Importance of 'X' within the Israeli context Flashcards by Lily Velecky

What is the importance of Theodor Herzl

Father of political Zionism (Creation of a Jewish state in Palestine)
o Zionism provided an ideological, political and organisational framework for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine
o Zionism created a political and national movement for Jewish people, unified the diaspora
o Provided a solution to antisemitism/Jewish persecution and the abnormality of Jewish diaspora
Convened First Zionist Congress in Basel which created the World Zionist Organisation
o Provided a global platform to advance the cause of Jewish statehood
 Lobbied/met with politicians and diplomats too

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What is the importance of David Ben Gurion

Head of the Jewish Agency until 1948
o Facilitated mass Jewish immigration to Palestine
During British Mandate and beyond, key focus on building strong Jewish institutions and infrastructure
o Jewish Assembly, Jewish Trade Unions (protect Jewish jobs), Jewish Army, Educational systems
 Palestinians Arabs had no state institutions (Jewish advantage regarding political representation, military strength, negotiations)
 Jewish institutions ethnically defined, discriminated against Palestinian Arabs
First Israeli Prime Minister (Labor) from 1948-1963
o Pivotal role in drafting Israel’s Declaration of Independence (democracy/equality)
o Led Jews to victory in Independence War 1948 despite being outnumbered by Arab forces
 Strong institutions = Israel prepared for war
 Victory expanded territory, solidified Israel’s presence as a nascent state in Palestine

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What is the importance of Zionism

Preserved Jewish identity, culture, traditions by creating Jewish state
o Creation of a Jewish state solved problem of Jewish persecution and antisemitism
o Ended need for assimilation into European societies (to be seen as equal)
o Ended the abnormality of diaspora
Different types of Zionism, entered mainstream politics at different periods of Israel’s history
o Labor Zionism
 Labor Party
 Politically/Socially influential until 1977 (end of Labor’s dominance)
 Secular, socialist, institution-building, New Jew/Pioneer
o Revisionist Zionism
 Likud Party
 Politically/Socially influential from pre-1948, from 1977
 Territorial expansionism (greater Israel), hawkish security
o Religious Zionism
 Religious Zionist Party, Jewish Power Party
 Politically influential post-1967
 Religious nationalism, messianic, ensure Israel’s sovereignty through settlement expansions, security concerned
o Reflects right-wing shifts in Israeli society
Zionism responsible for numerous social divides in Israel
o Ashkenazi-dominated Zionism othered Mizrahim
 second-class citizens, systematic marginalisation, erosion of M history/identity by A
o Religious / Secular divide
 Tension between types of Zionism about the role religion should play in a democratic state
o Zionist / Palestinian Arab divide
 Jewish state, despite being a democracy, cannot treat non-Jewish citizens equally

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What is the importance of Post-Zionism

Ideology that challenges the dominant history/narrative/identity of Israel, as well as Jewish exceptionalism
o Israel as a democratic state / Zionism for ALL Jews
 Zionism othered and oppressed Mizrahim and Palestinian Arabs
 Arabs, non-Jews, non-Ashkenazim cannot be treated equally in a Jewish-majority, Zionist state
o 1948 Independence War
 Arab armies less of an existential threat than emphasised
 Israel’s army military superior – had more numbers
Victory wasn’t “against all odds”
 IDF/Jewish terrorist organisations systematically depopulated, destroyed, and stole Palestinian villages/land
Direct orders or fear of violence
Palestinians did not leave “voluntarily”
Related to New Mizrahim
o Challenge Ashkenazim political/cultural/social/economic dominance
o Reclaim Mizrahim identity/culture/history/heritage
 Historically been denied and erased by Ashkenazim
 seen as threat to European character of Israel
o Form Mizrahim collective memory and consciousness and vision of Israeli state
Informative ideologies in finding solutions to Israel’s war on Palestine
o Mizrahim parallels between marginalisation/plight of Palestinians
o Mizrahim connection to Arab culture
 Potential bridge between Israelis and Palestinian Arabs

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What is the importance of the Balfour Declaration (1917)

British Government declared Palestine a national home for Jews
o First major formal recognition of Zionist movement (By British)
o gave international legitimacy to increased Jewish immigration/settlement/statehood
o laid foundation for State of Israel
Endorsement by biggest colonial power beneficial for Jewish state building efforts
o Aided immigration to Palestine, aided purchase of lands and arms, formally recognised state institutions, engaged with elected officials
o Put Jewish population at significant advantage over Palestinian Arabs
Deepened tensions with Arab populations
o British betrayal of Arabs (McMahon-Hussein agreement – promised Arab independence in exchange for revolt against Turks/Ottomans)

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What is the importance of the Proclamation of Independence (1948)

Establishment of the first Jewish State (Israel)
o Realisation of Zionist Vision
 Internationally recognised as a valid and legitimate cause
o Ended 2,000 years of Jewish diaspora and exile (unification)
o Safety from persecution and antisemitism (Holocaust)
Established Israel as a democracy
o Framework for democratic institutions e.g., Knesset, Elections
Independence War 1948 as a response to POI
o Invasion of Israel by neighbouring Arab states
o Israel triumphs in the war, solidifies its place as a nascent state in the Middle East
o Expanded territory of original UN Partition Plan (won in self-defence)

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What is the importance of the Law of Return (1950)

Jews have the right to return to the land, settle on the land, and acquire Israeli citizenship
o Defined Israel’s identity/character as a Jewish state
o Biblically significant (return to sacred sights)
Ensured to safety of Jews across globe
o Shelter from persecution / antisemitism (Holocaust)
Key driver of Aliyah (Jewish immigration to Israel)
o Population growth important
 Economically (bigger workforce)
Brain Gain (skilled workers to Israel)
 Building of state institutions
 Counter to Palestinian/Arab populations
Relations with Palestinians
o Return is key for both Palestinian and Israeli/Jewish nationalism
 Return to Zion/Holy Land
 Return to home/land pre-1948 Nakba
o Israeli denies Palestinian Right of Return
 Physically: stealing/destructing land/homes of Palestinians (cannot return)
 Diplomatically/Legally

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What is the importance of the Status Quo (1947)

Preserve the Jewish character of public sphere in Israel through rules/laws
o Shabbat (day of rest), Kashrut (Kosher laws in official places), Educational autonomy (no secular subjects), Rabbinical courts have monopoly on family law, exemption from military service
o Status Quo important to get religious Jews to support Zionist movement
Status Quo has become a contested topic in Israeli society
o Family law
 Men have more control than women over divorce process
Men can have children without divorce (man’s children are not stigmatised)
Men need less grounds for divorce
Men can refuse divorce from wives
 Issue for intermarriage between religions
 Issue for secular/civic marriage
 FULL EQUALITY for women made impossible
o Military Service
 Fear that military service will result in ultra-orthodox sons adopting modern ideas and abandoning their faith
 Military service is a rite of passage in Israeli life (mandatory 3 years)
o Education
 Don’t study secular subjects (Maths, English, Science, History)
 Terrible for Israeli economy as they’re largely unemployable
Live in poverty as a result (drain to society)
Tension between democratic character and religious character
o Disproportionate power to ultra-orthodox
o Promote gender inequality
o Religious imposition on secular populations (shabbat, marriage laws)
o No Religious pluralism
o Discrimination against non-Jewish populations

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What is the importance of Ashkenazi Jews

Historical/Foundation role in Israel’s establishment
o Theodor Herzl – Father of Zionism, Lobbied for Jewish state
o David Ben Gurion – Shaped Yishuv community
 Labor Zionism – New Jew / Pioneer, Kibbutzim
 Head of Jewish Agency until 1948 – Immigration to Palestine
 State building efforts – Jewish Assembly, Histadrut (Unions), Haganah (Army), Education system
Social, Economic, Political, cultural dominance in Israel
o Institutions inherited by Israel = ethnically defined as created by Ashkenazim
 Mizrahim and Palestinian Israelis othered = second/third-class citizens to Ashkenazim
Gap in educational facilities, recourses, access
Disproportionately lower-income families
Cultural division of labour
o Erasure of other identities in pursuit of Israel as a Western, European democracy, distinct from the rest of Middle East
 Revival movements of Mizrahi/Palestinian – post-Zionism, New Mizrahim, New Historians

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What is the importance of Mizrahi Jews

Jews from Middle East and North Africa
o Immigrated to Israel in 1960s/70s
o Bolster Jewish populations against Palestinian Arab populations
Second-class citizens to Ashkenazim (European Jews)
o Mizrahim were genetically inferior, primitive (uneducated/unskilled), mentally deranged, aggressive, criminals…
Economic/Social/Political Marginalisation by Ashkenazim
o Fulfilled need for cheap labour as Arab populations couldn’t be employed
o Lived in squalid tent cities upon immigrating to Israel, lived in city peripheries
o Mizrahim children kidnapped for childless Holocaust survivors
o Forced secularisation, adoption of Zionism, erasure of Mizrahim history/identity/culture
Political Influence
o Rebellion and Opposition
 Wadi Salib uprising 1959 (response to police brutality against Miz)
 Tent Movement 1976 (awareness about Jerusalem housing crisis)
 New Mizrahim/ New Historians (critique
o Facilitated the rise of Likud in 1977
 Ended Labor’s dominance in Israeli politics
 Economic/Political/Social marginalisation of Mizrahim under Labor
o Shas Party
 Party of Religious Mizrahim
 Kingmaker role in coalition governments -> Mizrahim veto power
Ideological Influence / Alternative to Labor Zionism
o New Mizrahim/Historians (post-Zionism) – re-examines Israel/Zionism’s history/identity/narratives (pro-Ashkenazim, Eurocentric, ethnocentric)
o Religious Zionism of Religious Mizrahim – protect the Jewish tradition, culture, and character of Israel in the face of secularisation

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What is the importance of Labor Party

Party of Labor Zionism (Zionism, secular, socialist)
o New, pioneer Jew (strength, self-sufficient, connected to Land)
o Kibbutzim – collective farming (Jews hadn’t been allowed to own land in Christian Europe)
 Co-opted by religious Zionists regarding settlement movement post-1967
Labor leadership pre-statehood
o Prioritised building of state-institutions
o Jewish Assembly, Hisradut (Jewish Trade Unions), Jewish army, Educational systems
o Instrumental in giving Israel advantage in Independence war 1948
Dominant party pre-Israel until 1977
o Guided Israel’s development from a nascent to powerful state
 Critical challenges overcome: 1948 and 1967 war
o Continued building institutions and infrastructure
o The party that has spearheaded peace negotiations with Palestinians
 In particular, RABIN at Oslo
1977, Labor decline / Likud rise
o Labor discrimination of Mizrahim – voted for Likud
o Labor-led defeat of Yum Kippur war 1973 – time for political change
o How to deal with occupied territories post-1967 (settlements)

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What is the importance of Likud Party

Founded by Menachem Begin (former Irgun member, revisionist ideology)
o Revisionist Zionism ideology of Likud
 Greater Israel, pro-settlement expansion, hawkish stance on security and military, oppose a Palestinian state and Israeli withdrawal for occupied territories, pro-annexation
Rise of Likud marked end of Labor’s dominance (since 1977)
o Reflected a right-wing shift in Israeli society
 Labor failure in Yom Kippur war = Likud hawkish appeal
 Rise of Mizrahi vote -> discriminated under Labor, voted Likud
Primarily responsible for rapid expansion of settlements post-1967
o Support of Gush Emunim (extra-parliamentary movement aimed at securing Israeli sovereignty over “Judea and Samaria” through Jewish settlements)
o Funding for infrastructure, legal recognition and authorisation of land, Religious Zionists appointed to government
o Led to normalisation of settlements
o Occupant government mentality under Likud
Likud exposes how deeply divided Israeli society is…
o Judicial reform
 Protests: Likud undermining independence of courts and democracy
 Public fear illiberal theocracy in Israel
o Role in Israel’s war on Gaza
 Likud/Religious Zionists prioritising land expansion and absolute destruction of Hamas over the return of Israeli hostages and ceasefire/peace
o Settlement expansions
 Settlements inhibit peace with Palestinians/Arabs, and the realisation of two-state-solution
 Settler do not represent mainstream Israeli values (isolated group)
o Netanyahu’s ICC arrest warrants and corruption trial
 Likud/Netanyahu ratings declining

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What is the importance of Shas Party

Party of Religious/Haredi Mizrahim (Jews from Middle East and North Africa)
o Religious focus excluded secular Mizrahim
o Limits appeal to broader Mizrahim base
Prominent role in addressing the social, political, and economic marginalisation of Mizrahim by Ashkenazi Jews
o 1999 – 17 Seats in the Knesset
 Expanding political representation of religious Mizrahim
 Transition from Mizrahim success at local level politics to national level
o Play a Kingmaker role in Labor/Likud Governments
 Influential: Veto power safeguards interest of religious Mizrahim
o Welfare advocacy for low-income Mizrahim
 Economic support: child allowances, support for large families, housing subsidies, creating religiously-oriented jobs
 Education: independent educational system, religious schools, daycare subsidies
 Social services: rehabilitating delinquents and drug addicts
Prominent role in maintaining the religious character of the Israeli state and public life
o Protecting religious status quo
o Support of Chief Rabbinate (authority over Kosher laws, Family law)

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What is the importance of Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

Historical role in defending Israel against external (Arab) threats
o 1948 Independence War
o 1967 Six-Day War
o 1973 Yom Kippur War
o First and Second Intifadas (1987-1993/2000-2005)
o 2023 Israel’s war on Gaza
 1948/1967 Expanding land of Israel
 1948 Expulsion, dispossession, and displacement of Palestinian Arabs
Part of Israel’s National Identity
o Mandatory military service, rite of passage as an Israeli
 Fosters a sense of duty, patriotism, collective identity
 melting pot – diversity of Israel
Ultra-orthodox (Haredi) exemption from military service
o Huge tension in Israeli society between secular/religious Jews
o 13,000 people avoid military service
 Social tension exacerbated due to ongoing war on Gaza…

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What is the importance of the Knesset

Coalition governments have become the norm
o Small/medium parties become Kingmakers
o Veto power gives disproportionate representation to their interests
o E.g., United Torah Judaism / Religious Zionists in Netanyahu’s government
Overrepresentation
o Ultra-orthodox /Haredi Jews
o Settler communities
o Ashkenazi elites
o Men
Limited accountability of MKs through public voting
o Voters choose parties, not individuals
o Members are appointed to the Knesset by their party
 Voters cannot recall their vote to prevent an MK getting re-elected
Weak legislature oversight
o As members are appointed by their party, not directly elected, Knesset becomes an extension of government Cabinet
 Not an effective check on government power
o Supreme Court = only effective check on the government
 Netanyahu’s reform of Supreme Court – democracy / judicial independence under attack

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What is the importance of the Basic Laws of Israel

Israel’s constitution 1
o dealt with the structure of government
o powers/role of the Knesset
o powers/role of the executive
o powers/role of the judiciary
o role of the President; the Prime Minister
o civil rights
o democratic state
o Jewish state
Israel’s constitution 2
o Not entrenched -> changed by a simple parliamentary majority
o Do have higher status than normal legislation
 Judicial Review: Supreme Court strikes down conflicting legislation
1990s Constitutional revolution
o Basic Law: Human Dignity and Freedom
o Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation
 First time Knesset limited its power
 Power of Judicial Review introduced
 Increased judicial activism of courts
o Strengthened Israel’s democratic character

What is the importance of Mizrahi Feminism

Inspired by post-colonial/radical feminism, response to Israeli racism
o Mainstream Israeli feminism (Mainly Ashkenazi, middle-class women) othered Mizrahim women and Palestinian women
Emphasise how intersection of ethnic/national, gender, and class identity creates distinct experiences of oppression (double marginalisation)
o Jew of Middle Eastern, North African descent AND woman
o Oppressed by Ashkenazi men and women, and Mizrahi men
o Awareness about types of intersectional oppression
 Economically: disproportionately in low-income jobs, limited access to high-paying jobs, wage gaps
 Politically: underrepresented in local/national government, Tokenism in mainstream feminist circles
 Educationally: unequal access to education, underrepresented in academia/research
 Culturally: Mizrahim identity/culture/history/heritage erased by Ashkenazi Jews
Role of grassroots organisations improving Mizrahi women’s lives
o HILA, founded by Tikva Levi
o Improving Mizrahim access to education (better life chances)
o 1994 – first Mizrahi feminist conference
 Now has equal representation of Palestinian, lesbian, Mizrahi, and Ashkenazi

What is the importance of Golda Meir

Helped to found/establish Israel
o Worked alongside David-Ben Gurion
o Key Labor Zionist
 Raised millions of dollars (from America) to help establish Israel
o Signed Declaration of Independence 1948
Israel’s first female Prime Minster (1969-1974), Labor Party
o First in the Middle East
o Hugely significant development for Ashkenazi women
 Underscored power disparities for Mizrahi/non-Jewish women
 Female Mizrahi Prime Minister inconceivable
Hostile and Xenophobic to Palestinians
o Palestinian people / state never existed
Leadership marked by Yom Kippur War 1973
o Surprise attack on Israel by Egypt and Syria, response to territory lost in 1967
o Yum Kippur = religious holiday
o Handling of war resulted in loss of public trust
 Final straw for Labor Party, led to Likud election in 1977

What is the importance of Hatikva

National anthem of Israel
o symbol of Jewish collective identity
o symbolises the success of Zionism
 was first a song related to the Zionist movement, now it is Israel’s national anthem
 success of Zionism in establishing a Jewish state
Lyrics
o Expresses core of Zionist ideology
 Self-determination and freedom
 Longing to return to the Jewish homeland
Modelled from Poland’s national anthem
o Reflects the influence of European culture/arts on Jewish culture
o European character of Israel due to diaspora of Jews

What is the importance of Yesh Atid Party

Centrist political party representing secular, urban, middle-class Israelis
Influential in politics
o Second-largest Party in Knesset e.g., 2022 won 24 seats
 Main opposition to Netanyahu’s governmnent
o Formed a coalition government in 2021-2022
 Included right, left, Arabs
Greater separation between religion and state
o Serve as a counter to religious right influence
o Addressing the secular-religious divide in Israeli society
 End Ultra-orthodox monopoly on Personal Status Laws
 End Ultra-orthodox military exemption
 Equalise education (secular subjects to be taught to Ultra-orthodox)
 Public transport on Shabbat
Strengthening democracy
o Opposes Netanyahu’s judicial reforms
o Expand LGBTQIA+ rights (marriage, adoption, surrogacy, gender affirming treatments)
o Protect rights of Arab minority in Israel
o Religious pluralism and equality of all Jewish denominations

What is the importance of United Torah Judaism Party

Coalition of Agudat Yisrael and Degel Torah
o Maximise representation of Ashkenazi Haredim (ultra-orthodox Jews)
 Popular with Haredi in West Bank settlements
Core Values - Guided by Rabbinic leadership
o Preserve Jewish religious life and Torah values / resist secularisation / oppose separation of religion and state
 Ensure Military Exemption
 Maintain Rabbinate’s monopoly on Personal Status Laws
 Observance of Shabbat
 Enforcement of Kashrut (Kosher Laws)
 Uphold Haredi schools and Torah study
o Socially traditional, anti-modernisation (anti-LGBTQIA+, no women in politics, cultural modesty)
o Welfare payments to support large Haredi families
Policies of UTJ escalate the religious-secular divide in Israeli society
o Shabbat = religious values imposed on secular public life
o Haredim schools = no secular subjects -> unemployable -> economic burden for taxpayers / state
o Disproportionate welfare for Haredim = do not contribute to economy through employment/taxes (low-income, low workforce, impoverished)
o Haredim military exemptions = unfair treatment – esp. after October 7th
Key Coalition Partner in Netanyahu’s government
o Kingmaker role -> Haredim politically overrepresented as a result

What is the importance of Electoral Threshold in Israel

2014 Reform: Electoral threshold is set at 3.25%
o Feature of Proportional Representation Electoral system
o Intended to strengthen stable government outcomes by reducing the number of small parties that can enter the Knesset
o Intended to encourage smaller parties to merge based on ideology
Results…
Underrepresentation of certain minorities in Knesset
o Non-Jewish, Palestinian Arab
o Joint Arab List 2015 – ensures representation BUT dilutes specific needs
Radicalisation of politics
o Small parties have come to decide the fate of elections and of national politics
o Result = catering to needs of radical parties to ensure survival of coalition
 Overrepresentation of certain minorities
 Religious far-right
 E.g., Netanyahu’s coalition
United Torah Judaism
Government moved further towards far-right religious spectrum
o Result = Hardening partisanship and entrenching polarisation

What is the importance of Benjamin Netanjahu

Longest serving Prime Minister
Eroding Israeli democracy
o Corruption charges (bribery, fraud)
o ICC arrest warrant: War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity
o Judicial Reforms
 Gov control of SC appointments, ability to override SC, limit SC review power
 Weaken the strongest check on gov power
o Basic Law Jewish Nation-State Law
 undermined rights / equality of Arab Israelis
 accusations of apartheid
o Polarising influence on Israeli society
 War strategy incited anti-war protests to bring hostages home, ceasefire deal
 Judicial reforms sparked protests about erosion of democracy
 Jewish Nation-State law worsening Jewish-Arab divide in Israel
 Platforming of religious nationalists (Smotrich, Ben Gvir) worsening secular-religious divides
o Opposition to peace between Israelis and Palestinians
 Overseeing the expansion of settlement activity in West Bank
 Slowed down peace process despite time Oslo’s time pressures

What is the importance of Kibbutz

Stronghold of Labor Party/ the Left
Collective agricultural communities
o SIGNIFICANT: Jews had not been permitted land ownership in Christian Europe
Associated with Labor Zionism (socialism, secular)
 Associated with New Jew (revitalisation of Jewish identity and self-image)
Strong, self-sufficient pioneers of Israel
Land owning
 Opposite to Diaspora Jew
Exile, disempowered, victimised, traditional
 David Ben Gurion - “make the desert bloom”
Ignorant assumption that Palestine was primitive
Jews were bringing civilisation
Pioneer spirit co-opted by settlement movement/religious Zionists/religious nationalists
o E.g., Gush Emunim
o Extra-parliamentary movement aimed at securing Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) through Jewish settlements

What is the importance of Jewish Nation-State Law

- Basic law: (constitutional weight) 1. Right to national self-determination is unique to Jewish people a. ONLY Jews have the right to determine the state/society of Israel, NOT non-Jews b. Culmination/Enshrinement of discrimination Arab Israelis/Palestinian citizens already faced c. Apartheid 2. Hebrew as Israel’s official language a. Downgrades Arabic from an official state language to one with special status b. Fluency in Hebrew required for good education, good jobs, bureaucratic engagement i. Less well taught in Arab schools = economic disadvantage 3. Establishes Jewish settlement as a national value a. Doesn’t specific WHERE/WHICH settlements… i. Settlements in West Bank = illegal under int. law b. Reaffirms commitment to religious Zionists / Haredi Jews c. Escalatory policy regarding conflict with Palestinians - Democratic character of Israel being challenged by Netanyahu’s government o Longstanding debate – can Israel be a Jewish state and a democratic state?  Protects/celebrates Jewish identity  Protects rights of non-Jews o Arab Israelis already marginalised as second class citizens (20% Israels population)  Encourages increased hostility toward non-Jewish Arab populations  Could limited ability to challenge discrimination - Reflects deep secular-religious divide in Israeli society

What is the importance of Aliyah

- Immigration of Jews from the diaspora to the Holy Land of Israel o Religiously significant, linked to redemption and the Messiah - 5 Major Waves of Aliyah o Second Aliyah – David Ben Gurion, Golda Meir and other Labor Zionists o Fifth Aliyah – Jews fleeing rise of Nazism - Central tenet of Zionism o Aliyah fundamental for establishment of Jewish state o Aliyah delivered Jews from persecution and antisemitism o Aliyah crucial for preserving the Jewish character of Israel (Jewish majority to outweigh Arab populations)  Zionism did not serve all Jews (only Ashkenazim) - Aliyah until 1948 = Ashkenazim o Mizrahim mass migrated to Israel in 1960s/1970s o Israel’s institutions pre and post-Independence ethnically defined o Mizrahim second-class citizens, along with Palestinian Arabs

What is the importance of Yishuv

- Jewish community in Palestine pre-establishment of Israel (1948) o Ottoman Empire, British Mandate o Old Yishuv (Religious/Haredi) and New Yishuv (Zionists) o New Yishuv came to Palestine later - Roots of secular-religious accommodation in Yishuv (present today) o Old Yishuv allowed their own elections (no women voting) o Preservation of religious schools of Old Yishuv o Old Yishuv included in political frameworks o New Yishuv retained Turkish millet system (Old Yishuv used for religious court systems)  Lead up to Status Quo 1947 - Strong leadership o David Ben Gurion (Labor Zionist) o Recognised by Jews and international community - Created the National institutions later inherited by the Jewish state of Israel o Jewish Assembly, Haganah (Jewish Army), Histradut (Jewish Trade Unions), Jewish Agency (immigration), Educational systems  Strong institutions created by Yishuv responsible for Israel’s victory in 1948 Independence War

What is the importance of Eretz Israel

- The historic Land of Israel o BIBLE: Land of Canaan promised to Abraham and his descendants by God o Jewish promised Land o Exiled from by the Romans - Eretz Israel influence over security/defence measures o 1948, 1967, 1973 wars o All have been related to the materialisation of Eretz Israel through Israel’s militaristic expansion - Association with Religious Zionists o Six-Day War 1967 – re-defined Israel’s borders  New territories with religiously sacred sites now within Israel  West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza strip, Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights all now under Israeli military occupation  War re-awakened drive for greater Israel o Son of Rabbi Kook  Recovery of Holy Places in 1967 war perceived as sign of redemption and return of Messiah  Time for Jew’s to return to 1948 area they were expelled from  Beginning of settlement movement, building of illegal settlements in West Banks - Eretz Israel conflicts with two-state solution o West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem (pre-1967 borders) = future Palestinian state o Eretz Israel, religious Zionists, settlement activity complicate peace process

What is the importance of Joint list

- Joint Arab List 2015 o Main Arab political parties in Israel o Hadash, Ta’al, Balad, Ra’am o Ra’am left Joint List in 2021 - Intended to bypass Electoral threshold (3.25%) o Maximised chances of Arab representation in the Knesset  Arab population in Israel is 20%  2020 – secured 15 seats * Still underrepresented (20% of 120 = 24) o Ideological diversity  Socialism, Arab nationalism, Islamism  Diluting specific needs/concerns of individual parties to find areas of broad agreement o Limited influence  Excluded from most governing coalitions  Systemic prioritisation of Jewish identity/voices in Israeli society

What is the importance of Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews

- Religious minority (13.5% population) o Also, fastest growing population o Very reclusive, not much interaction with Israeli society (exacerbates divide) - At the heart of the religious-secular divide in Israeli society o Accommodation of Ultra-Orthodox Jews / Haredim  Status Quo (1947) * Chief Rabbinate autonomy of religious institutions/culture * Yeshivot/religious schools, Personal Status Laws, Kashrut, Shabbat, Military exemption  State funding -> big families, on poverty line, unemployable (due to no secular schooling) * View as unfair, preferential treatment by Israeli society * Drain on taxpayer money – low workforce participation o Accommodation at expense of democracy * SQ = religious coercion of secular Israelis (Shabbat, PSL) * PSL = Discrimination against women regarding divorce/get o Also issue for Inter-marriage of religions, same-sex marriage, secular/civic marriage * Military exemption = rite of passage for Israelis (sitting out of Gaza war) - Influence in politics o Shas and United Torah Judaism = main parties  Kingmaker role in coalitions, veto power  Overrepresented in Knesset, disproportionate power o Focus on maintaining Jewish character / integrity of Israel