Bioethics

A Lesson in Israeli Politics THE KNESSET LESSON (theatre of the absurd) Teacher: Good morning. Your parents. . . invited me today. . . to give you a private lesson in Israeli . . . citizenship. Pupil: Yeah, we made Aliyah from Vancouver last month and I'm missing a lot of material in Citizenship, though I did try to follow the news before we came. Teacher: Not to worry. Today we'll talk about, 'how the Israeli electoral system works." Pupil: That's great. I'm really confused by what I read in the papers and blogs. Teacher: Let's start with the results of last week's . . . elections. Pupil: OK. Who got the most votes? Teacher: Tzipi Livni, head of the Kadima (=forward) party, with 28 seats. Pupil: So Ms. Livni won, right? Teacher: No, she lost. It doesn't look like she'll be able to get enough partners to form a majority government. Pupil: What about Bibi Netanyahu? Teacher: He got 27 seats. As the leader of the right, he may form a coalition of 65 right wing party seats. Pupil: Then he won, I guess. Teacher: No, Avigdor Lieberman (Israel is Our Home) won. Pupil: How many seats did he get? Teacher: 15. Pupil: So how did he win? Teacher: That's the way politics in Israel works. A Lesson in Israeli Politics THE KNESSET LESSON (theatre of the absurd) Teacher: Good morning. Your parents. . . invited me today. . . to give you a private lesson in Israeli . . . citizenship. Pupil: Yeah, we made Aliyah from Vancouver last month and I'm missing a lot of material in Citizenship, though I did try to follow the news before we came. Teacher: Not to worry. Today we'll talk about, 'how the Israeli electoral system works." Pupil: That's great. I'm really confused by what I read in the papers and blogs. Teacher: Let's start with the results of last week's . . . elections. Pupil: OK. Who got the most votes? Teacher: Tzipi Livni, head of the Kadima (=forward) party, with 28 seats. Pupil: So Ms. Livni won, right? Teacher: No, she lost. It doesn't look like she'll be able to get enough partners to form a majority government. Pupil: What about Bibi Netanyahu? Teacher: He got 27 seats. As the leader of the right, he may form a coalition of 65 right wing party seats. Pupil: Then he won, I guess. Teacher: No, Avigdor Lieberman (Israel is Our Home) won. Pupil: How many seats did he get? Teacher: 15. Pupil: So how did he win? Teacher: That's the way politics in Israel works.

Response by Kenneth Myers, Vice President, to An unfettered Internet best serves democracy Free speech is, of course, one of the most vital guarantees for a strong democracy. So anyone who chooses to cavil at the ease of communication on the internet is surely wrong or worse.

reprinted with permission from the Israel Policy Forum Dr. Alon Liel, former director general of the Israeli foreign ministry, is in the United States promoting Israeli-Syrian negotiations. This is Liel’s specialty and has been for many years, a specialty he has pursued in a long career in government and academe. In 2006, Liel engaged in unofficial negotiations with Damascus through a Syrian intermediary.

RABBI MICHAEL KLAYMAN & RAHEL MUSLEAH Winter is a funny time to celebrate Tu b'Shevat, the Jewish Arbor Day. Bare branches still silhouette the sky and the earth seems to shiver instead of blossom. In Israel, of course, the rainy season has passed and the first buds begin to appear around Tu b'Shevat, the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shevat, which falls on Jan. 22 this year. In the United States, much more is left to our imagination.

reprinted with permission from the Israel Policy Forum Good news. Some of the more conservative American Jewish institutions are coming around to acceptance of the two-state solution, ending the occupation, and sharing Jerusalem. It’s about time. The overwhelming majority of Israelis and Jewish Americans favor those positions and eventually the more status quo-oriented organizations had to catch up—especially now that the Israeli government asserts that it finally has a genuine Palestinian partner.

Reprint with permission Something terribly ugly is happening in Israel. It started during Yitzhak Rabin's term as prime minister when right-wing extremists and religious fanatics joined in calling for his death and it would seem to have culminated with his assassination. But the ugliness continues. Yigal Amir, Rabin's assassin, turned out to have been no "lone lunatic," no Lee Harvey Oswald or Sirhan Sirhan who acted for reasons that were perhaps psychological and not political. Not Amir.