Hey, this is my first time doing a blog for Icnext, so I'm nervous, I guess we'll see how this turns out. I wasn't really sure what to expect from our lecture today, but essentially we were laid a solid framwork of some of Israel's pressing current events in an hour by Ilan Bloch. To give more context about Ilan, he works as a tour guide, teacher, and session facilitator, previously teaching Jewish Studies, with a master’s degree in education. I have to say, I really appreciate how he really tried to keep the politics neutral, which was made clear in his careful language- never explicitly siding with one side but offering contrasting opinions. I don't think I can really go over every single topic extensively, but I will try to give a concise overview of the lesson.
There were 5 main current events we focused on in the lecture-
1. Tensions with Israel and Palestinians (external issues),
2. Tensions with other middle eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia (external issues)
3. The idea of judicial overhaul (internal)
4. Netanyahu's trial (internal)
5. Issues with arab citizens in Israel (internal)
2. Tensions with other middle eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia (external issues)
3. The idea of judicial overhaul (internal)
4. Netanyahu's trial (internal)
5. Issues with arab citizens in Israel (internal)
Notably, the more pressing threats seemed to be internal threats, seen most obviously with the attempted judicial overhaul causing unprecedented protests and splitting Israeli society. We really touched on these more during the lecture, and we had to be careful assessing the situation because of how many split opinions there were on different topics.
Internally, the controversial judicial overhaul in Israel grants the executive branch more power over the judiciary, triggering objections from those who advocate for a balanced system. The Supreme Court's objections or alterations to laws proposed by the right-leaning government, such as the exemption of Orthodox Jews from military service, have fueled the debate. Polls show opposition to the judicial overhaul, with critics claiming it benefits the executive branch at the expense of the judicial branch.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position is marred by accusations of bribery and press manipulation, leading to objections regarding his eligibility to hold office. The incapacitation law has been introduced to define when an official would be considered incapacitated, benefiting Netanyahu by making it more difficult to declare him as such. Some argue that a court case should disqualify someone from the position of prime minister, while others suggest a conspiracy against Netanyahu involving the judiciary.
Arab Israeli citizens face issues of mistreatment, with instances of excessive violence by police in response to crimes, particularly affecting those who were once Palestinian but are now Israeli citizens. Calls for police replacement with the Shin Bet, mainly dealing with external terrorism, receive criticism due to potential exposure of tactics and deviating from the intended purpose of the Shin Bet.
External issues concerning Israel's relationship with Palestine, particularly due to terrorism, raise fears about the succession of the Palestinian Authority's current leader. Additionally, the cancellation of parts of the disengagement agreement allows Israeli Jews to inhabit previously inaccessible territories, sparking debates on fairness to Palestinians and the United States' involvement.
Proposals to extend the Abraham Accords to Saudi Arabia present an opportunity for improved foreign policy, but a lack of a two-state solution hampers Saudi Arabia's inclination for a deal. Concerns arise over Middle Eastern countries, like Iran, potentially acquiring nuclear power, viewed unfavorably by some Israelis, although others see it as an acceptable alternative to no arrangement at all.
Ultimately, these are the main things we discussed in Ilan's lecture. There were a few other topics that came up such as the inflation in Israel, but this was the bulk of it. However, I'd still like to talk a bit about my reaction during this talk. I don't have too many exeptional insights, but I think overall its fair to say I was nervous. Obviously I was pretty concerned about how volatile the whole situation seemed. On the other hand, learning so much about the current events in Israel made me feel a lot more invested in it at the same time, inspiring me. It wasn't the most hopeful thing to hear right after taking a 9 hour flight, but I think it was a good introduction to Israel- how could I continue with my journey without knowing about the country I'm staying in? Overall, it definitely showed me that there are a lot more perspectives to the debate than I knew about, and I enjoyed the lecture overall. I'm glad I learned about it either way, and this knowledge is already helpful in combatting misinformation, a large focus we've had this year in our goal to fight anti-semitism.
-Eden