Week 12: the Israeli Case Flashcards
What is the situation over in Israel?
Isreali jews aim for survival and security. Jewish populations faced a long and brutal history gehtoization, in the holocaust and the nazis. Moved in the favour of creating a jewish homeland in isreal (Ziolism). they have been driven by the view that Isreal was the historic home of jewish people so we should return to it have develop institutions that support jewish. There were issues that surrounded it for having a state of their own, but they did not have people that protected their safety. (holocaust). Lots of countries simply rejected large numbers of jewish refuges (canada Australia). Therefore they believe they have to do it themselves. In 1947 is became a reality with help of UN. In 1947 you have a partitian of palistine and jewish patrols. Majority of population was palistinian arabs so UN divided the area between jewish and arab. The immediate effect was war. Starting with protest and war in 1948. Outcome was Isreali victory and camptured most of the territory belonging to arab. And captured some of the territory from neighbouring arab territories. This led to a series of war between its neighbours. Lebenon had a civil war where there is no really central authoritative power there with groups and hostile to isreals resistance and launched attacks. The northern boarded continues to be a place of conflict. Israel expands its boarders at the expense of Egypt, and multiple other countries. Isreal now has a piece treaty with Egypt and Jordan since they returned the land. Most other powers are hostile. Isreal still has a powerful militiary and security is a constant state of concern. Palistinians are actually living in refugee camps in Jordan because most of there territory was taken over. Uncertainty with Egypt because they had the Muslim brotherhood because they were not to happy with accepting Isreals (jews) right to exist. Unresolved conflict with Palestinians in gaza strip will be returned to their full control. There is still not full fledged Palestinian state. Palestinians are divided between secular leadering and a more Islamic in the gazastrip. Seluarism is slightly more accomodationsit and have accepted isreals right to exist. Hamas is an Islamic group that is far less willing to accommodate isrelas interest and right to exist. The longer this conflict goes on, this drives a process of radicalization because they are under isralis economic and military control. Lack of political control wrecks the economy and produces extreme resentment. The public increasing unwilling to accommodate. Palestinian refugees who live inside UN mandate territory have grown to 5 million, do they have a right to return to their home inside the boarders. There is a right of return in the international shit but they refuse to let them return. Isreali settlments make it difficult as well in west bank there is a half a million settlements. Orthadox jews higher birth rate creating pressure for more settlements and the haradam and less acoomodating with palistinians. They are 35-40 percent of the entire country, increasing political clout. Territory is eventually supposed to be returned according to international law. Illegal outposts are hardcore jews that believe this entire territory belows to jews according to biblical law so they go into strategic areas in that territory and set up a community. It is illegal according to isreali law, but they send resources (roads schools and support by isreali happens. They have a substantial minority arab population inside the isreal border as recognized by international law. They were 17% of the total population in 2004 and are now 21% in 2018 and they have Isreali citizenship. They increasingly identify as palistinian. Both populations have a high birth rate. 500 million more palistinians than jews now. This is problematic because it is a security threat because they are going to be a minority again. If the one state solution encompasses all of that territory then the capacity to elect will go the majority population if they become a one state. They believe its part of their religious duty to remain there and maintain a citizen army. If your are 18 or older you are required to serve in the military into your early fifties. The state is now the instrument to orthodox and the military brought them in and created separate religious units. Many of the religious fighters have a high lowalty to their rabi than they do to the state or military authority. If you are going to have a two state solution the 120,000 settlers will need to remove the conflict and if military refuse then you have a problem. Isreal does not wait to be attacked. If it perceerves a threat they send in a military strike force. Defensive containment of palistinians through this and other measures. They strike back disproportionatly in order to persuade them from doing it again. Isreali democracy is reconfigured so that its main state is to be of and for the jewish people.
Is this democratic/liberal?
In 2018 43% of palistinian and jews support a 2 state and this is a recent switch from majority. 9% of palistinians and 14 percent of arab support apartheid. Support for a single democratic state is also very high. Lots of isreali jews and palistinians support extreme solutions. Very little support for a one state democracy.
What kind of democracy is isreal?
Basic law of isreal (constitution) indirectly supports the jewish character of the state. This permits the exclusion of political parties that object to a state of and for the jews. (arab). Isreal has strengthen the nation state law that says only jews have the right to national self determination. Hebrew is now the soul official language. Arab is now a minority language.
Arab political parties tend to sit in but are never brought in as coalition governments. This also means that if you want coalition parties you must reach out to ultra orthodox who require accommodations of family law and education and are more extremist towards other groups. All state symbols are all jewish. Right to return have no similar right of return for Palestinian refuges. There are defector discriminations such as social and public services. Land ownership. Jews retain strong control over the land. There are civil and political rights (right to vote and are legally recognized). Arabs do not have the right to political self determination. Courts can interpret that law to discriminate against arab isralis. The arab majority single vote per person would be incontrast to the constitution because a primarily arab party would be elected because of their larger population. Isreal has a highly proportional electoral system.
Is this democratic?
Dissociations between Arab involvement in the army and politicization if they were allowed to partake in the You cannot alter the constitution there are laws preventing it and preventing social movements from alternative groups.
