Category Archives: Israeli Politics

Resolution 2334 and the Women of the Wall

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Victor Rosenthal

I watched the Israeli TV news last night, which showed excerpts from the funerals of the four young people who were run down by a terrorist (a Jerusalem Arab) driving a large truck, who then turned around and took another … Continue reading →

Posted in Diplomatic warfare, Israeli Politics, Israeli Society | 1 Comment

A national purpose

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Victor Rosenthal

ERETZ-ISRAEL was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli Politics, Israeli Society, Zionism | 1 Comment

Amona

Posted on December 16, 2016 by Victor Rosenthal

I have avoided writing about Amona until now. This is because the legal issues surrounding the notion of land ownership in Judea and Samaria are so arcane that one legal scholar (email correspondence) wrote that “the number of people who … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli Politics, Zionism | 3 Comments

Israel needs a constitution, but won’t get one

Posted on December 4, 2016 by Victor Rosenthal

Israel’s Declaration of Independence states that a constitution for the State of Israel “shall be adopted by the Elected Constituent Assembly not later than the 1st October 1948.” Clearly they’re running a little late. And this is more than Jewish … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli Politics | 3 Comments

The Rabbi and the Court

Posted on November 25, 2016 by Victor Rosenthal

Some years ago I was in New York for my brother’s wedding. On Shabbat we went to a convenient synagogue (a Chabad shul), and the rabbi held a little study session before the service. The subject was parashat ki tetse, … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli Politics | Comments Off on The Rabbi and the Court

The Reform Movement vs. Bibi Netanyahu

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Victor Rosenthal

Last week saw a protest by Reform and Conservative Jews, both American and Israeli, in support of the Women of the Wall, at the Kotel (Western Wall).  The demonstrators were protesting the fact that an agreement that the government, the … Continue reading →

Posted in American Jews, Israeli Politics, Israeli Society | 1 Comment

Bringing Israel’s Supreme Court into the 21st Century

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Victor Rosenthal

The latest battle in Israel’s ongoing struggle to define itself is being fought over the way Supreme Court justices are selected. The 15 justices are appointed by a judicial selection committee of 9 members: The Minister of Justice, who chairs … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli Politics | 1 Comment

Who’s afraid of the Minister of Sport and Culture?

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Victor Rosenthal

Recently, as seems to happen on a regular basis, rumors spread about the Yitzhak Herzog’s Zionist Union (Labor + Tzipi Livni) party joining Netanyahu’s government. Supposedly there were negotiations over the Rosh Hashana holiday, and the deal was said to … Continue reading →

Posted in Israeli Politics, Israeli Society | 1 Comment