MASARYK UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND EUROPEAN STUDIES
Spring 2020
POLITICS AND SOCIETY IN ISRAEL: IRE215
Israeli Foreign Relations (part II) + Immigration to Israel
Continuing last week's 'Zoom' class, this week's presentation will start with the discussion of
Israel's Foreign relations with both the EU and with the Jewish Diaspora. Topics examined in
the first part of the presentation include the Barcelona Process, the Union for the
Mediterranean, The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), the Euro-Mediterranean
Partnership, European Parliaments' Israel Delegation (D-iL), definition of 'Diaspora', the
evolution of Israel's relation with the Jewish Diaspora, American Jews and Zionism, and
contemporary developments in the relationship between Israel and the American Jewish
Diaspora respectively. The second part of the presentation is dedicated to the topic of
immigration, which opened the third part of the course (Contemporary Israeli Society). A
general discussion of the term 'immigration' alongside the potential motives of both the
receiving country and the immigrant, will precede an Israel centric discussion (the idea of
'ingathering Exiles', a historical outline of immigration to Israel, an examination of 'push' and
'pull' factors of immigrants). Lastly, the presentation will review the topic of immigration from
the Former Soviet Union (FSU).
After reading the assigned literature and going over the presentation, students are asked to
answer the following questions:
1. Describe the various frameworks for cooperation and partnership between the EU and
Middle Eastern countries in which Israel is involved.
2. What is the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with Israel? When was it
established? Why? What does its activity include?
3. How can contemporary relations between Israel and the EU be characterized? Why?
is a change of attitude likely in the foreseeable future? Explain.
4. What does the term 'Diaspora' mean (both in general and concerning Jews)?
5. Why was world Jewry expected to immigrate to Israel after its establishment?
6. The Six-Day War (1967) and the Yom Kippur War (1973) were very influential in the
evolution of the relationship between Israel and the Jewish Diaspora. Explain.
7. Characterize immigrants from the Former Soviet Union to Israel. Who were the
migrants? How many? Why did they immigrate? Was it easy to integrate into Israeli
society?
8. Explain the gap between the Law of Return and the Halachic definitions of 'Jewish'.
What are the negative results of this gap?