News from December 27 to January 3
Israeli election update, Israel's vaccination campaign, and honorable mentions
Hey everyone! Happy new year! As always, feel free to reach out to me with questions, comments, concerns, or ideas for how to make News of the Jews better at newsofthejews@gmail.com. If you need good Jewish/Israeli shows or movies, make sure to check out this newsletter. Feel free to follow me on Twitter @skaps1.
Israeli election update:
Background: Unlike the American political system where there are only two main parties, the parties that run for the Israeli Knesset frequently change from election to election. I already detailed some of the changes in last week’s edition, but to recap, the big difference between the previous election and the upcoming election is the emergence of the New Hope party led by former Likud MK Gideon Sa’ar and the breakup of the Blue and White party led by Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz. Several high-profile MKs have already shuffled between the existing parties and New Hope, including Likud’s former chief coalition negotiator Ze’ev Elkin.
What happened? Several new parties emerged this past week. Most notably, longtime Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai launched a new center-left political party called “the Israelis.” Citing the need for a viable left of center alternative to Israel’s many prominent right-wing politicians, Huldai said “Israel can and must be run differently.” It is still early, but he has already found success recruiting noteworthy figures to join the party; Justice Minister and Blue and White MK Avi Nissenkorn and Blue and White MK Einav Kabla are leaving their party to join the Israelis. Huldai is not the only center-left politician starting their own party–Yesh Atid MK Ofer Shelah announced he would be leaving his party to create a new center-left party focused on improving relations between Israel’s various communities.
What do the new parties mean for Israeli politics? It is not clear that the two new parties will have an impact on the electoral landscape. Both parties, in addition to Yesh Atid, Meretz, and the Joint List, are competing for the same center-left and left-wing voters. Since political parties must earn a certain number of seats to enter the Knesset, splitting the center-left vote between more parties could result in some parties failing to cross the threshold, effectively nullifying their supports’ votes. To improve their electoral chances, parties of similar ideologies often run on combined lists as one umbrella party (this was the case with Blue and White in the last three elections and the Joint List for the past few years). It would not be surprising if some or all of the center-left parties coalesced into one big party, though big personalities and egos could prevent a merge.
Anything else? Another big story out of Israel this week is Netanyahu and Likud launching a concerted effort to increase Arab voters. Reports claimed that Likud is considering placing an Israeli-Arab candidate on its list, hoping to capitalize on the Joint List’s low polling numbers. It is unclear if the effort will materialize into more Knesset seats–especially since Netanyahu has repeatedly intimidated Israeli-Arab voters and claimed they stole the April 2019 election–but some estimates suggest Likud could pick up two seats from the Israeli-Arab population.
Further reading: https://www.ynetnews.com/article/H1PGueY6w
Israel leads the world in vaccination drive:
What happened? Israel is far outpacing nearly every country in the world in its vaccination drive. According to Our World in Data, Israel has currently vaccinated 12.59 per 100 people, which is almost four times the next best country, Bahrain, which is has vaccinated 3.53 per 100 people. Since Israel began vaccinations on December 19, it has vaccinated over 10% of its population and is currently administering doses at a pace of around 150,000 vaccines per day. Last week, Prime Minister Netanyahu celebrated Israel’s 1,000,000th vaccination (even though the photo op became controversial).
Netanyahu celebrating the 1,000,000th person vaccinated in Israel. Source: Haim Zach/GPO
How is Israel making so much progress? I highly recommend checking out this Jerusalem Post article about how Israel is leading the world in vaccinations. Otherwise, here’s a brief explainer: Experts have cited Israel’s universal healthcare system, experience in emergencies, and high-tech digitized health sector as factors that have uniquely prepared Israel to handle a mass vaccination campaign. Moreover, in contrast with the United States, once daily scheduled vaccinations are complete, Israeli officials are offering leftover vaccinations to the general public since the vaccine would otherwise expire.
What about the Palestinians? The Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza have not received COVID-19 vaccinations yet. Unlike Israel, which purchased the vaccines directly from Phizer, the Palestinian Authority has signed up to participate in the World Health Organization’s COVAX program, which aims to distribute vaccines more equally across the world. Moreover, the Palestinian Authority has not asked Israel to acquire vaccinations for the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority is now looking to acquire vaccines from Phizer and Russia.
Further reading: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/vaccine-rollout-inspires-jews-to-move-to-israel-and-israelis-to-return-654141
Honorable Mentions:
“Jewish life in 2021: Predictions about the future of politics, culture and anti-Semitism” by Shira Feder (JTA)
“Iran Missile Program Must Be ‘On the Table’ in Nuclear Talks, Biden National Security Adviser Says” by Ben Samuels (Haaretz)
“21-year-old from Boston becomes Israel’s first American female Air Force pilot” by Sam Sokol (JTA)
“Convicted US spy Pollard arrives in Israel, welcomed by Netanyahu” by Josef Federman (AP)
“Jared Kushner’s company plans to raise $100 million in Israel bonds as his time as Mideast adviser nears end” by Gabe Friedman (JTA)
“Witnesses dispute IDF account after Palestinian shot during West Bank operation” by Aaron Boxerman (TOI)
“Iran to boost uranium enrichment to 20 percent ‘as soon as possible’” (JNS)
“10 heartwarming Jewish stories from 2020, a year to otherwise forget” by Gabe Friedman (JTA)
“Amended indictment filed against Netanyahu, detailing over 200 coverage demands” (TOI)
“The Highs and Lows of American Leaders and Israel” by Larry Greenfield (Jewish Journal)
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