Publications
Is government spending in Israel low by international standards, and should it be increased?
Understanding the institutional and demographic differences between countries is important for the media and public discourse in Israel, which often call for increased government spending based on a simplistic...
Take the Palestinians’ ‘No’ for an Answer
They’ve rejected every peace initiative. Their no-show this week in Bahrain should be the last
Democracy vs juristocracy
None of the constraints on the court taken for granted elsewhere exist in Israel—those who hysterically argue against any limitation on judicial review are actually trying to create a...
Where’s the real threat coming from in 2019?
Iran is a far greater danger to Jews, the Jewish state and Western civilization than a gaggle of rednecks wearing bed sheets over their heads.
Why Shirts Are Cheap and Groceries are Expensive: Consequences of Trade Barriers in Israel
In contrast to the cost of clothing which is low compared to other countries, the cost of food in Israel is relatively high. This pattern developed after the textile...
Not everything can be decided in court
The ruling by Justice Alex Stein is a recognition of the limits of the Supreme Court's authority to intervene in government policy
Is UNRWA’s hereditary refugee status for Palestinians unique?
UNRWA’s claim that their hereditary refugee status for Palestinians is not unique is simply untrue. There is no parallel and no precedent, even in protracted conflict situations, for the...
Basic income in Israel
The concept of “basic income” has been garnering a lot of attention in recent years, due to increasing concerns regarding inequality, economic growth, technological unemployment and the bureaucratic burden...
Airbnb’s Anti-Israel Hypocrisy
Two very different organizations took action last week against Jews owning property in the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority sentenced two Palestinians to 15 years hard labor for selling...
Who Else Profits – Second Report
If business activity that “facilitates” or “profits” from settlement activity raises human rights issues, then the Commission’s current research program is unjustifiably narrow in its scope. The UNHRC’s Israel...
Kohelet holds conference on the Nation state Law
On October 9th 2018 The Kohelet Policy forum held a conference on the Basic Law: Israel as Nation-State of the Jewish People.
Why All the Outrage over Israel’s Nation-State Law?
After working its way through the Knesset for years, Israel’s nation-state law, whose official title is Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People, finally passed on...
The proof is in the protest
Asking demonstrators at Saturday’s so-called “protest for equality” not to wave Palestinian flags was a reasonable request, to be sure. Palestine is there, on the mountain, where demonstrators believe...
Concerned Jews of America, Here Are Answers to Your Pledge
A “Pledge” against Israel’s new nation-state law was recently put online (here) by eight organizations: T’ruah (the rabbinic call for human rights), the New Israel Fund, J-Street, Ameinu, American for Peace Now, the National Council of...
To American Jews – about Israel’s Nation-State law
There is Irony Surrounding American Jewish Criticism of Israel’s Nation-State Law. If Israel was not the “Nation State of the Jewish People” and instead just a random country, American...
ISRAEL’S DEMOCRACY IS FLOURISHING. CAN WORLD JEWRY RESPECT IT?
The relationship between the Jewish Diaspora and Israel preceded Israel as a state. It would be safe to say that the majority of the builders, in both the physical...
The Nation-State Law, A Constitutional Showdown With Postmodernism
It’s a painful ritual that we’ve experienced many times before. Or is this time different? Condemnations of Israel’s new Nation-State Basic Law are rolling in from the usual international...
The alternative to the nation-state law
An entire generation of legislative silence came to an end with the enactment of the nation-state law. The Knesset finally made a clear ethical statement: “The State of Israel is...
Basic Truths About The Basic Law
The basic Zionist values articulated by this law have been supported by every government since the creation of the State of Israel. Israel as the home of Jewish self-determination;...