State and Religion Dossier | Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung

State and Religion in Israel and Germany

Following the third round of Jerusalem Talks, which centered on religion in German and Israeli societies, experts and politicians from both countries were invited to discuss the relations and tensions between the democratic constitution, religious convictions, and basic values that form the current public debate in Israel and Germany.

Jewish and Arab members of the coronavirus team at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, Israel. Coutesy of Dr. Yasmin Diab (second from right)

Can the COVID-19 Crisis Become a Turning Point Toward a Shared Society in Israel?

In Israel, as in other parts of the world, the COVID-19 virus crisis is not only a health challenge.

By Edan Ring and Kholod Edres

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel concludes his third address before a joint meeting of Congress and reaffirms the strong bonds between Israel and the United States.

Right-wing Parties in the 2019 Israeli Elections

Analysis

The 2019 Israeli elections will be determined on the issue of how many right-wing parties pass the 3.25% threshold and what their relative strength will be vis-à-vis the left bloc. Who are the rightwing parties, how did the religious and ultra-religious parties become “the natural partners” of Netanyahu's ruling Likud party, and what is the subtle interplay between them in view of the 2019 elections?

By Gayil Talshir

National Elections 2019 – Status Report from the Perspective of the Arab Minority within the Israeli Citizenry

April 9, 2019, is the date set for elections to State of Israel’s 21st Knesset. These elections are important and challenging from many aspects, but this article will focus mainly on the perspective of the Arab minority within the Israeli citizenry. This group constitutes approximately one fifth of the state’s citizens and approximately 16.5% of eligible voters.

By Ameer Fakhoury

A Bridge to Peace, Climate Fellows Style

March 23rd was the last in a series of 14 day-long sessions billed as "stage one" of the year long Galilee Climate Fellows Program envisioned and implemented by the Town Association (TAEQ) and HBS partner The Heschel Center for Sustainability; in and of itself, a Jewish-Arab cooperation. Launched just a few short months ago, when nobody yet knew what fruits this enigmatic name of a program would bring.

The road to a fourth Netanyahu gov’t runs through Haneen Zoabi

The ‘Zionist Camp’ needs the Arab parties in order to form a government. Its decision to vote for disqualifying Zoabi makes that support less and less likely (+972 Magazine).

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man

What we want

The German-Israeli dialogue Program is set up to contribute to a strong German-Israeli relationship that is based on a realistic perception and mutual understanding of the past as well as present. It works towards the benefit of shared democratic values in both countries, bringing together opinion leaders from Israel and Germany from the fields of politics, academia and the media, civil society and art.
The activities (conferences, workshops, roundtable discussions, festivals, publications) are conducted to provide a deeper understanding of the challenges both countries face as modern societies and nation states, such as dealing with citizenship and belonging in a multicultural society. Moreover it aims to identify elements from experiences of reconciliation and conflict resolution from Europe for possible joint contributions to local conflict resolution.

For more information please contact Marianne Zepp: Marianne.Zepp@il.boell.org