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Munk Dialogue with Vivian Bercovici | Munk Debates

March 13, 2023

Munk Dialogue with Vivian Bercovici

Israel in Crisis.

Guests
Vivian Bercovici

About this episode

Israel is facing its biggest internal confrontation since its founding in 1948. Army reservists are refusing to be called in to serve. Former Mossad chiefs are denouncing the government. Hundreds of thousands of protesters are taking to the streets. And businesses are fleeing the country en masse. What precipitated this conflict? What’s at stake? And can Israel remain a liberal democracy under Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist coalition and the reforms they are hoping to pass? Vivian Bercovici is the former Canadian ambassador to Israel, and the founder of State of Tel Aviv, a weekly newsletter and podcast focusing on Israel and the Middle East. She joins us from Tel Aviv for a far reaching conversation about how competing visions over Israel’s future could threaten its very existence.

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Guests

Vivian Bercovici

“This isn’t just about judicial reform. This is about decades of social and political mismanagement that’s been festering and building and is now coming home to roost.”

Vivian Bercovici

“This isn’t just about judicial reform. This is about decades of social and political mismanagement that’s been festering and building and is now coming home to roost.”

Vivian Bercovici was born in Toronto, where she lived and worked most of her life, aside from short stints studying in London, UK and Jerusalem. She practiced law in downtown Toronto for 25 years, focusing on media defence and financial regulatory work, as well as representing Canada in negotiations with various First Nations. In January, 2014, she was appointed Canadian Ambassador to Israel by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and served in that position until June, 2016. Vivian has since remained in Israel and resides in Tel Aviv. Over the years, she has been engaged in various independent business projects. Her newest  endeavour - State of Tel Aviv -  is an independent, truly heterodox newsletter and podcast focusing on politics, economics, security and all things Israel and the middle east. You can find it all at stateoftelaviv.com - on substack.