Criticism of Israel

When all criticism looks like hostility, both sides lose to their extremes - opinion

Israel must distinguish between legitimate criticism and campaigns aimed at denying its legitimacy – and its serious critics have a responsibility to make the same distinction

Protesters in Switzerland hold a banner reading: ‘Sanction Israel, End Complicity,’ in June. Israel should confront actors who seek its elimination, expose factual distortions, and challenge the misuse of legal and historical terminology.Premium
Israel flag and Germany flag.

German high court rules comparing Israel to Nazi Germany is protected speech

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish youngster walks past a wall displaying posters of hostages, most of whom were kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas, in Stamford Hill, London, March 24, 2025.

Orthodox critics of Israel abroad speak with the rhetoric of NGOs, not Torah - opinion

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar speaks at an event at the foreign ministry, May 26, 2025; illustrative.

Sa'ar: Europe needs to decide if it is on Israel's or radical Islam's side


With strong US-Israel alliance, criticism of each other should be expressed in private - editorial

Israel believes, justifiably, that meeting with Hamas is a mistake. It believes, rightfully, that Boehler’s rather sanguine reading of the situation is woefully unrealistic.

 US State Secretary Marco Rubio arrives in Israel on the first leg of his Middle East trip, as Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar waits to welcome him, in Tel Aviv, Israel, February 15, 2025.

BGU suspends professor over anti-IDF remarks online

The controversy erupted after Dr. Sebastian Ben Daniel wrote online that IDF soldiers are “trained to kill.”

 Ben-Gurion University campus in Beersheba, southern Israel. May 28, 2023.

We will dance again - opinion

We have the power to continue their legacy by remembering every name, by dancing for them, and by sharing their light. Because if we don’t – who else will?

Friends and family members of October 7 victims grieve over loved ones' deaths at the site of the Nova music festival a year after the Hamas massacre.

Individuals leaving Israel should not face criticism - opinion

One of the basic rights of the individual in a liberal democracy is the right to emigrate. Anyone who finds the situation unbearable has the right to leave without being branded a traitor.

 COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER Shlomo Karhi speaks during a meeting of the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee earlier this month. He argues that public broadcasting is an anomaly in the free market of democratic states, the writer notes.

The media must stop presenting antisemitism as legitimate criticism - opinion

The Palestinian ideology, which views the land on which Israel was established as occupied territory “from the river to the sea” aims for the Jewish state to cease to exist.

 Washington, D.C., USA November 14, 2023: Pro-Israel supporters stand, draped in the Israeli flag, with arms around each other.

Celebrating Cynthia Ozick, illustrious Jewish-American novelist - opinion

I want to celebrate Cynthia Ozick as a penetrating critic of contemporary society and its attitudes to Jews and Israel.

 THE WRITER visits Cynthia Ozick at her home, in 2016.

Australia’s Jews show how to criticize Israel constructively, thoughtfully

Even more impressive than the Australian Jewry's infrastructure – epitomized by their Jewish day schools - is their unapologetically Zionist, deeply Jewish, worldview.

 The national flags of Australia and Israel are seen outside the building housing the Australian Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel October 16, 2018

Modern-day Zionists must focus on goals early Zionists set for the Jewish nation - opinion

Many Zionists fight the battle of Israel’s legitimacy, arguing over issues like Israel’s right to exist, the Jewish people’s right to a state, and the IDF's right to defend itself against enemies.

 ALONG THE lines of encouraging aliyah is the value of making Israel the home of all Jewish people, says the writer.

COI on Israel and ‘Jewish lobby’ comment are antisemitic, UNGA nations say

South African legal expert Navi Pillay: "I am 81 years old and this is the first time I have been accused of antisemitism."

 PRIME MINISTER Yair Lapid addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, last week.

New Mexico adopts IHRA definition of antisemitism

The Israeli-American Coalition for Action (IAC for Action) applauded Grisham for her “groundbreaking executive order.”

Downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico