In 2018, Israel’s mask was finally removed

En 2018, le masque d’"israël" a finalement été enlevé

Having cemented its apartheid nature into law, Israel can no longer deny its systemic discrimination against Palestinians

Gideon Levy

2018 wasn’t a good year for Israel. It was even worse for Palestinians, of course.

On the surface, it wasn’t an especially dramatic year - just a lot more of the same, without major new wars, and without much bloodshed if you compare it to most previous years. Things appeared frozen

Dispatch from Palestine: A year in review

Dépêche de Palestine: bilan d'une année

Palestinian protesters react to tear gas during clashes with Israeli forces during 

the Great March of Return in the southern Gaza Strip on May 15, 

2018. (Photo: Ashraf Amra/APA Images)

Looking back on this year, it is difficult to choose one moment, one tragedy, or one political decision that stands out among the rest. Palestinians witnessed a tumultuous year in 2018, as they saw

Palestinian poverty level almost double Israel average

Le niveau de pauvreté palestinien est presque le double que celui d'"israël"

View of a Jewish settlement on 4 October 2018 [Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency]

A new report has found that the percentage of Palestinian citizens of Israel living below the poverty line is almost double the national average, pointing to a huge disparity between Palestinian and

In dissolving the PLC, which enemy is the PA fighting?

En dissolvant le Conseil législatif palestinien, quel ennemi l'AP combat-elle?

BY Sari Orabi

Without detracting from the importance of the legal debate regarding President Mahmoud Abbas’ announcement regarding the dissolution of the Palestinian Legislative Council by the Constitutional

Video shows bags believed to contain Khashoggi's remains: report

Rapport : Une vidéo montre des sacs contenant des restes de Khashoggi

Footage shows Saudi hit team carrying bags believed to contain body parts of murdered journalist, Turkish reports say.



Video footage leaked to Turkish media shows a Saudi hit team in Istanbul carrying bags reportedly

Gaza economic losses exceeded $300m in 2018

Les pertes économiques à Gaza ont dépassé 300 millions de dollars en 2018

Palestinians, employed by the Palestinian Authority wait to receive their salaries

 from an ATM, outside a Bank in Gaza on 10 May 2017 [Mohammed Asad/Apaimages]

Gaza’s economic losses exceeded $300 million in 2018 as a result of Israel’s stifling siege on the Strip, head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege Jamal Al-Khodari said yesterday.

Israel says it conducted 865 air raids in Gaza in 2018

Israël affirme avoir mené 865 raids aériens à Gaza en 2018

Army also destroyed 15 cross-border tunnels in blockaded Gaza over same period

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army on Monday announced it had carried out a total of 865 airstrikes in the blockaded Gaza Strip over the course of 2018.

Tupac, Twitter and the Turkish lira: Middle East Eye's end of year quiz

Tupac, Twitter et la livre turque: quiz de fin d'année de Middle East Eye

A lot has happened in the Middle East over the last year - test your knowledge of 2018

MEE staff

As 2018 comes to a close, take this quiz to see how well you've followed news in the region this year.

2018 in Review: The Top 10 News Stories in Palestine

Bilan de 2018: Le Top 10 des reportages en Palestine

Ahed Tamimi, 16, is seen in the Ofer military prison near the occupied West Bank city

 of Ramallah, before a 17 January hearing at which an Israeli military judge ordered

 her to remain in prison until the conclusion of her military trial. Oren/Ziv ActiveStills

By Mohan Chen- Bethlehem/PNN/

From a series of border protests in the Gaza Strip to thousands of new settlement units in the West Bank, 2018 has indeed been an eventful year in Palestine. As the year draws to a close, we have taken

Palestinian jailed for life over land sale to Israelis

Un Palestinien emprisonné à vie pour avoir vendu des terres à des "israéliens"

Sources identify the convict as a Palestinian holding American citizenship

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH

A Palestinian court has jailed a man for life for easing a land sale to Jewish settlers in the occupied city of East Jerusalem, according to the Supreme Judicial Council on Monday.

Israel High Court cancels petition against ‘racist’ Nation State Law

La Haute Cour "israélienne" annule une pétition contre la loi «raciste» sur un État-nation

Thousands of demonstrators from the Druze community stage a protest against the 

“Jewish Nation-State” law that was approved last month by the Israel’s parliament, at

 Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, Israel on August 04, 2018 [Daniel Bar On / Anadolu Agency]

Israeli High Court yesterday cancelled a petition filed by the National Democratic Assembly (Balad) in the Israeli Knesset against the Nation State Law, Safa News Agency reported.

Israeli Soldiers Abduct Ten Palestinians Near Ramallah

Des soldats "israéliens" enlèvent dix Palestiniens près de Ramallah

Israeli soldiers abducted, on Monday at dawn, ten Palestinians from Kobar town, north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, after invading and searching their homes, and confiscated a mobile

Israel allows Sheikh Raed Salah back home to continue term

"israël" permet à Sheikh Raed Salah de rester chez lui pour continuer sa peine à son terme

Leader of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Sheikh Raed Salah (2nd L) appears 

in court after he was taken under custody on the grounds that he allegedly provoked and supported 

an illegal association, in Rishon Lezion, Israel on 14 August , 2017 [Stringer/Anadolu Agency]

The Israeli Magistrate Court in Haifa yesterday ordered the head of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Sheikh Raed Salah, to be placed under house arrest at his home in Umm Al-Fahm after he spent six

Army Injures Dozens Of Schoolchildren Near Nablus

L'armée blesse des dizaines d'écoliers près de Naplouse

Israeli soldiers invaded, Sunday, the town of Sebastia, north of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and caused dozens of schoolchildren to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation.

Soldiers Abduct A Palestinian Shepherd In Northern Plains

Des soldats enlèvent un berger palestinien dans les plaines du nord

Israeli soldiers abducted, Sunday, a Palestinian Shepherd in Ein al-Hilwa area, in the Northern Plains of the occupied West Bank.

Netanyahu scrambles to save Israel right following Jewish Home split

Netanyahu se bat pour sauver la droite "israélienne" juste après la séparation du foyer juif

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) listens to Education 

Minister, Naftali Bennett, during the weekly cabinet meeting on August 30, 2016 

at his office in Jerusalem. [File photo /AFP / POOL / ABIR SULTAN / Getty Images]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been left scrambling to save the country’s right-wing following the split in the Jewish Home party, pushing to lower the electoral threshold to preserve a

Israel protests against Jordan minister stepping on Israeli flag

"israël" proteste contre le piétinement du drapeau "israélien" par un ministre jordanien 

Minister Jumana Ghuneimat was pictured last week stepping on Israeli flag when entering trade union complex in Amman.

The flag has been affixed to the floor at the entrance to

 Amman's trade union complex [Al Jazeera]

Israel says it has filed a complaint to Jordan over a picture of a Jordanian government minister stepping on an image of the Israeli flag.

Jerusalem governor calls on Brazil not to relocate its embassy

Le gouverneur de Jérusalem appelle le Brésil à ne pas déplacer son ambassade

Governor of Jerusalem for the Palestinian Authority Adnan Ghaith poses for a photograph

 in his office at the Palestinian Ministry of Jerusalem affairs' headquarters in the occupied West Bank 

town of al-Ram, near Jerusalem, on November 4, 2018. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images)

Palestinian Jerusalem Governor Adnan Ghaith has called on Brazil not to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem, Quds Press reported yesterday.

1,200 Dunams of Palestinian Land Taken for New Settlement near Bethlehem

1.200 Dunams de terres palestiniennes pris pour une nouvelle colonie près de Bethléem

The Wall and Settlement Resistance Committee filed an appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court, on Sunday, denouncing the Israeli government’s seizure of 1,200 dunams (297 acres) of Palestinian-

Près de 300 Palestiniens tués, 29.000 blessés en 2018

Par Maureen Clare Murphy

27.12.2018 – Les forces d’occupation et les colons israéliens ont tué 295 Palestiniens en Cisjordanie et à Gaza depuis le début de l’année, selon le Bureau de la coordination des affaires humanitaires de

Cisjordanie : Arrestation de 10 Palestiniens par l'armée israélienne

L'armée israélienne a arrêté, lundi, 10 Palestiniens de la localité de Kobar dans l'ouest de Ramallah au centre de la Cisjordanie occupée, selon des témoins oculaires

L'armée israélienne a arrêté, lundi, 10 Palestiniens de la localité de Kobar dans l'ouest de Ramallah au centre de la Cisjordanie occupée, selon des témoins oculaires.

Les États-Unis et Israël ne font plus partie de l'Unesco

Les États-Unis et Israël avaient annoncé l'an dernier leur retrait de l'Organisation des Nations unies pour l'éducation, la science et la culture. Un départ qui est effectif depuis ce lundi 31 décembre 2018.

Les États-Unis et Israël ne font plus partie de l'Unesco depuis 

ce lundi 31 décembre 2018 © AFP / Kena BETANCUR

Les États-Unis et Israël ne font plus partie de l'Unesco. Ils avaient annoncé l'an dernier vouloir quitter cette Agence de l'ONU, ce départ est effectif depuis ce 31 décembre. Malgré des avancées depuis l'an

Drapeau israélien piétiné par une responsable jordanienne : Israël proteste

Selon des médias israéliens, les autorités israéliennes ont convoqué dimanche l'ambassadeur de Jordanie, Ghassan al-Megali, pour protester contre le comportement de Jumana Ghunaimat.

Israël a adressé des protestations officielles à la Jordanie après que la porte-parole du gouvernement jordanien a piétiné un drapeau israélien lors d'une visite à un syndicat à Amman.

Soutien croissant du public américain pour un État unique offrant liberté et égalité pour tous

Décembre 2017 - Manifestation à Washington contre la décision américaine

 d'avaliser l'annexion israélienne de Jérusalem - Photo : Réseaux sociaux

Jonathan Cook – Deux années de collaboration entre Donald Trump et Benjamin Netanyahu pour ramener la paix semblent produire des effets, mais d’une nature qui ne plaira à aucun des deux.

2018/ Palestine : près de 6.500 Palestiniens interpellés par les forces de l’occupation

RAMALLAH- 

Quelque 6.489 Palestiniens ont été arrêtés en 2018 par les forces armées israéliennes, selon un rapport de la commission palestinienne des prisonniers et ex-prisonniers au titre de cette année.

En 2018, le nombre total d’arrestations opérées par les autorités d’occupation israéliennes a atteint 6.489 Palestiniens, dont 1.063 enfants et 140 filles et femmes, outre 389 nouveaux ordres de détention administrative et 599 ordres de détention antérieures, entre autres, précise la commission

EN IMAGES – Les quinze photos qui ont marqué le Moyen-Orient et le Maghreb en 2018

Un rire complice entre Sissi et Le Drian. Le regard d’une petite Yéménite succombant à la famine. Le sourire à jamais figé de Jamal Khashoggi sur un poster. Si l’actualité façonne l’histoire, elle grave aussi des images dans notre mémoire

Le président américain Donald Trump signe un document rétablissant les

 sanctions contre l’Iran après l’annonce du retrait américain de

 l’accord sur le nucléaire iranien, le 8 mai 2018 (AFP)

MEE

Gaza : massacre à ciel ouvert

Photo of Gaza massacre echoing Guernica is 1 of 4 commemorating horrific day in ‘Time”s year-end list

La photo du massacre de Gaza faisant écho à Guernica est l’une des quatre commémorations d’un jour horrible sur la liste de fin d’année de «Time»

Wounded man carried by horse-cart during demonstration at Gaza fence against

 embassy opening, May 14, 2018, by Emanuele Satolli for Time. One of the top 

100 images of the year per the magazine's editors.

Last week Time Magazine published its top 100 photographs of the year. The second one is a powerful image by Emanuele Satolli, an Italian photojournalist, of the massacre at the Gaza fence last

The five defining moments of the Israeli occupation in 2018

Les cinq moments marquants de l'occupation "israélienne" en 2018

Middle East Eye takes a look at the five biggest political developments of 2018 in Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories

Israeli settlement in the West Bank considered illegal 

according to UN resolutions (AFP)

Zena Tahhan

RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank – In the volatile reality of Israel’s ongoing occupation and campaign of ethnic cleansing against Palestinians, the news cycle never stops. The nightly military

Report: “Israeli Soldiers Abducted 6489 Palestinians, Including 250 Children, in 2018”

Rapport: «Les soldats "israéliens" ont enlevé 6489 Palestiniens, dont 250 enfants, en 2018»

The Palestinian Detainees’ Committee has reported, Saturday, that Israeli soldiers have abducted 6489 Palestinians, including 750 patients or wounded Palestinians, 250 children and 54 women, since

Israeli Soldiers Abduct Three Children From Jerusalem And Hebron

Des soldats "israéliens" enlèvent trois enfants de Jérusalem et d'Hébron

Israeli soldiers abducted, on Sunday morning, three Palestinian children from their homes in Jerusalem and Hebron, in the occupied West Bank.

Palestine urges international probe into Jerusalem excavations

La Palestine demande une enquête internationale au sujet des fouilles à Jérusalem

Israeli workers conduct an excavation work at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound 

in Jerusalem, on 28 February 2018 [Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency]

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has called for forming an international commission to investigate Israeli excavations in the occupied city of East Jerusalem and beneath the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque

Jewish Settlers Assault, Injure Palestinian in Hebron (VIDEO)

Assaut de colons juifs, blessant un Palestinien à Hébron (VIDEO)

Hatem Samih al-Muhtaseb, 22, was attacked by Jewish 

settlers in Hebron. (Photo: via Social Media)

Jewish settlers attacked a Palestinian youth in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood in the Old City of Hebron (Al-Khalil), in the southern occupied West Bank, late Friday, causing him injuries.

IOF carry out raid and arrest campaigns in West Bank towns

Les forces d'occupation "israéliennes" mènent des campagnes d'attaque et d'arrestation dans des villes de Cisjordanie

PNN/ Bethlehem/

Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Sunday overnight stormed the West Bank where they carried out raid and arrest campaigns in different towns and cities, including Nablus, Hebron, Bethlehem,

Israel's Bennett and Shaked announce 'New Right' political party

Les "israéliens" Bennett et Shaked annoncent le parti politique 'Nouvelle droite'

Hayemin Hehadash, or 'New Right', will be a partnership between right-wing secular and religious politicians.

Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett (R) and Justice Minister 

Ayelet Shaked deliver statements in Tel Aviv [Corinna Kern/Reuters]

Two Israeli ministers have announced their split from the religious-nationalist Jewish Home party and have set up a new right-wing faction that they say will be a partnership between secular and religious

Amos Oz and the end of liberal Zionism

Amos Oz et la fin du sionisme libéral

Amos Oz giving a lecture at the 2017 Frontiers of Thought conference in Porto 

Alegre, Brazil. (Photo: Fronteiras do Pensamento / Luiz Munhoz/Wikimedia)

This is part of Marc H. Ellis’s “Exile and the Prophetic” feature for Mondoweiss. To read the entire series visit the archive page.

Though for some the passing of Amos Oz is a time for mourning an international literary figure, on

Israel’s Jewish Home party splits ahead of April election

Le parti "israélien" de la Maison juive se divise avant les élections d'avril

Israel's Jewish Home party uses anti-assimilation posters to garner

support, including one which reads 'hundreds of incidents of assimilation

 in Ramle, nobody cares, tomorrow it could be your daughter'[Twitter]

A religious-nationalist party in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government split on Saturday, with its leaders saying they were bolting to appeal to more secular constituents

Netanyahu: Brazil to move embassy to Jerusalem

Netanyahu: le Brésil va déplacer son ambassade à Jérusalem

Israeli leader claims Brazilian president told him that embassy relocation from Tel Aviv is a matter of 'when, not if'.

Netanyahu is the first Israeli prime minister to visit Brazil

 [Agencia Brasil/Handout via Reuters]

Brazil will move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, with only the date of the transfer to be decided, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel protests to Jordan over flag trampling

"israël" proteste contre la Jordanie pour avoir piétiné son drapeau

The Jordanian Information and Government Spokeswoman, Jumana Ghunaimat, 

arrives at the Jordanian Trade Union Headquarters in Amman and steps on

 a drawing of the Israeli flag, on December 27, 2018 [jfranews.com.jo]

Israel has formally protested to Jordan after a government spokesperson stepped on an Israeli flag during a visit to a trade union in Amman.

Largest European Bank to Divest from Israeli Defense Contractor

La plus grande banque européenne se désinvestit d'un fournisseur de défense "israélien"

In what is being cheered as a victory for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, the international banking firm HSBC has announced that it is divesting from Elbit Systems, the second-

Middle East Eye's Picks of the Year 2018

Sélection du Middle East Eye de l'année 2018

As 2018 draws to a close, Middle East Eye's staff choose the articles that defined the year for them

Demonstrators dressed as Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and US 

President Donald Trump (C) protest outside the White House in Washington, DC (AFP)

2018 was, as usual, a momentous and fractious year for the Middle East. With regards to continuity, the wars in Yemen and Syria continued to rage, Gaza remained besieged and Libya's warring factions

The events that shook Palestinian territories in 2018

Les événements qui ont secoué les territoires palestiniens en 2018

With little reason for optimism for 2019, here are the main events that rocked the West Bank, Gaza and Israel this year.

Every Friday since March 30, Palestinians have been protesting near the fence with Israel, 

demanding the right to return to their homeland [File: Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu]

Over the past year, Palestinians have experienced no respite from the Israeli occupation, let alone a breakthrough of ending it. Although no full-scale war broke out in 2018, as some had expected, it did

Israel demolished 538 homes, facilities in West Bank in 2018

"israël" a démoli 538 maisons et installations en Cisjordanie en 2018

Palestinian boys watch as Israeli excavators demolish a Palestinian apartment

 block for allegedly being unauthorised in East Jerusalem on 

1 May 2018 [Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency]

Israel demolished 538 Palestinian homes and facilities across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem in 2018, leaving 1,300 Palestinians and 225 children homeless.

Al-Haq Sends Urgent Appeal to UN Special Procedures on the Enforced Disappearance of Saleh Omar Barghouthi

Al-Haq envoie un appel urgent aux procédures spéciales des Nations Unies relatives à la disparition forcée de Saleh Omar Barghouthi

By Al-Haq Human Rights Organization: On Sunday, 23 December 2018, Al-Haq sent a joint urgent appeal to the United Nations (UN) Special Procedures regarding the enforced disappearance of

Israel arrested 5,700 Palestinians, 980 children in 2018

"israël" a arrêté 5 700 Palestiniens et 980 enfants en 2018

A Palestinian agricultural land was set on fire by a group of Jewish settlers in Burin

 district of Nablus, West Bank on May 10, 2017 [Nedal Eshtayah/Anadolu Agency]

Israel arrested 5,700 Palestinians in 2018, including 980 children and 175 women, the Palestine Prisoners’ Centre for Studies announced yesterday.

Facebook Censors, Restores Video Accusing Israel of Using Palestinians to Test Weapons (VIDEO)

La censure de Facebook rétablit la vidéo accusant "israël" d'utiliser des Palestiniens pour tester des armes (VIDEO)

An Israeli sniper aims his weapon at Palestinian youths. (Photo: ActiveStills.org)

A video accusing Israel of using Palestinians to test weapons and methods of repression that it later exports around the world was removed from Facebook for several hours and was only restored after

Palestinian Students Barred from Reaching Schools in Jenin

Des étudiants palestiniens interdits d'atteindre leur école à Jénine

Israeli forces, on Wednesday morning, blocked passage through Um El-Rayhan checkpoint, near Ya’bad town, to the south of Jenin, so as to halt the movement of Palestinian citizens and students.

Elections don’t make Israel a democracy

Les élections ne font pas d'"israël" une démocratie

(Photo: Baz Ratner/Reuters)

It’s official, Israel is racing towards early elections. But no one is talking about who can vote in them.

New elections were nearly called in November 2017 after Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman

Israeli press review: Attorney general threatened over Netanyahu graft probes

Revue de presse "israélienne": le procureur général menacé pour des enquêtes de corruption sur Netanyahu

The grave of Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit's father was

 desecrated as pressure has mounted against him to drop corruption

 charges against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Reuters)

Amid threats from Netanyahu allies, Israel attorney general finds father’s grave desecrated

Revelations that the grave of Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit’s father was vandalised

UPDATE: Israeli Digs Cause Landslides in Silwan

MISE À JOUR: Les fouilles "israéliennes" causent des glissements de terrain à Silwan

Underground excavations executed in recent months, by Israeli authorities and settler organizations in the occupied Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, have caused landslides in the area, as it came under

Israel settlements demand extra budget for ‘security’

Les colonies "israéliennes" exigent un budget supplémentaire pour la «sécurité»

Constructions of the Israeli settlement continues on Palestinian 

lands on 22 November 2017 [Mahmoud Ibrahim/Anadolu Agency]

Illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank have sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding that extra finances be allocated for their “security”.