The Fifth Question - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

by Mira Sucharov

Why (some) Israelis are allergic to the word 'Palestine'

Recognition of a Palestinian state raises at least two issues for Israelis: legitimacy and security. Yet a closer look reveals that neither concern is quite what it seems.

By Mira Sucharov | Dec 30, 2014 | 01:25 AM | 3

Rally calling on UN to recognize Palestine

Israel should welcome Palestinian UN bid seeking deadline to occupation
Haaretz Editorial | 11
There already is a Palestinian state, and everyone knows it
By Moshe Arens
U.S.: Palestinian UN bid fails to account for Israel's security needs
By Barak Ravid and Jack Khoury | 6

A woman gestures during a protest along a street in Ferguson, Missouri on August 19, 2014.

Which Hanukkah message will win out in today's Jewish political and social climate?

Some view the Hanukkah story as embodying a social justice imperative, while others seek to use the Hanukkah narrative to underscore a siege mentality.

By Mira Sucharov | Dec 16, 2014 | 09:14 PM

Comedian Bill Cosby performs at the Stand Up for Heroes event at Madison Square Garden in New York,

The trouble with the king who was Cosby

One piece on recent fallen celebrity scandals moved me like no other - it helped me reflect on my own sort of, kind of experience of sexual abuse.

By Mira Sucharov | Dec 4, 2014 | 06:07 PM

Why is the media obsessed with Israel?

Seven plausible reasons why the world might be disproportionately occupied with Israel, none of which have anything to do with base hatred of the country or of Jews.

By Mira Sucharov | Nov 19, 2014 | 02:12 AM | 7

Something is rotten in Diaspora discourse on Israel

Jewish community volunteers and activists who choose to wrestle with ideas around Israeli politics instead of supporting the endless occupation risk being accused of disloyalty.

By Mira Sucharov | Nov 4, 2014 | 01:29 AM | 7

A pro-BDS student at the Open Hillel Conference

Is inclusion the highest principle? Open Hillel raises troubling questions

Though accommodating groups which reject link between Jewish Diaspora and Israel may cause some to cringe, we must seek discussion not only among the converted.

By Mira Sucharov | Oct 20, 2014 | 02:13 AM | 2

Protesters demonstrate outside the Metropolitan Opera.

'Klinghoffer' opera captures the violent dynamic of the Israeli-Arab conflict

We all know too well when it comes to Israel-Palestine, each side sees itself as either avenging wrongs committed by the other, or defending themselves from the other’s violent spirit.

By Mira Sucharov | Oct 6, 2014 | 07:58 AM | 3

Children from the Palestinian village of Beitillu, West Bank.

B'Tselem's quixotic fight against the 'temporary' occupation

Security and human rights aren't mutually exclusive, says new chief of Israeli organization.

By Mira Sucharov | Sep 21, 2014 | 10:53 AM

The Policeman’s House: A film about land, loyalty and belonging

Featured at the Toronto International Film Festival, Mich’ael Zupraner's film tells the story of his life in the outskirts of a Palestinian town.

By Mira Sucharov | Sep 10, 2014 | 10:47 AM

Beyond Israel boycott: Pragmatism needed in a time of polarization

From what we know of Israeli history, global isolation in the form of a blunt boycott is more likely to result in a hardened siege mentality, than in concession-making.

By Mira Sucharov | Aug 21, 2014 | 07:44 AM

Demonstrators protest Israel's operation in Gaza in New York, July 24, 2014.

Which side of the Israel-Palestine conflict are you on? A dictionary playbook

Intellectual, analytical categories within the context of the Israel/Palestine conflict are increasingly unhelpful.

By Mira Sucharov | Aug 7, 2014 | 08:19 AM

About this blog

Mira Sucharov is Associate Professor of Political Science and Assistant Dean, Faculty of Public Affairs, at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. A child of the 70s and 80s in two tight-knit Canadian Jewish communities, Mira wrestles with the role of tradition in light of contemporary values, the links between narratives and identity, and the Diaspora relationship with Israel. She is the author of The International Self: Psychoanalysis and the Search for Israeli-Palestinian Peace (SUNY Press), and is a 2010 recipient of a Rockower Award for Excellence in Jewish Journalism. She is currently writing a book on nostalgia and political change.