I’ve been commissioned to write three articles for online magazine New Matilda on the subject, as well as examining the wider implications for the Middle East and the journalistic profession.
My first piece is here.
“Israel of 2005 is a state in crisis. During my recent visit to the country, I was constantly told that Israel was a democracy, if you were Jewish. In July 2004, the Israeli cabinet voted to extend a law that blocked Israeli citizenship from Palestinians who marry Israeli citizens. The real reason behind such racism can be found in Israel’s demographic time bomb. Within a few years, Jews are likely to become a minority in their own country, leaving Palestinians and Arabs in the majority. Israeli MP Ehud Olmert expressed it best: “It’s only a matter of time before the Palestinians demand ‘one man, one vote’ and then, what will we do?”