UPDATE, NOV. 7, 2008
he world's credit markets are clogged, a situation unprecedented in the capitalist era. And what about Tel Aviv? The captains of Israel's economy soothe the public: our banks are not "exposed" to the same degree as America's. But will the crisis pass us by? True, the United States was unique in making an industry out of financial speculation. But in the era of the global village, distances shorten. Wall Street determines the ups and downs of its Israeli equivalent, Ahad Ha'am (the name translates, ironically, as "One of the People"). The immune system of Israel's economy is weaker by far than America's, while its dependence on the latter is great.
More...
Address
P.O.B. 35252
Tel Aviv 61351
Israel
Visiting Address
Rehov Ha-Aliyah 43
Second Floor
phone +972-3-537-3268
fax +972-3-537-3269
Letter to our readers
After 14 years of publishing Challenge, the editorial board and I have decided to continue the magazine online and to cancel the bimonthly print edition. In October we notified our subscribers of this, and my mailbox has been flowing ever since with letters of sorrow but of understanding too. So far all have decided to contribute the remainder of their subscription fees to our online production.
Editing Challenge has been a great pleasure so far. I have enjoyed producing a magazine that connects me with activists and scholars around the world. Now we shall enter the more anonymous, but potentially endless web community. Our articles will not be restricted in size anymore, and they will be free of charge for all to read. The new format will enable us to publish in a more timely fashion, rather than on the previous bimonthly basis.
Each month we shall offer our readers articles containing our political and class analysis, such as "Israel over Gaza," offered here.
If you wish to be notified as new articles appear, please send your full name and your e-mail address to us at .
Best wishes,
Roni Ben Efrat
Editor
November 7, 2008
Links
Workers' Advice Center
Sindyanna of Galilee
Etgar: our sister-publication in Hebrew
Al-Sabar: our sister-publication in Arabic
Video48: a documentary-film group
CHALLENGE is indexed by the Alternative Press Index.
Israel's Responsibility for the War in Gaza
By Yacov Ben Efrat
y article "Israel over Gaza" has aroused, to my surprise, many reactions, including some that disagreed with my placing responsibility exclusively on Israel. In so short a piece, admittedly, it was not possible to present the comprehensive analysis of a war whose roots lie far back in 1967. I had to make do, on occasion, with generalizations that may require a more detailed justification. More...
Israel over Gaza: A Campaign to Perpetuate the Occupation
By Yacov Ben Efrat
srael's military operation called Molten Lead started on Saturday, December 27, 2008 and took more than 200 lives in its first day, much to the satisfaction of the Israeli public. Already on Friday there were cries of "Go get 'em!" from the columns of the leading newspapers, and on Saturday the Gazans got what Israelis have long been wishing them. This was no spontaneous operation, no mere response to the recent firing of rockets on the towns of the Negev. In the preceding half year of calm, while warning that Hamas was arming itself, Israel carefully planned the attack to extract the highest possible price.
Officially, the campaign was intended to return that calm to the area under conditions more favorable to Israel. But the aims go farther. Israel is trying to bring Hamas back to the negotiating table with Egypt on terms that will be good for the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its president, Abu Mazen. Hamas failed to use the six-months calm "constructively" by reaching a deal with Abu Mazen, and now it is paying the price. Israel wants it to end armed resistance, recognize the legitimacy of the Oslo Accords, and accept the terms of the Quartet. In other words, Hamas is supposed to yield its control over Gaza and blend into the PA as a minor partner. More...
Platform of the Organization for Democratic Action
Toward election to the 18th Knesset
ODA (DA’AM in Arabic), a party uniting Jews and Arabs, seeks to move society toward socialism. To this end we maintain connections with workers’ movements and labor unions throughout the world. We present an alternative both to predatory capitalism and to religious fundamentalism.
1. The Palestinian question
ODA seeks real peace, to be based on Israeli withdrawal from all the Occupied Territories, including East Jerusalem. We believe that the political conflict cannot be solved without the establishment of a sovereign, independent Palestinian state. The current preoccupation with "shelf agreements," which include Israel's annexation of settlement blocs, foils any chance of reaching a sustainable peace. Israeli policy has escalated the situation, weakening the Palestinian Authority. That policy has created the current division between Gaza and the West Bank. It has perpetuated the suffering of those living in the Territories. There is a danger that it may lead to a renewal of direct occupation and continuing bloodshed. The responsibility for presenting a fair peace plan rests squarely, therefore, on the shoulders of Israel, which must decide whether it is willing to pay the price that will resolve the conflict. The ongoing occupation regime undermines Israeli democracy and prepares the ground for apartheid. More...
