RIVKA BAR-YOSEF
533
The new immigrants are mainly interested in housing, in education, and
in integrating into Israeli society. Yes, they could change both the party
balance and the composition of the society. When they first arrived people
predicted a conflict between the Russian immigrants and the Sephardim, that
the Sephardim would feel that they would take away some of their jobs.
That
was
true in the beginning, but to everybody's surpprise things changed.
The Sephardim were mobilized to receive the Russian immigrants; they had
discussion groups and social groups. Maybe because the Sephardim are
getting integrated, they now accept the new immigrants.
The discussions about occupied territories and the settlements are
nonsensical. Nobody is settled. People are given the choice to find places
where they want to settle. After that the Sokhnut and the government either
buy them flats or give them money. It's part of the bureaucratic process.
Very few of the Russians want to settle in "occupied territories." Israelis don't
restrict people from living where they choose, but there are no special
incentives to settle there. They mostly avoid the territories because they are
afraid that it is temporary and because they are attracted by the big urban
centers - Haifa, Tel Aviv. So I think that the whole question revolves not
around the West Bank but around Jerusalem. The new immigrants do settle
in
Jerusalem and strengthen its Jewish character.
Lionel Abel:
I thought that your talk was fascinating, but there were two
things I didn't understand. I don't see why the new electoral system wouldn't
solve some of the political problems you brought up. I always thought that
the reason the new electoral system was proposed was to deal with the
problem posed by the small religious parties. I don't see why a new electoral
system wouldn't do so. The other thing I didn't understand
is
why there
should not be a presidential system based on an imitation of the American
system because we do have, along with the Presidency, a balance of power
between the judiciary, the President, and Congress. In that case the fear of
Sharon becoming dictator would be dissipated.
RB-j:
I don't think that any system can be transplanted from one country to
another and probably not from a large country like the United Sates to a
small country like ours. The American system is much more complicated
than what some Israelis are proposing for Israel. You have two Houses, you
have states with a certain autonomy, a federal government, and you have a
system of change through elections.
As
a matter of fact, you have elections
all the time. And there are governors, and a whole system of checks and
balances, which
was
not built up in one day. All this cannot be transplanted.
We don't have states, we don't have governors. We have one Knesset, one
House. And the American President is not elected by popular vote; he has
to
start as a candidate. So I don't think it
is
possible.
LA:
It
is
possible. I think it
is
possible.
RB-J:
Then why do you have primaries?
