In a piece for Local Call, I make the case for supporting the proposal put forward in the WTO by South Africa and India, and supported by most governments in the world, to temporarily supsend intellectual property rights regarding Covid-19 vaccines and all medicine and equipment required to combat the pandemic.
No, we should not “accept” mass Covid deaths [Hebrew]
n an opinion piece for Local Call I criticize calls by Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked to “accept” a modicum of death and severe infection during the pandemic. I point to the cruel politics behind the apparent banality that “there is a global pandemic, and in pandemics people die” – urging the public to accept a politics of pandemic management that makes no pretension of trying to end the pandemic.
Have kids if you want them – but don’t ignore climate science
A philosopher’s plea for people to keep having children reveals an unwillingness to confront the realities of climate breakdown
Why do people hate activists?
How responsible are we for decisions being made over our heads or behind our backs? Two important factors seem to be our power to affect them and our knowledge of their consequences.
The JNF is no innocent charity
The Jewish National Fund presents itself in Germany as a ‘green’ organization serving all of Israel’s residents. That’s not what its leaders say in Israel.
Abolition and the Caring Economy [Hebrew]
In this piece for Local Call, I draw attention to the deep positive agenda attached to the rising calls for police and prison abolition – and draw a connection between this agenda and what Naomi Klein has called “growing the caring economy”. I argue that not only does abolition offer a fundamental, revolutionary shift in societal priorities – as relevant in Israel as in the US or any comparable state – but that this shift is essential if we are to meet the challenges of climate change with humanity and not brutality.
No Time To Waste – Coronavirus Recovery Must be Green [Hebrew]
The International Energy Agency warns that the second half of 2020 is the time we have left to avert runaway climate catastrophe, making the attempts to recover from the economic crisis brought about by the pandemic a crucial decision point. Global polling suggests massive majorities support a green recovery – yet government stimulus and recovery programs around the globe woefully fail to take these considerations into account, continuing to prop up failing destructive industries, in particular oil and its derivatives.
The Left and the destructive ethos of self-sacrifice [Hebrew]
Reflecting on my most intense years of political work in Israel, I warn about the danger of driving young activists to wear themselves out in struggle. Instead I highlight the importance of creating a caring, supportive infrastructure, to retain our people and our strength for the long-haul struggle. My piece is deeply inspired by an English-language pamphlet (Tough Mind, Soft Heart), which I recommend reading.
The Terrible Summer of 2014
Israeli politics underwent a dark shift in the summer of 2014, heralding a new chapter in which openly fascist groups play a growing role, while Leftists can no longer operate freely even in the liberal bastion of Tel Aviv. I was on the front lines of the struggle between the Israeli Right and Left in that summer.
A General Strike Could Have Stopped the Pandemic
As the Covid-19 pandemic began to hit countries in the West, some on the Left called for a general strike to stop its spread. They were ignored, much to everyone’s detriment. Throughout the struggle against the pandemic, the people need to try and take the initiative rather than merely respond to government restrictions. (Full translation of a piece originally published on Local Call)