What Does Israeli Liberalism Look Like?

Almost two weeks after Israeli voters cast their ballots for a second time this year, it is still unclear which candidate will lead the country. To make sense of all this, The +972 Podcast turns to leading public opinion analyst Dahlia Scheindlin, who says not much has changed since the April elections. 

What’s different this time, however, is the growing debate over the separation of religion and state in Israel. This internal conflict “is not new, but it became a new arena of political competition in these elections,” explains Scheindlin. She posits that this extremely narrow view of liberalism could potentially grow into something bigger. 

“Ultimately, that will open people’s eyes to all the other related values of a liberal society,” she says. That shift could inspire a deeper discussion on civil and individual rights in Israel, and perhaps push many Israelis to rethink the consequences of endless occupation.

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The music in this episode is by Ketsa.

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