Jerusalem News
(January 21, 2020, 24 Tevet 5780)
Contents:
1. An Interesting Economic-Social Class Analysis of Israeli parties in the Coming Elections
Tell Me How Rich You Are, I'll Tell You if You'll Vote Netanyahu By Aluf Benn
2. Israel Rating Compared to Other Countries. Overview
3. IDF installs mezuzahs on doorposts of soldiers' bunks
4. International Rankings of Most Powerful Countries. Top 23
5. International Rankings of Best Countries. Top 24
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1. An Interesting Economic-Social Class Analysis of Israeli parties in the Coming Elections
Tell Me How Rich You Are, I'll Tell You if You'll Vote Netanyahu By Aluf Benn
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/.premium.MAGAZINE-tell-me-how-rich-you-are-i-ll-tell-you-if-you-ll-vote-netanyahu-1.8412952
An analysis of the last election results appears to show Israeli politics as a class struggle between warring tribes
Jan 19, 2020
Extracts:
You could summarize Israel's last two elections with the saying, 'Tell me where you live, and I'll tell you who you'll vote for.' A cross-check of the September election results with the socio-economic ranking of Israeli communities reveals a significant correlation between the bank account and the ballot box.
Broadly speaking, the rich vote Kahol Lavan, the middle class supports Likud and the poor are divided between the Joint List and the Haredi parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism. Four tribes, exactly as President Reuven Rivlin described in his defining speech on the divides in Israeli society. The rich and the Arabs are on the left, the Haredim and the middle class are on the right, and the fight between blocs plays out over the upper middle class.
This is not very different from the United States, or the United Kingdom; but Israel's proportional system means minority votes also win representation. In America and Britain, the winner takes all in their geographically divided constituencies. The losing votes are wasted, and polarization is amplified.
To understand Israel's political story, just look at the index issued by the country's Central Bureau of Statistics, which divides Israel's 1,183 communities into 10 distinct groups, from poorest to richest. Using data from government ministries and local authorities, it refines its ranking using 14 separate parameters, looking at assets and consumption patterns. We know the upper classes have advanced degrees, big, expensive cars and regularly go through Ben Gurion International Airport, while the lower classes are less educated, go by bus and rarely take a plane.
The most recent index, published in two parts in November 2018 and August 2019, was based on statistics from 2015. The coming year will see the publication of a more up-to-date index based on 2017 statistics. The socio-economic index was prepared by a professional team from the statistics bureau, led by Luisa Burke, Natalia Tsibel, Yosif Badran. An oversight committee was headed by Momi Dahan, a Hebrew University professor, and included representatives from academic institutions, government ministries, and city municipalities.
This article was also informed by a report from the Adva Center policy analysis institute, which was published after the September election and analyzed results from a socio-economic perspective.
The rich see Gantz as their leader
Kahol Lavan was the big winner in the top 30 percent of communities, comprised of Tel Aviv and wealthy communities mostly in Israel's central metropolitan area. These are instantly recognizable in Israel, like Savyon or Kfar Shmaryahu, a seaside community a short drive north of Tel Aviv strewn with imposing designer villas. Benny Gantz's party took all of the top 10 percent, 95 of 97 communities in the second-highest decile, and 242 of 270 communities in the third-highest decile in the last election. Israelis of means see Benny Gantz as their representative and leader. Voting for the left-wing party Meretz is positively correlated with voting for Kahol Lavan.
Likud did not win any community in the top two deciles, and placed first in just 18 communities in the eighth decile (i.e. between the top 30 percent and the top 20 percent), most of them in the so-called "periphery," and some wealthier West Bank settlements, including in the Jordan Valley.
The upper-middle-class, comprising the seventh decile, is the battleground for the two parties with a shot at the leadership. Like Wisconsin or Florida, bellwether states for the U.S. presidential elections, secondary cities, like Haifa, Rishon Letzion, and Holon, as well as hundreds of moshavim, kibbutzim and settlements, and even the well-to-do Catholic Arab community of Mi'ilya, will be crucial. It's a closely-fought contest: Likud took 32.5 percent of the vote and Kahol Lavon 31.3 percent in the September election.
Meanwhile, the sixth and fifth deciles are Netanyahu's 'base,' smaller urban centers in the periphery, like Eilat, Be'er Sheva, Ashkelon and Netanya. Together with dozens of settlements and religious kibbutzim and communities where the right-wing alliance and Likud ally Yamina leads, these communities keep him in power.
... Likud leads in urban areas, Yamina in religious communities and settlements, and Kahol Lavan in kibbutzim, as well as large Druze communities.
The Joint List of Arab-majority parties scores high in the poorest deciles, led by Arab-majority cities like Nazareth and Sakhnin. Likud grabs most of the vote in urban areas, except those that are religious. Ultra-Orthodox parties United Torah Judaism and Shas score high in Jerusalem, the largest and poorest of Israeli cities, and in other Haredi communities.
All for the status quo
These clearly divided results partly explain the parties' platforms, and how limited their field of play is in attracting new votes. Kahol Lavan wants to keep things as they are, to maintain an economic system that favors the higher echelons, and to strengthen elitist institutions, the IDF general staff, the intelligence community, the legal system and the treasury's budget department. The 'haves' have something to lose, and they are motivated mainly out of fear of losing control and assets.
Gantz represents the status quo, and doesn't suggest any social or economic changes. This could be why he is so popular in polls and at the ballot box compared to his leftist predecessors in the past two decades. Their campaign against growing religious influence is also an economic struggle against the religious and ultra-Orthodox seeking to transfer money from secular suburban Israelis to settlements and yeshivas. He simply promises his supporters that the sun will shine tomorrow, in exactly in the same place.
On paper, Likud represents social mobility... Netanyahu... promises Likudniks to 'change the elites' and push them to the top, which is why he fights against the 'deep state,' the prosecutors and the media, who represent the existing order...
In the lower income brackets, the picture is reversed. Haredim and Arabs only have something to gain. Haredi parties have understood this for a long time, and focus on moving government resources from taxes to their voters' pockets, despite their comparatively small contribution to the national wealth. The Joint List has adopted a similar strategy in the last election, when it promised to support Gantz and even join his coalition in exchange for economic and social benefits, in law enforcement, housing and education.
The lion's share of Avigdor Lieberman's support base is right in the middle of the socioeconomic ladder, in deciles four through seven. But in September, his Yisrael Beiteinu party, which has emerged as a pivotal force, made some inroads into Kahol Lavan turf thanks to the struggle against the 'growing religious influence' on Israeli society. This explains why Gantz and his peers don't link up with the left, with the Joint List, or adopt any outright left-wing positions. They worry that their more nationalist voters will abandon them for Yisrael Beiteinu. Voter defection to a party within the same "natural bloc," such as Labor-Gesher-Meretz, whose support is assured in any coalition talks, would less concerning.
Tribal divisions will determine the results of the March election exactly as they did in September. In recent months, there have been no significant economic or social shifts, no significant changes on the security or diplomatic fronts. All opinion polls suggest a movement toward the larger factions, but nothing that would push voters away from their home parties.
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2. Israel Rating Compared to Other Countries. Overview
Overview of Israel
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/israel
Extracts:
CAPITAL
Jerusalem
REGION
Middle East
GDP PER CAPITA, PPP
$37,994
GDP
$369.7 billion
POPULATION
8,883,800
AREA
20,770 SQ.KM
Israel, the only Jewish nation in the world, is a small country on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. For its relatively small size, the country has played a large role in global affairs. The country has a strong economy, landmarks of significance to several religions and strained relationships with many of its Arab neighbors.
The founding of modern Israel can be traced back to World War I, when Zionists lobbied the British for recognition of a Jewish state in Palestine. After World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the United Nations proposed dividing the area into Arab and Jewish states, an idea opposed by the Arabs. Nonetheless, Israelis declared independence in 1948 and the new country then defeated the Arabs in a series of wars.
Seven decades later, boundaries are still hotly contested. The United Nations Security Council voted in 2016 to condemn Israeli settlements in the area, prompting Israel to suspend ties with many nations that voted in favor of the resolution. U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jersualem as Israel's capital at the end of 2017 stirred further unrest.
Israel is a parliamentary democracy made up of six districts. Israel claims Jerusalem as its capital, though it hasn't received wide international recognition. Most foreign countries keep their embassies in Tel Aviv.
Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with cut diamonds, high-technology equipment and pharmaceuticals among its major exports. The country is very highly developed in terms of life expectancy, education, per capita income and other human development index indicators. But the country also has one of the most unequal economies in the Western world, with significant gaps between the rich and poor.
While the culture of Jewish Israelis and the Arab minority have remained fairly separate, the country has been influenced by Jewish immigrants from all over the world, many of whom have gone on to make significant contributions to science, politics and the arts. The country is home to some of the world's most holy sites, including the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque.
Israel Rankings
#29
OVERALL RANK
Rankings
Adventure0.5#69
Citizenship1.3#32
Cultural Influence1.3#44
Entrepreneurship3.8#24
Heritage3.4#28
Movers5.3#15
Open for Business3.1#62
Power5.9#8
Quality of Life1.2#46
Transparency #25
Women#45
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3. IDF installs mezuzahs on doorposts of soldiers' bunks
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/274881
IDF places 6,000 mezuzahs on doorposts of soldiers' living quarters, says anyone missing a mezuzah should speak to his unit rabbi.
Arutz Sheva Staff, 21/01/20 14:53
Extracts:
After a lengthy process, the IDF completed the task of installing mezuzahs (religious parchments) on the doorposts of all soldiers' living quarters, in army bases and camps around Israel.
Due to instances in which mezuzahs were missing from rooms or found to be unfit for use, the IDF Rabbinate began a six-year program, called "Mashkof" (literally, doorpost - ed.), to examine and renew all of its mezuzahs.
The IDF Rabbinate appointed its Intelligence Department to lead the project, and a professional staff was appointed, led by Sergeant Major Yossi Sternfeld in cooperation with the Halakha (Jewish law - ed.) Department.
Contributing to the project was the Or Lachayal organization, which provided both financial and practical aid, as well as the Construction and Defense Ministry's Engineering and Construction Department.
After the plan was formulated, the IDF examined options for purchasing the mezuzahs and deepened its understanding of the requirements. In addition, the IDF examined the best way of installing the mezuzahs in field conditions, by researching and testing how the mezuzahs and their casings stood up to weather conditions.
The installation itself was conducted by the IDF Rabbinate, together with representatives from Or Lachayal.
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4. International Rankings of Most Powerful Countries. Top 23
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/power-rankings
United States
#1 in Power Rankings
The United States of America is a North American nation that is the world's most dominant economic and military power. Likewise, its cultural imprint spans the world, led in large part by its popular culture expressed in music, movies and television. In 2016 the country elected Donald Trump president.
GDP
$20.5 trillion
POPULATION
327.2 million
GDP PER CAPITA, PPP, #2 in Power Rankings
Russia is the world's largest country by land mass, nearly twice as big as Canada, the world's second-largest nation'and covers all of northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe.
GDP
$1.7 trillion
POPULATION
144.5 million
GDP PER CAPITA, PPP
$28,797
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1. USA
2. Russia
3. China
4. Germany
5. United Kingdom
6. France
7. Japan
8. Israel
9. South Korea
10. Saudi Arabia
11. United Arab Emirates
12. Canada
13. Switzerland
14. India
15. Australia
16. Turkey
17. Italy
18. Qatar
19. Spain
20. Sweden
21. Netherlands
22. Singapore
23. Norway
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5. International Rankings of Best Countries. Top 24
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/overall-rankings
1. Switzerland
2. Canada
3. Japan
4. Germany
5. Australia
6. United Kingdom
7. United States
8. Sweden
9. Netherlands
10. Norway
11. New Zealand
12. France
13. Denmark
14. Finland
15. China
16. Singapore
17. Italy
18. Austria
19. Spain
20. South Korea
21. Luxembourg
22. United Arab Emirates
23. Russia
24. Portugal
25. India
26. Thailand
27. Greece
28. Brazil
29. Israel
30. Qatar