Political Realities and Dilemmas
My Session Status
Introduction by Judith Schindler and John Rosove
Six optional field tracks.
Sub Sessions
The ultra-Orthodox will be the first to admit that their existence today is little short of miraculous. Today in Israel, economic and societal pressures are constantly growing and have a deep effect on the community. Will the ultra-Orthodox community integrate itself into 21st century Israeli society? Will choices of modernity irreparably divide the community from within? Will the rest of Israeli society learn to embrace and accept them so as to build a future together? This tr...
Since the 1967 Six-Day War, Israeli Jewish settlements have grown throughout the West Bank. Is the growing population in the settlements an obstacle to the creation of a Palestinian state, or is there currently no hope for a Palestinian state due to other causes? We will be meeting representatives from the settlement movement to hear about their connection to the land and thoughts for the future. We will meet with representatives of Peace Now who see the settlements as a barrie...
Hebron, traditionally a spiritual destination for religious pilgrims, is a divided city. Along with pilgrims, there has been a significant Jewish and Muslim presence in the city for generations. Today, IDF checkpoints, barbed wire and fences, restrict Palestinian movement, while protecting the Jewish population, as well as the holy sites. Is the presence of Israeli soldiers controlling the Palestinian population a viable model for years to come? What is the effect on the reside...
When Israel joined the OECD in 2010, it pledged to reduce the economic disparity between Jews and Arabs. However, a study funded by the Bank of Israel found that the unemployment rate among Israel’s Arab men is twice that of Jewish men, and rising. Arab women are three times less likely to have a job than Jewish women. We will visit some of the local agencies that are wrestling with the causes underpinning these disparities. We will visit Israeli Arab towns close to the Green Lin...
Even before the reunification of the city in 1967, Jerusalem has eternally been the “city of conflict”. Today, the future of Jerusalem sits at the epicenter of any future solution for the region. There are many claimants who are unwilling or unable to consider a state where Jerusalem is not at the heart. What concessions, if any at all, are the different factions willing to make in order to ensure a peaceful future for all? In these difficult times, is there any reason to believe in an amica...
Tour the new city of Rawabi, located next to Ramallah, including meetings and dialogues with key Palestinian personalities. Rawabi is a new and modern city, and is considered to be the “Silicon Valley” of the West Bank. Meet with Bashar Al Masri, a Palestinian entrepreneur and Founder of the city of Rawabi. Visit Shilo, once known for its Temple, and today a Jewish Settlement in the northern Biny...
