Jonathan Cook

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?”

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”

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”

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”

As Israel rejected the terms of the proposed United Nations cease-fire at the weekend, Israeli military analysts were speculating on the nature of the next stage of the attack on Gaza, or the "third phase" of the fighting as it is being referred to. Having struck thousands of targets from the air in the first … Continue reading “Blueprint for Gaza Attack Was Long Planned”

Criticism by international watchdog groups over the increasing death toll in Gaza mounted this week as the first legal actions inside Israel were launched accusing the army of intentionally harming the enclave’s civilian population. The petitions – over attacks on medical personnel and the shelling of United Nations schools in Gaza – follow statements by … Continue reading “Criticism of Israeli War Crimes Mounts”

There are two persistent myths about the aim of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza: the first that it is an entirely defensive move, a way to end the rocket fire of Hamas; and the second that it is designed to restore the army’s credibility after its failure to cow Hezbollah in 2006. No doubt the Israeli … Continue reading “Israel’s Aim: To Make the Gazan Prison Even More Secure”

Ever since Hamas triumphed in the Palestinian elections nearly three years ago, the story in Israel has been that a full-scale ground invasion of the Gaza Strip was imminent. But even when public pressure mounted for a decisive blow against Hamas, the government backed off from a frontal assault. Now the world waits for Ehud … Continue reading “The Real Goal of the Slaughter in Gaza”

Of the three politicians who announced the military assault on Gaza to the world on Saturday, perhaps only outgoing prime minister Ehud Olmert has little to lose – or gain – from its outcome. Flanking the Israeli prime minister were two of the main contenders for his job: Tzipi Livni, the foreign minister and the … Continue reading “Electioneering With Bombs”

Jewish peace groups have accused the Israeli police of fueling racism by canceling a "Jewish Pride" march by a far-right group that was to have taken place through one of the largest Arab towns in Israel. The police postponed the march, due last Monday, claiming they had evidence extremist residents of Umm al Fahm in … Continue reading “Arab Town Blamed for Jewish Pride March’s Cancelation”