Athens

2024-05-08

Near an Israeli-owned hotel in the heart of the Greek capital Athens, an anti-Israel mob rioted outside the "Brown" hotel in Athens.  The protests, which escalated into riots, saw demonstrators attempting to breach the hotel premises where a group of Israelis were reportedly staying. The protests erupted at Omonia Square, with demonstrators chanting slogans against Israel and attempting to forcefully enter the hotel. Greek police swiftly intervened, deploying gas grenades to disperse the crowd and restore order to the area. Footage from the scene captured the chaotic scenes as protesters dispersed amidst the sound of exploding grenades. Despite the unrest, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that there were no known Israeli casualties resulting from the incident. The protest in Athens is the latest in a series of anti-Israel demonstrations witnessed . The demonstrations reflect the ongoing tensions surrounding Israel and its policies, with sentiments spilling over into public displays of dissent. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-08

Clashes broke out between police and protesters during a in central Athens on Tuesday, a day after the Israeli military launched a ground and air operation in part of eastern Rafah in the Gaza Strip. More than 300 people carrying Palestinian flags and banners reading "Hands off Rafah!" rallied outside the parliament building in the Greek capital. "We are here in solidarity and we will respond any time the," said protester Antonis Davanellos, a 60-year old pensioner. Police fired teargas to disperse a small who climbed up the gate of the Egyptian embassy opposite parliament. The clashes were brief.Palestinians and pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest in front of the Greek parliament, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Athens, Greece, May 7, 2024. (credit: ALKIS KONSTANTINIDIS / REUTERS) At least 34,789 Palestinians have been killed and 78,204 injured in the seven-month-old war, the Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry said on Tuesday. The war began when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and abducting about 250 others, of whom 133 are believed to remain in captivity in Hamas-run Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Hamas on Monday said it had told mediators it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal, but Israel said the terms fell short of its demands and pressed ahead with the strikes in Rafah, which it says are aimed at destroying the military capabilities of Hamas. Throughout the war, Rafah has been the main lifeline to the outside world for Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians, allowing humanitarian supplies in and transport of patients out during severe shortages and destruction of healthcare facilities. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-07

had a terrific chance to advance to the Euroleague Final Four for the first time in a decade, but just came up short to Panathinaikos 95-88 in what was a back-and-forth Game 4 that the yellow-and-blue let slip through its fingers over the closing minutes of the contest. With the series now all knotted up at two games a piece, Maccabi will have a tall task as it heads back to OAKA Arena in Athens for the pivotal Game 5, slated for Tuesday at 9:15 pm. ’s crew was oh-so-close to punching its ticket to the promised land as it was leading by seven points midway through the final frame, with a Final Four berth on the tips of its tongue. But great players make great plays and come up huge when the chips are all in, and that’s exactly what Kendrick Nunn and Kostas Sloukas did for Ergin Ataman’s squad. Nunn and Sloukas, along with Mathias Lessort, were so crucial down the stretch as they didn’t allow the pressure to faze them in any way shape, or form as time wound down. Only the best of the best know how to manage this sort of intensity, but the likes of Sloukas, who has seen a thing or two in basketball while collecting three Euroleague championships, rise to the occasion when called upon. Maccabi’s Lorenzo Brown was completely aware of how could make Tel Aviv’s life miserable in what was a must-win for the Greek side. “They were playing great basketball, Nunn came out scorching and we had to put a stop to him and he was pretty much their main guy in the series so shutting him off and Sloukas as well and containing Lessort down in the paint, that’s going to be our task for Game 5.” MACCABI TEL AVIV’S Lorenzo Brown (right) dribbles against Panathinaikos defender Mathias Lessort during the yellow-and-blue’s 91-87 victory. (24/4/2024) (credit: TOURRETTE PHOTOGRAPHY/ANDREAS PAPAKONSTANTINOU) “We threw a blow, they threw a blow and that is how the game went all night,” Nunn said following the game. “It was a tough match, but we came out victorious. We had some big stops late in the game that got us the victory.” “Kendrick scored some incredibly difficult shots. He is the best scorer right now in the EuroLeague, and he showed that tonight,” Sloukas added. Following a zero-point performance on just three shots in Game 3, Sloukas scored right out of the gate when he snagged the ball off the tipoff and easily laid it into the basket for a quick layup and two points. The Greek guard, who crossed the town from Piraeus to OAKA this past offseason, knew exactly the toll it would take on his reputation to make such a move, but he decided to do what was best for him and not the fans as he holds no allegiances. But one way or another, Sloukas along with Nunn, who was extremely serviceable in the NBA helping the Miami Heat make their way to the 2020 NBA “Bubble” Championship against the Los Angeles Lakers, will no doubt come out ready to go back in Athens as they now move to just one game from the Final Four. “It was a hell of an effort from our team, fighting like that with our backs against the wall. We have one more game, Game 5 back in OAKA,” Nunn added. “It’s not going to be easy. Maccabi is a hell of a team. They play well together, and we have to play together as well. One more game to go to the Final Four. We just have to stay together.” Maccabi is devastated by the result as Katash knows full well that winning a decisive backs-against-the-wall, do-or-die Game 5 in OAKA will be very, very challenging, especially with history totally against them as a road team looking to close out a series. There has never been one that has. The yellow-and-blue know that its chances are slim at best to make it to the Final Four and that’s the reason Katash said ahead of Game 4 that that game was do-or-die in his eyes. The thought of having to win on the road and in front of over 20,000 crazy fans will not be easy. “We tried lots of lineups and also in the fourth quarter there were players who were very tired and I had to make substitutes,” Katash said. “Like I said, at the end of the day when you get to these moments they scored from plays that were stuck and we ended up getting a 3-pointer. We missed a layup and right after that Sloukas drew the foul and he went to the line and scored. We missed a couple of open looks. We put a lot of effort into getting the seven-point lead. We need to heal on both a personal level and as a team, and of course Wade’s injury is tough for him and we know how much he wants it. How much effort he made to play. I’m proud of how we played even though we lost. We played to win and we were close but at the end they made big plays and scored big shots. It is what it is.” While Katash had Wade Baldwin back from his hamstring injury, which allowed the guard to start and even dunk, unfortunately didn’t hold up the next time he subbed into the game and came up limping once again ending his night after having played only seven minutes or so. The loss of Baldwin obviously hit the Maccabi players hard as he is one of their teammates and also a massively important cog to Katash’s team. From the highs of the highs, the air seemed to come out of Maccabi’s balloon when Baldwin headed off the court in tears, but that still didn’t stop the yellow-and-blue from trying to find a way to win the game. “Obviously it’s very tough to see one of your brothers go down like that,” Colson said following the game. “You have to give a lot of credit to Panathinaikos; they played really well from the start. We had a chance to win the game and we didn’t pull away, which is tough. We wanted to finish the series here in front of our fans, but it’s part of the game. It isn’t easy for us, it’s never been easy for us, so we got to go back to look at film and what we can do better just like we’ve been doing and get the win in Game 5.” “Tough feeling because I’m sure as much as the coaching staff wants this, the players do even more,” Katash said. “We were there up until 5\five minutes to the end. We had a good chance, we were up seven and we had our run, but a few things that were not ordinary happened. They hit big shots off of loose-ball situations and we missed some layups and open shots. We can’t blame anybody for that. I mean some players were really tired. We are missing Wade.” The bench boss continued: “To play that intensity like in a double week – basically playoff games – is not easy. We put in a lot of effort. I feel like overall I am really proud of the players, we came with the right attitude and we were right there – it’s not an easy game to play. We showed character and we have to be proud of ourselves. We have to keep our heads up and go there and try to do something special.” Maccabi went into the fourth quarter in the hole by five points, but quickly found a way to flip that and take a six-point lead with about five minutes left in the contest. But PAO, also playing on fumes in the closing minutes, saw its stars step up big time to flip the score and grab the lead to take home the win. “It’s just another bump in the road,” Brown said. “It’s kind of heartbreaking, but you know, we still have life, we’re still fighting, we’ve been through crazy things this year and it’s just another opportunity for us to be better.” Panathinaikos was happy to stay alive and now they will head home and have the comforts of OAKA and its fans, who will look to will the Greeks to victory. Many will say it’s “mission impossible” for Maccabi, while many others will say otherwise. But one thing is for sure, Ataman’s crew is not celebrating just yet. “The celebration is only if we reach the Final Four,” Ataman commented. “Honestly, it doesn’t add pressure [being the Game 5 home team] and this situation will put more pressure on Maccabi to play in OAKA. But it’s a basketball game so we must be ready to play good basketball.” This will be the second year in a row that Maccabi has made an impact in the Euroleague and will now play a Game 5 quarterfinal contest. Last season, Tel Aviv came up just short in Monaco and now with the same situation presenting itself again, everyone will need to make sure that the lessons that they were taught in the Principality will be implemented in the decisive game this time around. “The key will be just being ourselves,” Brown said. ”I think personally we kind of got out of our bodies and we weren’t the Maccabi that we normally were throughout this whole year. We kind of took a few steps back and it kind of got to us. We had to pick ourselves up because in the second half it came down to 50/50 balls, rebounds and a couple of bad shots. That hurt us pretty much.” “It’s not going to be easy for either team,” Katash exclaimed. “We see what’s happening in the playoffs. Quality teams. It won’t be easy and we know what the atmosphere will be like. We were there. Especially in a deciding Game 5. We have to be very exact and precise to give us the chance to be in the Final Four. We need to stay in the game and play together through the noise. We are ready.” ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-06

In a vibrant and spiritual display, worshippers gathered at the to celebrate the ancient tradition of the , a highlight of Orthodox Easter week. Devotees on Saturday to witness the sacred flames that hold deep significance in Christian belief. Once the Holy Fire was ignited, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III led the ceremony, distributing the flames to priests and worshipers. Believers lit candles by reaching through a small opening into the tomb believed to have been Jesus’ resting place. The dimly lit chamber transformed into a constellation of handheld flames, a tradition said to date back more than a millennium. While the ceremony's origins are steeped in mystery and faith, it has faced skepticism over the years. Despite the controversies, the event remains a crucial ritual for Greek Orthodox Christians. The patriarch emerges from the tomb carrying the flames, which are then distributed to various Orthodox churches around the world, from Athens to Moscow and beyond.Ethiopian Orthodox faithfull take part in the Holy Fire ceremony at the Ethiopian section of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City, May 4, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/SHANNON STAPLETON) The Church of the Holy Sepulcher holds immense significance in Christian tradition, believed to be the site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. The ceremony attracts thousands of pilgrims each year, gathering Christians of various denominations in celebration. While the ceremony can sometimes face logistical challenges due to the influx of pilgrims, the joyous atmosphere endures, reflecting the unwavering faith of those who attend. The current Israel-Hamas conflict in the region brings added poignancy this year to the hope and faith that the Holy Fire symbolizes. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-25

Maccabi Tel Aviv is in the midst of a classic Euroleague quarterfinals series against one of its arch rivals in Panathinaikos and the stakes are as high as ever. This year marks the first time that the yellow-and-blue will tip off against the Greek squad in postseason play since a 2012 series that saw the two teams battle it out in a 5-game classic. That series ultimately saw the Greeks snatch a razor-thin 86-85 Game 5 win at the cavernous and rocking OAKA Arena in Athens that went right down to the wire. This year, Maccabi and Panathinaikos are once again looking to write the next chapter in their illustrious history and one of the players who may be the X-Factor in the series is James Webb, who is in his first season with Tel Aviv. The 30-year old Webb made his debut in the Euroleague last year with Valencia and has also played in Greece and Germany as well as in the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets and in the G-League. Webb sat down with The Jerusalem Post to look at the big series in front of the club along with the past season, the trials and tribulations of , when Hamas attacked Israel, and much more. “I’m very excited to have the opportunity to participate in the Euroleague playoffs. As an American, playing in Europe is a dream of the big stage,” Webb began. Maccabi ended the regular season with a 20-14 record which was good enough for 7th place but also required the yellow-and-blue to take part in the Play In tournament in order to advance to the playoffs proper. Oded Katash’s team was clicking on all cylinders in that game against Baskonia and cruised to a 113-85 victory that took place in Belgrade due to the war. In addition, for the first time this season since the Euroleague opener on October 5 against Partizan Belgrade, Maccabi had fans in the stands at the Stark Arena and they were treated to a fabulous performance by star guards Lorenzo Brown and Wade Baldwin. “It was great to have the fans, the more fans the better,” exclaimed Webb. “It’s been tough playing without fans, but the little bit that we did have brought a little bit of extra energy for us during the game. As for [Lorenzo Brown], who just became a father this week, he’s been having difficulties, everything has been going on, but to see your fellow teammate and brother have such a great night and success was great, especially that we made it to the playoffs.” Webb also commented on Baldwin’s importance to Maccabi’s success. MACCABI TEL AVIV guard John DiBartolomeo (front) drives on Hapoel Jerusalem’s Khadeen Carrington during the yellow-and-blue’s 90-78 Classico victory this week. (credit: Dov Halickman) “As for Wade, he’s one of the top scorers and top players in the Euroleague, as his numbers show. He’s having a great season as well and he’s one of our captains and leaders, he brings a certain tenacity to the team and makes everybody want to get better. It helps to have two of the best guards in the Euroleague, and we let them do what they do, and we follow their lead. But it’s more of a team effort, and our energy will decide how we are night in and night out.” Maccabi is one of the best rebounding teams in Europe, and Webb has been an important factor in that regard when coming off of the bench, whether it’s on the offensive or defensive ends. “I just try to go out there and grab the basketball, but it helps having Josh Nebo, who is a top offensive rebounder and rebounder as well. I think they will be focused on Josh and I can try and sneak a couple of offensive rebounds. But we also have Roman Sorkin, Jake Cohen, Antonius Cleveland and Bonzie Colson who can rebound the ball as well. I don’t think it’s going to be a single person that’s going to rebound the ball but it’s going to be more like a group effort.” Just like everyone else in the Holy Land, Hamas’s all-out attack against the country caught Webb by surprise, and he spoke about the situation and then had to move to Belgrade to continue the continental campaign. “I was in my house, I think in my bed. I woke up the following morning trying to get ready for practice and got a lot of messages and alerts. When I signed with Maccabi, you don’t go into a basketball season thinking about war, tragedies or something like that, you just try to go in worrying about the season and what it’s going to entail and don’t see a war in the future. “As for moving and playing in Belgrade, it’s very tough. You got to fly back and forth, find places to work out and practice gyms. It’s very tough, you don’t expect that. We were there the majority of the time and didn’t feel like Israel was our home place to play at the time.” When the Israeli league returned to play, a number of foreigners, including Webb, decided to return to participate in the domestic league as they took to the floor in Herzliya obviously with concerns. “For one, I didn’t have my family or anything here, and two it was also more of trying to help out the team as well, the situation was a tragedy so I tried to come and show that I’m committed and I’m here for the support. Yes, I was worried as you have that in the back of the mind, for sure.” Moving back to the Euroleague, Webb didn’t see much time in the opening game of the season and made sure to work hard to show the staff that he was going to be an important key to the season. “It’s a long season. I’m a new player coming into a team that had eight or nine players returning, something like that, and I’m a new face and a new style of play. So my job is always to convince the coaching staff that I can get some minutes. It wasn’t more convincing, it was just trying to figure out what I can do to help the team win.” As for Katash, Webb only had good things to say about the bench boss. “He’s great. He’s one of the best coaches out there, doesn’t get the credit that he deserves for sure, he does what’s needed and he also makes sure that the players are in top shape, not overworking them and stuff like that, to prepare them for this long season.” Due to the Israeli league not getting under way earlier on in the season, Webb didn’t get the minutes that he truly needed to fully integrate into his first-year team until much later on in the season. However, Webb doesn’t believe it was that hard to make an impact with the squad. “It wasn’t as tough. As a , your job is to stay ready. I still practice and work out every day with the team, so missing a game doesn’t affect the rhythm. It’s what comes with the job, you got to stay ready when your name is called, you got to be ready to perform. That’s part of being a professional.” Some people raised questions about Webb’s finishing near the rim and his consistency from beyond the arc – he is shooting a respectable 35% from deep – but he knows that’s part of the job. “Everybody is always going to critique something, it’s part of being a basketball player and the outside sources as well. I don’t really worry about that, it’s the game of basketball. Even Steph Curry has bad nights, I’m not comparing myself to Steph Curry, but as a basketball player you’re not going to be perfect and have the perfect game, you just got to do what you can do and provide what you can for a team. You’re going to make shots, miss shots, make layups, dunks and stuff like that, nobody is perfect and shoots 100 percent. It is what it is, but I don’t pay attention to that.” Webb views himself as a team player first and foremost but is also willing to embrace those moments where he becomes the center of attention. “100%, that’s what I’m here for. I’m not a star player, nothing like that. I’m here to add to the team whatever that may be, hustle plays, defense, shooting, cheering, energy, whatever is needed. The real me is every night. Some nights I may score a lot and some nights I may not, but how I impact the game is the real me. Over time, Coach Katash has used me in different ways because I’m versatile, I can add a lot of different things to the team, so it’s just all about a nightly basis of our matchups and who we are playing at the time.” Webb, who was a great baseball player before developing as a hoopster, is known to be the funniest guy in the locker room. “I just like to keep the energy light. I don’t know if you guys know or realize, but being around these players and coaching staff for around 300 days out of the year is like anything else. We’re going to have bad days or you’re not going to see eye to eye sometimes, but at the end of it we’re still a family and a team, so I just try to keep the energy positive and add a little laughter here when I can.” The outset of the war was without a doubt the biggest challenge of the season for Webb and Maccabi, but it was also the moment that pulled everyone together. “Expecting to go to practice and to have a full season in front of fans, it just kind of made it a 180-degree flip, turning our season into more about trying to win and make Israel proud at the time.” Webb would be happy to continue on with Maccabi and sang the praises of the club,. even amid a season of turmoil off the court. “The situation is great here, I’m learning a lot, great coaches and great players, team chemistry, we’re trying to take it as far as we can. It’s a great organization, everybody treats you well like family. It’s great.” One of Webb’s former coaches was Maccabi standout Devin Smith and he still speaks with him on a frequent basis. Smith, who was part of the 2014 Tel Aviv team that won the Euroleague, is without question someone that the forward emulates and would love to match his accomplishment as well being perhaps the X-Factor on the court for the yellow-and-blue. “The goal is to win the championship in the . So every day we’re fighting to get better and fighting to get to that spot. X-Factor, for sure. My role changes night in and night out. I’m like a Swiss Army knife and I can do whatever you need me to do. Whatever our game plan is at the time, my role is going to be a little bit of everything.” ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-25

clipped Panathinaikos 91-87 as Bonzie Colson and Lorenzo Brown led a heroic fourth-quarter comeback to hand the yellow-and-blue a 1-0 quarterfinal series lead at the OAKA Arena late Tuesday night. Game 2 will be back in Athens on Thursday as Maccabi will look to take a commanding 2-0 lead and send the best-of-five series to its Belgrade home-away-from-home due to the war back for Game 3, and Game 4 if necessary. In the opener, Oded Katash’s squad grabbed an early lead as Jake Cohen paced Maccabi, however Kostas Sloukas, Luca Vildoza and Kendrick Nunn gave Ergin Ataman’s Greek team a 50-42 halftime advantage. Mathias Lessort and Wade Baldwin scored for their respective sides in the third quarter as Panathinaikos stayed in front 70-63, but Baldwin came up with a leg injury in the fourth quarter as he helped Maccabi cut down the lead. Still, Colson and Brown quickly picked up the slack with points from the outside and inside to give Tel Aviv lead, while Josh Nebo hit a pair of crucial free throws to ice the game and steal Game 1 on the road. It’s unknown if Baldwin will play on Thursday due to the injury. While the player himself said that he will be ready to go for Game 2, the team is questioning if he will be able to take part in the festivities. Colson scored 18 points, Brown added 16 points and Baldwin chipped in with 15 points in the win. Lessort scored 22 points, Sloukas put in 12 points and Jerian Grant scored 11 points for Pana in the loss. HAPOEL HOLON'S Kevin Hervey led the Purples with 20 points in a crucial 93-92 victory over Promitheas on Wednesday night in Basketball Champions League round-of-16 action. (credit: YEHUDA HALICKMAN) “I think we were down eight points at halftime and we were a little bit confused defensively,” Katash began his postgame comments. “We came back to our game plan and we hit some big shots on big possessions on offense. But it was everything defensively as we showed character and I am very proud. “I hope Wade Baldwin’s injury is not that bad. The last possession and last minute always come down to big plays by big players on both sides. They missed their shot and we made it, but I am proud that we stuck in there and we stayed focused and believed. I am really happy.” Panathinaikos took the loss in stride. “I believe that we didn’t deserve to win,” Ataman said. “We missed 10 free throws, we made a lot of turnovers and in the last two minutes. Everybody – players, staff and the club – who tried to make a festival before the game [didn’t help] ... “The referees with two ridiculous calls and a 3-point shot for Baldwin. "I complained that it’s not fair to give that 3-point shot … everything went against us and we lost the game and lost the advantage and destroyed seven months of work that we made in the regular season. If we do not go to the Final Four, I will not be at Panathinaikos next year.” Colson, the game’s MVP, . “I wanted to play my game and we just fought until the end, but it was a group effort and at halftime we spoke about what got us to this point and we did that. Everybody stepped up and it’s one down. We stuck to what we do, playing good defense and hitting good shots when we need to and just staying together as we showed our resiliency. We just have to keep it up.” Back to the on-court action, Konstantinos Mitoglou and Nunn scored for Panathinaikos as Baldwin and Brown did the same for Maccabi Tel Aviv while Jake Cohen had the hot hand for a pair of baskets to give the yellow-and-blue and early 9-7 lead midway through the first quarter. Nunn scored in the paint, Cohen drilled one from deep, and Sloukas came in for a layup off the wing as the frantic end-to-end pace continued. Maccabi kept up the pressure as Nebo dunked, to which Marius Grigonis dialed up from long distance, as did Brown. Baldwin hit a trio of free throws, Grigonis and Sloukas went from deep, Jasiel Rivero scored inside, Grigonis again went for a corner 3-ball, Lessort put down a monster dunk to close out the frame, but Maccabi held a 26-25 lead after 10 minutes of action. Grant opened the second quarter with an off-balance jumper and Tamir Blatt went from deep, but Vildoza did the same for Pana and Lessort put in a deuce to keep things close. Grant scored while Nebo jammed, but a pair of triples from Vildoza gave the hosts a 43-32 lead with five minutes left in the half. Colson put in a 3-point play as Nunn picked up his third foul, Juancho Hernangomez and Nebo traded baskets and Lessort dunked as Ataman’s squad took a 50-42 advantage into halftime. Baldwin scored to begin the third quarter for Maccabi, while Sloukas scored off a Brown turnover. But Colson went from deep and Brown scored to cut the Pana lead to 60-54 midway through the frame. Tel Aviv’s Antonius Cleveland checked in with a 3-point play, Rivero put in a James Webb miss, and Lessort and Webb traded dunks. But Pana retained control as Panagiotis Kalaitzakis hit his free throws to keep the host side in front 70-63 after 30 minutes. However, Baldwin got the fourth quarter off and running with a 3-point play for Maccabi and added a pair from the charity stripe, and Colson drilled in a 3-pointer to make things super tight almost immediately. Lessort and Baldwin traded buckets, Rivero and Lessort did the same. Then Tel Aviv got a boost with Colson and Brown hitting from beyond the arc to snatch a 81-77 lead with 5:56 remaining in regulation time. Things went down to the wire as Grant came back with points for Pana, while Colson scored in the paint, and Blatt fed Nebo for an alley-oop. The hosts refused to fold, however, as Grant knocked down a huge corner 3-ball and Nunn scored to tie the game up at 87-87 with 56 seconds left. But Maccabi was up for the task as Brown came in for a layup, Sloukas threw the ball away on the penultimate Panathinaikos offensive possession and Nebo drained a pair of free throws to close out the narrow win. “We stuck with it,” said Nebo. “We know that in , the game isn’t going to be won in the first quarter, and we had to be resilient. If they go up, we have to keep playing and we can’t get too high or too low. We stuck to the game plan and believed in one another and we found a way to win the game. In a game like this, you have to find a way and even though we’re tired we had to dig down deep as this is the most important part of the season.” ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-21

’s Killer B’s are back and better than ever, as Lorenzo Brown and Wade Baldwin have hit their stride just in time for what should be a rock ’em, sock ’em quarterfinal series against Panathinaikos, with the winner heading to May’s Euroleague Final Four in Berlin. The yellow-and-blue notched a playoff spot for the fourth time in five seasons and the second in a row under coach Oded Katash, who has proven once again to be a player’s coach and one who understands the intricacies of taking a team to the Promised Land. After finishing the regular season with a 20-14 record - good for seventh place overall - Maccabi was forced to take part in the Play In game against Baskonia to get into the playoffs. However, that didn’t seem to matter to this group of guys, as they crushed the Spaniards to punch their ticket to what will be yet another classic quarterfinal series against Panathinaikos. Heading into the Baskonia matchup, there were certainly plenty of questions surrounding Maccabi Tel Aviv. From how to stop the stealth Markus Howard, to how healthy Brown is, to Baldwin arriving in Belgrade late due to a bureaucratic issue with his son’s passport, not to mention the hundreds of missiles and drones that were launched by Iran at the Jewish State. Still, Maccabi is in Athens with a full roster and ready to tackle Panathinaikos. “Wade means a lot to this team,” Katash commented. “We can talk a lot about Wade and Lorenzo and we can add Bonzie Colson and Josh Nebo that continued with the team from last year, they are the heart of the team and Wade is great for us. He is a leader for us on and off of the court. Nothing has been easy for us this year, including the last three days to prepare for this type of game. But maybe we are used to it already, to play under these circumstances and we showed a lot of character which is an achievement for us which makes it even more special than last year because of the situation.” Vert Shock Basketball Jumps (credit: PR) Baldwin also recognized the challenges that the team had experienced since the weekend while praising the Israel Defense Forces. “We had another 48 hours that’s been crazy. First and foremost we want to and the defense system that is protecting us as players and getting out here and dealing with the circumstances. Our team really appreciates the support that we get from our country and from our fans. This was a team win from everybody, we were locked in and focused and left all of the distractions away and we were able to play a very good game.”The yellow-and-blue had plenty of excuses had the Play In game not go their way and in fact they have a thousand reasons why the season could have ended in disaster. But not this team. The players and coaches have stuck together from beginning to end to get to this point, just as they did last season when they played an all-out stellar series against Monaco which they ended up losing in heartbreaking fashion in five games. That is one massive advantage Katash and Maccabi will have over Panathinaikos, as the core of the yellow-and-blue have already been through a payoff series together, whereas Ergin Ataman’s squad have not. In reality, Pana is where Maccabi was last season, but it does have home-court advantage and the decisive fifth game - should the series get there will be played at a hopping 20,000-seat OAKA Arena in Athens. But there is plenty of time until Maccabi would even get to a fifth game with the dynamic duo of Brown and Baldwin back playing their best basketball. Both guards came out flying against Baskonia and set the tone early on, so much so that the game was pretty much done before the first quarter had come to an end. With Brown going 7-of-8 from beyond the arc and scoring 29 points to Baldwin’s all-around performance that ended with 26 points, it was game, set and match. Forward also chimed in about shutting down Baskonia. “[It was a] total team effort from every player that stepped foot on the court. We came out and executed the game plan and we had fun most importantly and the scoreboard showed that.” Maccabi has no doubt been through a lot this year, with having to play Euroleague “home” games in Belgrade as well as the Iranian attack that took place between last Saturday night and Sunday morning. It took the players some time to adjust, but adjust they did both back in October as well as in the couple of days before the crucial Play In contest vs Baskonia. All season has been one big adjustment and changes on the fly for Maccabi, and Katash has been the glue that has kept the squad together. For that he deserves a tremendous amount of credit. Who in the world thought Maccabi would be where it is now, just a little over half a year ago? Katash has been a miracle worker and should be commended and recognized for the work he has done with this team. However, not being considered for the continental coach of the season is not something that Katash is even thinking about. “It doesn’t really bother me and I am really proud. We know what crazy circumstances we had and from which we found a way to fight and compete and to get the results. I’m not really thinking about myself, but of the players and the organization who I am really happy for. We made people in Israel very happy so I’m not thinking about an individual award.” Now the story shifts to Greece, where Panathinaikos will give Maccabi everything and more that it can handle.Although the yellow-and-blue beat PAO in both meetings this season, those games have to be taken with a grain of salt. The first meeting took place in October at OAKA in a game that Maccabi was absolutely flying and started to run away with until Ataman’s squad sent it into overtime where Maccabi ultimately had the upper hand. The second game between the two took place in January at Pionir Arena in Belgrade and Panathinaikos did not have its pair of point guards in superstar Kostas Sloukas and Luca Vildozza, who were both injured. Baldwin is confident that Maccabi is up for what will surely be an enormous challenge. “We are going to the belly of the beast,” Baldwin enthusiastically said. “It’s a Greek atmosphere that’s one of the tops in Europe. We got to be ready and we will talk a week to prepare for Panathinaikos and it will be a great matchup with two very good teams and we will see how it will play out.” Games 1 and 2 will be on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, in Athens while Game 3 and, if necessary, Game 4 will be in Belgrade the following week on Tuesday and Thursday. If there will be a need for a Game 5, that is slated for Wednesday, May 8 back at OAKA. The history of the two teams is intertwined and has been for years. From Katash having once been a star player for both teams, including winning the Euroleague championship for Panathinaikos over Maccabi, to having recently been the Greek club’s head coach and now in charge of the yellow-and-blue, the storylines are oozing with plenty of schmaltz. Another chapter is about to be written between these two great franchises as a trip to the Final Four is on the line.“It’s going to be tough, and this is what we wanted,” Cleveland said. “They are a great team and it’s a great opportunity for us to keep growing and just play some playoff basketball. It doesn’t get better than this.” ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-18

After he made Israelis fall in love with the wonders of Greek cuisine anew and sold more than 100,000 copies of the cookbook he published about this cuisine, the time has come to go on a journey: Tzviki Eshet and Geo Tours teamed up for culinary tours to Athens and the island of Kea. The first voyage will depart between May 24-27. This is a 4-day journey that will begin on Friday, May 24 with an early landing in Athens and will close late at night on Monday, May 27. The main event will take place in Athens and its surroundings, where Eshet and the Greco team promise to reveal to the participants restaurants and taverns hidden from view where mostly the locals hang out. An in-depth tour will be conducted in the huge food market of Athens and the port city of Piraeus - which guarantees an encounter with artisanal producers based on long-standing production traditions. They will also go through the provinces around Athens and discover the extensive scene that takes place there. In order to get to know the real raw materials, the Greeks' "asli,” the journey will pass through various points, among them: in the ancient bakery in Greece, a fourth generation of traditional baking. They will visit a winery that specializes in the production of Retsina wine and in order to explore the taste of the sea, they will arrive at a secret tavern located on the shore of a magical cove, where everything on the plate has risen an hour earlier from the sea. And how is it possible without Greek music? There will be a lot of it too, in several genres that make the heart happy. (credit: Cecilia Renard kea) The rural cuisine of will also receive attention when the group goes for a full day to the island of Kea (about an hour and a quarter sailing from Athens). The first part of the day will be dedicated to a tour of the island's villages and a visit to the local producers. Later, at a rural farm, the group will go through a private cooking workshop not by professional chefs but by "mamas" who will reveal some of the knowledge and secrets that are passed down from generation to generation. The rest of the day will be filled with relaxing activities, with the group being hosted after lunch and dinner at Kea Retreat - the retreat that opened 3 years ago on the island and is currently ranked in “Vouge” magazine as a must-visit hotel. Entrepreneur and restaurateur Zviki Eshet is one of the Israelis most identified with Greece and its food culture. In 2012, he opened the first Greco, which became an empire and currently has 10 branches that host over 5,000 people a day. The cost of the trip includes accommodation in a luxurious boutique hotel, all the culinary experiences, participation in a private cooking workshop, a visit to the night clubs and more for 3,295 euros per person. The journey was created and produced by Maya Karvat, owner of the agency Maya Karvat Communication and Content. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-17

overwhelmed Baskonia 113-85 on Tuesday night in Belgrade to advance to the Euroleague quarterfinals, where it will play Panathinaikos in a best-of-5 series beginning next Tuesday night in Athens. Lorenzo Brown came out firing on all cylinders at Stark Arena to help give the yellow-and-blue a quick 28-15 lead after the first frame as Oded Katash’s team never looked back. Maccabi continued to run circles around Dusko Ivanovic’s squad and shot the lights out from deep – going 19-of-36 (52.7%) from three-point land – to notch the win. With the victory, Maccabi officially ended the regular season in seventh place and will now face the second-place team, Panathinaikos. The first two games will be played in Greece next Tuesday and Thursday. The yellow-and-blue will then see the series move the following week to its home-away-from-home in Serbia for Game 3 and, if necessary, Game 4, while the series decider would be back at OAKA Arena in Athens the week after that. The series winner will then advance to the Final Four in Berlin, Germany, where it will be joined by the other three teams that advance out of their respective series. maccabi tel aviv (credit: REUTERS) will have one last chance to get into the playoffs when it faces Bologna, which defeated Anatoly EFES 67-64 in their Play-in game on Friday night. The winner will advance to play Real Madrid, arguably the best team in the competition. On Tuesday, Brown led Maccabi with 29 points, Wade Baldwin added 26, and Bonzie Colson scored 14 in the win. Codi Miller-McIntyre scored 32 points, and Markus Howard chipped in with 14 for Baskonia in the loss. “I am very happy for the players,” Katash said after the game. “Before we got out of the locker room I told them ‘just enjoy it, we deserve it, play our game.’ Most of the game we executed really well defensively and offensively. I feel like we deserved to be in the playoffs after this crazy year and I am very happy for the Maccabi organization. The players showed a lot of character.” “Congratulations to Maccabi; they were the better team,” said Baskonia’s coach, Ivanovic. They played really well, and they had Lorenzo Brown, who did a tremendous amount. We tried and fought hard, but it was impossible. Maccabi is one of the best physical teams in the Euroleague, and the problem was not Maccabi so much but ourselves.” Brown, the game’s MVP, also spoke about the victory. “It’s a beautiful feeling right now. We’ve had a lot of adversity this year, but we have been sticking with it and staying together, which is the most important part for our team. Guys had great seasons, but now it’s about the playoffs now, and paying attention to detail will be even more crucial. It’s been a long year for me, playing this whole season through injury and other things as well with our team, but we have been pushing through it and letting everything flow by while paying attention to playing our best basketball.” Brown came out on fire with a pair of triples and Baldwin went from inside and outside to get the game going for Maccabi as Vanja Marinkovic tried to keep Baskonia close, but the Israeli hosts took an early 13-8 lead midway through the first quarter. Brown went from deep yet again while Antonius Cleveland also scored from long distance out of a timeout, Howard scored his first points of the game with a catch-and-shoot corner three-ball for the visitors, but yet another three-pointer from Tamir Blatt and a midrange jumper from Brown gave the yellow-and-blue a 13-point lead after 10 minutes of action. Jasiel Rivero opened the second quarter with a jumper from the charity stripe, Tadas Sedekirskis responded, while Colson and Brown added a pair of buckets as Maccabi started to run away. Then Baldwin put down a massive dunk off the wing and hit a jumper to give Maccabi a 41-21 lead with 5:57 left in the half. Colson fed Josh Nebo for a dunk, while Nikos Rogkavopoulos tried to keep Ivanovic’s squad in the game. But Colson hit a spur of baskets and Brown went for another pair from beyond the arc before Cody Miller-McIntyre scored the final five points of the period. Still Katash’s team took a 55-36 advantage into the halftime break. Howard started off the third quarter from deep for Baskonia, Colson matched him, and Jake Cohen knocked down a triple for Maccabi. Rogkavopoulos and Sedekiskis scored to try and get Baskonia into the game, but Brown went from deep yet again to keep Maccabi ahead by 20 points (69-49) midway through the frame. Baldwin put in a trio of baskets, Rivero put down a dunk, Howard went from deep, while Cleveland and James Webb answered for Tel Aviv and Blatt went from downtown to bump the lead up to 86-61 after 30 minutes of end-to-end action that tilted one way. Howard began the fourth quarter just as he did the third from downtown, Webb used the glass for a deuce and then dunked, as Jordan Theodore and Miller-McIntyre tried to give the Spaniards one last gasp at making a run. all went from deep to wrap up the victory. Baldwin also spoke about the victory and looked ahead to the matchup with Panathinaikos. “We had another 48 hours between games, and that’s been crazy. First and foremost, we want to shout out to Israel and the defense system that is protecting us as players and getting out here and dealing with the circumstances. Our team really appreciates the support that we get from our country and from our fans. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-14

El Al and Arkia have announced the cancellation or alteration of their flights scheduled for Saturday or Sunday. This was in response to the closure of Israel's airspace to aviation from 12:30 am to 07:00 am, prompted by an Iranian drone attack on Israel. The airlines have committed to providing further updates as new information becomes available. According to the security system guidelines, beginning at 12:30 am on Sunday, will be closed to international and domestic flights. The flight schedule from is expected to be significantly altered due to delayed arrivals. Ramon Airport will also shut down to traffic. As the Transportation Ministry stated, travelers are advised to consult their airlines and the Airport Authority's website for updated flight times before heading to the airport.El Al Israel Airlines planes are seen on the tarmac at Ben Gurion International airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel March 10, 2020. (credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun) Here is a list of El Al flights that took off but had their routes altered:- Flight LY 082, scheduled from Bangkok to Tel Aviv, will return to Bangkok.- Flight LY 088, from Phuket to Tel Aviv, will also return to Bangkok. Canceled El Al flights include:- Flight LY 1326 from Paris to Tel Aviv- Flight LY 884 from Rome to Tel Aviv- Flight LY 292 from Barcelona to Tel Aviv- Flight LY 288 from Milan to Tel Aviv- Flight LY 576 from Bucharest to Tel Aviv- Flight LY 558 from Sofia to Tel Aviv- Flight LY 548 from Athens to Tel Aviv- Flights LY 971 and LY 973 from Tel Aviv to Dubai- Flights LY 792 and LY 974 from Dubai to Tel Aviv- Flights LY 613, LY 611 from Tel Aviv to Moscow and LY 614, LY 612 from Moscow to Tel Aviv Arkia flights that have been rescheduled include:- Flight 611 to the Seychelles, departing at 07:30- Rhodes flight 073/4, now departing at 08:00- Flight 771 to Grenoble, scheduled for 09:00- Flights 211/2 to and from Athens, postponed to a later date- Flight 338 from Milan delayed to a later time- Flights 779/780 to and from Geneva, also postponed to a later date ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-04

The Combat Antisemitism Movement is focusing on enlisting to combat rising antisemitism, the organization said, culminating with a North American Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism in Beverly Hills in December. "CAM’s plan of action is to work hand in hand with mayors throughout North America on a daily basis, fostering exchanges of municipal best practices, comprehensive strategies, and impactful actions to secure and nurture Jewish life in cities across the continent," the NGO said in a Thursday press release. "As mayors are the closest to their communities, they stand at the forefront of combating antisemitism, bearing the responsibility to foster, develop, and invest additional efforts in creating the necessary infrastructure to prevent the spread of hatred against Jews in their cities." The summit would seek to bring local American leaders from across the political spectrum to inform them how to identify and combat the ideology that CAM said has risen across all political orientations. CAM previously held summits for mayors in Athens and Fort Lauderdale and had hosted leaders from , Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas, Miami, Cleveland, Richmond, Providence, and Little Rock. “Now more than ever, we are committed to ensuring that every city in North America is equipped with the resources to safeguard Jewish communities," said CAM CEO Sacha Roytman. "As one of the smaller minorities, Jews endure a disproportionate amount of . It is imperative for cities to understand how to eradicate extremism from their streets and create a safe environment for all citizens, which is the purpose of this summit." A pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag while marching to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, during a protest in Washington, U.S., March 2, 2024. (credit: Bonnie Cash/Reuters) Beverly Hills Mayor Lester J. Friedman said the city was looking forward to hosting the summit and to working with his counterparts from other cities. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-28

Ravit Naor is the owner of Ravit and Friends special trips abroad. She was on a trip to Morocco with one of her groups when the war started.  Where did the war find you? We were supposed to return to Israel on Monday from Marrakesh. On Saturday, we woke up to the news of a horror that was taking place in Israel. Our friends were under pressure, as some had children and grandchildren who had been recruited. I learned that my good friend R had been seriously wounded in Sderot.  On Sunday, our Arkia flight to Israel was canceled, so we arranged a flight from Istanbul to Athens and Israel. In Athens, we encountered 5,000 people who were waiting to fly to Israel because their flights were canceled. What happened after you landed? I stayed at Barzilai hospital for two days with my friend who was wounded.  On Thursday I went to Sderot, which was a battlefield. We started escorting teams and mapping cities; we knocked on doors to see who wanted to evacuate. I helped a woman with three young children and her parents, who wanted to evacuate to Jerusalem; but she wanted to go Eilat, where her whole family was. We brought the family to Eilat.  I drove 800 km. a day, two tanks of fuel all at my expense. We brought diapers to the Dead Sea; on the way, we rescued many animals. On the farms, I helped in the cauliflower, eggplant, and tomato fields together with Unit 55, who are Air Force retirees. On the way, I was approached by a farmer whose son was murdered on October 7 who needed to sell his pomegranates. We brought dozens of crates, and we sold them. (credit: COURTESY OF THE FAMILY) When did you join Lahav 433? One of the groups asked for volunteers for their logistic center that had just been established. I showed up, and stayed. When I arrived, I found out that the deputy superintendent who was assigned the task was an amazing girl who had been on my trip to Lapland. After two days, she told me they were not moving from there.  We quickly realized that without a large number of volunteers, even in another two years we wouldn’t be able to return the equipment that the police and the volunteers had evacuated.  The work is hard; you have to search through the sacks and figure out what belongs to whom and whether the vehicle number matches what is in it because sometimes the items were crammed into one vehicle. It is detective work, and your hands are shaking because they don't know if the owner is alive or dead. We dealt with the living; the police dealt with the dead; and the army dealt with the kidnapped.  The logistic center is very moving. We draw blood from things, we tie things to things, we started returning equipment to people. There were moments of elation because we were busy with life.  There were crazy episodes. It turned out that the terrorist was killed. We found cellphones for the family from the terrorists who robbed their home. We found the cellphone of a guy who survived the robbery. All his friends were murdered, and his phone had all the latest videos. We found four wallets; three of the owners are alive, and one was kidnapped.  Every item is linked to a story and a person. There are unidentified things, most of them from a bad area. I came up with an idea to organize everything and bring it to Suprernova. I must praise the police, who were one of the first responders to function. We convinced the Supernova people that we would bring them. We decided to take pictures and put a bar code on each item. The police worked on an app. We hired photographers to take pictures of the things, and we will organize a catalog by subject so that everyone can find their own items. We realized that there were many things left in the area that has been declared a closed military zone. We arrived at the field; everything was dusty. They shouted at me that I was crazy. I obtained permits. I insisted on taking everything because it might be the only thing left of the person. We brought a metal detecting company that found jewelry. We worked with gloves. We crawled on all fours, just to find another bag, a flip flop, a shirt, a wallet. I filled my vehicle with the items that I found. When we found bone remains, a tuft of hair, we realized it was a crime scene. We called the army and the police, and five remains of bodies were found. I sent them videos and locations because it is difficult to extract DNA. They let us work on Friday and Saturday.  There was joy along with sadness. I gave the reservists my phone and told them that whatever they find they should call me. How do you survive? I work like a machine. There are moments of happiness. The advantage is that I am disconnected from the news and Twitter all day. I come home, plop down on the couch, take a shower, and then I take a sleeping pill because it's hard to fall asleep. This article is taken from The Jerusalem Post, 'Women - Heroines of Swords of Iron' Magazine 2024. To read the entire magazine, . ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-18

was stunningly eliminated from European competition over the weekend after falling to Olympiacos 6-1 in the second leg of their UEFA Conference League round-of-16 duel in Serbia, to lose 7-5 on aggregate. The yellow-and-blue entered the return leg in Novi Sad holding what seemed to be an insurmountable 4-1 lead after defeating the Greeks in the first leg in Athens the previous week. However, José Luis Mendilibar‘s squad had something else in mind and, with nothing to lose, his squad played a wide-open style of soccer that caused Robbie Keane’s side all kinds of issues from the get-go. Daniel Podence opened the scoring from inside of the box as he moved past a pair of Maccabi defenders and sent a low liner into the goal by the near post in the 10th minute. Things went from bad to worse for the yellow-and-blue when just a few minutes later Milson was substituted off due to injury, setting the host’s defense off kilter. yet again in the 36th minute as Podence stripped the ball and sent Kostas Fortunis on his way to double the advantage, while Ayoub El Kaabi’s first-half injury-time header gave the visitors a 3-0 lead as they drew even on aggregate at 4-4 going into the break. Maccabi saw signs of life when Gaby Kanichowsky was yanked down in the box and Eran Zahavi slotted home the penalty kick to go up by a marker. However, El Kaabi’s brilliant bicycle kick beat yellow-and-blue keeper Roi Mishpati to draw even on aggregate at 5-5 as the match went into an extra-time period. With Keane’s squad backpedaling, Stevan Jovetic scored off a Panagiotis Retsos free kick in the 93rd minute, while 10 minutes later Olympiacos added an insurance goal by Youssef El-Arabi to send the Greeks into the quarterfinals and Maccabi home in absolute stunned silence. “They played better than us and we had a difficult evening,” Keane said. “We did not expect such a defeat – congratulations to Olympiacos. There may have been a mental problem. The players always try to win, their qualities are very high, but we lost a lot of balls. It hurts to lose by such a margin. We will need great character to get out of this and concentrate on the domestic league. We have to believe that we can win games.” “We really thought we could play a good game and get a good result,” Olympiacos coach José Luis Mendilibar said. “But what we didn’t talk about was qualifying. In our mind we wanted to put on a good showing and achieve a good result. We started with confidence and when the second and third goals came we were filled with confidence. The penalty was quite difficult, but we didn’t think about qualifying at the time.” Zahavi, who scored Maccabi’s lone goal in the second leg, added: “This is a huge disappointment for us, we arrived with a big advantage but we didn’t perform. They did what they pleased on the pitch and we didn’t show up. You can’t concede six goals in Europe and continue on in this competition. It’s a bittersweet ending to a great campaign. We didn’t want it badly enough and unfortunately it’s impossible to advance like that. Instead of making history, unfortunately we went the opposite direction.” Meanwhile, and Fiorentina drew 1-1 in the second leg of their UEFA Conference League round-of-16 tie as the Greens were knocked out of European play by a 5-4 aggregate score. The result ended a terrific continental campaign for Messay Diego in his first season in charge of Haifa. The Israeli Premier League match between Beitar Jerusalem and Maccabi Haifa at the Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem on February 10, 2024. (credit: OREN BEN HAKOON/FLASH90) After a goalless first half, Antonin Barak headed home the go-ahead goal in the 58th minute. However, Anan Khaliali found the equalizer for Maccabi 30 minutes later when he scored into the left corner of the Italians’ goal. But the 1-1 draw wouldn’t be enough as Fiorentina had won the first leg by the score of 4-3 and will now continue on to the quarterfinals. “We planned on starting the game off slowly and then bring up our intensity,” Dego said after the game. “We wanted to get to the 60th minute and bring in some better players but that was the moment that Fiorentina scored. We had a great run and we only played one home game. I believe that if we had 30,000 fans supporting us, the results would have been different. Now we have to just focus on the Israeli league championship. We are proud as to how we played and Fiorentina is at the level of a Champions League team and can make it to the final of this competition.” “I’m proud that we were able to represent Maccabi Haifa with such pride, especially due to the events of October 7. We played here in a hostile environment, but we put our chests out and proudly played by almost advancing to another stage in Europe.”  ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-14

Prime Minister receives regular criticism for failing to share the plan for Gaza after the military role concludes. The lack of an official position on this subject could stem from the fact that all over options are unattractive, and so a new approach is required. Israel as an occupying force is undesirable, it would draw global criticism and simply push off the problem to a later date. Equally, traditional electoral democracy is an unworkable option.  With polls reflecting up to 80% support among Gaza residents, elections would only allow for some incarnation of Hamas to emerge newly empowered – an untenable situation following its acts of terror targeting civilians.  Palestinian Hamas militants take part in a rally during the 35th anniversary of Hamas founding, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, December 14, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA) Such is the nature of elections: a limited menu of choices is put to a population in a contest of slogans rather than long-term solutions. The election process creates very clear incentives for candidate behavior, and in this case those incentives will be incendiary. Look around the world: elections do not lead to harmony in society. Instead, they are a primary source of much of our division through a tone of debate which also paralyzes our democracies. They give concentrated power to a small group of people who benefit from amplifying division and demonizing rivals in order to win and retain office. In the West it is causing fractures; but in a society crippled by a debilitating war and ongoing heightened regional tension it is unfathomable to suggest that this method of democracy contributes to stability. The prime minister should be encouraged to consider a third option: democracy without elections. Democracy does not simply equate to holding elections; elections are simply one method of delivering a representative group of people. Yet, surprisingly to many, they were not used in the democracy born in Athens 2,500 years ago. Athenian democracy foresaw this problem, and instead used a simple random draw among citizens (known as “sortition”). Using this approach would see 50 people from all walks of life randomly-selected to form a Council of Citizens to provide governance and government. Unlike elections, it avoids the skew to people with certain narrow backgrounds and brings together a more representative group of people with everyday jobs.  Having a single fixed term after which a new group is selected by lottery allows for decision-making grounded in judgment, rather than concern for the optics of what will earn them re-election.  Election campaigns require money, which never comes without strings attached and frequently from dubious sources. This democratic method removes that compromise entirely. How would this work in practice? Those 50 people would be tasked with finding a common ground agreement, with at least 80% support required for a decision. They would identify ministers to serve in portfolios by the same process – reviewing nominations from qualified individuals and selecting the one they trusted as a group. If I told you that 50 people picked at random agreed that a given person was the right one to lead a health or infrastructure authority, would you trust them more or less than a political appointment? Around the world, politicians are among the least trusted people. The most trusted are people like ourselves, who we encounter in our daily lives, and that is the group a random draw reaches. This is a higher standard of democracy. A vote offers everyone a tiny fraction of a say; sortition offers everyone an equal chance to serve. Palestinians in Gaza would be offered a democratic framework that many of us across the world would envy. We use this method widely in the West today in the jury system. It is notable that the decisions we take on guilt or innocence for the most serious crimes are widely trusted, yet a mayor announcing a change to how often bins are picked up will be met with skepticism, distrust, and rancor. The jury system has earned our trust because the people’s incentives are transparently fair – they serve once and don’t have to campaign for their jobs. This lesson must extend to politics, especially if the political context is less than ideal. Notably, the practical experience of involving citizens drawn at random in the Citizens Assembly format is not a wild-eyed untested idea. The Irish Parliament will attest to the system’s efficacy after a decade of empowering them to act on issues otherwise too hard for politics. The European Commission also increasingly uses the format, and the German Bundestag has committed to three projects annually.  The most likely objection will come from those who point out that with Hamas polls showing 80% support among the Gazan population, a random draw would deliver a body with 80% Hamas support. It is worth considering that polling offers people a simple, binary question and does not measure the depth of that support which will naturally span from the committed to the marginal. An election campaign captures those varying degrees of support and gives power, by definition, to the most extreme – those who lead the campaign for office within a party. It radicalizes a population. A random sample more accurately captures the variance across the population. Importantly, because it draws on people with day jobs and regular lives instead of professional politicians, they make decisions that they can live with and believe in, not decisions that get them a vote. Those can be two very different things. The prime minister faces a challenging decision for what happens the day after the shooting stops. Two of the three conditions he has set – an end to Hamas as a political actor and the deradicalization of society – can be better achieved using this approach. Having a randomly drawn Council of Citizens rather than elections as usual is an option worth considering to deliver a lasting stable society. A nation’s citizens tend to want peace more than their political leaders, in which case this democratic solution offers a new path for a stable Gaza. The writer is the executive director of The newDemocracy Foundation in Australia. Their work spans design and operation of innovations in democracy. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-05

The second that Kevin Hervey signed with Hapoel Holon last month, the Israeli basketball world’s collective jaw dropped. No one could believe that a player of Hervey’s caliber was on his way to Israel to bolster Amit Sherf’s Purples as they head into the latter stages of the , as well as trying to make as much noise as they possibly can in the domestic competition. Hervey is a top-notch star. The 2022 EuroCup Champion with Bologna – and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2018 second-round draft pick who honed his skills at the University of Texas at Arlington – had arrived in Israel to help Holon make a big push to get to the promised land. As Hapoel Holon prepares for the second half of its Basketball Champions League round-of-16 Group Stage when it meets AEK in Athens on Tuesday night, it’s clear as day that Hervey will be a key component. The 27-year-old is a classic power forward for today’s game who can do multiple things on the court, from causing chaos in the paint to spreading the floor with his ability to hit shots from long range. In fact, Hervey is knocking down triples to the tune of 41.5% this season, which he began with Reggio Emilia. While things may not have gone the way everyone had wanted in Italy, Holon is benefiting mightily from Hervey’s arrival. In just six games thus far in the Holy Land, Hervey is averaging 20.4 points and 7.4 rebounds, and even more importantly, the team is 3-2 in those games, with two of the victories coming over Hapoel Tel Aviv and at , where the visitors slipped by 73-72 in a thriller last week in the capital. The host Reds were able to see up close and personal how dominant a player like Hervey can be as he checked in with 26 points and seven boards, but it was the various facets of his game that particularly bamboozled the Jerusalem players. JaCorey Williams, who had looked like a bona fide star since joining Jerusalem, had all kinds of problems containing Hervey, and that was just the tip of the iceberg as Hervey dominated anyone and everyone sent his way. Whether being “covered” by Oz Blayzer, Levin Randolph, Khadeen Carrington, Chris Johnson, or Speedy Smith, the list of Hervey’s victims went on and on. Hervey was a cut above everyone else on the court for the entire 40 minutes, whether it was on the defensive end or on the attack – with turnarounds, fadeaways, layups, and 3-pointers – as he was able to keep Jerusalem within reach and finally get Holon over the hump to take the lead as the game wound down to notch the win. Sherf was all smiles when we walked out to the team bus after the game, exclaiming how thankful he was to management for making such a significant move and bringing in a player of Hervey’s caliber. You couldn’t miss that smile plastered on his face as he will now ready for a pair of tough games, on Saturday night at Hapoel Tel Aviv and then at AEK in Greece next week. Sherf knows what kind of jewel he now has and the coach must also be thinking about how the team will look when the injured players in Shawn Dawson, CJ Harris and Justin Smith return to action. CJ HARRIS (right) scored a game-high 25 points to power Hapoel Holon to a big 93-74 Basketball Champions League victory over Turkish side Bursaspor. (credit: FIBA/COURTESY) But for now, Sherf and Holon will ride the Hervey wave and use his spectacular skills to help Holon continue progressing. “His qualities to score are clear to everyone,” Sherf said following the game against Jerusalem. “A player like that who can shoot and post up can be a mismatch, and we are taking advantage of that. He can also create for others when they are putting pressure on him. He gives us peace of mind as he knows where to be and when to be in certain places, and he is a good complement around players who may be energetic or aggressive. The key will be to really take advantage of his strengths so that he can work with the rest of the team and know when to get them the ball as well. This will hopefully take us to the next level offensively.” Netanel Artzi, who has taken some significant steps in his career since joining Holon last season, also spoke about what Hervey brings to the table. “He’s a great guy and a fascinating person since he’s been here,” the Israeli forward said. “I sit next to him in the locker room, and I can feel that we have a strong chemistry. He brings qualities that are rare in the league, and he can be trusted in the clutch. He has given us a lot from his own experiences, and he really cares about the team. We were able to understand how to work well with him very quickly and vice versa. He’s been a huge help for us. We have a lot of games ahead and I believe that he will be able keep up his terrific play.” Hervey himself spoke about his short time in Israel thus far as he tried to help lead the team to the next level. “We got some guys out and we found a way to win so I am happy that we are winning. My teammates made me dominant in this game. They threw me the ball and gave me opportunities to score, coach drew up plays for me… I work on my game, and I work on myself, so I am just happy to be playing well. “ has integrated me well,” Hervey continued. “They have shown me love, the fans have been great, my teammates are great, and everything is going well so far. I wouldn’t say that [I am the main offensive weapon], but I feel comfortable with myself so if I am in position to do all of that then I can do it.” As for the keys going forward, Hervey knows what is at stake and what the focus is going to be on. “We can just keep winning, keep competing every night. Every time we play and get onto the court, get the guys who are unhealthy, healthy and get our whole team back, then the sky’s the limit. If I’m not mistaken, we have Hapoel Tel Aviv's next game, and that is where my mind is now; it will be a good game.” Just before Hervey climbed the stairs up to the bus that would take the forward and his teammates back to Holon, he lamented his struggles from the free-throw line (4-of-9) until he remembered that he hit the two that counted most with just seven seconds of the clock left in the game. More importantly. Hervey discussed how he and Justin Smith will be a massive 1-2 punch when the latter returns and how they will be able to complement one another. Hervey’s eyes sparkled at the thought of what Holon’s front court could be, and everyone around him can’t wait to see that in vision come to fruition. ...قراءة المزيد

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