Prospects for a Stable Democracy - Israel Elections Outcome

    Sunday December 11, 9:30am

Dr. Gayil Talsh  

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The rise of Netanyahu's National-Conservative Government into power, based on partnership with the extreme right Religious Zionist Party, and the prospects for a stable democracy after Israel’s 5th round of elections will be the main thrust of this talk. 

Has Israel moved from a multi-cleavage society to a polarized polity? Will Netanyahu lead a responsible foreign policy, or do anything in his power to change the rules of the democratic game to defer or cancel his trial? Will he be in charge — or be led by his determined partners? 

The talk focuses on different readings of the 2022 November election through the lenses of the crisis of democracy and the rise of National-Conservatism vs. Liberal ‘Statehood’ (Mamlachtiyut) in Israeli politics during the Netanyahu era.  The four cycles of the elections have seen the migration of liberal-right parties (Yisrael Beiteinu, Tikva Hadasha, Yamina) from the right bloc to the center-left bloc, resulting in the most rightwing administration ever to take hold of the state of Israel.

What were the successes and problems of the recent "coalition of change" government and was the 'experiment' of having an Islamist party in the coalition a failure? Why did this government fall apart? What are the implications of the focus of the 2022 election campaigns on the judicial system 'reform' on the future of Israeli democracy? What to watch as the new government takes office? Will Israeli democracy survive the religious-national coalition?

The talk will outline the transformation of the Left-Right dominant axis from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the major political cleavage to the rise of the Jewish vs. Democratic identity struggle. The major challenges Israel is facing in light of the 5th round of elections and the prospects for a stable government rising in their aftermath will be discussed."

Dr. Gayil Talshir received her DPhil (Ph.D.) from Oxford University 1997, where she wrote her dissertation on the political ideology of the Greens in Europe. In 2012 Dr. Talshir established and led the center for Advanced Public Policy at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  The program for Top Civil Servants in Public Policy as well as the Hebrew University President’s Program for Academic Leadership, was led by Dr. Talshir until 2018.

Dr. Talshir research explores the ideological scene as a dimension of the crisis of Israeli democracy.   Dr. Talshir recently led two research groups and published two books on higher education – contemporary dilemma, and governability and democracy.  

Dr. Gayil Talshir was a visiting professor at the Nazarian Center for Israeli Studies at UCLA during 2022, and is a frequent commentator on Israeli politics on both international and national media.  Her forthcoming book, The Netanyahu Era: Ideological Transformations, Structural Changes )SUNY) analyzes the processes of change under the Netanyahu era.

This program was made possible with the help of American Friends of The Hebrew University Pacific Northwest Region.