Israeli elections are right around the corner. But for a country that controls millions of non-citizens, the concept of democracy becomes muddled.

In this episode, +972 Magazine writer Noam Sheizaf explains why, as opposed to the one- or two-state paradigm most of the world thinks in, Israelis consistently vote for a third option: maintaining the occupation just as it is.

"Netanyahu and the right have been saying to Israelis that, not only is the status quo is significantly better than the one-state or two-state solution, but some of the things that people said you can only achieve through a peace deal, can [actually] be achieved within the status quo."

In the second half, former +972 writer Omar Rahman, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center, talks about what it means for Palestinians to have no say in elections that in many ways could determine their national fate, in addition to their daily lives.

"When we're looking at Israeli elections, whether it's the left or the center or the right or the far-right that's elected, that has a tremendous impact on the daily lives of Palestinians and they don't have any say over that. So there's a deep uneasiness over what's coming, which you have no control over."

Visit +972 Magazine and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

The music in this episode is by Ketsa.

Support the show

Two rockets fired toward Tel Aviv from Gaza were described, by both Israel and Hamas, as "mistakes" in recent weeks. Tareq Baconi, of the International Crisis Group, joins The +972 Podcast to talk about why that's probably not the whole truth (14:00), how the Great March of Return (8:40) and Israeli elections come into play (15:30), and the consequences we're starting to see from the Trump administration's change in approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (24:50).

"I personally don't believe the story that the two rockets were fired by mistake. This narrative allows both Hamas to claim that it is still is abiding by its policy of not firing rockets, and giving Israel the leeway to not respond in force or through a major escalation. It's basically a fig leaf that allows both parties to to pretend that they're still interested in averting an escalation, but also reminding the other that they could if the cease fire doesn't hold."

Visit +972 Magazine and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

The music in this episode is by Ketsa.

Support the show

Decades after the first Ethiopian immigrants arrived in Israel, the community still suffers from high poverty, discrimination, and recent police shootings have brought on mass protests. Mazal Bisawer, a prominent activist, says Israelis can't seem to admit that anti-black racism exists in their society.

Later in the episode, editor-in-chief Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man discusses the Supreme Court's recent decision to disqualify a Jewish supremacist candidate from running in Israeli elections, and why nobody should be celebrating quite yet.

• Read Edo Konrad's full article: 'To be Ethiopian in Israel is to be constantly struggling for something'
• Read Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man's article: These elections are a choice between resignation and despair

The music in this episode is by Ketsa.

Visit +972 Magazine and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Support the show

Millions of Palestinians living under Israeli rule don't get to vote in the upcoming Israeli elections — but some other Palestinians can. Rejecting calls to boycott the elections, Palestinian Member of Knesset Aida Touma-Sliman says that when things get hard you're supposed to fight harder, not run away.

In the first episode of The +972 Podcast, we speak with MK Touma-Sliman about the Palestinian struggle for equality as an oppressed and persecuted minority in Israel.

Later in the episode, +972 co-founder Noam Sheizaf discusses the political re-alignment taking place in Israel, the anyone-but-Netanyahu platform of his sole challengers, and why Kahanists in the Knesset is such a scary proposition.

The music in this episode is by Ketsa.

Visit +972 Magazine and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Support the show