MK Barakeh during a demonstration in the Palestinian village of Bil'in in the occupied West Bank (Photo: Al Ittihad)

MK Mohammed Barakeh appeals assault conviction

On 8 June 2014, Adalah filed an appeal on behalf of Communist MK Mohammed Barakeh, chairman of Hadash to the Tel Aviv District Court against the Magistrate Court’s decision to convict him of assaulting a right-wing activist during a demonstration against the second war on Lebanon in 2006. MK Barakeh was convicted of this charge…

A demonstration in Nablus in solidarity with hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners, May 25 2014 (Photo: Activestills)

Knesset approves bill to force-feed hunger strikers

The Knesset approved for the first reading a landmark bill Monday which would allow prison authorities to force-feed hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners, sparking fury from several MKs.  The government bill seeks to authorize the Commissioner of Prisons to petition the District Court to obtain a permit for medical treatment of hunger-striking prisoners. After the vote on…

Demonstration in Tel-Aviv against the occupation of the Palestinian territories (Photo: Al Ittihad)

Police order not to hold an anti-occupation protest in Tel-Aviv

MK Dov Khenin (Hadash) said Monday that he would deliberately disobey a police order not to hold an anti-occupation protest in Tel Aviv, next Saturday night, June 7. As a Knesset member, Khenin has immunity from arrest in such matters, but it was likely that other thousands protesters would also participate in the protest lead…

Young communists activists, dressed as Israeli soldiers hold Hadash chairman MK Mohammad Barakeh as they take part in an performance during an event against the plan to recruit to the Israeli army Arab-Palestinians, in the city of Haifa May 17, 2014 (Photo: Activestills)

Haifa: Anti-enlistment performance art

On May 17, Israeli soldiers invaded the streets of Haifa’s German Colony neighborhood, beating Palestinian protesters with batons and lining them up blindfolded along the now blood-splattered sidewalks. The scenes of violence in northern Israel’s largest city, however, were not the result of a fresh government crackdown on Palestinian activism or a new surge of…

Adam Verete (Photo: Channel 2)

Teacher who almost lost job for leftist views gets fired

High school teacher Adam Verete, who was accused by a 12th-grade student earlier this year of “brainwashing” students to adopt extreme left-wing and anti-Zionist views, was informed Sunday that the school would not employ him in the coming year — due to “budget cuts.” In last January, Verete was pressured by the ORT educational network to…

MK Dov Khenin during an environmental meeting at the Tel-Aviv's coast, May 12, 2014 (Photo: Zalul)

Israel’s environmentalists are up in arms

The Interior Ministry has decided to terminate their long-established representation in the country’s foremost planning commission forums. Petitions to the High Court of Justice against this are already in the pipeline. The environmental organizations contend that their absence would inevitably deny ordinary Israelis a voice on what might be constructed in their vicinity and that…

Caricature: Michel Kishka

Netanyahu wants to define Israel as “Jewish state” in law

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, says he will introduce a basic law defining Israel as a Jewish state, giving high-level support to a controversial idea that has long been a demand of the Israeli extreme-right. The state has never before officially defined itself as “Jewish”, though right-wing legislators have introduced bills to that effect…