Decision Points

Next week, Israelis will go the polls to vote for the 19th Knesset. There is a great deal at stake in these elections, even more than usual. Polls suggest that the most likely outcome is the formation of a coalition government even further to the right than the current one, but also a strong, albeit divided, opposition. But that isn't the whole story, and NIF will provide you with commentary and analysis in the coming days to make sense of Israel's shifting electoral landscape.

In this week's NIF News, you can listen to a conversation between NIF's immediate past-President Nomi Chazan (a political scientist and former Knesset member) and NIF International Council Member Michael Walzer (one of America's leading political philosophers) about the upcoming election. And I share my thoughts on the likely impact of the elections on the changing relationship between Israel and American Jews in an op-ed in Haaretz.

Soon after the election, the New Israel Fund board will be meeting in Jerusalem. The decisions we make about our strategies, our tactics and our long-term impact will be challenging, and I look forward to sharing some new ideas with you in the coming year.

Governments come and go, Israeli politics are always volatile, and even solid NGOs like ours with a long record of accomplishment evolve and change. Our values, however, remain constant. On the ground in Israel, NIF and our family of organizations will continue our work, pursuing social justice, civil and human rights, and defending democracy. That you can be sure of.

Daniel Sokatch

CEO