Tuesday, January 22, 2013

An Analysis of the Israeli Elections



Today, Israel held its parliamentary election, where voters decided which parties would have representation in the Knesset (Israeli congress), and how many seats in the Knesset each party would get. A new prime minister is often also chosen at this time. Election day in Israel is sort of a mini-holiday, where people go to the polls and get off from work. There are approximately 8 million people living in Israel today, and yet, its election is arguably as important as the American one, despite the population difference of well over 200 million people! Most Americans rightly wonder why the political goings on of a country 475 times smaller than the U.S. matter. Well, that’s an excellent question. Israel as a whole has been under a collective international microscope ever since it declared independence in 1948. This in itself is a slightly disturbing phenomenon that has especially increased recently, but its an issue that is far beyond the scope of this post. However, I can answer the general question.

The Israeli elections are incredibly important and have relevance to Americans today because as the year 2013 dawns on us, there are a host of looming domestic and international problems that Israel and the United States will have to solve creatively together, or else face the dire consequences of inaction and partisanship. A fanatical Iranian regime run by fundamentalist Shia Muslims could very well acquire and test nuclear weapons by as early as this coming summer. Their leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinijad, is totally bent on the destruction of the ‘Great Satan,’ the United States, and the total annihilation of the ‘Zionist entity,’ Israel.

Moreover, the Palestinian people demand equal representation in the United Nations and around the world. They demand equal rights, fair government and good living conditions. The Palestinians deserve all of these things, but somehow, none of their governmental bodies, be they Hamas in Gaza (labeled a terrorist organization by the State Dep.) or the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank have been able to meet the needs of this growing people. And besides for these pressing concerns, Israel also has a whole host of domestic issues that need to be addressed. For one, the Ultra-Orthodox bloc in Israel, for the most part, refuses to serve in the Israeli army. Instead, the government gives stipends to Ultra-Orthodox students learning in yeshiva, and they are thus exempted from the army. This arrangement worked well in Israel’s early years when there was a tiny population of ultra-orthodox Jews. However, today, chareidim, or the ultra-orthodox, have exploded in population to nearly 800,000 people, and they are now Israel’s fastest growing sector. Because of this, the Israeli government spends millions of shekels every year paying students to learn in yeshivas, while secular universities.

In the summer of 2011, hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets to protest the high cost of housing, food, and other living expenses. There has been sustained criticism ever since of the Israeli government by a segment of Israel’s population who feel that it is insensitive to the needs of the working and middle classes in Israel.

Enemies internal and external besiege Israel. Even though the United States government gives Israel billions of dollars ever year in foreign aid, the relationship right now is not what it could be. Obama and Netanyahu have each done their share to stall progress in their working relationships, and by extension, their two countries’ alliance. Whether they like it or not, Israel heavily relies on American aid and defense help in order to remain strong. For 60 years, the U.S. has understood that our only democratic partner in the Middle East that shares core values like freedom, democracy, and innovation is Israel.

However, in recent years, tensions have flared between these two nations. The U.S. has become impatient with Israeli building of settlements, and inability to negotiate effectively with the Palestinians. Israelis in turn are fed up with the constant U.S. involvement in their political state of affairs. Because of these concerns, both countries get weaker. As we enter a future that could potentially lead to much violence and bloodshed, the United States needs to reaffirm its commitment to remaining an ally with Israel, and Israel in turn needs to realize that without U.S. help, it will be extraordinarily difficult for Israelis to meet the challenges of tomorrow. The election today will be a major factor in answering some of these burning questions. Although all the votes have not been counted, it is almost guaranteed that Benjamin Netanyahu will serve a second term as Prime Minister.

However, Netanyahu’s right-wing political party, a combination between Likud and Yisrael Beitenu faired relatively poorly compared to experts’ estimates. The party’s number of seats dropped from 42 to 31. It still remains the largest faction in the 120 member Knesset, but because of how Israel’s political system works, its power is greatly diminished, as I will explain later. A huge surprise of this election was the overall weakening of the right wing partys’ power in Israel. An upstart center-left party, Yesh Atid, garnered 19 seats. Its head Yair Lapid demands an end to the ultra-orthodox draft exemption, and the giving of stipends to yeshiva students. The centrist Labor party got 17 votes, which is significant, but representative of a great reduction in its power. A new hard line right wing aimed at Zionist religious Jews, Habayit Hayehudi, won 12 seats, according to exit polls. Shas, a party run by and for ultra-orthodox Jews of sefaradic heritage, won between 11-13 seats, and increased its power. The other ultra-orthodox party, United Torah Judaism, won 6 seats.

The strong showing of center-left and centrist parties was a huge shock to many pollsters and journalists. Israelis were thought to have shifted sociologically into more right wing frames of thinking, which should influence how they vote, but didn’t.

As I mentioned briefly earlier, Israel has a unique political system that demands the ruling party to form a majority coalition with other parties of similar ideologies. Netanyahu as the winner says he wants to form a broad-based coalition government, which will hope to include as many parties as possible to gain a majority. However, as of now, it is unclear who Netanyahu will try to persuade to join him. He will have to make concessions and compromises either way, whether he chooses to form a more centrist government with Yair Lapid of the centrist Yesh Atid party, or if he decides to head right and create a coalition with more hard line right wingers like Naftali Bennet of Habayit Hayehudi, or perhaps even the ultra-orthodox parties, Shas, and United Torah Judaism.

As of current exit polling, it appears that neither the right wing nor the left wing will be able to form any government without the help of the ultra-orthodox parties, who together make up 19 seats. Therefore, it is likely that the big winners of this election are the rapidly growing chareidim. If they join a coalition, they will ensure that the new government continues the de facto policies regarding stipends and army exemptions. However, Netanyahu is a secular Jew who really doesn’t have the same priorities as the religious parties. It is very likely that he will make some tough compromises, and try to bridge the right wing Habayit Hayehudi party with the centrist Yesh Atid, and thus avert having to deal with the ultra-orthodox parties.

In this hypothetical scenario, Israel will end up forcibly drafting the chareidim into the army, which could lead to rioting and even actual civil war. After all, a slew of ultra-orthodox widely respected Rabbis and heads of yeshivas have come out and told their students to go to jail rather than fight in the army. Some went as far as to invoke Jewish law, and claim that fighting for Israel is a case of “Yehareg Ve’al Ya’avor, which, loosely translated, means chareidim should die rather than serve in the army. This is not just talk. Naftali Bennet, the head of the Zionist national-religious Habayit Hayehudi party was verbally harassed and pushed by a mob of chareidim as he prayed at the Kotel in Jerusalem just this past week. Events like this show the uncertainty and volatile nature of Israel’s political situation.

I advise all the readers of this blog to stay informed regarding Israeli affairs and politics, because in the coming days and months, our shaky relationship with Israel will depend on mutual respect and level-headedness. Whichever parties end up sitting in the majority government will have to deal with issues and controversies that will need their immediate attention and total focus. I hope all parties involved understand the tremendous challenges at hand, and are prepared to compromise and negotiate in order to secure a better future for everyone.

On a side note, I am interested to know what you all think about the Israeli political system. To most Americans, it seems awfully strange to have as many as 5 political parties running in an election, as opposed to our two-party system. The whole idea of establishing a coalition is also foreign to the American political arena. Coalitions require negotiations, compromise, and mutual-respect. Those are all characteristics that are markedly absent from the U.S. congresses of recent memory. Do you think it would be possible to create coalitions between members of both parties that agree on more than they disagree in our current U.S. government? I’m not so sure.

On another side point, in the Israeli election, about 75% of all eligible voters exercised their right to vote and went to the polls. That has not happened in America in at least sixty years, if not longer. In the past few presidential election cycles, a little over half the eligible population voted. My question to you is, why do so many more Israelis percentage-wise vote than Americans? We have the greatest democracy in the world, and have been the prime example of fair elections and good government for years. With that in mind, why do so few Americans participate in the great dance of democracy and vote? 

31 comments:

  1. Well first off, I want to express my absolute hatred when American Citizens don't vote. In regard to your question "why do so many more Israelis percentage-wise vote than Americans" I think that Israeli's have more to lose. Let me explain. We don't have the issue of having a different people wanting to share the same country; they do. The way this matter plays out is through(like everything else) Politics, so based on your views on this important issue, sways how you vote. Israeli's also have a religious factor that we do not have. Taking these topics and many more, I believe, holds the answer to why they vote more than Americans.

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    1. Agreed. It is an utter disgrace to our country that so many Americans refrain from voting. It weakens our country, because people do not come together to elect our leaders. I have to say that the most terrible thing is when someone simply does not vote because they don't like either candidate. It does not matter if neither candidate has even half of a brain, it is crucial for every American to vote for whichever candidate they trust the most or whose values and ideas are most in line with their own.

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  2. "Moreover, the Palestinian people demand equal representation in the United Nations and around the world. They demand equal rights, fair government and good living conditions. The Palestinians deserve all of these things, but somehow, none of their governmental bodies, be they Hamas in Gaza (labeled a terrorist organization by the State Dep.) or the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank have been able to meet the needs of this growing people." First off, why do they deserve equal representation in the United Nations when they aren't even a country?!?! They ARE a terrorist organization who doesn't seek truth and want to do the right thing. Also, why do they deserve equal rights, especially in Israel? These Muslims have so much land that they don't need Israel and therefore don't deserve to have any rights. You shouldn't go to a place where you aren't wanted and if you do, it only because you are looking for trouble

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  3. Ben, some of what you just wrote there was quite inflammatory, and definitely deserves a comment. While I am no lover of the Palestinians and the ambitions of their leaders Hamas and the P.A., I would not some of what you did, particularly regarding your choice of language.

    First off, there are over 3.5 million Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank today, and millions more in Jordan. Saying that all of them are terrorists (as you do) is hurtful and offensive to the many Palestinians who yearn for peace and want to work with Israel. It's very much a stereotype, just like saying that all Jews are cheap, or have big noses. You cannot label an entire people as a terrorist organization. There are terrorists among them, as there are Jewish terrorists in Israel (read up on Rabbi Meir Kahane and the JDL for example) and everywhere else.

    You say "these Muslims have so much land." First of all, while many Palestinians are Muslim, it seems like you're making a blanket generalization here.

    "It's only because you're looking for trouble." The Palestinians aren't looking for trouble- thousands of them were evicted from their homes following the 1948 war with Israel. Those thousands of people were placed in horrible refugee camps with terrible conditions, and now they've grown to many millions. These people had homes in modern-day Israel just 60 years ago- is it fair to say that doesn't matter anymore?

    Now, I am clearly no supporter of a Palestinian state, or of the 'land for peace' police. History has sadly shown us the fallacy inherent in land for peace strategies. Neither do I wish to negotiate with terrorist groups like Hamas or Hezbollah.

    As a religious Jew, I believe that every inch of biblical Israel is land imbued with holiness, and meant to be lived on by Jews, since this is our only country where we can live safely and practice our religion entirely openly. However, if the Palestinians can put together a state that has one non-corrupt, effective, and moderate governing body, if they can provide good services to their people like clean water, electricity, and housing, and if they vow to work with Israel on issues like settlements, I think we once again try to negotiate. Because if we don't the problem will just get worse. The only solution then would be a complete world war.

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    1. For thousands of years it has been impossible to negotiate with them. What makes you think anything will change now?

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    2. Israel has only been a state for 65 years, not thousands! For the 2,000 years before, Jews were living in exile, with no real central home. But now that we have a home, we must also think practically. Nearly the entire world is against us, and will continue to be against us unless we make some serious concessions.

      We cannot continue to live in a fantasy land, because just a few miles away from Jerusalem, there are thousands of Palestinians living in refugee camps who deserve the best that life has to offer, if they agree to live peacefully with Israel.

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    3. I agree that they deserve a good life, but not at the expense of the life of the Jews. The fact that we finally have Israel, I think we should be extremely careful in how we deal with it

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    4. agreed. but labeling all palestinians as terrorists is detrimental to peace. Everyone on all sides has to be a lot more open-minded to ensure peace.

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    5. Michael and Ben-
      I believe that everyone has an inherent right to life and representation in government. Now, the Palestinians as a people are not represented in the Jordanian government nor are their interests fully represented in the Israeli government. From this, it would seem logical to say that the Arabs who were evicted from their homes in Israel following and preceding the Israeli War of Independence, called "The Catastrophe" in Arabic, should be allotted a State to govern and by which to be governed.

      The only way to have peace is to compromise, to realize the needs and views of each respective political party as well as to respect those views. However, this approach is nowhere near feasible if the "political parties" involved are violent, cold-blooded killers who tear mothers away from children and families apart for the advancement of their views. This is unnecessary violence inhibiting the advancement of the recognition of their political and nationalistic views, rather than promoting them. As I wrote above, to compromise and have peace, the parties involved must respect each other and recognize each other, something which is impossible if one party's right hand was cut off by the other. Hamas and Fatah must lay down their weapons or at least use them responsibly before they will be recognized. This is most important to mutual recognition.

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    6. Noah, I do see what you are saying and you seem to agree more with Michael. However, wherever the Jews have been, it has been nearly impossible for people to make real peace with Jews. The jews try and then they get run over. Think about when they gave gaza away. It's not like that has helped the situation at all. I mean, I wish history didnt repeat itself but it seems to, especially for the Jews, over and over again. It's like a cycle

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  4. Michael and the rest of the class-

    What are your thoughts on charedim serving in the Israeli army? Do you think this is something that the government should force on them? Why/why not?

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    1. Ms. Keller,

      I think this last election proved that there is no room for compromise anymore. Chareidim must serve in the army just like everyone else. The more liberal left-wing parties won a huge amount of votes for their slogan of "Share the Burden." Israelis realize that its simply not fair that chareidim sit in yeshiva and learn, while secular and religious Zionist Jews fight for Israel and put their lives on the line.

      Religious Zionists have already created a 'hesder yeshiva' system, where young men can learn for a year or two, and then fight for two years.

      Chareidim will most likely refuse any order by the Israeli government to serve. If Israel is actually interested in forcing them to, this could lead to civil war.

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    2. I think that the Israeli Government needs to force them to serve, only they have to cater to their specific needs, such as Kashrut and more. That is unfortunately something that is very expensive to do. Taking that into account, I think that the Chareidim should be forced to be enlisted in the army reserves only. I believe that this is the best compromise available.

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    3. Joey, you make a great point. Part of the reason why chareidim do not serve is because of the reasons you mention. Kashrut is an issue, as well as having to attend ceremonies where all-women brigades sing in a choir, having time to learn, etc. But even if Israel made accomodations, I don't chareidim would want to.

      Making them become reservists is a good compromise, but why shouldn't they just have to fight like everyone else? Israel is under constant threat of attack, and chareidim should understand that complaining about hearing women sing or kashrut is not nearly as important as winning Israel's battles.

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    4. Michael and Joey-

      What about the Hesder Yeshivot?- those men keep kosher in the army and have time to learn. Joey- would you consider this a good compromise?

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    5. This topic really angers me. If it was not for those kids learning in Yeshiva day in and day out Israel would have been long gone and this discussion were to never have taken place. It is because of those kids do we have a place to call home. Believe me when I say that Israel has enough soldiers, they can do without these people.

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    6. Phil-

      Can you honestly tell me that a chareidi yeshiva student who spends his days learning gemara and hearing a few shiurim each week (and earning cash for it!) does as much to protect Medinat Yisrael as the brave soldiers who are separated from their families right out of high school, live off canned tuna and corn, hike 50 mile ma'saot for weeks while in the scorching hot negev desert with 30 pounds on their backs?

      How about the soldiers that sit for hours on end at checkpoints in the West Bank looking for terrorists? Or the many fathers and mothers of soldiers that died while defending Israel so that the chareidim could sit and learn?

      These are our heroes. The chareidim need to do their share, because Israel is never safe. In the 1950s and '60s, Israelis literally lived in daily fear of a devastating Egyptian invasion, because Nasser said he would "push Israel into the sea." Now, we have Hamas in control of the Gaza Strip, and they have used that power to injure israeli civilians.

      What have the chareidim done to stop Hamas? Nothing. Halachically, they have a chiyuv to defend Israel whenever it is under attack. All of Israel's wars are Milchamot Chiyuvot, wars that one has a halachic obligation to fight in.

      Now its time for chareidim to finally live up to their name as "those that tremble before God" and fight the battles to protect their fellow Jews.

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    7. Ms. Keller - I would certainly consider that a good compromise. Phil - you really should not have gone there. I fully support everything that Michael said, it is all 100% true. I also have one more thing to add. If you think that Israel was founded and then supported all these years by religion, you're flat out wrong. The inspiration to form and sustain a Jewish State came not from Chareidim or from religion at all, but from a pure ZIONISTIC love of the Jewish CULTURE and the Jewish PEOPLE. While Judaism is important, the modern State of Israel as we know it is rooted deeply not in the Jewish religion but in the unique culture and values of the Jewish people (which come mainly from the religion, but are still very independent of it) and would not exist today if not for the nonreligious Zionists who passionately support it in every way they can. While I acknowledge that it is important to learn Torah, there is simply no excuse for that to come at the expense of protecting the Jewish State that allows Jews to freely study Torah and observe Judaism.

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    8. Joey, your point about Israel spawning from a pure zionistic love of the jewish culture and people is very insightful and interesting. However, the whole raison de etre, (reason to be in french i think) for the creation of Medinat Yisrael is so it can be a safe haven for Jews where we can, to put it quiet plainly, be Jewish. Though it is true that along with the rest of the world, Israel has modernized, it is still first and foremost a Jewish state. I'm not sure about your distinction between Jewish religion, and Jewish culture. The religion defines every aspect of our lives, (thats why we have 613 mitzvot, to guide us on the right path.) How can there be any discrepancies?

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    9. Phillip-

      You wrote: "If it was not for those kids learning in Yeshiva day in and day out Israel would have been long gone." What do you mean by this? What about the countless Israeli soldiers who have fought in the army (especially in the 1948 war)?

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    10. G-d has made us the chosen people because we accepted his Torah. While a lot of is very difficult, we get rewarded when we follow it and punished when we don't. When we are learning Torah, we are protecting ourselves tremendously as Jewish history shows that when Jews do the right thing and learn Torah, things go well and we are protected. In times of war, we are obligated to fight and people like king David, who was a great man, fought in wars. When we aren't in times of war and immediate need, Torah study protects us immensely. We may not know or understand because it is a spiritual thing, but since we are Jews, I think that this is why we have been protected from G-d for so long.

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  5. When the charedi institutions were established about 100 years ago, they were designed for only the top students and the rest went to work when they were around 16-18. In today's system, they are all encouraged to learn full time until they are around 26 whether they are top learners or not. I feel that it is great that so many Jews are committed to learning the Torah which G-d gave to us. However, it also says in the Gemara that a father is obligated to teach his son a trade. That means that the father has to make sure he learns a profession so he can go out and support his family. So, my stance on this will go back to 100 years ago. If you are a top yeshiva student, I don't believe they should have to go to the army. Everyone has their role in society and the top yeshiva students role is evident and it is very important to have people who you can seek guidance to, especially when they are older. I'm sure their are many students today who do yeshivabecause of their parents and they don't want to. For the girls, I don't believe that they should have to join the army. For them, there are many more halachic issues. Also, it is recorded in the Torah of men fighting wars, great men alas, but no women. For the Chareidi girls who wear skirts to their ankles, do you really think they are going to want to all the sudden wear pants? I think that it is a little too much to expect. At the end of the day, they won't join for one reason. Because moshiach hasn't come, and because Israel is run by many secular Jews, they don't feel it is Jewish and they therefore will die before fight in the army. I can't judge and say whether they are wrong or not because I don't know enough about the whole situation and it would be narrow minded of me to say whether I think they should or not.

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    1. I forgot to add that the yeshiva students who aren't in the top should consider joining the army.

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    2. Ben, what you wrote was very historically insightful. I think a lot of what you said applies to the Kollel system more than just serving in the army. The students that sit and learn for years and years are hurting themselves, their wives, and Israel by not working.

      Regarding letting the best students in yeshiva continue learning, I think that is a great compromise, but still inherently unfair. The army does not give exceptions to secular Israelis who are talented and looking for careers. They do not give athletes or talented writers or artists exceptions. So why should they exempt a good learner?

      If anything, the really smart chareidi students would be a great service to the army, and could use their skills for intelligence work, cryptography, or other learning-type skills and jobs.

      Regarding chareidi women and girls, I agree that the army life would be pretty shocking to adjust to for them. However, because Israel is constantly at war, and is actually fighting a milchemet chovah, which means girls have an obligation to fight under halacha, and things like tznius do not apply as much.

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    3. Ben (and Michael)-

      Do you think that chareidim and others who do not serve in the army should be entitled to welfare?

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    4. Ms. Keller-

      Not at all. Students at Israeli secular universities are not paid to learn. It's the same here, regardless of the subject they are learning. It's insulting to think that chareidim are actually pulling their weight here.

      65% of chareidi men do not work http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=53595, That is an astounding figure! American unemployment is at 8% and people think we have a crisis! Something must be done.

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    5. I agree Michael. Ben, you have to make sure you understand who a member of a group is. Is it someone who actively works in the group and contributes something important? Or is it just someone who is just there, sucking up resources.

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    6. "Not at all. Students at Israeli secular universities are not paid to learn. It's the same here, regardless of the subject they are learning. It's insulting to think that chareidim are actually pulling their weight here." i agree one hundred percent. being in a higher level yeshiva or college is the same thing. However, i dont know if it necessarily insulting since Israel is a jewish country, and many great rabbis have said that studying secular knowledge is nice as many of the greatest rabbis of the generation have gone to college (Lubavitcher Rebbe, the rav) but torah knowledge is greater so I dont know if it insulting but they definantly shouldnt be paid to learn.

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  6. Ben what you said before that a Palestinian is a terrorist is really not only a giant stereotype but just not true as well. Regarding peace, i think that the only way this will happen is through negotiation. i think that israel likes when everyone else agrees with them. however, just like any country thwy are not perfect in any sense and could do alot to improve their foreign affairs and other things. I really don't think that Nitanyhu is all that interested in actual peace. Regarding arabs that live in israel, they are entitled to the EXACT SAME RIGHTS that israeli citizens are entitled to. however they dont really receieve the same rights as its harder for them to find jobs, houses, and are not given equal education funding. On a side note, i strongly believe that the Charidi should be made to serve in the army, and have no reason to be exempted. it is a law of the state, and if you dont believe in protecting this state,than you dont have to live their, and make the government spend money on you. In all, i think that it is time for a new government to come to power in israel.

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  7. Great job Michael! This article was very informative and interesting. Although I am a firm believer in the first amendment, I was incensed when reading this article. Even thought these church protestors aren't physically abusing anyone they are crossing the line morally. The law permits freedom of speech, but it is our moral obligation to highlight their idiotic rants. In the past as I march in the Israel Day Parade in New York I have encountered the Netuari Karta protestors who denounce our support of Israel. This is yet another example of an extremist sect, whose voices we must drown out.

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  8. great article michael. as razi clearly stated out, living in a state, chareidim MUST serve in the army. Everybody must be treated equally, the should not be exemp at all. Why are they living there? Because its their JEWISH STATE (except anti-zionists), and fighting for the army is defending the Jewish state. No doubt the Chareidim should need to serve, they want to live there, they must serve

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