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Basic Law

Basic Law

Written by: JNS
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Welcome to “Basic Law,” the new JNS show hosted by Aylana Meisel, Executive Director of the Israel Law and Liberty Forum. This series dives deep into Israel’s legal system, dissecting the most pressing legal and constitutional issues facing the nation today.JNS Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Israel’s Judicial Appointment Crisis: Power, Politics and Reform

    Israel’s Judicial Appointment Crisis: Power, Politics and Reform
    Jun 19 2026
    What if the solution to Israel's judicial crisis isn't more political power, but less judicial power? In this thought-provoking episode of Basic Law, Aylana Meisel unpacks the standoff between Israel's Supreme Court and Justice Minister Yariv Levin over judicial appointments, revealing how a deeper constitutional issue may hold the key to breaking the deadlock. Viewers will learn how Israel's unique judicial selection system works, why court vacancies are creating a growing legal crisis and how decades-old changes to legal standing transformed the Supreme Court into one of the most powerful courts in the democratic world. Most importantly, the episode explores a surprising compromise that could ease political tensions, reduce judicial activism and reshape the future of Israeli democracy...if either side is willing to make the first move.
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    19 mins
  • The ICC Case Against Israel: Law, Legitimacy and Public Opinion

    The ICC Case Against Israel: Law, Legitimacy and Public Opinion
    Jun 12 2026
    Federal Judge Roy Altman joins Basic Law to break down the legal case behind the headlines, exposing how international institutions, media narratives and political activism collide in the battle over Israel's legitimacy. Viewers will learn how legal standards are applied (and sometimes misapplied), why international courts have become a key front in the war over public opinion and what the surge in global antisemitism reveals about the broader struggle for truth in the modern information age. Whether you agree or disagree, this conversation challenges assumptions and offers a framework for evaluating some of the most controversial claims of our time.
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    38 mins
  • BDS, Defamation and Accountability: A Legal Strategy Against Anti-Israel Campaigns

    BDS, Defamation and Accountability: A Legal Strategy Against Anti-Israel Campaigns
    Jun 8 2026
    Can legal accountability succeed where public diplomacy has failed? In this episode of Basic Law, attorney Mark Goldfeder explains how a series of innovative legal challenges are taking aim at what he describes as a growing ecosystem of anti-Israel discrimination, defamation and institutional bias. Viewers will learn how shareholder activism is being used to scrutinize the New York Times over controversial reporting, why a Brooklyn food co-op's boycott of Israeli products may violate civil rights law and how international bodies like the United Nations can help create narratives that ripple through society. More than a discussion of individual lawsuits, this episode explores a broader strategy: using legal tools to push back against campaigns that seek to isolate, delegitimize or discriminate against Israel and its supporters.
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    26 mins
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