Tomer Persico
@TomerPersico · Think tanks & analysts — US/UK
Tomer Persico is an Israeli scholar.
A year of voluntary migration to you too
Translated from HebrewWhat does it take to depict Hamas as a liberation movement? Why do many in radical left circles see organizations such as Hezbollah are leftist "resistance" movements? I claim there's a shift in the very meaning of progressivism: https://t.co/hcVQF1E7j4 https://t.co/tcIkW97FC2
Let's understand: These are our friends. These are the countries that support the right of the State of Israel to exist. Therefore they distinguish between Israel, the legitimate state, and the settlement enterprise, which is not legitimate. It is time that Israeli citizens distinguish as well.
Translated from HebrewWhat an enormous revolution. Just the candidacy, just appealing to Haredi voters as a woman, just the simple reality of a Haredi woman asking for the Haredi vote - already a revolution. And if she enters the Knesset... wow
Translated from HebrewA truly fascinating discussion about traditionalism, halakha, and extremism in Shas. And a note: Benizri shouts "Shulchan Aruch" in order to establish that there is one fixed halakha. The panel members don’t know enough or aren’t honest enough to tell him that the Shulchan Aruch also forbids a man from looking in the mirror or dyeing his hair, and more. Of course, people don’t behave that way.
Translated from HebrewA look at the composition of the lists reveals that Bennett re-established Yesh Atid and Eisenkot re-established Likud (when it was a national-liberal-traditional party)
Translated from HebrewElisaf Peretz has the potential to be the next Silman. I hope Eisenkot's people know what they're doing. @RonenManelis @gadi_eisenkot
Translated from HebrewOne example among many of the complete prostitution of expertise, academic authority, and an NGO’s reputation for the sacred purpose of defaming Israel. Not that Israel did not commit terrible crimes in Gaza, including starvation (a year later, in May 2025 with the criminal GHF organization), but there was no famine, and such “expert testimonies” are one of the reasons for the breakdown of trust in academia and such organizations. Today, of course, there are other experts who prostitute themselves with other claims.
Translated from HebrewThese Israeli terrorists are brazen enough to drive by the US ambassador's convoy for one reason only: they have the support of the current Israeli government. Call out the actual culprits, ambassador
In politics, compromises are made. Sometimes people vote for a non-Jew, sometimes for a woman. You cannot always have everything, meaning a religious heterosexual Jewish man who is the perfect person. In Rabbi Levanon’s ideal state, only such men will be in power.
Translated from HebrewI interviewed Feiglin at a public meeting in 2013 and asked him several times about LGBT rights. He was very clear: LGBT people harm the “status of the classical family,” and therefore the state must not recognize gay marriage or allow adoption. According to Feiglin: “If you demand that the state give you an identical status of family, I think that the State of Israel, certainly as a Jewish state, but any sensible state, any sensible society, that does it will ultimately shoot itself in the head.” The words are clear. It will also be difficult to hold pride parades in a country where Feiglin makes the decisions. According to Feiglin, it is permissible to hold a pride parade “in a place that does not hurt other people, certainly. What can you do? There are other people with rights too. Not only gays have rights” — meaning there is no pride parade in Jerusalem, Mitzpe Ramon, or anywhere where someone’s feelings will be hurt. Perhaps the Torah community groups in Tel Aviv will also insist that this hurts their feelings, and we will close the matter. Therefore this video is important, because for the most part Feiglin’s method of evading engagement with questions of rights is to retreat to a libertarian position in which the state has no interest at all in the citizen’s private life, and everyone does whatever they want. Here he says explicitly: I support straight people’s rights, leave me alone about LGBT rights. This is his position, and this has always been his position. In practice, Feiglin’s libertarianism collapses everywhere it is challenged by the needs of “the people” or “Judaism.” In a meeting with me he spoke explicitly about the need to recognize rights “up to the point where you drill a hole in the ship in which everyone is sitting” — and of course he will decide who is drilling a hole and when. In other words, Feiglin’s freedom is not a pre-political right that limits the majority, but permission that continues as long as, in his view, it does not threaten the integrity or health of the collective. This is a fundamental, profound difference. The needs of the general public will always nullify individual rights, and the needs of the general public are of course determined according to Feiglin’s version of Judaism. There will be no liberal democracy here. @moshefeiglin
Translated from HebrewThere is no way to interpret Rabbi Aviner’s words other than as a racial doctrine. Opinions do not matter; the only thing that matters is Jew/non-Jew. Significant parts of the Haredal community have long since moved into the realms of Judeo-Nazism. More power to Winter for categorically rejecting this racism, and it is time for the rest of religious Zionism to distance itself from it.
Translated from HebrewAnyone who thinks that Haredi women always choose their lives, are happy with their lot, celebrate the right to go out to work so that their husband can study, love the tichel or the wig or shaving their heads, and are generally empowered by the gendered “modesty,” and of course enjoy themselves to the heavens because they have no voice, authority, or autonomy, should read @meravseve’s excellent book, which is based on testimonies she collected over her years as an investigative reporter and a member of “Yated Ne’eman,” as a loyal servant of the oppressive system that she is now exposing with courage and skill. The book is excellently written and provides a window into the social and decidedly oppressive mechanisms of control of Haredi society. Recommended. Also: Haredi autonomy must be dismantled.
Translated from HebrewThis is infantile, but nonetheless: You were awake at 6:29, right? Why, even two days later, did the State of Israel still not control the entire area surrounding Gaza? What did you do from the moment they woke you up other than put on makeup?
Translated from HebrewThe brigade rabbi permitted the mission, but the soldiers turned to their rabbis and received instructions not to go on the mission. Does anyone think an army can be run like this? Refusal to serve, dismantling the chain of command, and Smotrich supports and backs it
Translated from HebrewPlacing Yoav Segalovich in Ra'am is wonderful news. This is especially important news because the cooperation between Jews and Arabs here is not ideological and “representational” (like the reserved slots for Jews and Arabs in Hadash and the Democrats), although that of course has its place and importance, but substantive: Segalovich is coming to deal with crime. Both sides are demonstrating the pragmatism of living together: we need each other. This is a fitting political expression of the banal reality of two peoples who live together and whose lives are intertwined. Yosef Haddad’s placement in Amcha Israel presents a different and important direction as well. Haddad is placed as a Zionist Arab, and his role is to present a model of a “loyal” Arab citizen. His immense popularity among young people enables him to bring a potential dowry of voters. Of course, Haddad is accepted only because he fully identifies with the right’s Zionist narrative. And yet, he is considered an asset, and the fact that a hard-right party places an Arab in a senior position is not trivial. We would not have seen this in Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, or even Likud. Thus, while Likud and Netanyahu are focusing the campaign on delegitimizing political partnership with Arabs, models of such partnership are in fact emerging on both sides of the political map. This is wonderful. Reality is signaling an ever-growing political integration of Jews and Arabs.
Translated from Hebrewלא יודע עד כמה הישראלי הממוצע מודע לכך שחד"ש, נוסף על כך שלא בחרה רשימה עם אישה במקום ריאלי, כן בחרה את ג'פאר פרח במקום ריאלי (מקום 2, מחליף את עאידה תומא סלימאן), שיש עליו שמועות לא נעימות מזה שנים בקשר ליחסו לנשים (פרח מכחיש הכל). הוקמה ועדה במפלגה והומלץ לפרח לפרוש, אבל הוא לא בעניין. המפלגה החליטה אתמול לא להדיח אותו, כלומר לתת לו לרוץ, וכך הוא עומד להיבחר לכנסת. כל זה רק לומר שלמי שזה עוד לא היה ברור מהתמיכה באסד ופוטין, חד"ש היא מפלגה מסואבת ורקובה, באופן לא מפתיע ממנגנון קומוניסטי.
Translated from HebrewIt is worth remembering: A fully right-wing government failed to declare sovereignty, annex a centimeter, eliminate Hamas, and pass a judicial reform/judicial coup, and this with maximum motivation, 4 years to work, and a sympathetic American president. A glorious failure that exposes both the lack of talent of its public officials and the infeasibility of the right-wing worldview.
Translated from HebrewI was glad to take part in a new three-part documentary series, “The Trojan Method,” based on the book by @afdirohak, which reveals how Haredal succeeded over the years in accumulating power and taking over the mainstream right and Likud. Here is the complete series
Translated from HebrewI wonder how many right-wingers are willing to buy into the fantasies about “emigration from Gaza.” Quite apart from the terrible moral issues, don’t they remember that the current full-on right-wing government tried this just a year and a half ago? Don’t they remember that an “Emigration Directorate” was established and that Amit Segal reported that “three countries willing to take in” Gazans had already been found? Don’t they remember that Netanyahu said that their homes were being destroyed, so they would have no choice but to emigrate, and that even U.S. President Trump talked about it? Don’t they remember? Don’t they remember that, alternatively, there was also talk of “pushing” Gaza’s population beyond the southern border into Egypt, even at the cost of a confrontation with the Egyptians, and that scenarios in that direction were seriously discussed? This really was just now, don’t they remember? This isn’t even a new idea whose chances could be debated. It is an idea that the Israeli government has already adopted, established operational bodies for, devoted money and diplomatic efforts to, received backing for from the U.S. president—and failed. Even during an intense war, Israel was unable to get a minimal number of residents of the Strip out of Gaza, so Winter will come along and suddenly succeed? And on top of that, given the international situation Israel is in today? It is so ridiculous. This is the kind of politics intended for people who do not want to think, only to hear a magic spell: someone will say “emigration” and cause two million people to disappear. “Emigration” is not a plan for Gaza but a way to evade the facts. Expelling Gazans from their homes in the Strip is a moral abomination. It will not happen. “Voluntary emigration” will not happen in significant numbers either, simply because there are no countries interested in taking in Gazans. Jews and Arabs will live together in this land in every foreseeable future. Serious politics begins with acknowledging that fact, not with the fantasy that one of the peoples will simply disappear.
Translated from HebrewI greatly appreciate Lali Deri and would be happy to see her in the Knesset. With the understandable reservations regarding the bloc as a whole, if Winter, Deri and co. replace Smotrich, Strook and co., it will be a great gift to the people of Israel.
Translated from HebrewCase in point: Most of Religious Zionism isn't really enthusiastic about voting for the crazies
Translated from HebrewA little something about what is happening in Religious Zionism. The semi-longtime followers of my writing here surely remember a beloved series in which I presented the bottom end of television-channel polls, where “Religious Zionism” had a permanent place (hereafter: the collage). For about three years, since 2023, before the massacre but after the beginning of the attempted coup, Smotrich + Strook + Rothman + Sukkot simply did not pass the electoral threshold. As can be seen, they always received between 2% and 2.9%, meaning they were at least 0.35%—or several tens of thousands of voters—short of entering the next Knesset. All this changed when Bennett joined forces with Lapid. A group of knitted-kippah voters who had been with Bennett decided that this was too much for them and moved to Smotrich. Since then, Smotrich has consistently passed the electoral threshold, sometimes even receiving 5 seats. But here is the thing: those same knitted-kippah voters who joined Smotrich still did not like him. To them he was too extreme, too blunt, too rude. They are very right-wing and very supportive of the settlement enterprise, but they are not Hardal, they are wary of Hardal, and they are not really happy that the Religious Zionist representation in the Knesset is under Hardal control. Yesterday, in Channel 12’s poll, it was possible to see that they had (apparently) found a new party. Winter’s party is sweeping them toward it, and Smotrich is once again falling below the electoral threshold and receiving, according to yesterday’s poll, 2.4%. This is Smotrich’s base: Hardal. They are with him 100%, except that all of Hardal amounts to no more than 300,000 Jews, most of them under 18. What remains simply is not enough to pass the electoral threshold. Smotrich could have tried to broaden his base, but he stubbornly insisted on not doing so. From effacing himself before the Haredim, through surrendering to the committees as finance minister, through removing the party’s more moderate members (Ofir Sofer, Moshe Solomon), all the way to reserving a slot for Tzvika Mor. The party today is Hardal forte and can also serve as a Haredi satellite party. The result is that the Religious Zionist mainstream simply is not with him. Winter is reaping the rewards: he presents a very right-wing but non-Hardal Religious Zionism, and draws to himself all those who are put off by the finance minister. If this poll identifies a real movement rather than statistical noise, it exposes the limit of Smotrich’s power: the moment very-right-wing-but-non-Hardal Religious Zionism has an alternative to its right, it leaves him. There is also a nice political irony here. Fundamentalists are purists, after all. Smotrich spent years turning “Religious Zionism” from a broad sectoral party into a pure ideological party. Now he is discovering that ideological purity is an excellent strategy for receiving 2.4% of the vote.
Translated from HebrewThis report by Segal should be pasted into the campaign ads of every opposition party. Like this, as a slide. Because what do we have here? First of all, an admission that Hamas still poses a threat to the residents of the Gaza border communities. After all, even after Netanyahu backed away from his promises of total victory and the complete elimination of Hamas, he still claimed that the war was a victory, since Hamas no longer posed a threat (for example: "The threat from Gaza has been removed; there is a new Gaza border community - inside Gaza" - 5.7.26). Now it turns out that this is not true either. Second, they are once again conducting a "situation assessment" and formulating responses, which as usual consist of killings, thwarting operations, and bombing homes. In other words, there is not a word about bringing down Hamas, ending its rule, or eliminating it - or, alternatively, about any diplomatic path. This is what Netanyahu knows how to do: respond. Until the next crisis. So we are back to responses to responses, restoring deterrence, Hamas has taken a terrible blow, Hamas has been set back years, quiet will be met with quiet. In other words, we have returned to October 6. Now there is also no need for Qatar to funnel money, because there is international aid and a technocratic government. Finally, Netanyahu, almost ironically and with apparent self-awareness, is trying to emphasize that "we will not return to the reality before October 7", when in practice we are already there. We are in that reality, simply with a thick perimeter inside the Strip, which apparently is irrelevant to drones, kites, and so on. And really, one only has to look and understand what a disgrace this government has brought upon us. Three years of a terrible war, hundreds of soldiers who fell in Gaza, promise after promise to change reality, and what is the result? "Israel will not allow the Hamas terrorist organization" blah blah blah. There is no government more failed, more embarrassing, or weaker than a full-right-wing government. A collection of narrow-minded losers, clueless and irresponsible.
Translated from HebrewLet's turn it around: There is no Palestinian state. What is the status of 5 million Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank? How long do Eisenkot, Bennett, Lapid and co. think it is possible to keep millions of people under occupation? Forever? Another 50 years? What is your solution? Official apartheid? Perhaps "voluntary migration," which even in Gaza, amid a terrible war, failed (fortunately for us)? Come on, don't be shy. What is Israel supposed to do? In practice, there are only two solutions, as there always have been: two nation-states, or one binational state. The Palestinians will be citizens. Either in their own state, or in ours.
Translated from Hebrew
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