Opinion

Unnecessary and cruel: Using chickens for kapparot on Yom Kippur violates Jewish values – opinion

The practice has invited widespread scrutiny, even from sages, over the inhuman treatment of livestock. Trigger warning: Some readers might find the disclosed descriptions disturbing

Ultra-Orthodox men line up to partake in the kapparot tradition in Mea She’arim in 2025.
Directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor pose during a photocall for the documentary "Naza" in Competition, at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, in Venice, Italy, September 10, 2026.

'NAZA' wins acclaim while Fauda’s more complex Israel struggles for recognition - comment

The 83rd Venice International Film Festival - Photocall for the documentary "Naza" in Competition

The legal, ethical war which 'NAZA' highlights and Israel is still barely showing up for - comment

Canadian actor and comedian John Candy (1950 - 1994), circa 1990.

Noa Kirel's bloody 'Love Song' video crosses a line for her young Israeli fans - comment


‘I’m fine with Jews, just not Zionists’: Time to rip off the anti-Zionist mask - opinion

Those who believe that they are still supporting their Jewish acquaintances while chanting slogans against Zionism are self-righteous hypocrites

A view shows the stone ruins of the fortress at Masada National Park near Arad in April.

Mecca pact unites Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan - but what does it mean? - opinion

The significance of the Mecca pact will depend less on the language of the agreement than on its implementation.

TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, next to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, on August 7, 2026.

Why Iran’s threat keeps haunting the Middle East - and how to finally break the cycle - opinion

Stop viewing Iran as a hostile player and start seeing the pattern that nurtures the destructive path its people keep finding themselves on, and change that

A woman walks past a mural depicting Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran in August.

Turning Turkey’s double bind against it: How Israel is outsmarting Erdogan - opinion

The 1920 Treaty of Sèvres and the Ottoman collapse are behind Ankara’s fear of losing power; Jerusalem knows that regional bilateral agreements back Erdogan into a corner

Members of Turkey’s Presidential Guard Regiment.

Stop living in la-la land: Only the IDF can curb Israel’s enemies – opinion

Praise to America for the Jared Kushner-driven initiative to stop Hamas and Hezbollah, but make no mistake, apart from the IDF, no external good-willed individual can stop these terrorists

People gather on a crowded beach in Gaza City in July.

Israel Katz and the Likud are ‘boom-boom-booming’ politics away – opinion

Regardless of who is competing in Israel’s upcoming elections, what must remain a top priority is to keep an eye on which politician intends to do what with the power bestowed upon them.

Defense Minister Israel Katz and other coalition lawmakers attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the re-establishment of the settlement of Sa-Nur, in the West Bank, April 19, 2026

A proposal for an economic future: Gaza needs more than reconstruction - opinion

For decades, Gaza's refugee camps have been a symbol of dependency. Reconstruction offers an opportunity to change that reality.

Palestinians inspect the damage caused by an Israeli airstrike that targeted a house belonging to the al-Qalqili family in al-Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on July 30, 2026.

Why the diamond industry must abandon dogma and embrace lab-grown pragmatism - opinion

The modern marketplace no longer rewards dogmatic rejectionism; instead, it demands an enlightened dual-track strategy that balances trade advocacy with market realities. 

A diamond.

Nirim is thriving, but Oct. 7 still haunts its present – opinion

A proud father watches his daughter actualize her decision, made in hiding during some of the worst hours of Hamas’s massacre, to capture Nirim’s life in art on a weekly basis

A photograph from the ‘Seeing Home’ exhibition at Kibbutz Nirim.

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community feels misunderstood. Here’s why - opinion

If haredim see that they are treated with understanding, respect, and sensitivity, they will more readily change and adapt in the service of the greater good

Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) people in Tel Aviv in June.