Two demonstrations took place last month, one in Jerusalem, and the other in New York’s financial district. Both were organized and attended by haredi (ultra-orthodox Jews; literally means “those who fear [God]”) who protested against the adoption of new legislation by the Knesset (Israel’s parliament). The legislation imposed conscription requirements on haredi yeshiva students in Israel. …
On Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, one of the oddest cases of unintended consequences came to an end. I refer to the death of Samuel Sheinbein in a shootout in an Israeli prison. According to media reports the thirty-three-years-old Sheinbein was shot after opening fire and seriously injuring several prison guards using a weapon he had smuggled …
This blog post is part of our Global Legal Collection Highlights series, launched by the Law Library of Congress in an effort to introduce our readers to foreign legal systems and sources. Several blog posts on various countries have already been published, including on Thailand, Malawi, Indonesia, the European Union, Kuwait, the Russian Federation, and China. This blog post provides …
Israeli voters are going to the polls today (January 22, 2013) to cast their ballots for the 19th Knesset (Israel’s parliament). Unlike in the U.S., where after the ballots are counted the presidential winner can go ahead with selecting his cabinet, the winner of the Israeli elections is not necessarily going to head the upcoming …
Israel is facing national elections shortly after the U.S. elections. Interestingly, Israel was mentioned more than 30 times in the October 22, 2012 U.S. presidential debate . There is no doubt that the results of either election will have serious ramifications on both countries’ policies in the Middle East. On Oct. 16, 2012, the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) passed the Law for the dissolution …
In May I had a great opportunity to learn firsthand about the most current issues on Israel’s legislative agenda by attending the 12th Annual Conference of the Israel Bar Association. The conference took place in Eilat, a city located at the shore of the Red Sea, near Israel’s borders with both Egypt and Jordan. The …
Last month, while riding the metro on my way to work, I was checking the daily news in one of the local newspapers. This particular newspaper seldom takes interest in foreign affairs, except, of course, if they concern serious matters such as nuclear threats, terrorism activities, mass murders, etc. On this occasion, the newspaper contained …
A colleague recently drew my attention to the proposition that “in the United States, the specter of class-action lawsuits imposes a higher level of precaution on the part of drug makers.” This statement was made in a newspaper article that discussed the scandal that erupted in France in connection with the prescription drug Mediator, which was …
The recent release of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has forced Israelis to reflect again on the cost of releasing kidnapped soldiers. Shalit was abducted by the military wing of Hamas from inside Israel’s borders in June 2006 and had been held captive for over five years. Israel agreed to release 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the …