Tolerance, claims of rising racism and the daylight between Israel and America over Iran are the topics discussed by today’s Live@5 panel.
First, a debate over whether Israeli society as a whole is implicated in the violent actions of a few. The panel discusses whether intolerance is an endemic issue, or if Israel is a beacon of human rights.
Then, the panel responds to President Reuven Rivlin’s comment that, “Israeli society has failed to confront its own intolerance.” Knesset insider Jeremy Saltan is given the opportunity to respond to the questions he was not given the time to answer on his recent interview with Al Jazeera.
Next, the panel breaks down the hypocritical racism at the heart of Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy’s claim that hate crimes are a widespread issue among specific sectors in Israel.
Finally, the panel raises two contrasting statements. The first, US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz’s assertion that he would support the Iran agreement if he were Israeli. The second, the response of his Israeli counterpart, MK Yuval Steinitz, that — if he were an American — he would do everything to stop the deal. The panelists express their concerns that these disparate comments are indicative of deeper issues between the allies.