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Resources and articles on Politics
Israel's willingness to enter into talks based on the Saudi initiative as it stands erodes the remaining support the world has for its positions based on existential threats...Israel must not conduct negotiations out of weakness...
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By:
Israel Harel
Israel
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Politics
Peace Process
Peace Process
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Terrorism
Peace Process
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The Palestinians
In the 13th century, the Maharam of Rotenburg, the leading Ashkenazi sage of the time, was kidnapped and a huge ransom was demanded for his release. The ransom was of course collected, but the Maharam forbade it to be paid. Today we are dealing with similar issues, but so many additional considerations affect our behaviour.
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By:
Israel Harel
Israel
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Israeli Society
Israel
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Politics
Peace Process
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Terrorism
It was not so long ago, and the leadership in Israel behaved differently, and the public did not imagine it could be otherwise. This is an almost nostalgic visit to the past in the wake of new behavioral patterns of the recent leadership.
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By:
Moshe Arens
Israel
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Politics
Jewish History
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
People
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
This exchange, commissioned by the Common Ground News Service (www.commongroundnews.org), appeared simultaneously in the Palestinian newspaper Al Quds, the Baltimore Sun and in Haaretz in Israel. It brings together two experts in Middle Eastern affairs: Salameh Nematt, a political analyst for the London-based Arab daily Al Hayat and Akiva Eldar, a senior columnist for Haaretz in Israel.
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By:
Akiva Eldar
Israel
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Politics
Peace Process
We are again witnessing a dispute over the area around the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This is one of many disputes that have been going on between the religions throughout history, and this time it is over a bridge that is being rebuilt to reach one of the gates of the Old City. This article presents the background to this dispute.
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By:
Nadav Shragai
Israel
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Jerusalem
Israel
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Politics
The following article tackles a few of the most controversial issues occupying those who closely monitor Israeli society: The role of the High Court of Justice, the system for electing the members of Knesset and the interpretation of the Law of Return today as reflected in the immigration of the Falashmura.
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By:
Shahar Ilan
Israel
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Politics
One of the issues which is less disputed in the public debate in Israel is the unified status of Jerusalem, its capital. Here is a different point of view bringing to us Teddy Kollek's - the late legendary mayor of Jerusalem - interesting comments.
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By:
Moshe Amirav
Israel
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Jerusalem
Israel
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Politics
Peace Process
People
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
The Magidor commission issues recommendations that aim to make the parliamentary system more efficient to strengthen voter confidence in the government.
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By:
Haaretz Editorial
Israel
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Politics
Demography of Israel: Does it pose a threat to Israel's democracy? Does it pose a threat to the Jewish State? This article raises the issues and explores the implications of the populations trends in Israel.
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By:
Eric Rozenman
Israel
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Israeli Arabs
Israel
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Politics
Jewish History
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
Peace Process
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The Palestinians
In Ambassador Dan Gillermans' address to the UN Security Council, he outlines the dimensions of the conflict with Lebanon: Hizballah's kidnapping of two IDF soldiers from within Israel's sovereign borders constitutes a casus belli. Israel holds the Lebanese authorities responsible for harboring a militant terrorist group like Hizballah, yet Israel recognizes that Hizballah is a proxy of Syrian and Iranian interests which do not include the promotion of prosperity and growth in Lebanon.
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By:
Dan Gillerman
International Relations
Israel
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Politics
The current conflagration with Hizballah was unsolicited by Israel, and was initiated at a time when hostilities between Israel and Hamas were culminating over the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
In this speech to the Knesset regarding the two-front war with Hizballah in the north and Hamas in the south, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert affirms the determination and resilience of the Israeli people and the Israeli army to withstand and defend itself from the threats inflicted upon it.
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By:
Ehud Olmert
International Relations
Israel
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Politics
In an age of cultural sameness and where everything has been reduced to a commercial commodity, how is Jewish identity and Zionism affected by these challenges? The author outlines the issues of identity and culture in the 21st century.
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By:
Anita Shapira
Israel
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Politics
Jewish History
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
Judaism
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Israeli Judaism
Zionism
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Zionism and the Diaspora
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel is a non-party-affiliated, non-profit foundation, whose goal is the advancement and defense of health-related human rights for all the residents of Israel and the occupied territories. This includes residents who are undocumented or who are not recognized by the state.
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By:
Hagshama Department
Israel
Israel
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Politics
Peace Process
Peace Process
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The Palestinians
Social Action Organizations
The uniqueness of the Israeli Center for Social Justice resides in promoting discussion among the government, the civil society and the business sector; in developing a multidisciplinary approach; and by promoting new venues to enhance the principles of social justice, equality of opportunity and social solidarity.
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By:
Hagshama Department
Israel
Israel
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Advocacy
Israel
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Politics
Social Action Organizations
Kav LaOved (worker's hotline) is a non-profit Israeli NGO, dedicated to the protection of worker rights. Kav LaOved helps the most vulnerable in Israeli society: 250,000 Migrant workers (10% of Israeli workforce), Palestinians working in Israel and Jewish settlements, ethnic minority citizens, and people employed via sub-contractors. These workers are subject to withheld payment, under payment, confinement, and criminal abuse. Most of them have no representation or access to institutional help. Due to their nationality, legal status, social-economic background, cultural-linguistic barriers, or gender, these workers are less likely to be familiar with their rights, and less capable to guarantee their implementation.
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By:
Hagshama Department
Israel
Israel
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Israeli Arabs
Israel
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Politics
Social Action Organizations
The Adva Center (“Adva” means ripple) is an Israeli non-partisan, independent action-oriented policy analysis center, founded in 1991 by activists from three social movements: the movement for equal rights for Arab citizens, the movement for equality for Mizrahi Jews, and the feminist movement. ACTION describes one- half of its program and POLICY ANALYSIS the other half. The mission of Adva is to promote equality for citizens of all ethnic and socio - economic minorities, including gender equality.
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By:
Hagshama Department
Israel
Israel
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Advocacy
Israel
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Israeli Arabs
Israel
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Politics
Judaism
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Jewish Women
Social Action Organizations
On January 3, 2005, a reserve unit of the Israel Defence Force was called in to evacuate two illegally installed caravans at the outpost of Givat Shalhevet in Samaria. The soldiers and police officers were met by hundreds of settlers who, throwing up a roadblock, attempted to prevent the unit from entering the outpost. Rocks were thrown, abuse was hurled, settlers branded the soldiers “Nazis.” A soldier was forced to fire in the air after a group of settlers attempted to snatch his weapon. In the aftermath of the clash, residents of nearby Yitzhar demanded that the IDF remove an army outpost which houses soldiers protecting the settlement. The army acceded to the demand.
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By:
Matt Plen
Israel
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Politics
Media and the Press
Peace Process
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Terrorism
Peace Process
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The Palestinians
People
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
There’s no question of the pivotal role played by the media in the current Middle East conflict. The images flashed around the world have crystallized international opinion and perceptions of both Palestinian and Israeli behavior. What is in doubt, however, is how the journalists who shape that opinion go about their business in this volatile and often dangerous climate.
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By:
Judy Lash Balint
Anti-Semitism
International Relations
Israel
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Advocacy
Israel
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Jerusalem
Israel
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Politics
Media and the Press
Peace Process
Moderation or escalation -these were the two basic alternatives in the entwined domains of foreign and defense policies confronting Israel's leadership immediately after the historic and bloody victory in the War of Independence in 1948-1949, and that have confronted government after government unceasingly to this very day. It was the choice of history that these two contradictory and fateful alternatives were first epitomized by David Ben-Gurion and Moshe Sharett. These two outstanding leaders had stood together at the helm of the yishuv -the Jewish community of Palestine- starting in the early 1930s, leading up to the establishment of the State of Israel, and throughout the State's formative years until 1956.
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By:
Ya'akov Sharett
Israel
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Politics
Jewish History
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1860-1948: Early Zionist Age
Jewish History
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
People
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1860-1948: Early Zionist Age
People
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
Zionism
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Who is a Zionist?
Zionism
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Zionism Revisited
Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s finance minister, believes that Israel’s economy is not just sick – it’s bleeding to death. Dire circumstances require immediate action. Only when the bleeding has been staunched can doctors take steps to restore the patient to long-term health.
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By:
Matt Plen
Israel
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Politics
The following article intends to look at the recent rise of incitement against the disengagement plan and more specifically against Ariel Sharon against the backdrop of the Yitzchak Rabin assassination and incitement campaign of 1995.
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By:
Dovi Myers
Aliyah InfoBase
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Life in Israel
Israel
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Politics
Peace Process
Israel: state and religion
A discussion
One of the most poignant difficulties of our time is the struggle between brothers – between religious and secular Jews – in Israel today. The issue has several dimensions. There is first of all an acknowledgment that until very recently and basically extending into the present, a status quo has existed between the secular state and Judaism, which has protected Judaism, reciprocated by an halachic modus operandi with the state. The conflict arises through a departure from the spirit of the accommodation which existed hitherto into a new rhetoric of the “separation of religion and state”. Notions of “freedom of, or from, religion””, emerge to conflict with traditional concept of the spiritual integrity of the Jewish people through the public protection of its laws and practices. The reason why this conflict supervenes over the understanding and accommodation which has existed between the secular State and religion, derives, it is argued, from an estrangement, on both sides of the conflict, from fundamental Jewish values. The discussion was held between Mr Mark Moshinsky and Rabbi Dr Shimon Cowen in a seminar of the Institute for Judaism and Civilization.
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By:
Shimon Cowen
Mark Moshinsky
Israel
Israel
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Politics
Judaism
Judaism
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Jewish Identity
Israel: state and religion
A discussion
One of the most poignant difficulties of our time is the struggle between brothers – between religious and secular Jews – in Israel today. The issue has several dimensions. There is first of all an acknowledgment that until very recently and basically extending into the present, a status quo has existed between the secular state and Judaism, which has protected Judaism, reciprocated by an halachic modus operandi with the state. The conflict arises through a departure from the spirit of the accommodation which existed hitherto into a new rhetoric of the “separation of religion and state”. Notions of “freedom of, or from, religion””, emerge to conflict with traditional concept of the spiritual integrity of the Jewish people through the public protection of its laws and practices. The reason why this conflict supervenes over the understanding and accommodation which has existed between the secular State and religion, derives, it is argued, from an estrangement, on both sides of the conflict, from fundamental Jewish values. The discussion was held between Mr Mark Moshinsky and Rabbi Dr Shimon Cowen in a seminar of the Institute for Judaism and Civilization.
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By:
Shimon Cowen
Mark Moshinsky
Israel
Israel
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Politics
Judaism
Judaism
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Jewish Identity
The following discussion presents a point of view of international law on the Arab-Israeli conflict, as documented by Mr Jonathan Wenig, with a response to its tenets from the standpoint of Jewish tradition by Rabbi Dr Shimon Cowen. The point at issue is the secular notion that sovereign states make or voluntarily subscribe to laws and processes of adjudication versus the Torah view of universal norms of conduct. The second is between legal concepts of the Palestinians’ claim to statehood and the Torah’s view of the intrinsic relationship of the Jewish people to the land. The third has to do with the mode of action in international conflict: mutual negotiation as the source of resolution and the halachic ruling as a guide to practical dealing.
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By:
Shimon Cowen
Jonathan Wenig
Israel
Israel
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Politics
Judaism
Peace Process
The following discussion presents a point of view of international law on the Arab-Israeli conflict, as documented by Mr Jonathan Wenig, with a response to its tenets from the standpoint of Jewish tradition by Rabbi Dr Shimon Cowen. The point at issue is the secular notion that sovereign states make or voluntarily subscribe to laws and processes of adjudication versus the Torah view of universal norms of conduct. The second is between legal concepts of the Palestinians’ claim to statehood and the Torah’s view of the intrinsic relationship of the Jewish people to the land. The third has to do with the mode of action in international conflict: mutual negotiation as the source of resolution and the halachic ruling as a guide to practical dealing.
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By:
Shimon Cowen
Jonathan Wenig
Israel
Israel
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Politics
Judaism
Peace Process
The United Nations was established out of the devastation of World War Two in order to build a world of unity and of peace. Today, sixty years after this organization came into being, we must ask ourselves:
What are we united for and what are we united against?
Are we united for peace and security?
Are we united for fairness and justice?
Are we united against terror?
Are we united against tyranny?
Or are we, sadly, united only in cynical and immoral majority votes, that make a mockery of the noble ideals on which this body was founded.
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By:
Silvan Shalom
Anti-Semitism
International Relations
Israel
Israel
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Politics
Official Documents
One can move from Katznelson to Liesen, to Gordon, to Syrkin and to Ben Gurion, and easily perceive how much Judaism, how much Jewish religious feeling prevails in the world of these so-called non-religious theoreticians of Jewish socialism or Labor Zionism.
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By:
Ezra Spicehandler
Israel
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Politics
Jewish History
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1860-1948: Early Zionist Age
People
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1860-1948: Early Zionist Age
Zionism
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Zionism Revisited
I believe we will have peace with our neighbors. But I am certain that if Israel is not strong there will not be peace.”
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By:
Rochelle Mass
International Relations
Israel
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Politics
Jewish History
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
Judaism
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Jewish Women
People
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
Zionism
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Zionism and the Diaspora
The aim of this Report is to give a comprehensive description of the legal and sociological situation of women in Israel.
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By:
Israel
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Politics
Judaism
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Jewish Women
Was Yitzhak Rabin as courageous and fearless as he is currently regarded? Read on for a different view.
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By:
Barak Barfi
Israel
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Politics
Jewish History
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
Peace Process
People
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
This article focuses on Josef and Avraham Burg, father and son politicians. Their story reflects the history of the state itself and their influence on Israeli politics has been, and continues to be extremely strong.
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By:
Rochelle Mass
Israel
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Politics
People
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1860-1948: Early Zionist Age
People
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
Zionism
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Who is a Zionist?
Zionism
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Zionism Revisited
Barak Barfi examines the historic leaders of the Palestinian national movement.
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By:
Barak Barfi
Israel
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Politics
Peace Process
Peace Process
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The Palestinians
The State of Israel: should it be understood in terms of a meta-historical phenomenon or mystique, realized in concrete history, or as a concrete, historical, empirical entity symbolizing inter alia metahistorical values?
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By:
Uriel Tal
Israel
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Politics
Zionism
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Religious Zionism
Barak Barfi reviews the Likud party members who seek to succeed Ariel Sharon as faction chairman.
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By:
Barak Barfi
Israel
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Politics
Peace Process
Barak Barfi explains how Israeli domestic politics doomed the Middle East peace initiative known as the road map.
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By:
Barak Barfi
Israel
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Politics
Peace Process
Ever wanted to know how the founding fathers of Israel viewed the state in its early years? Read what Ben Gurion had to say about Israel ten years after the founding of the state.
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By:
David Ben Gurion
Israel
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Politics
People
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
Zionism
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Zionism Revisited
Street signs in Israel bear names of individuals, past and present, who have contributed significantly to the nation’s development. Using street signs as direction, this series will briefly introduce the leading personalities in Israeli history.
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By:
Rochelle Mass
Israel
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Politics
People
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1860-1948: Early Zionist Age
Labor, after years of being the dominant political party in Israel, finds its leadership in complete disarray. This article untangles the mess.
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By:
Barak Barfi
Israel
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Politics
So, the results are in—"The People Want Sharon," as the Likud campaign slogan proclaimed. But what went on at the polling stations, in the neighborhoods, behind the scenes?
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By:
Judy Lash Balint
Israel
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Politics
The Labor party has refused to join a national unity government following these most recent Knesset elections. This article examines the ramifications of that decision in light of the Peace Process.
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By:
Barak Barfi
Israel
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Politics
Peace Process
Barak Barfi examines the reasons behind Amram Mitzna's election as Labor Party Chairman.
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By:
Barak Barfi
Israel
>
Politics
Annually, during the month of November, Americans go to vote as an exercise of their democratic freedom. While all too often those who live in the free democratic world take these basic rights for granted, it is important to note that most people around the world do not have these fundamental freedoms.
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By:
12th House
Israel
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Politics
What does graffiti tell us about the environment from which it comes? Judy Balint explores the political, cultural, and religious messages embedded in Jerusalem-area graffiti.
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By:
Judy Lash Balint
Israel
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Jerusalem
Israel
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Politics
Judaism
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Israeli Judaism
Street signs in Israel bear names of individuals, past and present, who have contributed significantly to the nation’s development.
During the time of ancient Israel, leaders tended to be warriors and prophets. During the Exile, when the Jewish People were scattered around the world without a land of their own, leaders tended to be scholars, teachers and rabbis. In the 20th century, the Jewish people survived the Holocaust and established their own nation. Jewish leaders in this century have been soldiers, political leaders, academics and philanthropists.
Using street signs as direction, this series will briefly introduce the leading personalities in Israeli history.
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By:
Rochelle Mass
Israel
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Places of Israel
Israel
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Politics
People
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
When considering the great female leaders of the 20th century, it is impossible to leave out Golda Meir. Golda’s contributions in building and running the State of Israel cannot be understated. Golda Meir is a shining example of feminism and inspiration for women.
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By:
12th House
Israel
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Politics
People
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
A commonly held view is that Judaism and liberal democracy necessarily exist in conflict with each other. This view finds adherents among both liberal democrats and Orthodox Jews. There are liberal democrats who consider Judaism to be a paternalistic religion that is hostile to freedom, and there are Orthodox Jews who consider liberal democracy's separation between church and state - the public and the private spheres - to be atheistic in intent and permissive in practice.
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By:
Aryeh Tepper
Israel
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Politics
Judaism
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Israeli Judaism
On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion declared the State of Israel a sovereign and independence nation. While there were thousands who are to be credited for the establishment of the Jewish State, the most famous among them is David Ben-Gurion.
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By:
12th House
Israel
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Politics
Jewish History
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
People
>
1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
If the movers and shakers of secular humanism cannot uphold their truths when they actually attain positions of power and influence, why should we be shocked that religious nationalism and its concommitant, ultraorthodoxy, continue to be on the rise? A return to roots, to the foundation of the State of Israel and to the 1950’s, flesh out the response to this fairly rhetorical question.
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By:
Sergio Rotbart
Israel
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Politics
Judaism
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Israeli Judaism
Ehud Bark’s dizzying descent from power was almost as dazzling as his early triumphs. But even the political pundits in Israel were not prepared for such a crushing defeat. A trenchant observation making the rounds in Israel is that Barak was a speeded up version of the Netanyahu entanglement. Let’s see why....
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By:
Aryeh Tepper
Israel
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Politics
As one of the most decorated soldiers of Israel's history, Ehud Barak, (Born in 1942 on Kibbutz Mishmar Hasharon), made the transition into politics by joining Yitzhak Rabin's government in 1995.
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By:
Israel
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Politics
Ariel Sharon believes himself to be a pragmatist who believes in peace, but only if it results from a deal which strongly protects Israel's vital interests and national security. This assertive Likud leader is not a man of compromise.
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By:
Israel
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Politics
Peace Process
A Soldier of Peace
Israel's Prime Minister and Minister of Defence from 1992-1995. Yitzhak Rabin was assasinated November 4, 1995 in Tel Aviv.
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By:
Yitzhak Rabin
Israel
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Politics
Jewish History
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
What have soldiers to do with the academic world, which stands for the life of civilization and culture? What have those who are professionally occupied with violence to do with spiritual values? The answer, I think, is that in this honor which you have conferred through me upon my fellow soldiers you chose to express your appreciation of the special character of the Israel Defense Forces, which is itself an expression of the distinctiveness of the Jewish People as a whole.
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By:
Yitzhak Rabin
Israel
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Politics
People
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1948-Today: Modern Zionist Age
On May 14, 1948, on the day in which the British Mandate over a Palestine expired, the Jewish People's Council gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum, and approved the following proclamation, declaring the establishment of the State of Israel. The new state was recognized that night at 11:00 AM Israel time by the United States and three days later by the USSR.
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By:
Israel
>
Politics
Official Documents
Zionism
>
Essential Zionist Texts
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