Israel No More "The Only Democracy in the Middle East"

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1 University of Delaware From the SelectedWorks of Muqtedar Khan Summer July 24, 2018 Israel No More "The Only Democracy in the Middle East" Muqtedar Khan, University of Delaware This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC_BY International License. Available at:

2 Israel: No More The Only Democracy in the Middle East By Muqtedar Khan Policy analysis published by the Center for Global Policy1 and The Daily Sabah2. Publication date July 24, Benjamin Netanyahu the Prime Minister of Israel landscape. Israelis have achieved what white called it a defining moment when Israeli nationalists in the United States and Europe parliament passed the Basic Law: Israel The aspire for, a state for only one people defined Nation State of the Jewish People. He was either in racial or ethnic terms. slightly off the mark. This law redefines Israel and codifies the domination of ethno-nationalism In this analysis I will identify the key shifts in that now dominates the Israeli political how a majority of Israelis define their nation. To

3 understand the shift please consult the full text of the new Basic Law and the text of the Israeli declaration of independence, which in the absence of a constitution served to define Israel until now. Israel has deferred the writing of its constitution and until then the Basic Laws serve as constitution articles that shape both legal system and the policies of the Jewish State. In its first article the Basic Law describes Israel as a nation state of the Jewish people and limits the right of self-determination to Jews alone. While it is clear from the first article that it means that the Arabs who are citizens of Israel and their status has now been diminished have no right to self-determination, it is not clear with regards to the millions of Palestinians who live under Israel s inhumane military occupation. The basic law does not even mention its Arab and Muslim citizens and according to some of its supporters it has been designed to undermine the constitutional revolution of 1992 and its supreme court interpretation that gives equal rights to all citizens of Israel, whether they are Jews or not. Unlike the country s Declaration of Independence, which specifically expresses Israel s intent to work for the benefit of all its inhabitants and I quote -- it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the of the Charter of the United Nations. The new law will have a far reaching impact on Israel s minorities. The law unlike the Declaration of Independence does not guarantee equal rights to its non-jewish minorities, does not guarantee their freedom of religion, downgrades the status of Arabic by making only Hebrew a national language and does not in anyway state that this law cannot be used to discriminate against minorities. In fact this law can be used now to override the rights and privileges of minorities with impunity. It very simple asserts the political supremacy of Jewish identity, religion and culture. For years now American leaders and expert commentators have been warning Israel that it cannot remain both Jewish and democratic if it does not embrace the two-state solution. It appears from the new basic Law that Israel has chosen to abandon its aspirations to remain a democracy. By downgrading the status of its Arab minorities and choosing not to explicitly reaffirm its character as democratic, Israel has clearly sent the signal, that it is choosing ethno-

4 religious identity over democracy. I hope henceforth American politicians will stop justifying the excesses of Israeli occupation by describing Israel as the only democracy in the Middle East. Even Israel does not call itself a democracy anymore. Clearly the objective of passing this Basic Law was to send a signal to the international community about the direction in which Bibi Netanyahu is taking Israel. He is redefining Israeli identity and ideology. Therefore the fact that this law misses the opportunity to reaffirm Israel s commitment to democracy, to religious freedom for minorities, for preserving religious places of all faiths, and above all to the two-state vision of peace in the region is extremely salient. What this law does not state is in my view more significant and dangerous than what it does state. This change in what serves as Israel s constitution will make Israel more of a pariah state than ever before. It incites anger in the region, makes it more difficult for Europe to support Israel, and above all alienates the American diaspora whose support and influence in American society is critical for Israel s security. The declaration of Jewish settlements as of national value raises questions about how serious is Israeli commitment to the two-state solution. It confirms the suspicion of many scholars of the region that Israel does not really want peace. Rabbi Steven Wernick, CEO of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism,a pro-israel and prominent American Jewish organization summarizes the new troubling character of Israel succinctly; "If you are an Israeli Arab today, you certainly are feeling de-legitimized as a citizen of the State. He then adds; "Israel is losing its soul and weakening its democracy and Jewish character. It's beacon of light on the nations is now dim. Even I am having difficulty seeing it." The thing that Netanyahu and his supporters miss is that in abandoning democracy to preserve Jewish identity, they are also abandoning Jewish values. If it continues in this vein, it may be labelled a Jewish nation state, but it will be neither democratic nor Jewish. The passing of this law, only a few months after the unprecedented move by the US to move its embassy to Jerusalem, will make American foreign policy towards Muslim nations more contentious. Saudi Arabia, its gulf allies and Egypt were willing to cooperate with the US and more closer Israel in their shared quest to contain Iran. This law makes it more difficult for them to normalize relations with Israel and they are criticising it for consolidating the occupation

5 and perpetuating racial discrimination against the Palestinians, 3. Most policy makers abroad are going to assume that this move by Israel was green lighted by President Trump and it will cement the idea that this administration acts more in the interest of Israel than the U.S. As the US takes steps to implement new sanctions against Iran, Israeli provocations will make it more difficult to garner cooperation from nations like Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan. This nationality law may serve Bibi Netanyahu s political aspirations, but it does not serve American interests. It undermines Israeli democracy and it complicates US relations with its Muslim allies. Dr. Muqtedar Khan is professor at the University of Delaware and a Senior Fellow of the Center for Global Policy. His website is He is also the author of Jihad for Jerusalem: Identity and Strategy in International Relations 4 Shura and Democracy 5 and the Compact of Madinah Khan, MA Muqtedar. Jihad for Jerusalem: identity and strategy in international relations. Greenwood Publishing Group, Khan, M. (2002). Shura and democracy. Ijtihad, January, accessed June, 23, Khan, M. (2001). The compact of Medina: a constitutional theory of the Islamic state. Mirror International, 30.