Fathom – Calev Ben-Dor

The political odyssey of Ayman Odeh

By Calev Ben-Dor
What took Ayman Odeh, the young Arab politician who rose to prominence before the 2015 elections and was... Read more > May 2022

Book Review | Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai

By Calev Ben-Dor
Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai is the latest in Matti Friedman’s wonderful array of books... Read more > March 2022

A filmmaker, a feminist, an Israeli, a Bedouin, a Palestinian. A conversation with Rana Abu Fraiha

By Calev Ben-Dor
Rana Abu Fraiha was born in the Bedouin town of Tel Sheva before leaving with her family at... Read more > December 2021

Amazon Prime's Human Factor: American negotiators and the failure of the Oslo Peace Process

By Calev Ben-Dor
Calev Ben-Dor praises The Human Factor as a great piece of documentary making but argues it is ultimately... Read more > September 2021

Bar Kochba and Us: The Israeli Debate during Tisha Be’Av

By Calev Ben-Dor
Calev Ben-Dor argues that the fight raging today between Israeli politicians about how to interpret the meaning of... Read more > July 2021

Naftali Bennett and Israel’s (divided) National Religious Community: A Guide for the Perplexed

By Calev Ben-Dor
The new Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is a ‘religious-Zionist’. But what does that mean and why has... Read more > June 2021

Opinion | A desire to remove Netanyahu has created a coalition stretching from Naftali Bennett to Mansor Abbas. Can it...

By Calev Ben-Dor
The (four-time) failure of the right wing and ultra-Orthodox parties to garner 61 seats, the steady erosion of... Read more > June 2021

Mansour Abbas: Islamist Kingmaker of Israeli politics

By Calev Ben-Dor
Arab political parties have become central players in Israeli politics. But how has a young dentist turned politician... Read more > March 2021

Israel Without Sharon’s Coma: A Counterfactual History

By Calev Ben-Dor
How might the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have looked had Ariel Sharon not suffered two strokes that left him incapacitated?... Read more > December 2020

Diary from Tel Aviv | Among the Furious Tribes in Lockdown Israel

By Calev Ben-Dor
Fathom is introducing a new kind of voice to our readers. From time to time we will publish... Read more > October 2020

Opinions | What Bibi learned from Arik. And why it might still not be enough.

By Calev Ben-Dor
The prime minister is using Ariel Sharon’s old playbook to manage multiple crises: keep your hands on the... Read more > September 2020

Israel’s Annexation Policy – Why Now and What Next?

By Calev Ben-Dor
Deputy Fathom Editor Calev Ben-Dor offers Fathom readers a comprehensive review of the Israeli debate about, and likely... Read more > June 2020

Israeli Elections: What next for the likely Netanyahu coalition?

By Calev Ben-Dor
Calev Ben-Dor writes that the good news for Netanyahu is that his ability to form a coalition with... Read more > April 2019 Article

Can Israel remain secure in a world of Arab disintegration, American retreat, and Iranian ambition?

By Calev Ben-Dor
In a comprehensive and clear-sighted survey Fathom deputy editor Calev Ben-Dor assesses the implications of regional disintegration for... Read more > Spring 2016