מאמרים

Thin constitution needed to stabilize the government amid political crisis

Israel’s political future depends on adopting a thin constitution that prioritizes stability, fairness, and compromise, ensuring democratic governance amid internal divisions.
Thin constitution needed to stabilize the government amid political crisis
Photo by Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL
Geopolitics

The downside of Blinken’s encouraging confirmation hearing – opinion

Blinken’s remarks on the Israeli-Palestinian issue are cause for concern.
Geopolitics

Of Whales and Members of Knesset

A bizarre phenomenon of nature, known as “beaching,” occurs from time to time when large pods of cetaceans—whales or dolphins—strand themselves on dry land and effectively commit suicide. Perhaps envious of whales, our Knesset members “beached” themselves when they voted to move up their expiration date even before a third of their term had passed. By this act of suicide,…
Geopolitics

On Israel-Palestine, Biden Is Not Just Another Version of Obama

Published in Haaretz Many in Israel are expressing concern that the administration of President-elect Joe Biden will be a repeat of the Obama administration. But Biden is not Barack Obama and 2021 is not 2009. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are traditional Democrats, with a fundamental commitment to Israel whose roots are in part emotional in nature (in contrast…
Geopolitics
Asia

Must Israel ‘support Washington to face down Beijing?’ – analysis

A 2019 Rand Corporation Study reviewed Israel-China relations from the perspective of the American national interest.
Asia
Middle East

No substitute for Oslo and the ‘new Middle East’ – opinion

For a moment, I felt that the voice of the late president Shimon Peres was coming from the mouth of Netanyahu. Published in the Jerusalem Post. The agreement to normalize relations between Israel and Sudan – another important step adjoining the agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain – fuels the debate over whether a “new Middle East” is…
Middle East

Ultra-Orthodox Non-Compliance Rests on Fear

The ultra-Orthodox “revolt” of the last lockdown, which continues until today, is most clearly expressed in the opening of their elementary schools for boys. This violation of the rules brings to light two phenomena: the first is the unmistakable priority granted to abiding by communal and religious values over complying with the laws of the state. Second, and just as…

At the Crossroads: The Ultra-Orthodox Community and Israeli Society

The last two weeks and very likely—the weeks ahead are likely to be one of the most dramatic—and most seminal —periods in the history of the State of Israel. Israel’s rates of Covid-19 infection and mortality are among the highest in the world, and there is a clear and present danger of collapse of the health system’s capacity to provide…

From Politics to a Holy War

Recent days have seen a strange development: Political positions, ideologies and worldviews, support for the Prime Minister or opposition to him—all of them have undergone conversion, and have been transformed into religious beliefs. The long-established ultra-Orthodox parties, who cling fiercely to their faith, are now being joined by those who are clinging no less fiercely to their secularism; those who…

Cries of Protest vs. Cries of Prayer

The sharp contrast between the permission to hold mass protest demonstrations on the one hand and the restrictions imposed on prayer services on the other, is disturbing to many, and rightly so. Many sectors of the Israeli public, both the observant and the traditional, feel that their values are not being treated with the same degree of respect as are…