Israel at 60

1
Israel at 60 Challenges on the Road to
Tranquility

• Raphael Cohen-Almagor

The following is the presentation given by
Raphael Cohen-Almagor in connection with his
participation in the meeting entitled Israel at
60 Challenges on the Road to Tranquility,
which was held at the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars on March 19,
2008. The opinions expressed here are those of
the speaker and in no way represent the views or
opinions of the Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars.
2
Preliminaries

• Israel is still in process of development and
  undoubtedly it will face further tests.
• Never a dull moment.
• Missing component Tranquility.

3
The main challenges

• Relations with Neighbours
• Integration of the Israeli-Palestinians
• State and Religion
• Economy under Stress.

4
Neighbours

• Authoritarian regimes surround it.
• The key factor for success is its relationships
  with our neighbours.

5
Preliminaries

• Israel survived seven wars, Iraqi Scud attack,
  and two Palestinian uprisings in 60 years of
  independence.
• It is hard to maintain normality under such a
  hostile environment.

6
Preliminaries

• Security expenses exhausts a third of our budget,
  leaving insufficient resources for the
  development of other spheres.
• The constant security threat destroys the tourism
  industry and preempts external investments
  essential for economic growth.

7
Arguments

• I argue for ending the occupation
• I argue for strengthening democratic values

8
Arguments

• I argue for accommodating the interests of the
  Israeli-Palestinians, striving to safeguard equal
  rights and liberties for all citizens
  notwithstanding nationality, religion, race or
  colour, and insisting that citizens have also
  duties to fulfill.

9
Arguments

• I argue for separation between state and religion

10
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

• Between the Jordan River and the sea there are
  now about 7 million Israelis (among them 1.3
  million Arabs/Palestinians) and 4 million
  Palestinians.
• The annual growth rate of the Palestinians is
  among the highest in the world. There is a need
  for separation in order not to reach the point of
  an apartheid state.

11
Occupied Territories

• Ending the occupation
• Historian Lord Acton (1834-1902) said "Liberty
  is not a means to a higher political end. It is
  itself the highest political end... liberty is
  the only object which benefits all alike, and
  provokes no sincere opposition."
• In 2000 I started my international campaign for
  Gaza first.
• This idea was largely adopted by Prime Minister
  Sharon.
• Sharon did not think we will get in return the
  Hamas and Qassams.
• Still, we should have tried it.
• Now we will be much more careful in carrying out
  unilateral steps.

12
Occupied Territories

• Securing our borders
• Building trust and good-faith
• Upon having a partner and reaching agreement,
  withdrawing settlements and the IDF
• Hopefully two (not three) state solution
• 1967 Borders
• The Fence

13
The Fence

• For bridges, not fences
• Turning point Passover, March 2002, Netanya
  Hotel Park
• Divorce
• death toll has dropped by over 70 percent, and
  number of injured has dropped by more than 80
  percent
• The route should be fair

14
The Fence

• The Fence should have been built along the 1967
  Green Line, with some accommodations necessary to
  include large cluster settlements in the
  Jerusalem area and Ariel, and compensating the
  Palestinians in other areas.
• The idea of using the Fence to create
  geographic-political facts that in effect make
  greater Israel and smaller Palestine is unfair,
  discriminatory, unwise and unjust.
• The Fence should be moved, and it will. The
  questions revolve only about time, money and
  blood involved.
• In the Bible, there is one word for both money
  and blood "Damim". Israeli politics eloquently
  and forcefully explains why.

15
Occupied Territories

• Evacuate isolated settlements
• Consolidate economic conditions for Palestinians
• Bolster security on both sides
• Stop enlarging existing settlements
• Dismantle checkpoints to make the lives of
  Palestinian civilians easier.
• Develop the nautilus against rockets and other
  anti-rocket mechanisms

16
Occupied Territories

• Clean the atmosphere fight bigotry, racism,
  incitement and hate on both sides of the fence.
• This includes a close study of the Palestinian
  and Israeli education curricula
• Utilize the media to promote peaceful messages of
  reconciliation and mutual recognition.
• Demand the Palestinians to fight down terrorism.
  Zero tolerance in this sphere.
• The Right of Return
• The refugee problem international economic
  effort
• Jerusalem
• Mount Temple International Zone

17
Societys Profile

• No shared raison d'être
• 20 wish to transform democracy into theocracy
• 20 do not endorse the Zionist ethos
• 20 of the population are immigrants from the
  former Soviet Union where no democracy existed

18
Schisms

• In addition, Israel suffers from internal
  schisms
• between Israeli-Palestinians and Israeli-Jews
  inside the Green (1967) Line

19
Schisms

• between orthodox Jews and secular Jews
• between the ideological right and the ideological
  left Peace v. Land, now transformed to Security
  and Demography v. Land

20
The Declaration of Independence

• The Declaration of Independence holds that
  Israel will foster the development of the country
  for the benefit of all its inhabitants that it
  will be based on the foundations of liberty,
  justice and peace

21
The Declaration of Independence

• that it will uphold complete equality of social
  and political rights to all of its citizens
  irrespective of religion, race or sex, and that
  it will guarantee freedom of religion,
  conscience, language, education and culture.

22
Israeli-Palestinians

• Formal v. Full Citizenship
• Discrimination
• Racism

23
Israeli-Palestinians

• Arabic is one of the two official languages of
  the State of Israel. Therefore it should enjoy a
  dominant status and have the importance it
  deserves.
• Arabic should be taught at every primary and high
  school together with English.

24
Israeli-Palestinians

• Studies of all cultures and religions that exist
  in Israel should be made available.

25
Israeli-Palestinians

• Delegates of the Arab minority should be
  represented, in accordance with their size in
  society, in the Knesset and in the government.

26
Israeli-Palestinians

• Guaranteeing representation for a minority
• Devolving power to local levels in just ways by
  just means

27
Israeli-Palestinians

• At the same time, Israel would like to see from
  all its citizens, without exception, a real and
  strong commitment to the state, to peace, and to
  the struggle against terror.

28
Army/National Duty

• Citizens who have a problem in serving in the
  army for religious, moral or national reasons
  should commit themselves to do national service
  for the required period of time (presently three
  years for men two years for women) in their own
  communities, working to better the conditions of
  their own group.
• Army service pretext for discrimination

29
Questions

• Can a liberal democracy allow minority groups to
  restrict the individual rights of society at
  large?

30
Live and Let Live

• We need to differentiate between the symbolic
  aspects and the modus operandi aspects. As far as
  the latter are concerned, separation between
  state and religion should be achieved.

31
Religion and State

• If an illiberal minority is seeking to oppress
  other groups, then most liberals would agree that
  intervention is justified in the name of
  self-defence and liberty

32
Religion and State

• The secular majority in Israel has every right to
  object to attempts which aim at narrowing its
  freedom of conscience and to broaden the
  authority of religious orthodoxy.

33
Religion and State

• Democracy is supposed to allow each and every
  individual the opportunity to follow her or his
  conception of the good without coercion.
• Israel today gives precedence to Judaism over
  liberalism.
• I submit that on issues such as this one, the
  reverse should be the case.

34
Religion and State

• Israel, being the only Jewish state in the world,
  should strive to retain its Jewish character.
• The symbols should remain Jewish with some
  accommodations in order to make the state a home
  for its Palestinian citizens as well.
• Shabbat should remain the official day of rest.

35
Religion and State

• Palestinian villages and towns may make Friday
  their day of rest.
• Hopefully, one day, when security considerations
  would become less dominant and pressing, and the
  Israeli economy could afford two days of rest, as
  is the case in many parts of the world, then
  Friday and Shabbat will become the two official
  days of rest.

36
Religion and State

• while Shabbat should be observed, malls and
  shopping places outside the cities should be
  available for the many people who work during the
  week and do their shopping during weekends.

37
Religion and State

• Public transportation should be made available
  for all people who cannot afford having a car and
  for those who do not drive.
• The state should cater for the needs of as many
  citizens as possible.

38
Religion and State
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Religion and State

• Kosher shops and restaurants should be available
  and with them non-Kosher shops and restaurants
  for the secular, agnostic population.

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Religion and State
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Religion and State

• Most importantly, the significant events in one's
  life birth, wedding, divorce and death should be
  handled in accordance of the people's own
  choices.

42
Religion and State
43
Religion and State

• If they so desire, people may involve rabbinate
  and other religious institutions in their private
  lives.
• But this option should be left to them. If people
  wish to have secular ceremonies then they should
  have the ability to conduct them and not to be
  forced to undergo practices which mean very
  little to them, if anything.
• The state should have as little as possible say
  in family, intimate affairs.

44
Religion and State

• Along Hevra Kadisha secular burial services
  should be offered.
• Today people need not travel outside the country
  to marry in civil marriage.
• 10 of the population are gay/lesbian. The
  liberal state should address their needs as well
  and allow them to marry as they see fit.

45
Duties

• Large sectors, mainly the ultra-orthodox, do not
  pay taxes, do not serve in the army, do not work
  
• yet, they receive state support allowing them to
  study torah.
• Resources should be distributed equally to all
  sectors.

46
Duties

• Every citizen is expected to pay in accordance
  with his/her abilities.
• Israel should sponsor religious studies to the
  same extent that it supports university and other
  forms of high education.

47
Economy

• Unemployment continues to be significant
• Salaries going down in real terms (35 of
  lecturers salaries from 1997 till now).
• Welfare benefits are cut.
• Taxes are high and continue to rise.
• Israel has the highest tax rate in the world,
  outside Scandinavia.

48
Economy

• People are worried about their physical security
  as well as about their economic security.
• About 70 of the population claims their expenses
  outweigh their earnings.
• About 25 of the population are below the poverty
  line.

49
Economy

• No natural resources no gold, no silver, no
  diamonds, no oil
• Lecture in South Africa
• All this mess for face cream?

50
Education

• Our greatest asset is education
• But it is not in the governments priorities
• 20 cut in universities budget since 2001
• In 2008, a 90-day universities strike, longest in
  our history

51
Economy

• Israels economy is still dependent at large on
  the USA.
• We should strive to gain independence and
  autonomy.
• Stop the brain drain.
• Decrease the increasing gap between the small
  rich cream and the large poor sector.

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In Conclusion

• Security remains the main preoccupation
• Strive for co-existence with neighbours
• Mitigate schisms
• Narrowing the gap between rich and poor

53
Thank you