Elizabeth Tsurkov
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An activist and blogger from Israel, recent graduate of the Hebrew University. Passionate about human rights and pro-coexistence.
Latest posts by Elizabeth Tsurkov
27 March 2013
The Pros and Cons of Drafting Israel's Ultra-Orthodox
The Israeli public largely objects to the current policy of allowing ultra-orthodox Jewish youth to avoid army service, but the rule has long been upheld thanks to political power play. Now, the policy is up for consideration.
26 February 2013
A Futile Gagging Order for the ‘Prisoner X’ Scandal
For a whole day, Israeli media were forbidden from reporting on the Prisoner X story, even as it was making headlines worldwide and Israelis disseminated the news in social media and blogs.
19 December 2012
Israel Media Ratings War Spills into Conflict Coverage
The financial troubles of Israeli news media is affecting the diversity and independence of reporters, who are less willing to challenge the wishes of editors or managers who answer to the tycoons who own the media outlets. Increasingly, citizen journalist and bloggers fill in the void of Israeli mainstream media coverage.
26 November 2012
Israelis React to Barak's Retirement from Politics
Israel's Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak, who previously served as Israel's Prime Minister (1999-2001) and IDF Chief of Staff (1991-1995), made a surprise announcement in a press conference today, saying he will be retiring from politics as we wants to spend more time with his family. Israeli netizens react to his resignation.
22 November 2012
Israeli Media Criticized for Coverage of Gaza Conflict
The latest round of fighting between Israel and Gaza militants was covered around the clock in Israel. Media outlets largely adopted the government's narrative and justifications for the offensive. Leftist Israeli bloggers and netizens, while criticizing the government throughout the operation, also attacked what they saw as a biased coverage of the events.
15 November 2012
Israel: “Ashdod Feels like a War Zone”
After a cease fire was negotiated and rocket fire from Gaza had almost stopped, IDF drones assassinated Hamas military chief, Ahmad al-Jabari. Gaza militants responded by launching a barrage of rockets. One of those rockets exploded in a home in the southern town of Kiryat Malachi, killing three members of a family. IDF attacks on Gaza have resulted in the death of at least 13 people, some of them civilians, and injured over 100 people. Israelis living under constant rocket fire in southern Israel shared their experiences and feelings online.
11 November 2012
More Camps to Accommodate Detained Asylum Seekers in Israel
In June 2012 Israel began implementing the amendment to the Anti-Infiltration Law according to which all asylum seekers who cross the Israel-Egypt border are automatically jailed for a minimum period of three years without trial. Citizens of ‘enemy states' (such as Sudan) are jailed indefinitely. Elizabeth Tsurkov shares blog reactions as more prison camps are erected to receive the influx of refugees.
9 November 2012
Israeli Netizens Celebrate Romney's Defeat
Israeli netizens closely followed the elections in the United States, many of them staying up until the early morning hours to find out who of the candidates crossed the 270 electoral vote threshold. The Israeli social media and blogosphere scene is dominated by people who lean to the Left and thus most hoped that Obama would be re-elected. Liberal Israelis are generally disappointed with Obama's inaction regarding the peace process and human rights violations inside Israel, but Romney is seen as the worst of the two.
26 October 2012
Israel: The Unification of Right-Wing Parties Gives Birth to Bibirman
Israelis took to Facebook and Twitter to react to the announcement that the two largest right-wing parties in Israel will run on a joint ballot in the upcoming January 2013 elections. The parties, Likud, headed by Prime Minister Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu, and Yisrael Beyetenu headed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, are projected to form the next Israeli government, as all polls show that the right-wing blog will once against be dominant one in the Knesset.
17 July 2012
Israelis React to Self-Immolation at Social Justice Protest
Oמ Saturday evening (July 14), 56-year-old Moshe Silman attended the Aviv social justice protest, which marked a year since the beginning of the #J14 protest movement. Since the self-immolation, the discussions about it dominated the Israeli cyberspace. The initial reaction was shock, especially of the hundreds of people who witnessed the self-immolation. Many expressed the feeling that Silman's story could have happened to most Israelis due to the near total absence of a government safety net.
Do these Islamists hate women? They seem to be acting like women and cowards, I...