The Only Democracy? » Search Results for "new israel fund"
New Israel Fund issues the guidelines: grantees must support Jewish self-determination
By Jesse Bacon We reported on Richard Silverstein’s initial fears of New Israel Fund’s new guidelines, that they would bar funding to those who opposed Israel as a Jewish state. Then it looked like compromise language was in the works. Finally, the guidelines are out, and they call instead for grantees to support Jewish self-determination within the state of Israel. The JTA reports, Groups that work to “deny the right of the Jewish people to sovereign self-determination … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Audrey Farber, intern, from Mada Al-Carmel on New Israel Fund and Democracy
By Audrey Farber Speculation has run wild on the as-yet-unreleased updated New Israel Fund funding guidelines. Here’s Richard Silverstein, “My source tells me the proposed guidelines will include a provision acknowledging Israel as a Jewish homeland. But the language will also affirm that Israel is: ‘…A democracy dedicated to the full equality of all its citizens and communities.’” Silverstein argues that “full equality” juxtaposed with the “provision acknowledging… a Jewish homeland” sustains a system of inequality. His explanation: “If…you’ve … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
Rabbis for Human Rights defend New Israel Fund from anti-democratic attacks
Dear Friends and Supporters, In light of the smear campaign being run by a group called “Im Tirtzu,” it should be clear to all that we are engaged in a struggle for Israeli democracy. That is not an exaggeration. This is also a not to be missed opportunity, because many people are waking up and realizing the just how dangerous the situation has become. Please find below a description of the situation, a list of things … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
What’s Behind Israel’s Boom-and-Bust Economic Cycles? It’s the Occupation, Silly
One of the great successes of the Israeli government’s “Brand Israel” campaign has been the re-branding and re-packaging of Israel as a “Start-Up Nation”, attributing the source of its current wealth to its burgeoning hi-tech sector. As we know, the best propaganda is based on grains of truth, aided by people’s short memory and selective access to information. To wit, the “Hi-Tech Israel” sales vibe is much louder and unchallenged in America than in Israel itself … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured
Israeli Voters Upset with Bibi – But will they Upset him Back?
Over the past couple of months, there seems to have developed growing disconnect between most of Israel’s political analysts – and the actual dynamics of the campaign for Israel’s general elections, which will take place in only 3 days. In October when the election was announced, there was near-universal agreement that it’s all going to be one big garbage time. Prime Minister Bibi will cake-walk it to a second consecutive – and third overall – term in office, and the Right-dominated Israeli status quo of the 2000s will continue. I tended to agree with this view, but with this caveat: in Israel, anyone who calls the election results 3 months in advance is a fool. Then, from mid-November the campaign became more and more interesting by the week. By now, I … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, On The Ground Reports
How NOT to Introduce New Green-Tech: The Cautionary Tale of Israel’s “Better Place”
We have just ended four weeks during which Israeli business and politics were almost completely shut down due to a spate of Jewish holidays. There’s a known refrain in Hebrew: “After the Holidays”, meaning “Don’t worry, we’ll get back to you sometime in October, if at all.” In other words, last week was the perfect week in Israel for a bad news dump. Israel’s iconic CEO Shai Agassi has been fired from his position at the electric car company Better Place. He will be replaced by Evan Thornley, the current CEO of Better Place Australia. …Agassi was fired amid massive financial losses, according to Haaretz headlines this morning. …We reported earlier this year that Better Place was bleeding capital: no surprise given its intense PR and marketing outreach to the global public. So … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured
Israel’s “Super-Stinky Unity Deal” proves that its Political System has become a Complete Farce
The political earthquake that shook Israel last week went, at first, almost completely unreported in America. I can put forward some explanations why it wasn’t reported – in a nutshell, because the story is a lethal combination of confusing and embarrassing. By yesterday, however, the initial stench and general sense of disgust at the surprise “unity government” deal have apparently faded away as the news traveled the Atlantic – and Israeli PM Netanyahu (hereafter, “Bibi”), the deal’s apparent winner, landed on a Times Magazine cover crowning him as “KING BIBI”, no less. Once again, the mainstream American press is missing the story, lock stock and barrel. This not about King Bibi and his political wizardry (although he has certainly become more proficient over the years). With all due respect to … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Settler Group Presses Israeli Government to Accelerate Palestinian Home Demolitions – Inadvertently Giving the Game Away
We previously reported on the worrisome escalation in demolition of Palestinian structures in South Hebron Hills (see also this story). The body issuing the demolition orders is the deceptively-named “Civil Administration”. Contrary to its name (invented in the 1980’s by Ariel Sharon to mislead the outside world), this “Administration” is in fact a military body (its former name was simply “military government”), and its head is a general serving full-time in the Israeli military. It claims authority to run Palestinian civilian life in the less-densely populated West Bank “Area C”, which accounts for some 60% of the territory and about 150,000 Palestinian residents. We will continue to shine a light upon the ways in which this “Administration” misgoverns Palestinian life. A future post will discuss the demolition orders on solar-wind … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination, On The Ground Reports
Israel’s Tahrir[3]: Ripple Effect on Politicians, Financiers Continues…
In late August, after first sending proxies to defame Israel’s social-justice protesters as “radical lefties” – a move that backfired spectacularly; then trying the silent treatment, hoping that the Israeli public known for its short attention span will lose interest – only to get served with repeated bouts of unprecedented nationwide protests; Prime minister “Bibi” Netanyahu tried a third trick: appoint a committee. The move won him a partial reprieve, mostly from the mainstream media. And using the quiet and the back-to-school period, local governments began dismantling the tent cities one by one. Now the committee, headed by Prof. Manuel Trachtenberg – a well-meaning, former-Argentine-radical, but nevertheless neoliberal economist – has submitted its conclusions. They include partial restoration of some of the social safety net that Bibi has worked so hard … Read entire article »
Filed under: Victories for Democracy
Israel’s Tahrir [1]: Will the Revolution End “Bibinomics”?
Ok… a little bird told me there was this teeny, modest wavelet of demonstrations in Israel, so maybe it’s time I write something about it. (snark, snark; actually my mom, two of my siblings and a couple of nieces were among those 4-5% of Israel’s population, over 300,000 people, taking to the streets on Saturday night) There is so much to write, and things are moving so fast. Seemingly out of nowhere, this protest wave has snowballed, or – considering the season and physical location – sweatballed, right into prime minister Netanyahu’s (hereafter, “Bibi’s”) face. But of course, this is anything but “out of nowhere.” In an open-ended diary series, I will try to explore some key processes and issues at the heart of this wave, with an emphasis on those that have … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured, Victories for Democracy
Interactive Video
“You have a choice! Israeli Anti-Militarists Speak”
Four Israelis—Dorothy Naor, Sergeiy Sander and Eli Fabrikant, and Ofer Golani—talking about their personal histories, political views and activism in 132 short films.