Walking the streets of Jisr-Az-Zarka, on her way to the town's municipality building, Makbula Nassar stands out in the scenery. Her outfit includes pants, a short-sleeve shirt, high heels, and hair blowing in the wind. The rest of the women on the street are covered from head to toe, only...

The Separation Barrier was built by the Israeli government to prevent uncontrolled entry of Palestinians from the West Bank into Israel. To get through it, Palestinians must obtain a security clearance from the Israel Civil Administration (the governing body in the West-Bank), and then pass a security inspection...

Media personality Glenn Beck organized a rally this past Wednesday near Temple Mount, in one of Jerusalem's most volatile areas. The event was heavily secured by Israeli soldiers and police, and passed without any problems.

Less than one thousand guests participated, which left quite a few empty...

Imman AbuElhula and Hussun Fahamne suffer from double discrimination. First, as Muslims in a state dominated by a mostly unwelcoming Jewish majority, and second, as women in a patriarchal and chauvinistic Arab society. But, like many young Israeli Arab women, Imman and Hussun are challenging social boundaries.

A generation ago...

Arabs are the largest minority in Israel, accounting for nearly a fifth of the population.
Though the country was established as a democracy, Israel's Arab citizens have been regularly discriminated against by the government, receiving much fewer resources than Jewish citizens.
Within the Israeli society, it is...

Wastewater generated from domestic activities like bathing, washing and laundering is called greywater. Approximately 70 water of the water drained down the sewer in an average household is greywater.

Residential greywater can be can be easily collected and treated, and reused safely for garden irrigation and toilet flushing. By irrigating...

Lonely Planet has recently labeled Tel-Aviv as the "San-Francisco of the Middle East", for its thriving gay community.

While the nightlife and street atmosphere in Tel-Aviv are indeed (very) gay friendly, the Israeli marriage laws are conservative.

Legally recognized marriages can be conducted only by religious...

A six ship flotilla, challenging Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, was intercepted by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on May 31st.

The flotilla's lead ship -- Mavi Marmara -- was carrying more than five hundred people. Nine of the Mavi Marmara's passengers were killed when Israeli soldiers forced...

Water is a crucial resource for every country. Some have too much of it, but in the Middle East -- and especially in Israel -- the natural supply is limited and dwindling.

Earlier this year I showed how water shortage damaged the eco-system of the...

Majdal Shams is a Druze village that lies at the northern most point of the Golan Heights - a region Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 war and has been occupying ever since.

Most of the Syrians that lived in the Golan before '67 escaped...

South Hebron Mountain is the poorest region in the West Bank. The Palestinians here are mostly peasants who live in small villages, and get by selling butter and yogurt cheese, which they produce from their goats' milk.

The village of Hariabt A Nabi is home to seven...

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a defense bill that paves the way for gays to serve openly in the military for the first time.

The legislation -- which will face tougher opposition when raised in the Senate this summer -- has been strongly advocated by President...

Rabbi Ron Yosef defines himself as an orthodox Jew, which means he believes in a strict interpretation of the laws and ethics that are mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.

When he was in his early twenties Yosef started becoming aware of his sexual identity.

One verse - from...

An international environmental conference held this week in Amman, Jordan, was a rare attempt by Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians to work together to solve some of the region's ecological problems.

Representatives of the three neighboring authorities - politicians, environmental experts and activists - met for a four day convention,...

Imagine living less than forty kilometers away from a big and important city, but never visiting it, and rarely hearing reports about what's going on in it. That is my relationship with Gaza.

The Gaza Strip is about 41 kilometers (25 mi) long, and between 6 and 12 kilometers (4-7.5...

In July 1977 U.S. President Jimmy Carter commended Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin for admitting into Israel sixty six refugees from Vietnam -- known as the Boat People - who had escaped the hardships and persecutions of a newly united Communist Vietnam and were floating around in the...

Israel marked this week 100 years to the founding of one of the grand social experiments in modern times -- the Kibbutz.

The first in a series of celebrations was held at Degania, the first kibbutz, attended by Israel's legendary President, Shimon Peres; who was also a kibbutz...

The Palestinian political divide -- Fatah ruling West Bank, Hamas controlling Gaza -- is one of the reasons the Israeli government and public have shown very little enthusiasm to get back to the negotiating table.

Fatah and Hamas have different agendas and political goals. As long as the Palestinians are...