Likud Places a Strong Emphasis on Security and Presents Prime
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October 17 2017
Israel and the Middle East News Update Tuesday, October 17 Headlines: • Labor Head: I Won’t Evacuate Settlements Under Peace Deal • Gabbay’s own Colleagues Reject his Evacuation Remarks • Israel Moves Ahead on West Bank Settlements, but Guardedly • Bennett: Israel Should Continue Security Cooperation with the PA • Israel Scraps Plan for Database of American Jewish Students • Trump Says Iran Deal Could be Terminated Altogether • Netanyahu Congratulates Kurz, Silent on Partnership with Far Right Commentary: • Yediot Ahronot: “With Netanyahu, it’s All About Political Survival” − By Sima Kadmon, political columnist at Yediot Ahronot • Jerusalem Post: “Will a Jewish Head of UNESCO Change its Anti-Israel Bias?” − By Tovah Lazaroff, Deputy Managing Editor of The Jerusalem Post S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20004 The Hon. Robert Wexler, President ● Aaron Zucker, Editor News Excerpts October 17, 2017 Times of Israel Labor Head: I Won’t Evacuate Settlements Under Peace Labor party head Avi Gabbay said he would not evacuate West Bank settlements as part of a peace deal with the Palestinians, in remarks that represent a dramatic break from the historical stance of the dovish party. “I won’t evacuate settlements in the framework of a peace deal,” said Gabbay, in a preview broadcast Monday of an interview with Channel 2 set to air in full Tuesday. “If you are making peace, why do you need to evacuate?” Elaborating on his comments, Gabbay said the notion any peace deal would by necessity require the evacuation of settlements is mistaken. “I think the dynamic and terminology that have become commonplace here, that ‘if you make peace — evacuate,’ is not in fact correct,” he said. -
Israel's National Religious and the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict
Leap of Faith: Israel’s National Religious and the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict Middle East Report N°147 | 21 November 2013 International Crisis Group Headquarters Avenue Louise 149 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 502 90 38 Fax: +32 2 502 50 38 [email protected] Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... i Recommendations..................................................................................................................... iv I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. Religious Zionism: From Ascendance to Fragmentation ................................................ 5 A. 1973: A Turning Point ................................................................................................ 5 B. 1980s and 1990s: Polarisation ................................................................................... 7 C. The Gaza Disengagement and its Aftermath ............................................................. 11 III. Settling the Land .............................................................................................................. 14 A. Bargaining with the State: The Kookists ................................................................... 15 B. Defying the State: The Hilltop Youth ........................................................................ 17 IV. From the Hills to the State .............................................................................................. -
In Search of the Center
In Search of the Center By Dahlia Scheindlin After the Second Intifada (2000-2005), Israel appeared to be hurtling towards rightwing politics with no end in sight. From 2009, the towering figurehead of the right, Benjamin Netanyahu, won election after election. As public sentiment veered to the right, parties competed for extreme nationalist and expansionist policies, and there seemed to be no stopping the trend. Yet the party that finally came close to beating Netanyahu in April 2019, then surpassed Likud in a second round in September that year, was not a competitor from the right but a rival from the Israeli center. Blue and White was an unlikely challenger. The party was cobbled together ad hoc ahead of the April 2019 elections, led by three former generals with no obvious political ideology, party institutions or base of support beyond the voters of one of the constituent parties in its joint slate, Yesh Atid. The latter was largely viewed as center-left. Yet somehow, voters knew instinctively where Blue and White fit on Israel’s map – the center. The party’s own leaders worked hard to convey a centrist image as their brand, as well. But do centrist political movements ever succeed in Israel? Can a centrist party become a defining force of Israeli politics, and if so, what exactly does centrism mean in Israel? The Pull of the Center On the face of it, centrist politics sound like a potential antidote to Israel’s notoriously polarized, fragmented, and aggressive political culture. A center party could become a vehicle to promote moderation and pragmatic policies, in theory. -
How Palestinians Can Burst Israel's Political Bubble
Al-Shabaka Policy Brief Policy Al-Shabaka March 2018 WHEN LEFT IS RIGHT: HOW PALESTINIANS CAN BURST ISRAEL’S POLITICAL BUBBLE By Amjad Iraqi Overview the allies holding up his fragile rule, from the ultra- orthodox Jewish parties to his personal rivals within Although no indictments have been issued yet, Israelis Likud. “King Bibi,” however, survived them all. A are speculating whether the latest developments in skilled politician, he has been adept at managing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption Israel’s notoriously volatile coalition system, and [email protected] scandals finally mark the beginning of his political has remained in power with three consecutive demise. The second-longest serving prime minister governments over nine years – each more right wing after David Ben-Gurion, Netanyahu has had a than the last.2 profound impact on Israel’s political scene since the 1990s. It is therefore troubling, especially to Netanyahu directly influenced the country’s media Palestinians, that if these corruption cases are the landscape by shaping the editorial stance of Israel harbinger of Netanyahu’s downfall, they will have Hayom (the nation’s gratis, most-read newspaper, had nothing to do with the more egregious crimes for funded by American billionaire Sheldon Adelson), which he is responsible, and for which he – and future and used the Communications Ministry to threaten Israeli leaders – have yet to be held accountable. and harass media outlets that were critical of him. Despite crises and condemnations throughout This policy brief analyzes Israel’s political his career – including mass Israeli protests for transformations under Netanyahu and maps out the socioeconomic justice in 2011 and, more recently, current leadership contenders from a Palestinian weekly protests against widespread government perspective.1 It argues that Israel’s insular political corruption – Netanyahu withstood public pressures discourse, and the increasing alignment of Israeli to step down. -
C1. Naftali Bennett, the Israel Stability Initiative, February 2012
DOCUMENTS AND SOURCE MATERIAL 195 ISRAEL already called for Israel’s annexation of speci"c territories in Judea and Samaria, C1. NAFTALI BENNETT, “THE ISRAEL to actualize their words through con- STABILITY INITIATIVE,” FEBRUARY 2012. crete action. What separates this plan from others is that it’s practical. This “proposed solution” to the con- !ict was "rst circulated in late February 2012 to Israel’s political and military The 7-Point Plan for Managing the elites, who reportedly (Jerusalem Post Arab-Israeli Con!ict in Judea and 2/23) gave it “high praise.” Its author, a Samaria self-made multimillionaire and a “ris- ing star” in the religious-Zionist-nation- 1. Israel unilaterally extending alist right, was Netanyahu’s chief of staff sovereignty over Area C: Through (2006–8), and for two years (until Janu- this initiative, Israel will secure ary 2012) head of the YESHA settlers vital interests: providing security council. Bennett is also founder and to Jerusalem and the Gush Dan head of the extra-parliamentary move- Region, protecting Israeli commu- ment My Israel. The Israel Stability Ini- nities, and maintaining sovereignty tiative is posted on the One State Israel over our National Heritage Sites. website at www.onestateisrael.com. The world will not recognize our Currently, in Israel’s marketplace of claim to sovereignty, as it does not ideas, only two solutions are being pro- recognize our sovereignty over posed for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian the Western Wall, the Ramot and con!ict. They are: Gilo neighborhoods of Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. Yet eventu- 1. The establishment of a Palestinian ally the world will adjust to the state on the majority of the terri- de facto reality. -
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Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Human Rights Studies Master of Arts Program Silencing “Breaking the Silence”: The Israeli government’s agenda respecting human rights NGOs activism since 2009 Ido Dembin Thesis Adviser: Prof. Yinon Cohen Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts 12 September, 2018 Abstract This research examines a key aspect in the deterioration of Israeli democracy between 2009-2018. Mainly, it looks at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Right-wing governments utilization of legislative procedure to limit the right to free speech. The aspects of the right to free speech discussed here pertain to dissenting and critical activism against these government’s policies. The suppression of said right is manifested in the marginalization, delegitimization and ultimately silencing of its expression in Human Rights NGOs activism. To demonstrate this, the research presents a case study of one such NGO – “Breaking the Silence” – and the legal and political actions designed to cause its eventual ousting from mainstream Israeli discourse. The research focuses on the importance and uniqueness of this NGO, as well as the ways in which the government perceives and acts against it. First, it analyzes the NGO’s history, modus operandi and goals, emphasizing the uniqueness that makes it a particularly fascinating case. Then, it researches the government’s specific interest in crippling and limiting its influence. Finally, it highlights the government’s toolbox and utilization thereof against it. By shining a light on this case, the research seeks to show the process of watering down of a fundamental right within Israeli democracy – which is instrumental to understanding the state’s risk of decline towards illiberal democracy. -
Israel: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief
Israel: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief Updated January 27, 2021 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R44245 SUMMARY R44245 Israel: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief January 27, 2021 The following matters are of particular significance to U.S.-Israel relations. Jim Zanotti Domestic issues: March 2021 election. After the collapse of its power-sharing Specialist in Middle government in December 2020, Israel is scheduled to hold another election for its Eastern Affairs Knesset (parliament) on March 23, 2021. The election will be Israel’s fourth in the past two years—a frequency without parallel in the country’s history. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has managed to maintain power despite an ongoing criminal trial on corruption charges that is set to resume in February 2021. Netanyahu apparently hopes to create a coalition government that will grant him legal immunity or to remain indefinitely as caretaker prime minister (as he did from December 2018 to May 2020) by preventing anyone from forming a coalition without him and his Likud party. Palestinians and Arab state normalization. On the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Trump Administration policies largely sided with Israeli positions, thus alienating Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman and Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas. In the second half of 2020, the Administration pivoted from its January 2020 Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal to helping Israel reach agreements—known as the Abraham Accords—on normalizing its relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. In connection with its deal with the UAE, Israel agreed in August 2020 to suspend plans to annex part of the West Bank, though announcements related to settlement activity have accelerated since then. -
January 15 2020
Israel and the Middle East News Update Wednesday, January 15 Headlines: • Syrian Army Says Israel Attacked T- 4 Airbase • Intel: Iran Will Have Enough Enriched Uranium for Nuke by Year's End • In First, Turkey Included as Threat in IDF’s Annual Intel Assessment • In a Boon to Netanyahu, Johnson's Backing of Nuclear Deal Plan • Likud Again Pushing to Get Extremists into Knesset on Far-Right Slate • Knesset Speaker, in the Eye of Netanyahu's Immunity Storm • Wife of Rabin Assassin Registers Party • Obama’s Middle East Policy Team has a New Home in Warren’s Campaign Commentary: • Al Monitor: “Has Netanyahu Outsmarted Himself in Push for Right-Wing Merger?” - By Shlomi Eldar commentator at Al Monitor • Ha’aretz: “The Israeli Left's Labor-Meretz Linkup: An Alliance Forged by Fear, Not Love” - By Ravit Hecht commentator at Ha’aretz S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20004 www.centerpeace.org ● Yoni Komorov, Editor News Excerpts January 15, 2020 Ynet News Syrian Army Says Israel Attacked T- 4 Airbase The Israeli Air Force attacked T-4 military airport near the city of Homs in western Syria, state news agency SANA reported Tuesday. According to the report, four missiles hit the base, causing no casualties. Syrian television reports that the attack was carried out by unmanned aircraft and by missiles partially intercepted by air defense systems. The T-4 airbase has been attacked at least four times in recent years. The base is believed to be a storage point for personnel and equipment delivered and used by Iran's Quds Forces in Syria. -
To Download / View the Haaretz English Ad As A
They have already given their interpretation of democracy Minister Naftali Bennett and Knesset Members Zeev Elkin, Gila Gamliel, Aryeh Deri, Tzachi Hanegbi, Tzipi Hotovely and Ayelet Shaked have cancelled their participation in the Haaretz Conference on Democracy because the New Israel Fund is among its sponsors. For the boycotters, democracy means disregard of the weak, the rejected, those who lack rights, those who are discriminated against economically and those who are excluded because of their beliefs. To the glory of the state of Israel, the New Israel Fund exists with the understanding that democracy is also the defense of minority rights and it expressly extends a hand to the weak, the discriminated against and the excluded, aiding the existence of non-profit organizations that promote their rights. The politicians of the right and Aryeh Deri (defender of the transparent) cannot tolerate this. Here is a detailed list of the organizations funded by the NIF and its supporters in 2013 (from the Fund’s internet site): Core Grants Noar Kahalcha 30,000 Hotline for Migrant Workers 71,063.57 Darna- Jaffa Popular Committee for Land Allocation 4,577.79 Ne’emanei Torah Va’Avodah 7,000 emocracy and Human and Civil Rights Sister for Women in Israel 116,000 Human Rights Defenders Fund (HRDF) 43,920.24 Economic Empowerment for Women 7,500 Oranim: Hamidrasha Center for Study Fellowship 28,873.71 Adalah: Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel 57,875 Social Economic Association (SEA) 67,000 Humans Without Borders 6,818.32 Fidel: Association -
The Role of Ultra-Orthodox Political Parties in Israeli Democracy
Luke Howson University of Liverpool The Role of Ultra-Orthodox Political Parties in Israeli Democracy Thesis submitted in accordance with the requirements of the University of Liverpool for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy By Luke Howson July 2014 Committee: Clive Jones, BA (Hons) MA, PhD Prof Jon Tonge, PhD 1 Luke Howson University of Liverpool © 2014 Luke Howson All Rights Reserved 2 Luke Howson University of Liverpool Abstract This thesis focuses on the role of ultra-orthodox party Shas within the Israeli state as a means to explore wider themes and divisions in Israeli society. Without underestimating the significance of security and conflict within the structure of the Israeli state, in this thesis the Arab–Jewish relationship is viewed as just one important cleavage within the Israeli state. Instead of focusing on this single cleavage, this thesis explores the complex structure of cleavages at the heart of the Israeli political system. It introduces the concept of a ‘cleavage pyramid’, whereby divisions are of different saliency to different groups. At the top of the pyramid is division between Arabs and Jews, but one rung down from this are the intra-Jewish divisions, be they religious, ethnic or political in nature. In the case of Shas, the religious and ethnic elements are the most salient. The secular–religious divide is a key fault line in Israel and one in which ultra-orthodox parties like Shas are at the forefront. They and their politically secular counterparts form a key division in Israel, and an exploration of Shas is an insightful means of exploring this division further, its history and causes, and how these groups interact politically. -
Israeli Election Bulletin | January 15
Israeli Election Bulletin | January 15 On 23 December 2020 the Knesset was automatically dissolved after the national unity government failed to pass a 2020 state budget. The election will be held on 23 March 2021. For more background on the collapse of the coalition, watch BICOM Director Richard Pater and read this BICOM Morning Brief. BICOM's Poll of Polls Aggregate Polling January 5-15 Many parties such as Momentum, Labour, Veterans, New Economy and Telem are polling under the electoral threshold Two others, Blue and White and Religious Zionism, are polling very close to the threshold (4 seats). If either of them were to fall under it, it would signicantly aect the ability of Netanyahu or his opponents to form a coalition 1/11 Splits, Mergers and Acquisitions We are now in the rst stage of the election process. Over the coming three weeks, politicians will start jockeying for their places ahead of the formation of the party lists that need to be submitted by 4 February. Party size and where they stand on major political issues Political Cartoons Maariv 23.12.20 Santa delvers ballot boxes and 21.12.20 Yediot Ahronot The new mutation. A two headed Gideon Saar and Naftali Bennett chase Gantz and Netanyahu Israel Hayom 24.12.20 “The clothes have no emperor,” the briefcase says Blue and White, looking on former number 2 and 3 in the party. Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn who quit shortly after the government fell to join the Ron Huldai’s the Israelis Party and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi who will see out his role but not stand in the coming election. -
Shabbos Shorts May 22 - 23, 2020 - 29 Iyar 5780 - Parshas Bamidbar/Mevorchim Hachodesh Light Candles by 8:02 - Havdalah 9:09
Young Israel Shomrai Emunah - Shabbos Shorts May 22 - 23, 2020 - 29 Iyar 5780 - Parshas Bamidbar/Mevorchim Hachodesh Light Candles by 8:02 - Havdalah 9:09 Mazal Tov Weekday Shiurim • Howard & Rosanne Benn on the Bar Mitzvah of their grandson, Tzvi Options for remote learning are listed below. For the latest list, go Hirsch Lipman, of Beitar Illit, Israel. Mazal Tov to parents Miriam to https://wp.yise.org/remote-learning-schedule/ (Michelle Benn) & Rabbi Dovid Lipman and grandparents Karen & • Rabbi Rosenbaum - Daily - one chapter of Tehillim followed Bernie Lipman of Woodside. by a 15-minute Shiur on the Parsha. Sunday 9:00 AM/Monday • Shulie & Ronnie Bergman on the birth of a grandson, Shmuel, born to through Friday 8:30 AM - Zoom A. their children, Nechama & Noach Bergman. Mazal Tov to big brother • Rabbi Rosenbaum - Daily - one chapter of Tehillim, Moshe and big sister Miriam. followed by a 15-minute Halacha Shiur. Sunday through Thursday, 7:30 PM - Zoom A. • Manasseh Katz for taking 2nd place in the Table Topics Impromptu • Rabbi Rosenbaum’s Mussar Study Group for Women Speech Contest for Toastmasters International District 36, comprised of (spiritual self-improvement), Sundays at 9:30 AM, Zoom A. over 200 clubs and 5,000 members in Maryland, DC and Virginia. • Rabbi Rosenbaum’s Gemara Shiur for Men, Tuesdays and • Becca & Brett Kugler on the virtual Bar Mitzvah of their son, Akiva. Fridays, 6:00 AM, Zoom A. Mazal Tov to the entire family. • Rabbi Rosenbaum’s Nach Shiur, Wednesdays at 11:00 AM, • Marion & Fred Miller on the graduation of their daughter, Adena, from Zoom A.