(NIF Germany) Opportunities and limitations as a peace and human rights activist in the Israeli government

Thursday, January 13, 2022, 12:00 PM Eastern / 90:00 AM Pacific / 6:00 PM Germany
Language: English
Where? On Zoom. Click here to register.

Since May 2021, after 12 years of governments under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a new government has been in office in Israel. It is a politically extremely heterogeneous coalition of eight different parties. In addition to right-wing nationalist parties and parties of the so-called center, two parties of the left-wing political camp, the Labor Party and Meretz, are also represented. The new government has replaced Netanyahu, who was criticized by many for dividing society and being populist, and representatives of Meretz have received three ministerial posts. But the government has also approved new settlement projects, ruled out peace talks with the Palestinians, and, by classifying six Palestinian civil society organizations as “terrorist,” taken a step that not even a Netanyahu government has taken.

How do parliamentarians who themselves come from the peace and human rights movements, who oppose the Israeli occupation and advocate for a two-state settlement, live and operate in and with this government? What can they achieve and effect? What perspectives do they see for themselves, for this government, for Israeli society and for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

Guests:
Gaby Lasky is a member of the Israeli parliament for the Meretz party. She is a former secretary general of Peace Now, a human rights lawyer, and a former Tel Aviv city councilor. In 2012, she was awarded the Emil Gruenzweig Prize for Human Rights by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.
Mossi Raz is a member of the Israeli parliament for the Meretz party. He has also served as secretary-general of Peace Now, a member of parliament for Meretz, and manager of the Israeli-Palestinian radio station “All For Peace.” For this he was awarded together with the Palestinian Co-Director 2010 by the International Council for Press and Broadcasting.

Moderation: Jörn Böhme (New Israel Fund Germany)