The panel discussion came on the heels of Israelis going to the polls two times in the space of a year in national elections that ended in a stalemate. Participants weighed various possible outcomes. Event was held October 23, 2019.
About the Event: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu failed to form a new government after Israel's September 17 "do-over election" that ended with no clear winner. The country's April 9 election also produced similar results. On October 23, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin tasked Benny Gantz, Netanyahu's chief political challenger, with forming a new coalition. Gantz, a former military chief, will have 28 days to form a new government. If Gantz fails to secure a new coalition, Israel could have its third election within a year. With Israel's political future uncertain, a panel of experts discussed the election results and weighed in on where the country may be heading.
About the Panelists and Moderator: Shaiel Ben-Ephraim is a Visiting Lecturer with the Y&S Nazarian Center for Fall 2019, teaching "U.S.-Israel Relations: Anatomy of a Special Relationship" in the Department of Political Science. Eran Kaplan is the Rhoda and Richard Goldman Chair in Israel Studies in the Department of Middle East and Islamic Studies at San Francisco State University. He received his B.A. (magna cum laude) from Tel Aviv University and his PhD in Modern Jewish History from Brandeis University. Liron Lavi is a Research Fellow at the Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. She received her PhD in Political Science from Tel-Aviv University, where she studied the role of time in elections and democracy in Israel. Neil Netanel (Moderator) is Professor of Law at the UCLA, past Director of the Israel Studies Program; and is a Member of the Israel Studies Faculty Advisory Board. Professor Netanel received his B.A. from Yale University, J.D. from UC Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law, and J.S.D. from Stanford University. Roy Peled is an Administrative and Constitutional Law professor at the Haim Striks School of Law, College of Management – Academic Studies in Israel. Professor Peled received a PhD from the Buchman Law Faculty at Tel Aviv University and spent two years as an Associate in Law at Columbia Law School.
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