Yesterday we had the opportunity to understand the Israeli political system a little bit better by doing a simulation of the Knesset election process. We started off the morning by learning a little bit more about the general information of the Knesset. The Knesset is a parliamentary Jewish democracy. At the moment there are 10 parties in the Knesset that work to form coalitions to win a majority in government (no one party has ever won over 60 seats). There are 120 seats in the Knesset.
We all split up into groups to learn and become part of a single party. Though there are 10 parties in the Knesset, we decided only to present 7 of the parties. We gathered information about our party to campaign in front of the other party members. We wrote a little skit or jingle, made a poster, and created a presentation about our ideals as a party. We heard from the zionistic Avodah (Labor) Party, the Habait Hayehudi party who are keen on keeping all of Israel, the Meretz party who advocated for equality and a more secular state, the United Arab List that combined several former small parties that want rights and equality within a binational state, the Likud Party who want security and a jewish constitution, Shas or the "super jew", quite conservative party, and finally, Yesh Atid, a central party that want equality and advocate for "sharing the burden." The parties presented their views on the conflict, equality within the state, and the need (or not) of a constitution, along with many other issues.
After a long and tough campaign, the Avodah and Yesh Atid party were tied with the highest number of seats (dun dun duuunnnnnnn). They negotiated about who should be prime minister and formed a coalition between the two along with the Meretz party to end up with 73/120 seats in the Knesset. After a vote, the Yesh Atid party was decided to hold the position of prime minister, and the two parties negotiated about which ministry should go to which party within the coalition. Overall, it truly helped us to understand the process of the Knesset as well as get to know a few of the major parties that hold seats within the Knesset (and we had fun!!)
What are the advantages or disadvantages of the Knesset system versus our American political system? Which party do you identify with and why?
The primary advantage of the Knesset system versus the American legislature is that more control is placed in the hands of the highly-educated politicians, rather than the general public. The primary disadvantage, however, is really that more control is placed in the hands of politicians. At once it's both better and worse, because while they may be more qualified for the job, they are still politicians and professional wheeler-dealers.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I can identify with any political party of the Knesset, as I try very hard to be apolitical and disagree strongly with a good majority of any party's platform, whether it be in the US or in Israel. Generally I think the political systems of the world are fundamentally flawed, and to identify with a party would be to accept those flaws rather than change them. I don't think that change is possible from within, so I couldn't in good conscience vote for any party, as it would support the system itself.
-Noah Arnold
I would say that an advantage of the Knesset over the American legislature is the diversity of political views. Rather than a bipartisan system, Israel many parties, allowing them to focus on very specific issues. A disadvantage I could see is the necessity of forming coalitions, which in my opinion, seem like the perfect way to slow down legislative processes. Although I think they're underrepresented in Israel's actual political scene, I identify with the Joint Arab Lists, or more specifically, Hadash, which is made up of Arabs and Leftist Jews. I don't agree with absolutely everything they stand for, but I think that Israel cannot survive as an exclusively Jewish state. I believe that complete democratic coexistence is the only way to achieve peace.
ReplyDeleteWhile a parliamentary system offers a greater range of viewpoint representation within a government, it is much less efficient. In Israel, there is much less government stability, because at any moment the coalition that keeps the government in power may collapse. In addition, a parliamentary system silences the votes of many citizens if the party they voted for fails to make it into the Knesset.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the views of the Yesh Atid party most closely resemble my own. I believe a lack of social and political equality for Arabs is one of Israel's greatest problems, and that Yesh Atid would help remedy this.
I think a huge plus about the Israeli system is that it's not either one or the other with a set list of views. There's room and range for all viewpoints and anyone can voice themselves granted they get the 3.25% or higher. However with so much variety and range that leaves the government a bit unstable which is a rather important drawback to this system whereas with only two parties we don't have that problem in the US. Another thing I enjoy about the Israeli system is that the coalitions mean a mix of like-minded (but still different) views which can be for the better. I think that I as many other would identify most with Yesh Atid because they aren't too right or left wing. They represent a good middle view of both sides which also gets votes from each side too which is a huge benefit to them.
ReplyDeleteThe most beneficial aspect of the Knesset as opposed to the American government system is the system of forming coalitions. Even though one party will get the majority of votes, there is still plenty of room for the other parties to contribute to the government. A disadvantage of the Knesset is that parties may not be able to for a coalition in the given time or they form a coalition with parties with different views. This causes conflict throughout governing. M views are the most similar to what Yesh Atid stands for. On the scale, they are closest to the middle, not too right or too left. This party is the most progressive for peace, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI think that an advantage that the Knesset has over the American political system is that there are more political parties which gives people more power to voice their opinion in the government. Another advantage is that the parties have to form coalitions and make agreements with each other to have a successful campaign. A disadvantage of the Knesset would be that a multi-party system tends to make the government a little more unstable. I would probably identify with Yesh Atid because they have very central views on most topics which is what I agree with.
ReplyDeleteI think the major advantage in the political system of Israel is that the people have more options. In america our system is black or white which dosent leave room for people who disagree. If people join other parties their vote will barely be heard. By having a parliamentary system the voice of the small parties is heard louder because even the biggest party has to consider their voice. With a parliamentary system Israel finds itself in a lot of inner conflict which it seems like it dosent have room for this considering everything that's going on right now.
ReplyDeleteAn advantage that the Israeli political system has over the American system, is the amount of choices there are within the government. Although one party has the most seats, each party has a say in what goes on in the Knesset. It represents everyone in Israel, while in America the government represents only half the country. Along with that, the Israeli government has more potential for conflict within because all of the conflicting opinions. I'm not sure which party I identify with, although if I were to choose I'd say Yesh Atid.
ReplyDeleteI personally like the fact that the Knesset has so many more political parties than the American government. I think it is important that people are able to voice their opinions and choose a party that fits to their beliefs.
ReplyDeleteThe European system of government is better because it gives the people who are more knoledgeable I.E the politicians, more power, which theoretically gives people the best chance to have a government which knows what's best for its people. The downside of that system is that if a corrupt party is able to win more seats, they can select whatever prime minister they chose, even if he isn't the best at the time. I personally would not pick any party that we learned about, just because I don't agree with the platform of the parties.
ReplyDeleteThe politicians of the Knesset seem to have a higher amount of knowledge than the politicians in America. And with this knowledge, the politicians in the Knesset will know or at least be able to try to do what is right by the country. They also elect their Prime Minister from their section of the Knesset. So unlike America in which we the people elect our leader, in Israel, we elect a group of people we find to be best and then they will elect who they believe to be best for the country.
ReplyDeleteI think that an advantage of the Knesset system in Israel is that many parties that can vote allow for a more fair democratic election. The major disadvantage that in my mind outweighs that advantage is that by forming coalitions and having so many parties, the potential for a leading coalition to fail at any given time is too great. I don’t think I really identify with one party or another. I’ll admit that I am ignorant and don’t pay attention to politics nearly as much as I should, so I don’t know enough about any parties to form my own opinion.
ReplyDelete-Rachael Coleman
I think the major advantage of the Knesset system is that more power is placed in the hands of civilians which means that they are more likely to have a government based on what the people think. I think that I best identify with none of the parties we learned about. I don't agree with any of their political positions and their ideology and I don't think I learned enough about each of them to identify with one of them.
ReplyDelete