Israel faces many external challenges. However, it is internal weakness that condemns a country, not a bellicose neighbor. This is what is happening in Israel today.
Israel’s new government, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was sworn in on Thursday. This government is considered to be the greatest right-wing in Israel’s history and is also the first whose majority of members are devout. The right-wing nature of the government, adding to some members’ plans to annex the West Bank, has caused fear for many around the world. However, the real danger this government poses to Israel’s long-term is possibly its devout composition. The influence of devout parties in government, namely ultra-Orthodox and devout Zionist parties, has raised fears about the country’s long-term viability as a Jewish and democratic state.
As the new Israeli government was formed in recent weeks, it has become increasingly transparent that the classic political divide between right and left is no longer relevant; Instead, the new divide turns out to be one that separates the liberal view from an incredibly devout one.
This happened in part because most of the devout Knesset members of the new government in Israel are members of the Likud coalition and not of Likud itself.
These partners can be divided into two teams: the ultra-Orthodox and the devout Zionists. The ultra-Orthodox who study Torah are the most important career and seek to keep their societies separate, although it is not easy to receive monetary aid from Israeli society at large. Zionists, on the other hand, have a utopian vision of Israel as a devout country ruling a vast territory stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. Both teams adhere to the direction of their rabbis, who have significant influence over their communities. especially among the ultra-Orthodox.
The goals of the devout ultra-Orthodox and Zionist parties jeopardize the long-term viability of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, and undermine the economic foundations that have made the country successful. The ultra-Orthodox seek to protect their communities from outside interference and announce that Torah considers the same importance as military service, and the rest of the country assumes the burden of supporting the Israel Defense Forces.
Under the new coalition agreement, the ultra-Orthodox will get a significant sum of cash and the promise that they can integrate into Israeli society.
For their part, devout Zionists serve in the army. The dream of his motion is to remake the rest of the country in his image. Religious Zionists are ultra-nationalists who believe that God gave the land of Israel to the Jewish people and that no one has the right to give what God has granted him.
Though not as far apart as the ultra-Orthodox, devout Zionists adhere to a fundamentalist form of Judaism. Many are homophobic and have limited opportunities for women. Under the leadership of their rabbis, they oppose the full integration of women into the military.
Ultra-Orthodox Zionists and devout teams who adhere to the word of God and therefore their movements will have to be correct. As a result, either team is uncompromising in its core beliefs.
While they have dominated the government lately, they are still a minority in the country. Many Israelis wonder how much of his program will actually be realized and whether Israel’s silent majority will rebel and back down enough to save it.
The conclusion of the new Israeli government is that Israel’s greatest enemy is now within, the risk that fundamentalists pose to the liberal democracy that has existed in this country since its inception.
One can only hope that the other Israelis will rebel against the fanatics in a short time.
Marc Schulman is a multimedia historian.
The perspectives expressed in this article are those of the author.
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