Profiteers of War
Deeply entrenched in all other sectors, Israel's arms industry is booming. Partially subsidized by the United States, Israeli arms are world renown with buyers from 130 countries. Each year the industry grows, with 2014 grossing record-high sales. Alongside conventional arms, Israel specializes in surveillance technologies, occupation-related products (such as checkpoints, barriers, and crowd-dispersal weaponry), and today dominates the Unmanned Vehicles market. Its top selling-point is its revolving-door between the industry and army, as well as its ability to frequently "battle-test" its weapons, as companies often brag at arms conferences. A number of research groups document Israel's arms manufacturers, including Who Profits and Armed. It was also profiled in Yotam Feldman's excellent 2012 documentary The Lab.
Made in Israel: Exporting Occupation Technology
October 03, 2014
The Real News' Lia Tarachansky visit the Tel Aviv Security Week Arms Expo to representatives of companies directly involved in the construction of Israel's occupation over the Palestinians, whether by building walls, fences, checkpoints, or protest-suppression technologies. She also speaks to attorney Eitay Mack on his appeal to Israel's Supreme Court to reveal the list of security and weapons exporters.
Canadian Military Sales to Israel
Mach 14, 2011
While portraying the image of the "honest broker" Canada's military and intelligence cooperation and arms trade with Israel paint a different picture. The Real News' Lia Tarachansky interviews Yves Engler, the author of Canada and Israel: Building Apartheidabout the political, military, and corporate support Canada extends Israel and its meddling in Palestinian internal politics. She also speaks to Richard Sanders of the Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade about Canada's weapons export to Israel and the government's failure to report accurate exports statistics.
Selling Israeli Militarism Like Toothpaste
June 23, 2011
On June 22, 2011 Israel held the largest war exercise in its history. The Real News' Lia Tarachansky interviewed Rela Mazali, a founder of New Profile, an organization working to demilitarize Israeli society, and Alex Cohn, a war resister who served five months for objecting to serve in the army. Cohn analyses a children's show that portrays a typical interaction between soldiers and Israeli children as part of a discussion on the insidious prevalence of militarism in Israeli society.
Israel Debates the Cost of War
Aug 18, 2012
The Real News' Lia Tarachansky summarize this week's coverage in Israel, which changed from predicting if and when Israel might strike Iran to estimating how much it would cost. Israel's previous recent wars cost billions to conduct and billions more to reconstruct affected areas. The Israeli financial press estimates an Israeli attack on Iran would result in a multi-front war which will spike the prices of oil and electricity. Meanwhile, the Israeli government and public began preparing for war as prices of bread, vegetables, and oil rise.
The Cost of Israel's War on Gaza
February 10, 2013
Two months have passed since Israel's last assault on the Gaza strip. Unlike previous attacks, such as Operation Cast Lead in 2008/9, this attack follows Israel's massive social justice movement, and was therefore examined like much of the government's actions under the economic lens, says journalist Dimi Reider of 972 Magazine. In this piece, The Real News' Lia Tarachansky looks at the economic cost Israel paid for launching the war.
Gideon Levy on Israel's addiction
December 11, 2009
Gideon Levy, one of the most prominent Israeli journalists working with Ha'aretz speaks to The Real News' Lia Tarachansky about Israel's addiction to the occupation of the Palestinian Territories. He says there are two ways to deal with a drug addict, you can either help him get more drugs, and this may be perceived as care, but it is not friendship. A real friend helps the drug addict get over his addiction. Levy says the Jewish lobby has decided to take the former route, but he is hoping that the United States and the Obama administration will take the latter.
Who Profits From Israeli Occupation?
August 11, 2009
After the Israeli attack on Gaza earlier this year, the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Campaign (BDS Movement) escalated all around the world. Now, activists are targeting AHAVA, an Israeli cosmetics company founded by and based in an Israeli settlement in the Occupied West Bank. The AHAVA company, as many others in Israel that are based in the Palestinian Territories or profit from their occupation are owned by the powerful Israel family - the Livnat family. Lia Tarachansky investigates how the family's dynasty is invested in the economy of the occupation.
Clinton, Goldstone and true cost of the occupation
November 2, 2009
The Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported last Friday that at least 11 locations within settlement colonies in the West Bank are escalating construction in order to alter "facts on the ground." In October, the joint Israeli-Palestinian organization, Alternative Information Center, organized a conference on the economy of the Israeli occupation in Bethlehem. The Real News' Lia Tarachansky attended and spoke to the AIC's Shir Hever about the real costs of maintaining Israel's occupation.
Remote Controlled Occupation
November 7, 2009
Israel is continuing its technological evolution of the occupation, making it possible to institutionalize control over the occupation remotely. At the end of October, the joint Israeli-Palestinian Alternative Information Center held a conference in Bethlehem on economy of the occupation. The Real News' Lia Tarachansky attended and spoke to Dalit Baum of Who Profits and Shir Hever, of the Alternative Information Center about the changing face of the Israeli occupation.