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The Binding of the Boy from Damascus

On the surface, we could be indifferent: these are the domestic broils of a foreign country beyond a hostile border. Some may think that Assad and the rebels are both enemies of Israel; the more they shed each other’s blood, the less of a threat they are to Israel. The truly heartless might even welcome the Arab slaughter as “doing…
12/11/2013

The High Holidays: A Personal and National Time

Throughout the year, the Israeli clock adjusts itself to the global clock and joins the rest of the world, abandoning all that is unique, local, and traditional. But it never abandons Jewish time completely. In fact, the greatest moments of life in Israel are based on the Hebrew calendar. This year, the fifth of September is cloaked in the raiment…
10/09/2013
The Renewed Peace Talks
Peace Process

The Renewed Peace Talks

The energies that went into restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations will be dwarfed by those needed to bring the talks to fruition. Israel is entering this new round of negotiations at a time when the Middle East is especially turbulent and dangerous. Which core strategic considerations should guide the Israeli negotiators in light of this reality? In such a chaotic environment,…
07/09/2013
Peace Process

How Can We Draft the Ultra-Orthodox with Consent?

Few issues have occupied Israeli society for as long and with as much passionate debate as the ultra-Orthodox draft.  The intensity and tenor of that debate has grown to a deafening roar over the past year, resulting in the downfall of the last government, serving as a central issue for voters in the last elections, and occupying the heart of…
27/08/2013

The Ultra-Orthodox Draft: Crossing the Third Rubicon

The Special Committee for the Equal Sharing of the Burden Bill, a parliamentary committee headed by MK Ayelet Shaked, is currently preparing the government's proposed legislation on the issue of Haredi military service for its second and third readings. This is the last, decisive stage in a historical process of repairing the relationship between ultra-Orthodox Jews and the State of…
18/08/2013
2012-2013 Annual Assessment

2012-2013 Annual Assessment

Of all JPPI’s many activities and publications, its Annual Assessments are particularly significant. Not only do they provide an invaluable yearly snapshot of the situation and dynamics of the Jewish people, they also present a coherent, comprehensive set of policy recommendations that address current needs and, if properly heeded, could help pave the way forward. Once again, this year’s assessment…
11/08/2013

The Referendum Law: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

In 2010, the 18th Knesset enacted a law requiring a referendum on any peace treaty with the Palestinians that includes concessions of sovereign Israeli territory. The current Knesset is now in the midst of efforts to upgrade the referendum law to the status of a Basic Law, with the apparent intention of protecting the legislation from judicial review or repeal…
30/07/2013

Israel’s Chief Rabbinate: My Beloved Turned Away

Politically, the defeat of the Religious Zionist candidate, Rabbi David Stav, is a farce. The number of Religious-Zionist Knesset members is both greater than the relative weight of the Religious Zionist community in Israeli society and greater than the number of ultra-Orthodox Knesset members. There is no doubt that had Naftali Bennett, Israel's Minister of Religion, thrown his full weight…
26/07/2013

The Ultra-Orthodox Draft: A Test of the New Israeli Politics

As we approach the end of the current Knesset session, behind the scenes, there are rumors of a struggle regarding the future of the ultra-Orthodox draft, with some parties arguing that the Haredi conscription law should be passed swiftly, in a legislative coup that skips the standard procedures, while others favor deferring the legislation to the next session. While this…
18/07/2013
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