Progressives at the Polls: NIF and the 2015 Election
All calls are at 9 am Pacific / 12 pm Eastern / 7 pm Israel and will last one hour
National Security: What's a Progressive Foreign Policy?
Wednesday, February 11
National security is considered the litmus test for leadership in Israel, trumping other issues when citizens decide whom they trust with power. Today, most Israelis believe that only the right can be relied on when it comes to issues of security – and many that the only valid security-conscious approach is a hawkish one – a situation which is exploited to defend and perpetuate the occupation. This reality is especially acute during election season.
The Council on Peace and Security (CPS), a group of former IDF and intelligence leaders, and Mitvim, a foreign policy think tank, are two central organizations working to redefine the security discourse. CPS and Mitvim are already providing a strong, reputable, and moderate voice on security policy issues.
Speakers: Nimrod Goren, Helit Barel, Libby Lenkinski
This call will open with a brief "Election Update" with Noam Sheizaf of +972 Magazine
Palestinian citizens suffer pervasive discrimination and unequal allocation of resources in land, education, and municipal services. At the same time, traditional family and clan structures in Palestinian society make it difficult for young people, women, and professionals to assume leadership positions. The result has been a significant decline in the participation of the Palestinian public in national elections and a lack of confidence in both their sector’s leadership and the Israeli political system at large.
- This call will open with a brief "Election Update" with Noam Sheizaf of +972 Magazine
Democracy and Human Right: Turning Back the Anti-Democratic Tide
Monday, March 9
Over the past five years, attitudes toward democracy and human rights in Israel have changed for the worse. While human rights discourse is largely viewed as illegitimate and freedom of expression is at risk, right-wing ultra-nationalists are aggressively asserting the Jewish character of the state as more important than democratic values.
At the same time, the Israeli public is increasingly demanding participation in political processes and greater transparency. NIF grantees such as The Social Guard are charting a course for Israelis who want to hold their Knesset and government accountable. Following last summer's turmoil and the collapse of the most recent government, how will core issues of democracy impact the political choices?
Speakers: Naomi Chazan, Boaz Rakocz, Libby Lenkinski,
This call will open with a brief "Election Update" with Noam Sheizaf of +972 Magazine
All calls are at 9 am Pacific / 12 pm Eastern / 7 pm Israel and will last one hour