Topic: Net Neutrality
Country: Israel
Delegate Name: Charlie Uchno
School: Roeper School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Israel position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
Israel believes that net neutrality is crucial to the wellbeing of both the Israeli people and the Israeli government. In 2011, Israel required net neutrality in mobile broadband, and has since extended this benefit to wireline providers as well, ensuring that Israel’s internet can not be overrun by those whose economic advantage allows them to take dominion over its network. Without net neutrality, international trade could be inhibited, with some companies having more success than others simply due to their nation's unrestrictive stance on net neutrality. Additionally, without net neutrality there is no level playing field for competing companies, leading to monopolies, and potentially, internet baron takeovers. This could lead to the blocking of certain websites or extra fees for higher quality internet signals. Therefore, for the personal freedoms of our people, Israel believes that moderate net neutrality is a necessity.
That being said, security is and always has been at the forefront of Israel’s national and international agendas. Israel believes the internet should be monitored carefully by the national government, watching for threats to our national security in any form. Leaving the internet out of the government’s control leaves the opportunity for attacks of terror or other coordinated violence, issues which are especially pressing to Israel due to its location. The Israeli people have always been willing to sacrifice personal conveniences for the sake of national security, and selective discrimination in our government's monitoring of the internet is simply another case which demonstrates this. More nations should take it upon themselves to protect their people first, and provide extraneous benefits second. Therefore, aware of the dangers that we are constantly surrounded by, Israel feels that governmental selective discrimination for security purposes in regards to internet access is the best compromise for our nation.
