Politics and government in Israel : the maturation of a modern state / Gregory S. Mahler.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mahler, Gregory S., 1950- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Israel--Politics and government.

Israel.

Politics and government.

Israel--Social conditions.

Social conditions.

Physical Description:

xvi, 479 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

Third edition.

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield, [2016]

Summary:

This balanced and comprehensive text explores Israeli government and politics from both institutional and behavioral perspectives. After briefly discussing Israel's history and the early development of the state, Gregory Mahler then examines the social, religious, economic, cultural, and military contexts within which Israeli politics takes place. He makes special note of Israel's geopolitical situation of sharing borders with, and being proximate to, several hostile Arab nations. The book explains the operation of political institutions and behavior in Israeli domestic politics, including the constitutional system and ideology, parliamentary government, the prime minister and the Knesset, political parties and interest groups, the electoral process and voting behavior, and the machinery of government. Mahler also considers Israel's foreign policy setting and apparatus, the Palestinians and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the particularly sensitive questions of Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement movement, and the Middle East peace process overall. This clear and concise text provides an invaluable starting point for all readers needing a cogent introduction to Israel today. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I The Political Setting

1 History and the Creation of the State 13

Historical Roots of Contemporary Israel 15

The Emergence of Zionism, 1830-1917 17

Growth of the Yishuv, 1880-1939 20

The Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate Period, 1917-1947 23

World War II and the Holocaust 33

Transition to Statehood, 1945-1948 34

The Palestinians 38

History and the Creation of Israel 43

For Further Reading 44

2 Zionism, Culture, and the Domestic Political Environment 47

The Concept of Zionism 48

Types of Zionism 51

Zionism and the United States 54

Zionism and the Middle East 54

The Religious Communities of Israel 56

Israel's Non-Jewish Communities 57

Social and Cultural Influences in the Political Arena 59

Peoples of Israel 60

Ashkenazim and Sephardim 62

Immigration and Emigration 63

Social Class 67

Education and Culture 68

Health Care and Social Services 71

Cities, Villages, Kibbutzim, and Moshavim 73

Zionism, Society, and the State 76

For Further Reading 77

3 Judaism and the Role of the Jewish Religion in Israeli Politics 79

Judaism in Israel 80

Tensions between and among Jewish Population Groups in Israel 82

Public Opinion about the Role of Religion 87

Current Issues of Controversy in Israeli Society 97

Judaism and the State of Israel 100

For Further Reading 103

4 The Military, Economic, and Bureaucratic Setting 105

The Military Structure and the Government 107

The Economic Context 111

Foreign Economic Relations 114

The Bureaucracy and the Civil Service 116

Local Government 120

The Judiciary and the Legal System in Israeli Politics 124

The Political Impact of the Military, the Economy, and the Bureaucracy 129

For Further Reading 130

Part II The Governmental Institutions

5 The Constitutional System and Parliamentary Government 135

The Debate over Creating a Written Constitution 136

The Structures of the Israeli Constitution 140

The Role of the Courts in the Creation of a Constitution 145

Israel as a Parliamentary System 154

For Further Reading 156

6 The Prime Minister and the Knesset 157

The Setting 157

The Balance of Power 160

Legislation in the Knesset 162

The Members of Knesset 168

Legislative Behavior of Members of the Knesset 168

Knesset Organization 172

Coalition Politics and Coalition Governments 177

The Knesset, the Government, and Israeli Politics 185

For Further Reading 186

7 Political Parties and Interest Groups 189

The Setting 189

Ideology in Israel 191

The Functions of Parties 195

Parties and Issues 198

Parties and Coalition Formation 210

Interest Groups 210

Linkage Mechanisms and Democratic Government in Israel 215

For Further Reading 216

8 The Electoral Process and Voting Behavior 217

The Electoral System and Israeli Voting Behavior 217

Proportional Representation and Elections 218

Past Proposals for Electoral Change 230

The 1996-2001 Electoral System for Electing the Prime Minister 234

Voting Behavior and Electoral Results 235

Voting and Ideology 236

Ethnicity 238

Voting Trends 238

Significance of the Electoral Process for Israel 242

For Further Reading 243

Part III Foreign Policy and the Middle Eastern Political Setting

9 The Foreign Policy Setting 247

The Setting: The Legacy of Warfare 248

Strategic Considerations 267

Military-Security Concerns 268

Political-Diplomatic Concerns 273

Economic-Developmental Concerns 276

Cultural-Status Concerns 278

The Foreign Policy Setting: A Recapitulation 279

For Further Reading 281

10 The Palestinians, the West Bank, and Gaza 283

History 284

Palestine and the Palestinians 287

Palestinian Statehood and Governance 290

Palestinian Goals 297

The West Bank and Gaza 298

Israeli Attitudes, Actions, Intentions, and Policies 302

The Palestinians, the West Bank, and Gaza 314

For Further Reading 316

11 Jerusalem, Borders, and Settlements 317

Jerusalem in Modern History 318

Legal and Diplomatic Status of Jerusalem 326

City Limits, Population, and Settlements 328

Jerusalem and the Peace Process 335

For Further Reading 337

12 The Peace Process 339

The Quest for Peace 339

Progress toward Peace, Post-1948 341

Progress toward Peace, Post-1956 342

Camp David and the Peace Process, 1978-1982 343

Israel's Peace Initiative, 1989 349

The Madrid Peace Conference, 1991 350

The Oslo Accords, 1993 353

The Wye River Memorandum, October 23, 1998 356

The Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum, April 30, 2001 359

The Copenhagen Track 361

The American Role, 2002-2015 362

Bilateral Progress 368

The Quest for Peace, Again 382

For Further Reading 383.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Mahler, Gregory S., 1950- author. Politics and government in Israel.

ISBN:

9781442265356

1442265353

9781442265363

1442265361

OCLC:

934100238