Articles

The once beloved Tel Aviv local newspaper Ha'ir was plagued with instability for many years. In this article published in The Seventh Eye on February 28, 2007, Hanoch Marmari, Former Editor in Chief of Ha'aretz, investigates the downfall of the old Ha'ir, "may it rest in peace." An administrative takeover of the newspaper, a face transplant, and the publication of over-produced content are a few of the newspaper's deep flaws that Marmari describes.

Journalists face pressure from the public and from their editors to produce as many dramatic headlines about future events as possible. This article by Tamar Guttman, a doctoral student in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at Tel Aviv University, focuses on published predictions that often don't pan out. Originally published in The Seventh Eye on February 28, 2007, the article describes this phenomenon, its causes, and its effects.

In an article originally published in <em>The Forward</em>, IDI's Prof. Yedidia Z. Stern explores the responsibility of the Jewish and democratic state for Sudanese refugees and calls on Israeli religious scholars to formulate a halakhic response.

Despite last summer's war in Lebanon, Hamas's rise to leadership, Hizbullah rockets being aimed at Israeli cities, and international boycotts, Israeli economy is thriving, the national debt and unemployment have significantly dropped, and investors continue to look to Israel as fertile ground for investment.

Yair Sheleg investigates whether the separation of religion and state manifests itself differently in Israel than it does in other countries.

Is the institution of the presidency necessary? Who elects the president? Is the election an open vote or secret ballot? Dr. Ofer Kenig explores the situation in Israel and other parliamentary democracies.

Following is the response of the President, Senior Fellows, and Board of Directors of the Israel Democracy Institute to "The Future Vision of Palestinian Arabs in Israel" document published in December 2006 and to two additional documents published by the Israeli-Arab organizations Adalla and Mossawa at around the same time.

The regulation of marriage and divorce in Israel is perceived by many as the main obstacle in attaining a constitution for Israel. Can the Spousal Registry Law help solve the discrepancies that subsequently arise? Dr. Shahar Lifshitz, author of a new Policy Paper on the topic, gives us his personal view.

In an article originally published in the Forward, Prof. Momi Dahan argues that it is possible to fight and reduce poverty without increasing taxes. 

For five years, IDI fellows worked on the daunting task of drafting a constitution for Israel. In an article in The Jewish Week, IDI's Uri Dromi reflects on the process.

Party primaries, though a vital component of the Israeli electoral system, receive little attention from the media and the voting public. In an interview originally published prior to the Israeli general elections in 2006, Dr. Gideon Rahat of the Political Science Department at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, today a Senior Researcher at IDI, discusses the candidate selection process within Israel's political parties and explores the pros and cons of local and international models.

Most journalists think Israeli media distorts facts, succumbs to commercial considerations, and uses unfair tactics, but nevertheless, they give themselves high marks for performance and enjoy their professions. Dr. Yariv Tzefati  and Eran Livio discuss this inconsistency as reported by a survey conducted by The Seventh Eye in 2005.

Flashing headlines and lengthy news reports are frequently dedicated to displays of ideological extremism, whether they take the form of vulgar graffiti or shiny posters. Ron Binyamini, reporter for Kol Yisrael, writes in this article published in The Seventh Eye on February 28, 2005 about the disproportionate media attention given to threatening ideological expression.

This article from The Seventh Eye describes the autonomy of the economic sections of Israel's large newspapers. Comparing the reactions of the news pages and the economic pages to the 2003 "Poverty Report," Arbel highlights the media's sway toward the economic ideology of the right, and asserts that the media is legitimizing the separation between social and economic sectors by creating a dialogue that separates economic policy from political and social issues.

In this article for The Seventh Eye, published on October 31, 2004, Gili Drob-Hiestien describes a legal saga regarding sex advertising in newspapers, in which legal action did not stop the publication of prostitution advertisements and the Knesset intervened. Eventually newspapers refused to advertise sex services.

According to Tamar Guttman, a doctoral student in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at Tel Aviv University, there is little room for enthusiasm regarding the way Israel’s mainstream media addressed the subject of the disengagement plan. In this article, originally published in The Seventh Eye on October 31, 2004, Guttman explains that the media was usually preoccupied with the petty, marginal, and sensationalist aspects of the initiative, systematically failing to examine the important issues raised by the withdrawal from Gaza or to ask difficult questions.

In this article, originally published in Hebrew in Yedioth Ahronoth, IDI Former President and Founder Dr. Arye Carmon argues that Israel must say an emphatic "no" to the presidential regime and a resounding "yes" to reinforcing parliamentary democracy in Israel.

In an article from The Seventh Eye, Uzi Benziman asserts that for twenty years, the press has focused on the personalities of candidates rather than their doctrines and predicts that the 2003 elections in Israel will suffer the same fate. In his estimation, the media is asleep and will will "wake up and kick itself" after the election.