Israel 's International Affairs : A Major Issue Of Social Inequality

“Life, liberty and the pursuit of property (happiness)” is a familiar phrase known from the United States’ Declaration of Independence. It says that we believe these are the three inalienable rights of all human beings and that it is the government’s job to protect these absolute privileges. Extensive advocation of these inalienable rights of man date back to the time of John Locke, over 300 years ago. In Emile Habiby’s novel, The Secret Life of Saeed the Pessoptimist, we meet Saeed, a Palestinian who becomes a citizen of Israel. Through his stories we are shown the inequality Arabs in Israel face and how the ‘inalienable’ rights we take for granted are being withheld from Israeli Arabs.

Now more than in recent past is economic and wealth inequality a crucial issue in

It is a commonly accepted that inequality is increasing throughout the globe, with startling statistics such as the recent Oxfam report indicating that the richest 85 people in the world own more wealth than the poorest 3.5 billion people(Oxfam Australia Media, 2014). Inequality is thought of as disparities or gaps, such as the distance between a low income and a high income household, or the ratio of their incomes (Divided We Stand, 2011). Domestic inequality refers to inequality within a country and

In today’s capitalist economy, where economic transactions and business in general is centered on self-interest, there is a natural tendency for some people to make more than others. That is the basis for the “American Dream,” where people, if they worked hard, could make money proportional to their effort. However, what happens when this natural occurrence grows disproportional in its allocation of wealth within a society? The resulting issue becomes income inequality. Where a small portion of the population, own the majority of the wealth and the majority of the population own only a fraction of what the rich own. This prominent issue has always been the subject of social tension

In addition, I will examine the current state of political and human rights in Israeli occupied West Bank and analyze how they are approaching a level of apartheid. Finally, I will summarize the effects of these social tensions between Israel and Palestinians in the terms of how potential open conflict could reignite.

The relationship between the State of Israel and the United States of America has blossomed into a significant bilateral alliance. The ‘special relationship’ between the two countries has been the driving force behind much of the progress of the United States’ push into middle east democracy, and has helped place Israel in the company of countries who will stand by her in times of trouble. As of late, there have been increasing pushes by the Untied States for Israel to once again enter into peace talks with the Palestinians, a topic which seems to be the source of constant international commentary. These developments have brought to the forefront a rather interesting facet of the Israeli/American relationship, one which this author

The United States is often viewed as a wealthy and stable country, but as shown in 2011, “the richest fifth of American households received about 51.1 percent of total income, while the poorest fifth received about 3.2 percent” (McConnell). There are many sources of income inequality that effect poverty in the United States and the role that discrimination plays in reducing and increasing wages for different people and how the people of the United States are affected by it.

One of the largest social issues in America today is income and wealth inequality. Income inequality is when income is distributed unevenly amongst a population and consists of wages, salaries, interest on a savings account, dividends from shares of stock, rent, and profits from selling something for more than you paid for it (Mendelson). Wealth inequality is the unequal distribution of assets within a population. A person’s wealth is attributed to what a person owns which can include their residence, cash in savings accounts, investments in stocks and bonds, real estate, and retirement accounts (Aaron). Those who are unaffected typically brush off income and wealth inequality as none important. They view those who complain about barely making it by, as lazy and in their position of poverty by

America, like most countries, builds walls to keep immigrants out. Israel, in contrast, measures how a year’s success based on the number of immigrants that make their way to their country (Senor & Singer, 2009). In Israel, nine out of ten Jewish Israelis are first or second generation immigrants, making the majority of the country either foreign born or directly related to someone who is. In comparison to the United States, “Israel is a country of immigrants and, much like New York of the 19th Century, it is this ‘melting pot’ that has encouraged the entrepreneurial spirit and enabled businesses and commerce to flourish” (Seal, 2011, p. 1). Because of this, Israel’s essence as a country can truly be encapsulated by its perspective and policy

Income inequality has been a major concern around the world, and it mainly links to how economic metrics are distributed among individuals in a country. Economists generally categorise these metrics in wealth, income and consumption. Wilkinson and Picket (2009) showed in their studies that inequality has drawbacks that lead to social problems. This is because income inequality and wealth concentration can hinder or delay long term growth. In 2011, International Monetary Fund economists showed that less income inequality increased the duration of countries’ economic growth spells more than free trade, low government corruption, foreign investment or low foreign debt (Berg and Ostry, 2011).

In the article “Is inequality a bigger threat than the Islamic State?” we are introduced to various issues that pose a minor threat to the United States such as the Ebola virus, and the Islamic State (Isis). However, those international problems are relatively less important than the issue we have in our nation. Economic inequality has increased tremendously throughout the years and has been ignored mainly by those in power, hence, the working class continues to work for more than 40 hours a week for a minimum wage or their finances rarely increases. Therefore, inequality is a clear major threat in the U.S that involves everyone and ought to be addressed immediately.

Income inequality is a pressing issue in the United States of America. “The unequal distribution of household income or individual income is called the Income Inequality”. It is presented as the percentage of income to a percentage of population. Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel-prize winning economist is a professor at Columbia university and the Chief economist at the Roosevelt Institute talks about income inequality in one of his interviews with The Atlantic (Nov 2, 2015). He believes that income inequality can be stopped by the citizens and the politicians of the United States before it gets worse. He states that in the years between 2009-2012, 91 percent of all income growth was relished by the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans, and the bottom 99 percent did not benefit.

The Gaza Strip was put into a state of distraught by the Israeli imposed blockade against the Palestinian territory. Israel's government has had control over the Gaza Strip ever since its victory back in 1967. Ruth Eglash constructed interviews with both Palestinians and Israelis to ask the simple question, is Gaza still occupied? It came to a conclusion, that there is proof and evidence that Gaza is still under the control of Israel, even if people say otherwise. One of her interviewees, Raji Sourani, stated, “ They are trying to highlight the gravity of the situation [in Gaza], where 65 percent of the people are unemployed, 90 percent live under the poverty line, 85 percent depend on [the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East]”(Eglash, Does Israel…).

With half of the Israeli nation being split into Arab or Jewish, people do feel a huge amount of aggression towards one another. The war between to the sides of the country results in wars that will never be solved; the wars create problems among its people. With the problems among its people, it is hard for citizens to live their everyday life. Women do feel the most hardship in wanting to escape the country. All of these factors result into

After more than 50 years of war, terrorism, peace negotiation and human suffering, Israel and Palestine remain as far from a peaceful settlement as ever. The entire Middle Eastern region remains a cauldron waiting to reach the boiling point, a potent mixture of religious extremism, (Jewish, Christian and Islamic), mixed with oil and munitions.