אם אינך רואה מייל זה לחץ כאן
 
Shalom  
 
The holiday season is behind us and the Institute team has already begun its various activities for the new year – 5779. The year's first study examines the connection between civil rights and obligations in a democratic state. Is the failure to fulfill obligations a justification for withholding certain rights?
 
How many voting stations are required to hold fair municipal elections? What did we achieve in 5778? All this and more in this month's newsletter!
 
We are accustomed to distinguishing between human rights – basic inherent rights stemming from our very being human – and those rights which members of a particular community choose to give themselves. The question of eligibility to the second category of rights is, in essence, the same as asking who belongs to the community. Anyone born into it or maybe only those who share the common burden, or at least, doesn't harm the community. And what about new members?
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Different social philosophies lie behind these questions but is it even possible to reconcile seemingly conservative views with liberal principles? In order to answer this question, we examined policy practiced in the world's 15 freest democracies as defined by the Freedom House Index.
We focused on 3 issues relevant to the State of Israel: the demand for a declaration of loyalty as a condition for citizenship, restriction of prisoners' voting rights, and the imposition of obligatory military or national service on special sectors of the population. All three studies revealed that liberal states tend to defend themselves from individuals, both within and outside the country, who may potentially undermine their proper functioning.
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  • Two thirds of the countries examined make citizenship conditional on some form of a declaration of loyalty.
  • 8 of the 15 countries examined restrict the voting rights of some or all prisoners.
  • All the countries with compulsory military service grant exemptions based on conscience, religion or ideology, however only 1 does not obligate alternative national service. All punish those evading any form of service.
These findings reinforce the legitimacy of making rights conditional on fulfillment of obligations within a liberal-democratic framework.

Blue&White Human Rights

The upcoming municipal elections will be an indication of the integration process affecting large sections of the population in East Jerusalem. For the first time since 1967, an Arab candidate – Ramadan Dabash - is running for mayor. Dabash succeeded in overcoming separatist pressure and threats from the Palestinian Authority.
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We were therefore surprised approximately 6 weeks ago to read of the list of voting stations published by the Ministry of the Interior. All the voting stations in the city's Arab neighborhoods were concentrated in only 6 locations – 3 in Beit Tzafafa and only 3 in all the remaining neighborhoods.
We immediately contacted senior officials in the Ministry of the Interior and explained that such a sparse deployment of voting stations impinges on the democratic process. In practice, it prevents thousands of residents from being able to physically reach the voting station and exercising their right to vote. Furthermore, in the East Jerusalem context, this awards an automatic victory to the radicals seeking to sever any connection the local population may have with the Jewish state. Ultimately, the advance surrender of basic state processes in the capital of Israel is a severe self-inflicted abuse of Israeli sovereignty there.
During the Sukkot holiday, we were informed of the Minster of Interior's decision to increase the number of voting stations to 21, to be dispersed throughout East Jerusalem. Although still a small number compared with the Jewish neighborhoods, the move answers critics on both levels.

5778 in Figures

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5778 will definitely be remembered as the year of the Basic Law – 'The State of Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People', but this was not the sum total of the Institute's endeavor. From policy research via the new initiative of geopolitical tours in Jerusalem, to expansion of Blue and White Human Rights' various programs – the numbers prove that our efforts are worthwhile.
May 5779 be yet another year of blessed endeavor!

'Israeli Hope' book launch

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Just before the holidays, we succeeded in gathering at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem for the launch of the book written by State President Reuven Rivlin and Institute Chairman Yoaz Hendel. Among the speakers were: Minister of Education Naftali Bennet and MKs Yair Lapid and Benny Begin. In this era of entrenched views, we were happy to see people with conflicting views engaging in public discourse out of a belief that it will benefit us all.
We invite you to view selected segments  here.

Publications

The following articles were published by members of the Institute and contain references to a wide range of issues on the public agenda:
 
  • The Institute's chairman Yoaz Hendel reacts to the exlusive interview of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in the Gaza strip.
  • 'Positive coverage for peace deal': the Institute's founding president Israel Harel slams the shameful deal Haaretz explicitly offered Netanyahu.
  • Our CEO Miri Shalem appreciates the Left begins understanding the conflict is not about 1967.
 
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