As much as the orthodox scholars would like to insist otherwise, Israel is not a theocracy.
Zionism is a fundamentally nationalist project, and early Israel quashed attempts to root the founding of the state in religious zealotry.
You’ll be able to spot this in phenomena like how major Israeli political parties actually represent splinters between different ethnicities of Israeli jews, notably the difference between Ashkenazi Jews and Russian jews.
More starkly, ethiopian jews get treated little better than israeli arabs, who also have their own political party within the knesset.
In a way Israel is actually a microcosm of a larger clash between the western perspective and the perspective of the muslim world. The west keeps trying to fight Islamism with nationalism, and likewise islamists keep trying to fight nationalism with islamism. There can’t be a discussion because the two “sides” of the “debate” aren’t even agreeing on what’s being talked about.
What gets even weirder is how this has caused weird flips in political alignment. Because of MBS’ influence, the more influential secular movements in the Arab world tend to be Dictatorial or even outright Monarchist, while in the west Monarchy and Authoritarian movements are currently heavily associated with christian fundamentalism. Meanwhile the more “democratic” movements are heavily rooted in Islamist politics. Erdogan’s Turkey loves that scene, and has started getting involved in proxy wars to prop up other Turkey style republics headed by islamist parties.
BTW this is why the Muslim Brotherhood was able to win elections in Egypt following the arab spring before the new dictatorship took root. The Muslim Brotherhood seems to be a kind of almost Reaganist/Nixonian party that touts itself as the democratic alternative for frustrated “common sense conservative” folks in the middle east, silent majority rhetoric and all.
Yeah, I agree it’s not entirely a theocracy. It’s actually more driven by supremacy with Zionism (which is a political religious ideology just like Islamism or Hindu Extremism, etc).
Killing others, because of some “fairytale” religion or book that justifies dehumanizing the other side? That’s not like Israel? In what way?
As much as the orthodox scholars would like to insist otherwise, Israel is not a theocracy.
Zionism is a fundamentally nationalist project, and early Israel quashed attempts to root the founding of the state in religious zealotry.
You’ll be able to spot this in phenomena like how major Israeli political parties actually represent splinters between different ethnicities of Israeli jews, notably the difference between Ashkenazi Jews and Russian jews.
More starkly, ethiopian jews get treated little better than israeli arabs, who also have their own political party within the knesset.
In a way Israel is actually a microcosm of a larger clash between the western perspective and the perspective of the muslim world. The west keeps trying to fight Islamism with nationalism, and likewise islamists keep trying to fight nationalism with islamism. There can’t be a discussion because the two “sides” of the “debate” aren’t even agreeing on what’s being talked about.
What gets even weirder is how this has caused weird flips in political alignment. Because of MBS’ influence, the more influential secular movements in the Arab world tend to be Dictatorial or even outright Monarchist, while in the west Monarchy and Authoritarian movements are currently heavily associated with christian fundamentalism. Meanwhile the more “democratic” movements are heavily rooted in Islamist politics. Erdogan’s Turkey loves that scene, and has started getting involved in proxy wars to prop up other Turkey style republics headed by islamist parties.
BTW this is why the Muslim Brotherhood was able to win elections in Egypt following the arab spring before the new dictatorship took root. The Muslim Brotherhood seems to be a kind of almost Reaganist/Nixonian party that touts itself as the democratic alternative for frustrated “common sense conservative” folks in the middle east, silent majority rhetoric and all.
Yeah, I agree it’s not entirely a theocracy. It’s actually more driven by supremacy with Zionism (which is a political religious ideology just like Islamism or Hindu Extremism, etc).
https://www.vox.com/world/2018/7/31/17623978/israel-jewish-nation-state-law-bill-explained-apartheid-netanyahu-democracy