For a deeper understanding of Israel and the region

Fathom Highlight | Is the Israeli Left dead? Can a New Left emerge? + A tribute to Emily Landau / January 14 / 2020

Our Fathom Highlight is Etan Nechin’s iconoclastic analysis of the Israeli Left which, he argues, lacks a transformative socioeconomic vision, a credible peace plan or a leadership able to unite its factions, and so is unlikely to survive in its current form, opening the road for a New Israeli Left to emerge. Azriel Bermant pays tribute to Fathom advisory editor Emily Landau who died 6 February 2020.

Our Voice of the Week is a timely Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) podcast titled ‘Debates on the Use of Military Force’, which discusses when the use of lethal force and AUMFs (Authorizations for the Use of Military Force) are legitimate. The podcast is hosted by Director of the CSIS International Security Program, Kathleen H. Hicks, and guests include Melissa Dalton (CSIS), Richard Fontaine (Center for a New American Security) and Luke Hartig (New America).

Our Image of the Week shows Likud MK Miki Zohar, a backer of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, photographed reacting to Blue and White MK Avi Nissenkorn’s decision to expel Zohar from a Knesset Arrangements Committee meeting, 13 January 2020.

The Old Left is Dead. Israel Needs a New One.

by Etan N. Nechin

When Israel goes to the polls for a third time in a year, the Labor party might well disappear. Once hegemonic, the party that founded the state is now irrelevant. Etan Nechin argues in this overview of the history of the Israeli Left that it will only have a future if it understands why, stops aping the Right, and offers a radical reimagining of the Israeli economy and society alongside a new peace plan. The editors invite critical responses to...