There was a panel discussion with Rachel Liel, Director of Shatil, Badria Biromi-Kandaleft, Director of Link to the Environment, and journalist and writer Avirama Golan, who discussed “Achievements and Challenges in Building a Shared Future for All: Expectations of a European, German, Green Foundation.”
Avirama Golan began by stating that democracy in Israel is not the same as it was 20 years ago: “The settlements built a state apart and the government as well as the society turned to be neo-liberal.” Badria Birromi-Kandaleft raised the issue of environmental injustice as being incongruous to democratic values. Rachel Liel from Shatil added that with Israel having the biggest socio-economic gaps in the Western world, and the loss of people’s confidence in politics altogether have created big challenges to democracy.
About the role of outside actors, such as the Boell Stiftung itself, and the question what makes a real friend of Israel, Rachel Liel said: “Friends are those with the same values, and there is no interference as long as those outside actors act in a democratic, transparent and respectful way.”
Greetings by Ralf Fuecks, co-director of the Heinrich Boell Stiftung at the 10th anniversary event (English, PDF, 4 pages, 111kB)
