Gabriel Sheffer

Ethnic groups and distance shrinking communication technologies

Ethnic minorities and diasporas make extensive use of distance shrinking technologies. This article discusses the variety of uses of new media by ethnic groups, particularly in the political sphere; the resultant construction of virtual communities and virtual spaces by these groups; the functions of local and trans‐state ethnic networks; the contributions of these networks to intrastate and global civil society in a ‘post‐national’ era; and the theoretical implications concerning the nature of ethnic groups and of the spaces carved out of cyberspace by these ‘real’ or ‘virtual’ communities.

ISRAEL'S “SECURITY NETWORK” AND ITS IMPACT: AN EXPLORATION OF A NEW APPROACH

This article discusses a critical factor that has influenced Israels politics, society, economy, and public discourse since this states establishment in 1948, and particularly after the 1967 war: a highly informal but at the same time very potent “Security Network.” This Network has been critically involved in the political, social, economic, and cultural spheres, and its impact is felt in major and lesser issues. It is made up of actors who ( a ) are connected by informal, nonhierarchical ties; ( b ) share common values and perceptions regarding Israels security and the ways to promote it; ( c ) have identical or similar individual and collective interests; and ( d ) are capable of joining hands to influence policymaking on different levels and in various spheres of the countrys public life.

Is the Jewish Diaspora Unique? Reflections on the Diaspora's Current Situation

THE JEWISH DIASPORA, ISRAEL, AND consequently Israeli-Jewish Diaspora relations are all in the midst of ongoing intense transformations.1 These profound changes, however, are of a chaotic nature. They are caused by contradictory trends and features. There is no wonder that such changes confuse many gentiles, as well as many in the Jewish Diaspora (hereafter the Diaspora) and in Israel. The main purpose of the present essay, therefore, is to contribute to the clarification of this situation. This essay focuses on recent developments and the current situation of the Jewish people. Because of space limitations, it does not present the significant historical perspective on the fundamental changes and their results that have occurred in world Jewry during the last two centuries, and especially since the late nineteenth century. Nevertheless, one of the most meaningful changes in this respect should be mentioned here: instead of an entity that primarily and deeply had been anchored in a national-religious culture, the Zionist movement, as well as related processes of emancipation and secularization, turned substantial segments of world Jewry into people who, to a large extent, are rooted in a secular national culture. In any case, and more specifically, the purposes here are: (I) to discuss the uniqueness of the Diaspora, or its similarity to other diasporas; (2) to consider the possible implications of either of these possibilities for predicting the future of the Diaspora; (3) to review the main transformations occurring in the Jewish Diaspora; (4) to outline the consequent major critical issues facing it; and, (5) to suggest how all these developments influence the Diasporas reciprocal relations with Israel. To accurately grasp the deeper meanings of the changes currently occurring in the Jewish Diaspora and in Israeli-Diaspora relations, however-and consequently the problems that the Diaspora is facing-the

Homeland and Diaspora: An Analytical Perspective on Israeli–Jewish Diaspora Relations

The main purpose of this article is to reassess the Israeli–Jewish Diaspora relations from the Israeli perspective and how these are conducted. From this point of view the article focuses on a number of issues, such as the Israeli publics attitudes toward the Diaspora; the current ideologies and agendas in this sphere; the formal positions of Israeli governments; and the debatable issues of interdependence and centrality of the two parts of the Jewish nation. On the basis of these and other connected aspects, the article suggests an analytical framework for the analysis of homeland–diaspora relations from the homelands perspective. The more general argument is that the Israeli–Jewish case study can serve as an explanatory example according to which other homelands’ relations with their diasporas may be researched and analysed.

Was it Really a Trauma? Wider Political Implications of the Removal of Israeli Settlements from Sinai

This article discusses the political conditions allowing the Israeli government to negotiate a peace treaty with Egypt, which led to the evacuation of Israeli settlements in Sinai. This evacuation had no precedent in Israeli history, yet the author finds it did not create a trauma for most Israelis, so the Israeli government was able to implement the peace process with little public debate or resistance. The author states that most Israelis avoided analyzing the ideological framework of the evacuation because of dissonance with either their religious or political beliefs, and because at that time the majority sought relief from the Arab-Israeli conflict, even through territorial compromise. The article concludes that the long-term implications of the evacuation include changing Israeli attitudes toward settlement removal and compromise with the Arabs, and predicts that only a strong coalition government dominated by the Alignment will likely be able to begin serious negotiations concerning the West Bank.

Introduction: The United States and the “normalization” of the Middle East and Israel

(1996). Introduction: The United States and the “normalization” of the Middle East and Israel. Israel Affairs: Vol. 2, U.S.—Israeli Relations of the Crossroads, pp. 1-14.