Raphael Cohen-Almagor
Biographic Data
| ID | 1494055 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Raphael Cohen-Almagor |
| GIVEN NAMES | Raphael |
| FAMILY NAME | Cohen-Almagor |
| SIGNATURE | COHEN-ALMAGOR R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Hull |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5869-9243 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 58 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 33 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 57 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1991 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Annapolis and the Abbas-Olmert direct negotiations: A critical analysis
This article explains the events that brought about the meaningful negotiations between President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert. Despite Olmert’s good intentions and clear willingness to make peace by agreeing to unprecedented concessions, Olmert failed to convince Abbas to sign an agreement. The article opens by explaining the research methodology and the theoretical framework. It then explains the Annapolis conference and process including th…
A Reply to Thomas Sealy’s “Just and Reasonable, but Is It Multiculturalism? A Review of Raphael Cohen-Almagor’s Just, Reasonable Multiculturalism (2021, Cambridge: (Cambridge University Press)”
Tracking and Tracing in Israel during Covid-19: Balancing between the Need to Protect Public Health and Individual Right to Privacy
In March 2020, the Israeli government decided that its internal security agency may collect, process, and use technological information measures to tackle the spread of COVID-19. This was done by tracking the cellphones of those who may have contracted the virus, along with obtaining details on those who were in proximity for more than fifteen minutes and fourteen days prior to the positive outcome of those traced. The article discusses the contr…
The pursuit of peace with the Palestinians: Interviews with Ehud Barak
These interviews are part of a major research project that is based on interviews and discussions with influential decision-makers, facilitators, mediators and negotiators who were involved in the Israel-PLO peace negotiations over the past three decades, as well as on archival research in Oslo, London, Washington and Jerusalem. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with more than 80 Israeli, Palestinian, American, Swedish, Norwegian…
The role of the Arab world in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict: Interview with Marwan Muasher
This interview is part of a major research project that is based on interviews and discussions with influential decision-makers, facilitators, mediators and negotiators who were involved in Arab-Israeli peace negotiations over the past three decades, as well as on archival research in Oslo, London, Washington and Jerusalem. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with more than 80 Israeli, Palestinian, American, Swedish, Norwegian, Egy…
The Republic, Secularism and Security: France versus the Burqa and the Niqab
Digital Promotion of Suicide: A Platform-Level Ethical Analysis
This article utilizes Aristotelian and Kantian philosophies to probe the social responsibilities of internet intermediaries that in one way or another assist and promote suicide. Striking a balance between freedom of expression and social responsibility, it is argued that several actors should be involved in restricting or eliminating live-streaming suicide, sites that encourage and facilitate suicide, and insult forums that drive people, especia…
Republic, Secularism and Security: France Versus the Burqa and the Niqab
Just, Reasonable Multiculturalism: Liberalism, Culture and Coercion
This book explores the main challenges against multiculturalism. It aims to examine whether liberalism and multiculturalism are reconcilable, and what are the limits of liberal democratic interventions in illiberal affairs of minority cultures within democracy. In the process, this book addresses three questions: whether multiculturalism is bad for democracy, whether multiculturalism is bad for women, and whether multiculturalism contributes to t…
Just, Reasonable Multiculturalism
Should liberal government regulate male circumcision performed in the name of Jewish tradition
The word "circumcision" comes from Latin circum (meaning "around") and cædere (meaning "to cut"). Cultural and religious justifications are employed to convince members of the community as well as outsiders that circumcision is reasonable and just. The purpose of the discussion is to suggest some cardinal changes to the practice of male circumcision in order to make it more humane and less painful to its subjects. Balancing between group rights a…
Can group rights justify the denial of education to children? The Amish in the United States as a case study
Multiculturalism gives preference to group rights over individual rights. This may challenge democratic values. This paper focuses on the Amish denial of education from their adolescents. Criticizing Wisconsin v. Yoder ( Wisconsin v. Yoder 406 U.S. 205 (1972)), the paper analyses the power of the Amish community over its members. The main questions are: Is it reasonable to deny the Amish adolescents’ standard American education? What are the limi…
Indivisibilité, Sécurité, Laïcité: The French ban on the burqa and the niqab
Stockholm and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process: Interview with State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Annika Söder
This interview with Swedish State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Annika Söder (2014–19) discusses her involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and Sweden’s relationships with Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The interview assesses the positive and negative lessons and implications of the peace process, Sweden’s involvement in the peace process, and the likelihood of bringing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to a close
Lessons from peace negotiations: Interview with Ehud Olmert
Israeli PM Ehud Olmert (2006–9) offered the Palestinians the most comprehensive peace deal they had ever received. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said he would reply ‘soon’ and never did. This interview records Olmert’s thoughts on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and his own attempts to end the bitter conflict
Lessons from the Israeli-Egyptian Peace Talks
This article is based on an interview conducted in July 2018 with Aharon Barak. In it, Barak reflects on the peace negotiations with Egypt at Camp David during 13 days in September 1978. While expressing great appreciation for the American negotiating team, first and foremost for President Jimmy Carter, for bringing the talks to a successful close, Barak considers negotiating with Carter as the toughest experience of his life. According to Barak,…
Keys for peace in the Middle East: Interview with Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich
This article records my interview with Professor Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich. We discussed the keys for successful peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians; the differences between Camp David 1978 and Camp David 2000; The Oslo Accords; the role of the United States as a mediator and the potential of other countries to become mediators; the viability of a two-state solution; peace with Syria; Taba; Annapolis; the Israeli evacuation …
The Leibowitz way
Earl Warren, Ernesto Miranda and Terrorism
When a ritual murder occurred at Purim. The harm in hate speech
This paper aims to address the problem of hate on the Internet. It is opened with a definition of hate speech. Then it discusses hate speech prior to the Internet, during the Internet’s early days and at present time. The paper explains some of the ways that hate groups utilise the Internet and their purposes in doing so, examining the content and the functions of hate sites as well as the agenda of hate mongers. Under examination are the issues …
The Oslo peace process: Interview with Joel Singer
This article records an interview with Joel Singer, one of the authors of the Oslo Accords who was brought into the process from Washington DC at a later stage of the negotiations. The Oslo channel was established by Deputy Foreign Minister Yossi Beilin, Norwegian academic Terje Rød-Larsen and Israeli academic Yoel Hirschfeld, who understood Yasser Arafat’s need to initiate a new path for relationships with Israel. At that time, negotiations with…
The politics of fear, by Ruth Wodak
Ruth Wodak is one of the foremost scholars in the field of linguistics and politics, a prolific writer whose scholarship has gained her an international reputation in academic circles and beyond. M...
On the philosophical foundations of medical ethics: Aristotle, Kant, JS Mill and Rawls
Discrimination against Jewish Women in Halacha (Jewish Law) and in Israel
Democracy is supposed to allow individuals the opportunity to follow their conception of the good without coercion. Generally speaking, Israel gives precedence to Judaism over liberalism. This article argues that the reverse should be the case. In Section I it is explained what the Halachic grounds for discrimination against women are. Section II concerns the Israeli legal framework and the role of the family courts. Section III considers Israeli…
An argument for physician-assisted suicide and against euthanasia
The article opens with the hypothesis that the default position that should guide healthcare providers when treating patients at the end of life is that patients opt for life. In the absence of an explicit request to die, we may assume that patients wish to continue living. Thus the role of the medical profession is to provide patients with the best possible conditions for continued living
The Intifada: Causes, consequences and future trends∗
Cultural Pluralism and the Israeli Nation-Building Ideology
Know from where you come and where you are going. (Akavya Ben-Mahalalel, Avot, 3) It has been argued that the difference between liberal democracies and theocratic, communist, or fascist states is not that liberal states promote different ideals of the good, but that they promote none. Whereas illiberal states regard it as a primary function of the state to prescribe the moral character of society, liberal states shun such attempts and allow free…
The Oslo peace process: Interview with Joel Singer
This article records an interview with Joel Singer, one of the authors of the Oslo Accords who was brought into the process from Washington DC at a later stage of the negotiations. The Oslo channel was established by Deputy Foreign Minister Yossi Beilin, Norwegian academic Terje Rød-Larsen and Israeli academic Yoel Hirschfeld, who understood Yasser Arafat’s need to initiate a new path for relationships with Israel. At that time, negotiations with…
Harm Principle, Offence Principle, and the Skokie Affair
The primary aims are to formulate principles conducive to safeguarding fundamental civil rights and to employ the theory to analyse the Skokie affair. The focus is on the ethical question of the constraints on speech. I advance two arguments relating to the ‘Harm Principle’ and the ‘Offence Principle’. Under the ‘Harm Principle’, restrictions on liberty may be prescribed when there are sheer threats of immediate violence against some individuals …
Hate in the Classroom: Free Expression, Holocaust Denial, and Liberal Education
This article is concerned with a specific type of hate speech: Holocaust denial. It is concerned with the expression of this idea by educators. Should we allow Holocaust deniers to teach in schools? This article attempts to answer this question through a close look at the Canadian experience. First, I will establish that Holocaust denial is a form of hate speech. Next, I will lay down the main premises of the argument and make some constructive d…
The limits of objective reporting
The aim of this study is to scrutinize the assumption that objective reporting is good reporting, is ethical reporting. I do this by reflecting on different dimensions that are associated with the concept of objectivity: (1) accuracy; (2) truthfulness; (3) fairness and balance, and (4) moral neutrality. It is asserted that in many cases journalists are not objective in their reporting either because they consciously prefer not to be or because th…
Political Extremism and Incitement in Israel 1993–1995, 2003–2005: A Study of Dangerous Expressions
This essay discusses the issue of inciteful speech, focusing on cases that took place in Israel prior to the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin, and during the years 2003–2005 against Prime Minister Sharon. It is argued that these incitement cases required the involvement of the legal authorities, but not enough action was taken in order to prevent them or to punish the inciters. The legal authorities were mistaken in adopting a liberal, toler…
Israeli Democracy at the Crossroads
This article considers some of the issues raised by the contributors to this issue of the journal. I speak of the harms of concentrated media ownership and then discuss health rights, arguing that democracy should not neglect its elderly citizens, at the time of their greatest need. There is an unwritten contract between the state and its citizens that should be maintained and preserved. Having said that, in a constrained reality that does not as…
Vigilant Jewish fundamentalism: From the JDL to Kach (or 'Shalom Jews, Shalom Dogs)
The essay aims to explain the emergence of Kahanism in Israel and why Israeli democracy saw it necessary to defend itself against Kahane's quasi‐fascist ideas and to curtail his legitimacy. The author reflects on the Kahanist phenomenon, its ideology and political programme which brought Rabbi Kahane to the Knesset. The reading of Kach's racist proposals explains why extraordinary measures were taken against Kahane by the political system as well…
Indivisibilité, Sécurité, Laïcité: The French ban on the burqa and the niqab
Lessons from peace negotiations: Interview with Ehud Olmert
Israeli PM Ehud Olmert (2006–9) offered the Palestinians the most comprehensive peace deal they had ever received. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said he would reply ‘soon’ and never did. This interview records Olmert’s thoughts on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and his own attempts to end the bitter conflict
When a ritual murder occurred at Purim. The harm in hate speech
This paper aims to address the problem of hate on the Internet. It is opened with a definition of hate speech. Then it discusses hate speech prior to the Internet, during the Internet’s early days and at present time. The paper explains some of the ways that hate groups utilise the Internet and their purposes in doing so, examining the content and the functions of hate sites as well as the agenda of hate mongers. Under examination are the issues …
Internet architecture, freedom of expression and social responsibility: Critical realism and proposals for a better future
The article opens by explaining the architecture of the Internet. Given its present raison d'être, a free highway allowing maximum freedom, one may argue that the bounds of free expression are broader in scope on the Net compared with the bounds of legitimate speech allowed on other forms of communication. Contesting this assertion, it is argued that legally speaking, there is no difference between electronic communication and other forms of comm…
The failed Palestinian–Israeli peace process 1993–2011: An Israeli perspective
This article examines the major developments that have taken place since the signing of the Oslo accords in September 1993. It analyses the major mistakes made along the way by both sides, showing that brinkmanship is a very dangerous policy when one or both sides are willing to pay a high price in blood. Finally, it offers a blueprint for breaking the deadlock roughly based on the Clinton parameters of 2001 and the subsequent Israeli-Palestinian…
Combating right-wing political extremism in Israel: Critical appraisal
The aim of this essay is to examine the decision to outlaw the ‘Kach’ and ‘Kahane Is Alive’ movements and to analyze some other measures the Israeli government has utilized in its struggle against political extremism. I argue that while the decision to outlaw the ‘Kach’ and ‘Kahane Is Alive’ movements was justified, resorting to administrative detentions at times which do not constitute real emergency is an utterly unethical and unjustified means…
Liberalism, and the limits of pluralism
The primary aims of this article are (a) to examine the importance of cultural norms and what part they play in requiring us to tolerate others out of respect, and (b) to formulate some guidelines designed to prescribe boundaries to liberty and tolerance conducive to safeguard the rights of individuals and, in turn, democracy. I argue that a liberal democracy can interfere in the business of its sub‐cultures when some cultural norms subvert the b…
Foundations of violence, terror and war in the writings of Marx, Engels and Lenin
The aims of this essay are (A) to examine the extent to which Marx, Engels and Lenin believed in revolution by peaceful means and what was their attitude towards the phenomenon of war, and (B) to reflect on the different interpretations of their writings, discerning between three schools of thought. It is argued that Marx and Engels considered violence only as an instrument of secondary importance and desirable in so far as there is no other alte…
The Intifada: Causes, consequences and future trends∗
Foundations of violence, terror and war in the writings of Marx, Engels and Lenin
The aims of this essay are (A) to examine the extent to which Marx, Engels and Lenin believed in revolution by peaceful means and what was their attitude towards the phenomenon of war, and (B) to reflect on the different interpretations of their writings, discerning between three schools of thought. It is argued that Marx and Engels considered violence only as an instrument of secondary importance and desirable in so far as there is no other alte…
Vigilant Jewish fundamentalism: From the JDL to Kach (or 'Shalom Jews, Shalom Dogs)
The essay aims to explain the emergence of Kahanism in Israel and why Israeli democracy saw it necessary to defend itself against Kahane's quasi‐fascist ideas and to curtail his legitimacy. The author reflects on the Kahanist phenomenon, its ideology and political programme which brought Rabbi Kahane to the Knesset. The reading of Kach's racist proposals explains why extraordinary measures were taken against Kahane by the political system as well…
Harm Principle, Offence Principle, and the Skokie Affair
The primary aims are to formulate principles conducive to safeguarding fundamental civil rights and to employ the theory to analyse the Skokie affair. The focus is on the ethical question of the constraints on speech. I advance two arguments relating to the ‘Harm Principle’ and the ‘Offence Principle’. Under the ‘Harm Principle’, restrictions on liberty may be prescribed when there are sheer threats of immediate violence against some individuals …
Between Neutrality and Perfectionism
It has been argued that the difference between liberal states and theocratic, communist or fascist states is not that the liberal states promote different ideals of the good, but that they promote none. Unlike illiberal states, which regard it as a primary function of the state to prescribe the moral character of society, liberal states shun such attempts and allow freedom to citizens to develop their own conceptions. The aim of this paper is to …
Cultural Pluralism and the Israeli Nation-Building Ideology
Know from where you come and where you are going. (Akavya Ben-Mahalalel, Avot, 3) It has been argued that the difference between liberal democracies and theocratic, communist, or fascist states is not that liberal states promote different ideals of the good, but that they promote none. Whereas illiberal states regard it as a primary function of the state to prescribe the moral character of society, liberal states shun such attempts and allow free…
Liberalism, and the limits of pluralism
The primary aims of this article are (a) to examine the importance of cultural norms and what part they play in requiring us to tolerate others out of respect, and (b) to formulate some guidelines designed to prescribe boundaries to liberty and tolerance conducive to safeguard the rights of individuals and, in turn, democracy. I argue that a liberal democracy can interfere in the business of its sub‐cultures when some cultural norms subvert the b…
The Boundaries of Liberty and Tolerance: The Struggle against Kahanism in Israel
In 1985, Raphael Cohen-Almagor participated in an Israeli demonstration against Rabbi Meir Kahane, a religious, quasi-fascist propagandist who had been elected to the Israeli parliament the preceding year. As the demonstration became a confrontation - people screamed, shouted, and whistled to prevent Kahane from speaking - Cohen-Almagor felt increasing discomfort. In the name of democracy, the protesters were using the same tactics against Kahane…
Combating right-wing political extremism in Israel: Critical appraisal
The aim of this essay is to examine the decision to outlaw the ‘Kach’ and ‘Kahane Is Alive’ movements and to analyze some other measures the Israeli government has utilized in its struggle against political extremism. I argue that while the decision to outlaw the ‘Kach’ and ‘Kahane Is Alive’ movements was justified, resorting to administrative detentions at times which do not constitute real emergency is an utterly unethical and unjustified means…
Liberal Democracy and the Limits of Tolerance: Essays in Honor and Memory of Yitzhak Rabin
An irony inherent in all political systems is that the principles that underlie and characterize them can also endanger and destroy them. This collection examines the limits that need to be imposed on democracy, liberty, and tolerance in order to ensure the survival of the societies that cherish them. The essays in this volume consider the philosophical difficulties inherent in the concepts of liberty and tolerance; at the same time, they ponder …
The Terrorists’ Best Ally: The Quebec Media Coverage of the FLQ Crisis in October 1970
During the past 40 years or so there have been many instances in which media coverage of terrorist events was problematic, evoking public criticism and antagonizing the authorities. The paper opens by mentioning some of the most troubling episodes and then reflects on some incidents that took place in Canada, a country that has not typically suffered from terrorism. The paper focuses on the FLQ crisis in October 1970, arguably the most problemati…
The delicate framework of Israeli democracy during the 1980s: Retrospect and appraisal
(2001). The delicate framework of Israeli democracy during the 1980s: Retrospect and appraisal. Israel Affairs: Vol. 8, Israeli Politics and Society Since 1948: Problems of Collective Identity, pp. 118-138
Israeli Democracy at the Crossroads
This article considers some of the issues raised by the contributors to this issue of the journal. I speak of the harms of concentrated media ownership and then discuss health rights, arguing that democracy should not neglect its elderly citizens, at the time of their greatest need. There is an unwritten contract between the state and its citizens that should be maintained and preserved. Having said that, in a constrained reality that does not as…
Israeli Institutions at the Crossroads
This essay discusses the SHABAC affair of 1984, conceiving it as the most serious scandal in Israel's history. I argue that key figures and institutions in Israeli society, including the president, the prime minister, the government, the knesset, the SHABAC, the army, and the Supreme Court acted wrongly in this affair. I then move on to discuss the government institution, protesting against the tendency to form unified governments composed of the…
The Press Council
The aim of this essay is to review the work of the Israel Press Council. The essay considers the history of the Press Council, analysing the way it has developed, its work, and how it reached its current status. It is argued that the existing situation is far from satisfactory, and that the media should advance more elaborate mechanisms of self-control, empowering the Press Council with greater authority and equipping it with substantive ability …
The Scope of Tolerance: Studies on the Costs of Free Expression and Freedom of the Press
Table of Contents: Introduction 1. The Scope of Tolerance 2. The Right to Privacy: Part I 3. The Right to Privacy: Part II 4. Offense to Sensibilities: Part I 5. Offense to Sensibilities: Part II 6. On Incitement 7. Hate Speech in Canada 8. The Terrorists' Best Ally: Media Coverage of Terror 9. The Terrorists' Best Ally: The FLQ Crisis Conclusion Index
Media Coverage of Acts of Terrorism: Troubling Episodes and Suggested Guidelines
During the past 40 years there have been many instances in which media coverage of terrorist events was problematic and irresponsible, evoking public criticism and antagonizing the authorities. This article aims to shed light on the intricate relationships between government, media, and terrorists. Through close scrutiny of irresponsible actions of some media outlets in crisis situations in the U.S., the U.K., Israel, Canada, and Germany, it argu…
Political Extremism and Incitement in Israel 1993–1995, 2003–2005: A Study of Dangerous Expressions
This essay discusses the issue of inciteful speech, focusing on cases that took place in Israel prior to the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin, and during the years 2003–2005 against Prime Minister Sharon. It is argued that these incitement cases required the involvement of the legal authorities, but not enough action was taken in order to prevent them or to punish the inciters. The legal authorities were mistaken in adopting a liberal, toler…
Bloody Wednesday in Dawson College - The Story of Kimveer Gill, or Why Should We Monitor Certain Websites to Prevent Murder
The article deals with the Dawson College Massacre, focusing on the story of Kimveer Gill, a 25-year-old man from Laval, Montreal who wished to murder young students in Dawson College. It is argued that the international community should continue working together to devise rules for monitoring specific Internet sites, as human lives are at stake. Preemptive measures could prevent the translation of murderous thoughts into murderous actions. Desig…
Hate in the Classroom: Free Expression, Holocaust Denial, and Liberal Education
This article is concerned with a specific type of hate speech: Holocaust denial. It is concerned with the expression of this idea by educators. Should we allow Holocaust deniers to teach in schools? This article attempts to answer this question through a close look at the Canadian experience. First, I will establish that Holocaust denial is a form of hate speech. Next, I will lay down the main premises of the argument and make some constructive d…
Teaching in Class versus Free Expression
The limits of objective reporting
The aim of this study is to scrutinize the assumption that objective reporting is good reporting, is ethical reporting. I do this by reflecting on different dimensions that are associated with the concept of objectivity: (1) accuracy; (2) truthfulness; (3) fairness and balance, and (4) moral neutrality. It is asserted that in many cases journalists are not objective in their reporting either because they consciously prefer not to be or because th…
Leslie Stein: The Making of Modern Israel 1948–1967
Is Law Appropriate to Regulate Hateful and Racist Speech? The Israeli Experience
This article examines the tension between liberalism and Orthodoxy in Israel as it relates to censorship. The first section aims to explain Israel's vulnerability as a multicultural democracy in a hostile region, with significant schisms that divide the nation. The next section presents the dilemma: should Israel employ legal mechanisms to counter hate speech and racism? The third section details the legal framework, while the fourth reviews rece…
Politics and Government in Israel. The Maturation of a Modern State
Politics and Government in Israel. The Maturation of a Modern State Gregory Mahler Rowman and Littlefield, 2011 402pp., $44.00, ISBN 978-0-7425-6828-0 In Politics and Government in Israel, Mahler a
Political science (53 works) · Law (45 works) · Sociology (40 works) · Law (29 works) · Politics (24 works) · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies (22 works) · Philosophy (21 works) · Philosophy (13 works) · Democracy (12 works) · Computer Science (11 works)