From the 972 Board of Directors, Nearly two months ago 972 – Advancement of Citizen Journalism, the non-profit operating this site, decided to part ways with our Executive Director, Sawsan Khalife’. The dismissal of Khalife was the result of professional disagreements. Following a short proceeding in labor court today, Khalife retracted the unjust accusations she had leveled. In kind, +972 retracted its list of grievances as well. As part of the agreement finalizing her dismissal, Khalife' will receive a modified compensation package. We wish her all the best. We are glad this ordeal is behind us, and have nothing but…

Until I learned Hebrew, I saw Jews as frightening, scary, armed people who expelled us from our land in 1967, now working on finishing us off. Does that surprise you? By Suleiman Maswadeh My name is Suleiman, I am 22 years old and I was born in Jerusalem's Old City. Despite the fact that it is located only hundreds of meters from my home, for most of my life Jaffa Street in central Jerusalem was like a foreign, European country. In my childhood, the word "Jew" referred to either Israeli Border Police or riot police. West Jerusalem was a frightening…

Elor Azaria's trial exposed just how influential the actions and ideas of radical settlers are on the conduct of Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. By Dean Issacharoff Two years before Elor Azaria fired one bullet into the head of Abed al Fatah a-Sharif in Tel Rumeida, Hebron before shaking the hand of Israeli settler Baruch Marzel, I stood in an IDF uniform in the same exact place. As video footage of the incident went public, and especially during the testimony phase of the trial, the public became exposed to the extent to which settlers in Hebron influence IDF soldiers’ conduct in violent and destructive…

With Israel's Supreme Court set to rule on Israel's policy of deporting African asylum seekers to countries where they face danger and even death, hundreds of refugees gather in Jerusalem to demand their right to protection. Read more: What will happen to Eritrean asylum seekers after Israel deports them? Despite dangers, Israel sending asylum seekers to home countries

In the age of Trump, American Jewish institutions need to include the majority of U.S. Jews who rejected his divisive rhetoric and give a platform to dissenting voices — whether they are speaking out against U.S. or Israeli government policy. By Ben Pakman The Jewish American people are entering what promises to be a tumultuous time under the Trump presidency. Our morals and resolve are being tested and, fairly or not, the rest of the world is observing us under a microscope. [tmwinpost] The most prominent American Jews — Trump cohorts like David Friedman (recently appointed as U.S. ambassador to Israel),…

His ideological proximity to the new U.S. president will allow Netanyahu to advance plans for the de facto annexation of the West Bank. Now all he needs is Trump's approval. By Menachem Klein A slip of the tongue from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month is worthy of attention. In an unprepared response to a Likud Knesset member, Netanyahu said: “What I’m willing to give to the Palestinians is not exactly a state with full authority, but rather a state-minus, which is why the Palestinians don’t agree [to it].” [tmwinpost] This almost never happens to Netanyahu. He is calculated, in contrast to…

Settlers build a new outpost in the Jordan Valley, in the shadow of a recent law that retroactively legalizes land theft in the West Bank. By Eli Bitan Israeli settlers have established a new settlement outpost in the Jordan Valley, likely the first since the illegal outpost of Amona was demolished and in the shadow of a recently-passed law that retroactively legalizes Israeli outposts. [tmwinpost] According to Israeli activist group Machsomwatch, a volunteer organization of Israeli women that monitors checkpoints and the separation wall, there are currently 11 settlers — including one soldier — living in the outpost, located adjacent to the…

Yacoub Abu al-Qi'an was an Israeli citizen who was shot dead by Israeli police in Israeli territory. The High Court makes sure to note that, since the case is so similar to another case of another Palestinian killed in the occupied territories. By Hagai El-Ad Several weeks ago Israel's High Court of Justice ruled that the state must return the body of Yacoub Abu al-Qi'an, who was shot dead by police as they demolished the Bedouin village of Umm el-Hiran, to his family. The fact that Abu al-Qi'an was an Israeli citizen played such a significant role in the ruling, so much so that Supreme Court…