How one of the smallest religious communities in the world is struggling to sustain its community

The Samaritans are desperately trying to sustain their lineage in their West Bank enclave on Mount Gerizim.

Near East

Will the Palestinians abolish the Oslo Accord?

Growing despair might drive Palestinian leadership to announce the abolition of the Oslo Accord, which would lead to chaos and consequently breakouts of violence.

Palestine

Tightened security backfires at Al-Aqsa

Israel has taken measures to limit the number of Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque so that Jewish visitors can pray there, but the steps seem to be increasing rather than soothing tensions.

Palestine

Netanyahu's double standards on settlement product labels

Israel reached agreement in 2005 with the European Union to identify settlement products on export certificates, yet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hints at the Holocaust in objecting to the Europeans' decision to require labeling these products to inform consumers of their origin.

Palestine

How Erdogan exploits Syrian refugees

Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan had hoped a wave of Syrian refugees, created with assistance to the Islamic State, would force NATO to act against Syria's Bashar al-Assad, and when that failed, he allowed the refugees to move westward to pressure Europe.

Israel

Reform Judaism grows in Israel

Though the pushback from some ultra-Orthodox politicians and others is still harsh, the leaders of the Israel movement for Reform and progressive Judaism feel that more Israelis are opening up to them and supporting their vision of Judaism and solidarity.

Israel

Why Israeli politicians choose not to call for 'peace'

The murder of Alexander Levlovich by stones thrown at his car provoked Israeli politicians into superficial statements on security, instead of prompting a public debate over ways to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Palestine

Right-wing cyber 'soldiers' take on Israeli human rights organization

The Israeli conservative organization My Israel has rallied its members to vote for human rights activists from around the world in a campaign to sabotage the candidacy of B'Tselem, currently a finalist for the Human Rights Tulip award.

Palestine

Temple Mount violence escalates

Riots are spreading from the Temple Mount to East Jerusalem, causing more deaths and injuries, but neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas offer any new solutions.

Palestine

Russia not backing down on Assad

Moscow considers the Syrian government as the best bet to defeat the Islamic State; US leaders rally to support Pope Francis’ call to offer “concrete hope” to refugees; Netanyahu’s words don’t match deeds on refugees.

Israel

Will Herzog join Netanyahu's government?

This Jewish year has been one of turbulence and political surprises, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firing Ministers Tzipi Livni and Yair Lapid, launching elections and astonishingly also winning them.

Israel

Why Israel, not NGOs, must care for poor

Welfare and Social Services Minister Haim Katz says that the work being done by associations, providing food and products to the poor, cannot replace the responsibility of the state toward its citizens.

Israel