Connecticut Jewish Ledger

NEW HAVEN-With the Israeli elections only one month away, and the situation in Israel uncertain given the condition of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the recent Hamas victory, experts on the Israeli political situation are in great demand.

CNN, Fox News, NPR and the Jewish communities of the Shoreline and New Haven have all turned to Hebrew University political scientist, Prof. Reuven Hazan, for up-to-the-minute analysis. Hazan was in New Haven recently as part of his North American speaking tour.

“The situation is so complicated that most of the media hasn’t given it the correct in-depth analysis it deserves. Rather, they focus on names and parties. Change in Israel is so dramatic and significant, that names no longer mean anything,” explained Hazan, who addressed a breakfast audience of about 40 people at Stella’s European Bakery in New Haven. The event was sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, which also sponsored a talk by Hazan in the Shoreline area..

Hazan is well-known to the New Haven Jewish community. According to Caryl Kligfeld, Refugee Services Coordinator and Director of Israel and Overseas Programming for the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, Hazan addressed the New Haven delegation to the March of the Living during their visit to Israel last May. At a briefing at the David’s Citadel Hotel, Kligfeld reports that Hazan made the case for disengagement “predicated on the demographics of the region, and his view that the continued rule over what would clearly become, in a decade, a majority of Palestinians, was untenable.”

Yaron Back, Young Adult Director of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, said he was pleased that Hazan came to Connecticut.

“Dr Hazan is a ninth generation Israeli. He was intimately involved in reforming Israel’s electoral system, and he continues to advise Israel’s political parties. His expertise is in great demand--especially in light of the latest developments in Israel.”
During his visit, Hazan is sharing results of the many opinion polls he has conducted in Israel and making predictions about the future of Israel’s political landscape.

“Israel’s people have moved [politically] in the last ten years, and finally Israel’s politicians are catching up with the people-the people have given up on left and right and simply want the government to be more pragmatic, more moderate,” he said.

Hazan noted that Prime Minister Sharon “never talked about leaving Gaze until my polls showed that 50% of the people wanted it. He did it because the polls showed the people wanted it. The political landscape is adjusting to the opinion polls.”

Hazan reported that Israelis have been moving away from the belief that the Palestinians can be trusted, and from the desire to control 3 1/2 million Palestinians in the territories. Furthermore, Hazan said, “Israel cannot be both a Jewish and democratic state if it is in control of the Palestinians.”

Hazan predicted, “Israel is getting out of the West Bank in the next four years” and feels that, “when it all ends, Israel will be an 80% Jewish state with a 20% Arab minority.”

Hazan is hopeful that Israel will then “treat the Arab minority as equal, productive members of Israeli society, and will start dealing with what it means to be a pluralistic Jewish state.” Hazan reminded the audience, “We are 57, and most 57 year old people go through a midlife crisis-and we are going through one heck of a midlife crisis---we will come through it a lot stronger.”