A general feeling present among the overwhelming population of students at Stern College is a sense of love and pride for, and connection to, Israel. Israel latches deeply onto the hearts of many Stern students, whether they have come from Israel to get a degree here in New York, or have spent time in Israel studying prior to university.
There are various areas of Israeli current events about which to stay informed and updated, including the ties between the US and Israel, international affairs between Israel and the world, and Israeli internal affairs, such as the upcoming elections.
From the results of a small poll consisting of 30 students within the Stern student body, 70% of the students stated that they are not specifically following the elections (and generally indicated a sense of regret about not doing so), whereas 30% of the students responded that they are keeping up to date with the unfolding of events.
Upon being asked as to whether she is following the present elections in Israel, Stern student Esti Hirst said, “I have been following randomly, reading articles sporadically.” When asked for a specific opinion, Hirst remarked, “My ability to advocate are more on the outskirts in terms of internal Israeli politics; however, I am confident in my [ability to advocate] for external affairs such as the Israel-American relationship.”
Other girls feel similarly inadequate in their scope of knowledge in regards to the upcoming elections. “I am following here and there, but I don’t feel I am informed enough about all factors of the election to voice a thoroughly educated opinion,” said Naatsha Zadikoff, another student at Stern.
The national elections for the Knesset (the governing body within Israel) are held every 4 years, unless they are called for earlier. As opposed to voting for a specific candidate (as is done in the American system), voters in Israel vote for the party that they feel they most support, and the head of the winning party becomes prime minister and is responsible for heading the government. There are 120 Knesset seats overall, and each party wins its seats based on the percentage of national vote that they receive.
The government needs the confidence of the Knesset to exist, and a party alone needs 61% of the national vote to govern to its own accord. To this date, this has never occurred. Therefore, a government is formed with a coalition of several parties, and the opposition remains outside of this governing body.
In late November, 2014, the then governing coalition of Israel had serious disagreements in regards to economic practices, such as the VAT tax, as well as the “Jewish Nation State” bill which states that Israel is a Jewish state first, and then a democratic state. Upon firing Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid Party, and Tzipi Livni of the Hatnua party, who as of December 10th have joined forces to form ‘The Zionist Camp,” Benjamin Netanyahu (head of the right winged, secular Likud party and current Prime Minister of Israel) called for dissolution of the governing coalition.
Netanyahu is quoted in The Jerusalem Post (JP) on December 2nd, 2014 saying, “The government was under constant threats and ultimatums. The country cannot be run in the current situation. Elections are not a good thing, but a government that is attacked from inside is seven times as bad.”
Within the same JP article, Yair Lapid is quoted, “It pains us that the Prime Minister decided to act irresponsibly and drag Israel – for petty political reasons – to unnecessary elections that will harm the economy.”
Habayit Hayehudi is another popular political party, led by Naftali Bennett. The main platform of the party vehemently opposes a division of the State of Israel. For Bennet, Jerusalem is and always will the capital of a Jewish state.
Shani Hava, an international student from Israel currently enrolled in Sy Syms School of Business, expressed her frustration at the parties within Israel and the political games they seem to be playing. “It is schichut,” she stated, using the word that means ‘corruption’ in Hebrew. “These political parties are not focusing on what the people want, they are focusing more on showing off and bettering each other.” Shani is referring to the celebrity additions certain parties have been making to the Knesset list in order to popularize themselves.
“The potential outcomes of the elections within Israel are disheartening and frightening. While I do think a combination of Likud and Habayit Hayehudi in their extreme demeanor is the worst option, I am not confident in the other side either,” said a student at Stern who preferred to remain anonymous. “Because of evidence of past dealings, what I foresee is terrible for Israel. I am unsure of the other side, though.”
As a small yet growing state, Israel faces conflict of opinion and effective leadership over all aspects of internal affairs. Generally, there may be a sense of anticipation and worry among students in regards to the uncertain future of Israel based on the potential outcomes of the upcoming Israeli elections.