Israel Matters!

The 2021 Israeli Election: Too Much Democracy?

The 2021 Israeli Knesset (parliament) election took place on March 23, yet as of the date of this correspondence, we still do not know who won. Well, actually we do know how many candidates from each of the contesting parties were elected to the Knesset, but we do not know who the next Prime Minister will be, or even if a government can be formed at all. How can this be? To understand the current political stalemate in Israel first requires understanding how Israeli elections are conducted. As we will see, a fair argument could be made that in Israel, voting is too democratic! Alternatively, one could argue that the election results are just an accurate reflection of Israel’s divided society. (more…)

Editorial – Closing the door . . .

With this, the 150th edition of Israel Matters!, your editor has decided that now is the appropriate time to suspend publication. It has not been an easy decision to make. At an average of 11 issues per year (July/August is a single edition of the Bulletin), not including special and website only editions, simple arithmetic means I have been the primary editor of the publication for more than 13 years. To put that number into perspective, a child born when I started would likely be having her/his Bat/Bar Mitzvah this year. (more…)

Iran, Israel, and More: What to Watch in Joe Biden’s Presidency

Joe Biden has vowed to reverse policies put in place by President Donald Trump on his first day in office. But on many issues important to American Jews, change may come slower, or not at all. When it comes to where the U.S. Embassy in Israel is located, for example, Biden has indicated that he has no intention to turn back the clock. On other Israel issues, change is likely but exactly what a Biden administration will try to do is not yet clear. Here’s a look at what might happen after Biden becomes president on Jan. 20, 2021. (more…)

Israel Offers Medical Aid to Lebanon, Response is Silence

The heads of several Israeli hospitals have reached out to Lebanese officials and the United Nations offering medical support to the country’s wounded.
“It hurts to see the children – little children – crying and injured,” said Dr. Masad Barhoum, director-general of Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, Israel. “People without children – their lives destroyed in an instance. They need medical and psychological help.”
Barhoum, a Christian Arab, speaks Arabic. On Wednesday, he took to social networks and the radio appealing directly in their language to the Lebanese president and prime minister, and even Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, to allow him to help. (more…)

White House Ceremony Celebrates New Era for Israel, UAE and Bahrain

Benjamin Netanyahu has complained for years about Arab leaders telling their people one thing in Arabic and diplomats saying another to Western audiences in English.

Not on this occasion. (more…)

Israel and United Arab Emirates Strike Major Diplomatic Agreement

Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached a landmark accord sealed by President Trump that could presage a broader realignment in the region as the two agreed to “full normalization of relations” in exchange for Israel suspending annexation of occupied West Bank territory. (more…)

Why History Still Matters: The 1967 Six Day War

By David Harris, CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC)

Mention history and it can trigger a roll of the eyes. Add the Middle East to the equation and folks might start running for the hills, unwilling to get caught up in the seemingly bottomless pit of details and disputes.

But without an understanding of what happened in the past, it’s impossible to grasp where we are today — and where we are has profound relevance for the region and the world. (more…)

In Midst of Global Pandemic, Israeli Defense Company Quietly Changed the Face of Hospitals

The arrival of the coronavirus global pandemic came as suddenly for Israel’s Rafael defense company as it did to many other companies, yet it took very little time for Rafael to spring into action and quietly transform the face of Israeli hospitals’ wards. “Part of the Israeli DNA is to face up to missions together,” said Irit Idan, executive vice president, and head of research and development at Rafael. “This is our nature as a nation. From the moment that this incident began rolling, Rafael started floating many ideas on how we can assist the healthcare system.” (more…)