Can Israel be both Jewish and democratic?

Israel's Foundational Tension: Can It Be Jewish and Democratic?

• The tension behind Israel's establishment was whether a Jewish state could be democratic and accommodate pluralism.
• Israel is now a military powerhouse and a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
• Jews in Europe shunned political and military power and focused on developing social institutions.
• After the French Revolution, some Jews began to integrate into broader society and saw themselves as a national community.
• Zionism sought to end discrimination and establish a Jewish state and society like all other nations in Palestine.
• The central question that remains today is whether Israel can be both Jewish and democratic.
• The tension between Jewish particularism and universalism has been a core source of tension in Israel's history.
• Israel's declaration of independence offers a version of Jewish history and pledges to protect the rights of all minorities.
• After Israel's creation, David Ben-Gurion suggested that Zionism would wither away, but it continues to provide a unifying ideological umbrella.
• After the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel emerged as a regional military and economic power, and a growing number of Israelis questioned the country's particularism.
• The post-or-neo-Zionist divide was over the occupation of the West Bank, with post-Zionists seeking a two-state solution and neo-Zionists rejecting any territorial compromise with Palestinians.
• In the 21st century, the Palestinian issue has virtually disappeared from Israel's political landscape, and the country's attention has returned to the old divisions between those advocating for Jewish character and those championing universal policies.
• The current Israeli government represents the nationalistic, particular camp and has pursued policies to enhance the country's Jewish nature, leading to protests demanding democracy.