Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel » Ilan Manor

Saturday Night Fever

Ilan Manor — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:31:31 +0000

One couldn’t help but be swept by a wave of nostalgia during last Saturday’s protest. The sight of thousands of people marching through Rothschild Boulevard chanting “here comes the welfare state” immediately evoked memories of the Social Justice protests that took place in Israel during the summer of 2011. But while the signs carried by [...]

The post Saturday Night Fever appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Are we there yet?

Ilan Manor — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:28:36 +0000

Not since the outing of Hogwarts’ headmaster Albus Dumbledore by author J.K. Rowling has the international Gay community been a buzz as in the past few weeks following two major milestones in the struggle for Gay rights. The first was the legalization of same sex marriage by France and New Zealand increasing the number of [...]

The post Are we there yet? appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Deja Shoe

Ilan Manor — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:24:38 +0000

It was a shoe thrown at former US President George W Bush in December of 2008 that would forever mark his final visit to the Middle East. While holding a press conference with his Iraqi counterpart the former President had to duck for cover as two shoes were thrown at him by a local journalist [...]

The post Deja Shoe appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

One out of every five Israelis

Ilan Manor — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:29:48 +0000

One out of every five Israelis did not watch last week’s televised broadcast of Israel’s official independent day ceremony. One out of every five Israelis did not identify its elected representatives amidst the politicians seated that night near the resting place of Benjamin Herzl, the founder of the Zionist movement. One out of every five [...]

The post One out of every five Israelis appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Pyongyang’s Madmen

Ilan Manor — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:39:03 +0000

Contrary to common belief, it is not Matthew Weiner, executive producer of the superb television show Madmen, who invented the notion of the madman but rather former US president Richard Nixon. Following his narrow victory in the 1968 Presidential elections, Nixon decided to adopt the Madman foreign policy under which leaders of foreign countries were [...]

The post Pyongyang’s Madmen appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu’s Diplomacy of Absurdity

Ilan Manor — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 07:31:01 +0000

As the dust settles after President Obama’s charm offensive, Israeli and American diplomats are set to begin working together on a wide range of issues discussed between the US President and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These include additional steps towards reconciliation with Turkey, gestures of good faith towards the Palestinians in an attempt to [...]

The post Netanyahu’s Diplomacy of Absurdity appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Yesh Atid?

Ilan Manor — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:55:31 +0000

Following the recent 2013 elections, I vowed to ignore Israeli politics. Frustrated by the results of the elections I decided to lead a life of relative solitude. No more daily newspapers, no more hourly updates at the Times of Israel website and definitely no more Channel 10 evening news. When friends asked me if Livney [...]

The post Yesh Atid? appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Calling Netanyahu’s Bluff

Ilan Manor — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 19:04:28 +0000

Less then one week before the upcoming elections there seems to be a consensus among Israeli political analysts that Benjamin Netanyahu will head the next Israeli government. Most analysts also believe that Netanyahu will be able to choose between two options. The first, creating a coalition with his “natural partners”- the right wing and Haridi [...]

The post Calling Netanyahu’s Bluff appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

We’re here, we’re queer, don’t mind us

Ilan Manor — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 17:31:18 +0000

If there is something that distinguishes the 2013 Israeli elections from previous ones, it is the amount of politicians which have addressed the issue of LGBTs’ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) acceptance into Israeli society. In the past few months a number of candidates from various right wing oriented parties have felt the need to [...]

The post We’re here, we’re queer, don’t mind us appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Lapid is the weakest link

Ilan Manor — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 18:18:51 +0000

On November the 27th 2012, the Likud party presented Israelis with its vision for the next four years. The results of the party’s primaries that took place that day revealed that a majority of the Likud’s members had voted for hawkish right wing candidates. MK’s such as Danny Danon, Zeev Elkin and Yariv Levin all [...]

The post Lapid is the weakest link appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Operation Go Get Them

Ilan Manor — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 09:39:04 +0000

It was a confession by US President John F. Kennedy, who admitted that the spy novel “From Russia with Love” was one of his favorite books that catapulted British author Ian Fleming into stardom alongside his fictitious secret agent James Bond. Fleming’s books, written in the heyday of the Cold War, presented readers with a [...]

The post Operation Go Get Them appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu’s Indecision

Ilan Manor — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 12:12:17 +0000

Several weeks ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to the stage of a modest hotel in Jerusalem in order to announce the temporary unification of the Likud and Israel Beiteinu parties who shall run together as one party in the upcoming general elections. From behind a podium bearing the symbol of the state of Israel, [...]

The post Netanyahu’s Indecision appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

The True Crisis of Zionism

Ilan Manor — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 13:25:24 +0000

Last week, many Israelis moved about restlessly in their American Comfort sofas after hearing that three tweens aged 11-13 were arrested under suspicion that they had thrown a Molotov cocktail at a Palestinian taxi cab earlier this month. The assault on the taxi cab, which took place near the Bat Ain settlement in Gush Etzion, [...]

The post The True Crisis of Zionism appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Where is the leader of the free world?

Ilan Manor — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 07:17:05 +0000

As a young man growing up in Israel during the late 1990’s, my view of the world was profoundly influenced by Hollywood. I learned about relationships from Jerry Seinfeld, about the importance of family from Tony Soprano and the way to a woman’s heart from Carrie Bradshaw. The fact that Israeli, German, Italian and Australian [...]

The post Where is the leader of the free world? appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Bring back the monarchy!

Ilan Manor — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 21:11:40 +0000

As the images from Syria continue to dominate television screens throughout the world, one can’t escape the reality that we are witnessing a defining moment in the history of the Middle East. The Arab Spring, or summer, or winter (depends on who you ask these days) has resulted in a popular uprising against Bashar Assad’s [...]

The post Bring back the monarchy! appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.