscures Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine”

It’s Not Just the Settlers – or Israel – Responsible for the Torching of Huwwara

A sustained violent attack by hundreds of Jewish settlers on the Palestinian town of Huwwara last Sunday – as well as the response of Israel’s new far-right government – has divided Jewish opinion in Israel and deeply discomfited Jews abroad. The Board of Deputies, which claims to represent Britain’s Jewish community and is usually a … Continue reading “It’s Not Just the Settlers – or Israel – Responsible for the Torching of Huwwara”

How Social Networks Became a ‘Subsidiary’ of the FBI and CIA

The US Congress last tried to grapple with what the country’s ballooning security services were up to nearly half a century ago. In 1975, the Church Committee managed to take a fleeting, if far from complete, snapshot of the netherworld in which agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) … Continue reading “How Social Networks Became a ‘Subsidiary’ of the FBI and CIA”

In Syria, the West’s Humanitarian Claims Crumble to Dust

US President Joe Biden’s administration relented last Thursday and finally lifted sanctions on Syria. The change of policy came after four days of relentless and shocking footage from the disaster zone in southern Turkey and northern Syria caused by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. It seems as if Washington felt it could no longer sustain its … Continue reading “In Syria, the West’s Humanitarian Claims Crumble to Dust”

Russia-Ukraine War 2.0: First Tanks, Then F16s. Where Does This End?

Almost as soon as major NATO countries, led by the US, promised to supply Ukraine with battle tanks, the cry went up warning that tanks alone would be unlikely to turn the war’s tide against Russia.  The subtext – the one western leaders hope their publics will not notice – is that Ukraine is struggling … Continue reading “Russia-Ukraine War 2.0: First Tanks, Then F16s. Where Does This End?”

How the US Paved the Way to Moscow’s Invasion of Ukraine

Hindsight is a particularly powerful tool for analyzing the Ukraine war, nearly a year after Russia’s invasion. Last February, it sounded at least superficially plausible to characterize Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send troops and tanks into his neighbor as nothing less than an “unprovoked act of aggression.” Putin was either a madman or … Continue reading “How the US Paved the Way to Moscow’s Invasion of Ukraine”

Is Ben-Gvir Preparing a Holy War Against the Palestinians?

Israel’s new national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, lost no time in demonstrating who is boss. On Tuesday, days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was sworn in, the ultra-nationalist politician marched straight in to the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in the occupied Old City of Jerusalem – probably the most incendiary site in the Middle East. … Continue reading “Is Ben-Gvir Preparing a Holy War Against the Palestinians?”

How Netanyahu Handed Ben-Gvir the Gun to Start an Annexation War

Faced with criticism on whether the United States should trumpet its “unbreakable bond” with an incoming Israeli government headed by fascist parties, lawbreakers and homophobes, the Biden administration has squirmed. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken observed defensively this month that Washington would “gauge the government by the policies and procedures, rather than individual personalities”. … Continue reading “How Netanyahu Handed Ben-Gvir the Gun to Start an Annexation War”

How Ben-Gvir Blows Apart the ‘Security’ Story of Israel’s Occupation

There is a good reason why Gadi Eisenkot, a former head of the Israeli military, expressed alarm last week as Benjamin Netanyahu awarded unprecedented powers over the occupation to a far-right settler party in his new government. Eisenkot claimed that the army was in danger of “falling apart” if Netanyahu so openly politicized its role. … Continue reading “How Ben-Gvir Blows Apart the ‘Security’ Story of Israel’s Occupation”