The following informational report details some of the anti-democratic initiatives and bills promoted in the 20th Knesset, published in October 2018 by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI). ACRI is the oldest and largest Israeli civil liberties organization, as well as a long-time partner of the New Israel Fund of Canada.
By Ben Murane, Executive Director
As we analyze the initial results of the Israeli and American elections, I am uplifted and also still troubled. Democracy isn’t something that I take for granted anymore.
We are lucky in Canada to live in a place where our votes matter, our courts are independent, our media strong, and a plethora of civil society groups are active. Pluralism rules in the public sphere. Politically-motivated violence is blessedly rare.
But looking around the world, we shouldn’t be too sanctimonious. Continue reading
Thursday, July 19, 2018
For immediate release:
Late last night in Jerusalem, the Israeli Knesset passed the Jewish Nation-State Bill into law. Lawmakers voted 62 to 55 to legally cement Israel as the sole national homeland of the Jewish people and national self-determination as a right exclusive to Jews.
The New Israel Fund of Canada (NIFC) joins a chorus of progressive and moderate voices – in Israel and the Diaspora – emphatically condemning the Nation-State Law. We believe it’s a frightening affront to Israel’s democracy, and to any prospect of peaceful co-existence between Arabs and Jews.