Priyankar Kandarpa, at The Blogs

Oct 3, 2024, 11:51 PM

Amid the most dangerous moment in the Middle East in decades, as hot war looms between Israel and Iran, that irritating and truly ill-fated phrase has re-entered popular parlance. The four-word utterance of the peacenik's parlance that the Israeli...

Sep 17, 2024, 2:27 PM

How Five Presidents Failed to Bring Peace

Since the beginning of the Israeli-PLO dialogue in 1992, there have been five American administrations: Bill Clinton, George Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden. Some on the Israeli Right will have you that Bush and Trump were...

Sep 13, 2024, 6:03 PM

Three Lessons for the Israeli Peace Camp

People attend a Peace conference at the Yad Eliyahu Arena in Tel Aviv, July 1, 2024. Photo by Tomer Neuberg/Flash90. Obtained via: The Times of Israel

The opinion polls are in, and the verdict is rather damning for Bibi Netanyahu. Barring cir-cumspect numbers from one particular pollster, it is clear and obvious that he will struggle to patch together a coalition needed to form a...

Aug 16, 2024, 11:34 PM

Facing Failure, Messianic Settlers Turn to Violence

Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process Handshake Symbol. Courtesy: Wikipedia User "Wickey-nl"

The recent attack by settlers on the Palestinian village of Jit, located in the area around Qalqilya and Nablus, is yet another terrible reminder of the folly of the settler movement. Messianic, extreme, increasingly violent after its victory in...

Jul 30, 2024, 10:52 AM

This Is How It Ends

So here we are now. After more than 75 years of fending off threats to its survival, decades of facing isolation in the Middle East then signing successful peace treaties with enemies, through savage wars - some successful, some...

Jul 28, 2024, 6:58 AM

The Lebanese Hornet’s Nest

Map of Lebanon, Screenshot by the Author from Google Maps

Need it be said that Hezbollah is a dangerous menace? Doesn't hurt to repeat it. Hezbollah is one of the most dangerous threats there is to Israel. It may be a political party that commands substantial support among Shi'a...

May 28, 2024, 8:26 PM

To the Settler-Right: Over to You

Let’s just say that for now, you’ve won. There are over 500,000 settlers in the West Bank and in excess of 230,000 in East Jerusalem. A growing number live in areas that, as part of any future territorial compromise,...

May 11, 2024, 4:16 PM

High on Hasbara, It’s Time to Smell the Coffee

What do right-wingers like Yishai Fleischer and Gilad Erdan, and the more liberal-minded and Bibi-sceptic Eylon Levy and Noa Tishby have in common? In a seemingly divided Israel, where in domestic politics the Left and Right have come to...

Apr 6, 2024, 1:34 PM

Israel: Do Not Forget Your Leaders’ Lessons

The recent conflagration between the White House and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has led to right-wing recriminations that we have seen way too often. "Biden never really supported Israel." "We are doing more than any other country has for...

Mar 14, 2024, 5:18 PM

The Generous Offer that Never Was

Maps of Israeli Offers at Camp David and Taba, Le Monde Diplo (as interpreted by Jan de Jong, Palestinian cartographer for Orient House).

One of the most contentious aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the question of the 'generous offer'. A major part of Israel's narrative has been that the Palestinians were offered a state and a solution on the refugee issue...

About Me

Priyankar Kandarpa is a strong supporter of a peaceful, democratic Israel existing side-by-side with its neighbours and a two-state solution. A realist and pragmatist, he supports a humanist vision of Zionism that reckons with its complex history and opens new possibilities for coexistence, compromise, and dignity for all.