Israel and Democracy?

13 January 2009

Israel’s latest political ploy of banning Palestinian Israeli parties from running in elections casts even further doubt on their claim to be ‘the only democracy in the Middle East.

By Abu Yusef from Occupied Palestine

Picture: NY Times

One thing that is repeated over and over again by Americans and Europeans concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is that ’Israel is the only democracy in the region, and that is why I support them.’

However, if one takes a closer at how Israeli democracy differs from its American and European counterparts, they will arrive at some uncomfortable conclusions.

After the war of 1948, a number of Palestinians remained in what was to become the state of Israel. Today this number sits around 20% of the total population. They were promised equal citizenship, but it has proven to be an empty one.

These people are treated as third class citizens, who face restrictions in land ownership, service in the armed forces (an unwritten prerequisite for acceptance into Israeli society), and they face severe discrimination in the allocation of state resources. For a comprehensive overview of their situation, which many have described as institutional apartheid, read Jonathan Cook’s ’Blood and Religion.’

Though they have been extended voting rights, their parties have never been part of a government and instead remain virtually locked out of the Israeli decision-making process. Today though, the situation became even more hypocritical.

According to Ha’aretz, Israel’s leading newspaper, the Israeli Knesset voted overwhelmingly to ban the participation of Arab parties in upcoming elections. It is unclear now whether the Supreme Court will uphold the ban, but the fact that it is even being considered casts a dark shadow over Israel’s claim to be the ’only democracy in the Middle East’. (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1054867.html)

Let’s reflect briefly on what some of the basic tenets of democracy are and how Israel stacks up:

1. Competitive elections representing the people - Israel has rejected this.

2. The separation of Church and State - Religious authorities and institutions control large amounts of land as well as the control over who is considered Jewish and thus a citizen of Israel.

3. Equal Rights under the law regardless of race or creed - Palestinian Israelis suffer from documented and severe restraints upon their participation in the democratic process and the protections of the state based solely upon their race and religion.

4. Protection of minorities is a common tenet of democracy aimed to protect all of society from the ’tyranny of the majority’ - This is obviously not the case in Israel.