What incredible photos! Really humanizes the people whose politics I might not agree with.
I must say if I had any hat-making talent, I'd move to Israel. Looks like a brisk market. Of course I'd have to live in Tel Aviv with all its beautiful beach people....
14
Meanwhile, Abu Mazen is in the 15th year of his four year term, having never faced any manner of an election. Maybe, if there were any manner of election in areas under PA control, a pro-peace party could emerge and there would be an actual opening for a two state solution. For now, anyone that criticizes Mazen or dares to even work with Israelis risks violence or imprisonment. But hey, that's despotism for you.
14
One fine morning Israel will wake to understand that "Net", via his opportunistic love for Trump, has taken Israel for a ride. Israel should grasp that 'trump' is definitely not any majoritarian entity in the USA. We know what he is.
10
This election is determining the fate of Israel, the fate of Netanyahu is not the issue.
7
In same way that some long-time Republican friends who don't follow politics that closely will go into the polls in Nov. 2020 and hold their nose and vote for Trump, lots of Israelis who I know will simply say to themselves, "Bibi is for a strong Israel, he's made a good alliance with Trump, and he knows how to pressure Iran and the Palestinians" and they will hold their nose and vote him in again.
5
I can Only advise my Israeli friends, hard religious people are no friend of democracy, If they want to see when Religious people gain power of majority Look Turkey. Once secular republic turned out banana republic by hard religious politicians and their supporters.
Israel is a democratic nation but with Netanyahu the trajectory is changed. If this trajectory will lead religious people take majority support Israel will face its own night mare..
One may ask what do you mean religious in Israel, but that doesn't need explanation, any democracy believer can easily recognize what religious mean?
8
American politics can be tribal, with loyalties to ethnic groups, religious factions and ideologies as strong a factor in voting as views on particular issues.
hmm
Relax, Bibi will win again.
Unless people would finally understand that corruption and abuse of power is a calamity, not a blessing.
3
"Israeli Election Hinges on a Mosaic of Competing Groups"
Substitute American for Israeli. We are not so different.
7
I have no use for Netanyahu or the right wing religious parties. However I would be remiss if I did not point out that Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, etc. all call for the destruction of the Jewish State. Sorry, but countries do not negotiate about their survival.
12
As a cultural Jew I am ashamed of what Israel has become under Netanyahu leadership.
He is as bad as any dictator that Jews have lived under for thousands of years. It was a country that began as an ideal for freedom from persecution and now Palestinian Israelis are being moved from homes they have lived on for hundreds of years.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?"
Freedom to live, work and be an equal citizen should be understood by every Jew and since 20% of Israelis happen to be Palestinians it is important to organize these people and get them to vote as REAL citizen of Israel.
18
So, tribalism often supersedes morality in Israel? Yeah, everyone knows that...
4
Its important to point out, that there are still factions of THOUSANDS of Ultra Orthodox Jews in Israel who do not participate in the elections at all, claiming that entire existence of Israel's Government is against the Bible, and saying that Torah-true Jewry has steadfastly opposed the Zionist ideology.
2
@Yoel
The views of ultra orthodox Jews are quite well represented in the Knesset, so they don't need to.
Pretty much all of the parties in the Knesset cater to their beliefs.
That's why there's separate buses for men and women, and the parents of little girls in sleeveless dresses get harassed for their immorality.
8
Sergey Ponomarev's photographs are extraordinary, even more illuminating than Mr. Halbfinger's essay. An astonishing, and tragic end to the Zionist project. What would Hannah Arendt think of this? Or even Ben Gurion?
8
Exactly what do you mean by this? I see a beautiful diverse country of various kinds of Jews and Arabs living peacefully under democratic rule. It’s not perfect but it’s way better for individual freedoms than any country surrounding Israel in the Middle East. Am Yisrael Chai! The Nation Of Israel Lives!
7
Opening comment of the article: "Israeli politics can be tribal, with loyalties to ethnic groups, religious factions and ideologies as strong a factor in voting as views on particular issues."
^^ Extreme understatement.
Politically and ideologically speaking.. Israel has arguably the most volatile, passionate and combative political party system of all the western democracies existent today.
6
Love the diversity of Israel. Looking at these pictures you get the feeling of how diverse and complicated Israel really is. In many ways somewhat like the US but with a lot smaller population.
I visited Israel in 2014 and really enjoyed my trip around this complex and diverse culture. You can see it in their food and their people.
15
We may not always like the election result but there is no getting away from the fact that Israel is the only Middle Eastern country that is a democracy and hold free and open elections.
Whatever ones views might be regarding the Israeli governments treatment of the Palestinians , they do not deny the Palestinian population a vote ‘ . Perhaps it is time that they start to avail of the opportunity ‘ if they truly want to bring about change . The alternative is to live with the status quo.
14
Palestinians living in the non-annexed portions of the West Bank do not have Israeli citizenship or voting rights in Israel, but are subject to movement restrictions of the Israeli government. - Wikipedia.
7
@Patti Jacobs. But they can vote in Palestinian elections. If only "Palestine" had elections. Abu Mazen is in the 15th year of his four year term.
10
Probably the best reporting on Israeli politics the Times has ever run - thank you.
14
That first photo (Men in Hats) is one of the better arguments against organized religion seen, post-Inquisition.
16
Really? And if it were a picture of thousands of Muslim men wearing Taquiyahs and Keffiyehs and religious attire
that would be ok for you or is it only Jews wearing hats you have a problem with?
5
@Joseph T. Smith
What possible difference would that make? Bunch of people born to not think for themselves. Repulsive, no matter the uniform. Sorry to disappoint.
5
Question:
How many Arabs citizens of Israel will choose to leave Israel when
Palestinians achieve a state of their own?
Answer:
Not many.
22
How many Arab citizens of Israel will choose to move to
Muslim countries if Netanyahu is reelected?
Not many.
8
This is a good article, introducing the basic divides of Israeli society, which are crucial to understand the country, and certainly its elections. However, the picture presented here is somewhat simplistic. Crucially, the article seems to avoid giving numerical figures for the relative *size* of each group. For instance, there are about 4 Secular Israelis for every Haredi Israeli, and the gap in the electorate is even further to the seculars' advantage, as children are a disproportionately large part of the ultra-Orthodox population.
The fact that the right wing tends to win elections is not because the religious parts are larger, in fact they are still significantly smaller in numbers (the seculars outnumber the modern and ultra orthodox combined), but the fact that the secular in Israel are far more politically diverse than the other groups. While the majority among secular Jews is center-left, a very large minority is right-wing and votes for right wing parties , especially Likud, Liberman, and also (in small but non-negligible numbers) the modern-Orthodox naitonalist party, which tries to appeal to their vote - the article neglects to mention that the main settler-orthodox party has nominated a secular woman from Tel Aviv to head their party, against all their religious-sexist principles, because they saw that poll after poll indicates this will give them electoral advantage!
By contrast the Orthodox are almost all right wing, and the Arabs' turnout is low.
18
Marriage in Israel.
"Israeli citizens, including many former Soviet immigrants and their offspring are considered Jewish by the state but not by the ultra-Orthodox rabbinate, meaning they cannot get married in Israel."
I think the same applies to gay persons wanting to get married in Israel. Apparently none of the religious marriage courts will carry out a gay marriage. Gay persons wishing to marry have to leave the country for the ceremony but then can register as married once they return.
More an observation than a criticism, as I have not seen reporting to the extent that gay persons or "non-Jewish" Jews are discriminated against in daily life.
7
@Mike Edwards
If having to leave the country to get married is not discrimination, then what is?
5
Tel Aviv is very liberal and has a huge Pride parade every year. The city was full of rainbow flags prior to Pride week. A lot of Israelis have to leave both hetero and homo couples to marry- they go to Cyprus and Las Vegas. The ultra religious have a stranglehold on marriage, divorce and death rituals.
4
These issues have already been well-addressed in the book, “The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land,” by Donna Rosenthal.
The Israeli public is not a monolithic force, but rather a disparate group of many cultural segments.
How does one connect them all? The Haredim don’t even consider the secular to be Jewish! The non-Orthodox consider the Haredim to be leeches who demand money and services, but contribute nothing to society.
And to be very blunt, I have immediate family in Israel, and the Palestinians are pretty much at the bottom of their list of concerns. They are more interested in economic, cultural, and security issues. And if I were in their shoes, I’d feel the same way.
There’s no clear cut answer. In America, it’s hard to imagine Mitch McConnell and Bernie Sanders agreeing on anything. Ditto Republicans and Democrats.
We can’t expect Israelis to agree on everything either. Fwiw, I do hope Benny Gantz wins this election; Netanyahu is way past his sell-by date.
16
An excellent article thank you , now I understand why if there are so many secular Jews in Israel they none the less end up with such right wing Government. It seems for many the issue is one of security.
At some point though if Israel is to survive its people will have to stop voting out of fear, and start looking at how best to make Israel a place where All its citizens can live peacefully. That will never happen incidentally under the current regime .
10
So, why are we subsidizing this country?
13
@Cap’n Dan Mathews : because we are so much better than they are - and christian too
Israelis need to put the future well-being of the State of Israel ahead of their appetite for land and their religions. Land thefts and religious discrimination leads to a dark future.
14
Where you see uniforms (military, religious or otherwise), you are likely seeing some form of thought control. It is an external sign on an internal state and signals a barrier to autonomous thinking and feeling.
15
Unfortunately, as religion meddles in politics all over the world, Israel and America at top of the list, democracies will die and the world will be pushed into total chaos.
Tribalism is taking mankind backward and as long as any person or group thinks another group is inferior, we are doomed to repeat all the mistakes we should have learned.
7
As many Israelis have told me over the years, if it wasn't for the fear of the Arabs uniting Israel, there would be one massive civil war.
5
I wish ALL the people of Israel, best wishes for replacing Netanyahu.
Orthodoxy, of any domain, any religion, has at its own core, an intrinisic discrimentation. One can not be Orthodox without having bias and rejection of the non-Orthodox.
Theocracies, of any religion, are mediveal. It is only thru Freedom of all Religions, and its co-truth, Freedom From Religion, that an equal and fair society can be sustainted.
16
Israel, please stop calling yourselves a democracy. You're not. Neither are we, right now. We both suffer from criminals running our governments. It's shameful.
13
@ChesBay Why does the moral standing of the leader mean the country isn't a democracy? Both were duly elected by their populations. Just because someone you don't like got elected doesn't mean the sky is falling.
5
The column is a beautiful, heart-warming, comprehensive description of the diversity of Israeli society and the Israeli electorate. It also acknowledges the political skills and strengths of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to whom, I feel, the NYT owes an apology for characterizing him a few days ago as "cornered" and "desperate." The election may not go his way, but he has demonstrated his mettle in a most difficult environment and deserves credit for that. It is fair to say, I think, that most of your writers favor a "two-state solution," which I say even many Israeli Arabs oppose. I myself foresee a province of Palestine, analogous to Quebec, in a federation under Israeli sovereignty. The writers I allude to are fighting Don Quixote's windmills, except that for Cervantes the windmills symbolized the future, whereas your writers are struggling to fool readers by putting a better spin on their mistakes of the past.
6
Israel is one country with many tribes but no one nation. There is no common thread between the Sephardim tracing back to Spain the European Ashkenazim, dome of the Khazar origins to the Mizrhaiim which some are of Berber Beduin converted to Judaism from North Africa. These tribes do not share a common goal therefore Israel is on it's to become second Lebanon.
2
Great overview. Helps explain how 2-dimensional terminology -- right-wing/left-wing -- is almost always insufficient when discussing politics over there.
7
The main issue in Israel is the secular vs. the religious, period. I write this from Jerusalem and the secular-religious divide permeates everything here. While many leftists in the West remain focused on the Palestinians, that issue is almost never brought up in Israel. This election will turn on the votes of Russian immigrants, who themselves are mostly secular and are opposed to ultra-Orthodox control of the rabbinate and various ministries in the Israeli government. We're expecting the first election results in just under 4 hours.
15
Excellent and informative article, and Sergey Pomarev's photos are superb -- as a documentary complement to the text as well as esthetically.
32
Israel suffers from divisiveness as much as America does. Perhaps that is a common problem to liberal democracies , which openly allow free speech and free press . Such freedom encourages differences to be expressed.
In order for the nation to be united enough to stave off enemies, what must be added to this divisiveness is tolerance. Know that your fellow Israeli, whose lifestyle might differ from yours , that he or she is also your neighbor and you must work together to stay strong. (The same can be said of America).
How to teach full tolerance to the more rigid groups, with firmer beliefs (which many of them feel should be adopted by all) is a worthy and necessary objective. Accepting Israeli Arabs, where change of identity is near impossible, must be achieved. And the most religious (the Haredim) must learn to live without conflict near the irreligious.
17
Everyone in the world knows how the Palestinians were kicked out of their homes in Israel and became refugees in 1948. But very few people know about the Mizrahi, who were also violently thrown out of their homes in Arab and other Muslim states all across the middle east over the next decade. They had lived there for hundreds if not thousands of years. And when they were forced out, they took nothing but the shirts on their backs. Their homes and properties were stolen from them. They have since been able to make good lives for themselves in Israel, while the Palestinian refugees have been ignored by their Muslim brothers during the same period of time.
68
They were not kicked out they fled, after strategic scare tactics, when they started invading the UN partition. Before Great Britain withdrew Syria, Israel and Jordan hadn’t been independent since the end of Solomon’s Temple.
Judea was a Persian puppet state, a Greek one and then a Roman one...
Then it went back and forth between Christendom and Nomadic tribes until the Unification of Arab tribes and rise in Islam under Saladin..later to be part of the Ottoman Turk empire. After WWI it was part of the British empire. In 1949 after a miraculous Israeli win, there was no West Bank it was Jordan. After The Yom Kippur War and a peace agreement was signed with Jordan, Jordan exiled Arafat to Lebanon and Jordan did not want the WestBank at all, just shared control of the Temple Mount which it has.
Gaza was part of Egypt, the Egyptians under Naser, didn’t want it back. It’s 16 years since Hamas has had independence and they have not focused on improving the lives of Gazans, but an obsession of wiping out “The Zionist Entity” being mischievous and crying about the response...
The whole point of war & a strong response is to let your opponent know they can’t win so stop trying.
The war was over with Japan Months before Nagasaki and Stalin declaring war and invading Manchuria. Let me know when before 1949 The Roman area named Palestine was independent an Independent sovereign Islamic country..I would love to be educated.
18
The partition of Palestine made the whole middle-east more volatile. The Muslim countries were very angry about the partition & that the Palestinians were not able to return to Palestine. They turned on their own Jewish populations. It was inevitable & foreseen by many geopolitical specialists.
2
@Name Withheld By Request
Bravo. Exactly. It's time the world faced the fact that it's actually the arabs themselves, enabled by UNRWA - which hasn't resettled ONE refugee in 71 years! - who are the root of the problem.
14
Still appalling after all these years is that the Orthodox refuse to serve in the armed forces. Reaping the benefits allowing them to study in Yeshivas unhindered, no interest in protecting these rights.
40
@calcio9
Not true. My grandson , an Orthodox Jew, served in the army alongside many other such Jews (all Sabbath observers, Tefilin and prayers daily ). My grandson was part of the "Hesder Program" which enlists thousands of Orthodox Jews and combines religious observance with army service. Not all Orthodox are Haredim. Consider what Dr. Hartmann said about varieties of Orthodoxy.Even some Haredim (albeit there is a strong disdain in the Haredim camp for joining Hesder) broke away from their group to do military service and be part of Hesder.
8
@calcio9
Many, many Orthodox serve in the armed forces. Theere is a whole brigade called Nahal Charedi, which numbers in the thousands. What you never hear about are the LEFTISTS who refuse to serve. Wouldn't THAT make for an interesting article.
4
If you saw how they lived, and how crowded they are, on an economic level they are like any downtrodden poor area without Meth Labs and gang warfare. Because they’re in Yeshiva all day, have a bowl of rice for launch, and live in 3 room apartments with 6-8 kids...your obvious abhorrence towards religion is obvious. They’re not riding around in Ferrari’s..should they all be doing that is a question they need to ask themselves. In America that lifestyle is not as prevalent because it’s discouraged to rely on social assistance in a non Jewish country if one can work and remain observant.
As long as Benjamin Net at the helm, don't expect any Middle East Peace Plan to succeed. But how long he will run? His vision is myopic. He does not think about what will happen ten/ twenty/ Thirty years from now.
9
Fascinating. I always wonder about Israeli politics. Who do the Haredi expect to fight and protect them if they don't serve in the military?
14
Oi! Vey is mir! Oi vey!
I am Jewish and I am appalled, sickened and terribly dismayed to read this. What a mess! Gevalt!
What I find most deeply distressing is how the ultra-orthodox are making a play to take over the country, the government and the hearts and minds of so many. They are, in my view a plague on the Jewish people and the Jewish nation. Giving the ultra-orthodox so much power and so many exclusions from social responsibility to the nation of Israel is a path to destruction of Israel and the Jewish people.
If Israel cannot maintain secularism and freedom from religious zealots the nation will not have any future. What I cannot grasp is how the ultra-right wing feels the nation should be defended against it's enemies if they exclude themselves not just from military service but also education and what we in the West believe are community social norms of inclusion and participation within communities. There is no live and let live thought or practice among the ultra-rightwing extremists. If Israel is ever conquered by its enemies the first to be slaughtered will be the ultra-orthodox. There will be no one left to defend them.
At the very least the ultra-orthodox need to have deeper introspection and understanding of what it takes for the survival of the Jewish nation and the Jewish people.
I fear that if Israel continues on this path then Israel is doomed.
56
@Jay There is not much difference in the US where the ultra conservatives rule via the ultra wealthy who like Trump also refuse to serve in our military. Together they impose the will of a minority with no respect or interest in other Americans, our democratic allies abroad, immigrants who continue to make our nation strong and great, the benefits of the common good, or the need to protect our planet.
18
@Jay I agree with your views but not your Yiddish. It's: "Vey ist meir (Woe to me)."
4
@Maine Islands
I heartily agree with you! I am so appalled at the behavior and demands of the ultra-orthodox! There are no words to express my disgust.
I must add also, I was born and raised in the Bronx and Brooklyn by conservative Jewish parents and orthodox grandparents. I experienced the traditions, history and practices of both worlds. I also learned to have respect and honor both. Most troubling is the Hasidic sects in New York that reject vaccination claiming religious objection. They should recall the plague of Polio in the 1940s and 1950s. Vaccination was welcomed with open arms even by the Orthodox. But today the ultra-radical nut cases have taken over.
When I went to my orthodox grandparents homes I celebrated the holidays especially Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Passover. It was wonderful!
My orthodox grandfather, the late Jack Siegel, was a WWI veteran who was wounded at the Battle of Meuse Argonne and was awarded the Purple Heart. He told me that he had to eat pork and generally put aside some Jewish orthodox practices in order to survive. He put surviving and living above his orthodoxy. When he came home he resumed his religious life. He used good judgment to make it home.
This is what the ultra-orthodox of Israel and the U.S. fail to comprehend and embrace. God understands we must survive to celebrate life and uphold the law.
In my view the ultra-orthodox Jews must have an epiphany or a tragedy to embrace change. The tragedy may come first.
6
Tunisia had an election on Sunday. Anyone interested?
19
@Martin Daly
Point well taken.
2
I’m of Mizrahi descent, and my God is not very forgiving of those who would strike down their brother, or force dispossession on their neighbor, or defy the covenant.
The Palestinian people are kin to me, even if that kinship dates back centuries. Nothing about the last hundred years will ever change that fact.
53
@ubique Do you think they feel the same way? Would they strike you down, or see you as a brother? Only your life at stake, no pressure.
Ultra-orthodox anything is different to reconcile with me. To see hordes (yes, I mean in the negative) of individuals in same, no, exact dress code, in exact hair presentation and beliefs, separated from their female counterparts shows the power and abuse that religion and its ability to separate the individual from his own 'free' thoughts, tells me it is at the very least, mind-control and a very dangerous element to any society.
A well put-together article.
114
@Tim Freedom of choice and belief are important.
@Stephen K.
Freedom FROM others’ personal choices and beliefs is also important, especially when others’ beliefs infringe upon my freedoms and rights. I don’t want to live by the rules and laws of other people’s oppressive, patriarchal religious myths. Freedom FROM religion is as important as freedom of religion. Practice whatever father-in-the-sky religion you want in your personal life — but leave the rest of us alone.
9
Gorgeous photojournalism! Loved it, from the pun in the title (oof!), with a lead photo to match, to the outstandingly spot-on descriptions of each tessara in the mosaic of the land of my ancestors.
I had hoped that the Russian contingent would help temper the right-wing elements. Population growth is a factor, as the birth rates among the Haredim and religious Mizrachim are so high. I would also hope for more pushing back by the third- and fourth-generation descendants of the liberal, secular pioneers.
Israel is such a complicated place, with a diverse, outspoken and candid people. This article captures it so very well. It has taken me several trips over the years and many late-night discussions with Israeli friends to get a grasp of these swirling currents of constituencies, and this article gets us there in a pleasant coffee-cup's-worth of time.
Kol ha k'vod (Bravo).
14
Ponomarev's photographs are an awesome study of human interaction. The compositions are mesmerizing. Bravo!
38
By not referring to Israeli Arabs as Palestinians themselves you already adopt a position of denying their true identity. Not unLike Stalin denying to recognize Soviet Jews as part of the Jewish people elsewhere
14
@MicaElla Cimet
Before 1948 it was the Jews who were called the Palestinians. The current people calling themselves Palestinians didn't start doing so in earnest until 1967. They're arabs, having migrated from other countries.
42
@MicaElla Cimet
I hear ya, but the inverse also seems unfair. These are Arab Israelis who vote, and who are citizens of Israel. To call them Palestinians would a) mush them together into one group, whereas some might be Druze, Lebanese, Bedouin, etc., and b) ignore their legitimate status as citizens.
This is probably why the name for this population changes a lot, with disagreements among the sub-groups running rampant.
For sure there are Palestinian citizens of Israel, but not all Arab citizens of Israel are Palestinian.
Whatever they are called, I support their right to fair treatment and freedom from discrimination, and I hope for peace and equality for all.
38
@Bohemian Sarah A commenter who actually gets it? Ain lo mamim!! People need to go there and spend time on the ground, on multiple sides of the issues to understand how incredibly complex the situation is and that lacking any kind of ethnic, religious, or personal ties/experience to the conflict renders most opinions underinformed and thus moot. Thank you for your contribution.
11
Considering this little country has been fighting for its survival against one enemy or another since the moment it was officially established, it is absolutely amazing that they have managed to create any sort of democracy at all. The fact that the world - and the UN - criticizes Israel more these days than they criticize any other country is somewhat bizarre to say the least.
68
@Rebecca
One should ask Rebecca, how many of Israel's enemies they have created for themselves. If the US ever decides to reconsider its blind support for Israel (the largest recipient of US aid) Israel, may have to reconsider how they treat and interact with other countries and people in the region.
22
@Badger land Dear Badger land, as nice as it is of you to ask me for answers I think I will have to point you to the library. I recommend Arieh L. Avneri's "The Claim Of Dispossession: Jewish land-settlement and the Arabs 1878-1948". Enjoy!
9
@Badger land
All I have to say to the narrow argument on peace is this: Hamas, with itsIzz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Al-Qaeda, Palestinian Liberation Front, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Tanzim, and a host of other extremist terrorist groups.
8
I’m sure this is a naive view from afar, but it almost appears as if while fighting for physical survival from the outside because of religion, Israel didn’t address an existential threat from the inside (based on religion). I’m a biased secularist and, whether or not I identify as a Christian, Muslim or Jew, I don’t want to live in a religious society, even if I’m technically in that tribe. Israel’s physical survival is fairly secure, although daily safety is not, but if one is secular, that internal threat from other Jews seems a battle for one’s way of life and I’d be worried.
52
Fascinating article!
5
Should have included an analysis of the French immigrant community and to a smaller, but no less important extent, the American-Israelis. But, interesting piece none-the-less. Pictures were a bit sad though. They seemed to project hopelessness that the article did not.
7
A riveting article for someone unfamiliar with Israeli politics. The photographs are wonderful. Thank you.
17
This article was excellent, but frightening. Maybe my memory is going but I seem to recall in the 80s when the ultra orthodox started emigrating from the US to Israel, it didn’t seem like an existential threat at the time. I’m not singling out Haredi, from evangelicals, or certain Muslims or Hindus, etc. The NYT ran an article on militant Buddhists and I knew the world is in trouble. Once the religious leaders start drafting policy, you’re doomed, and once they have power, they are going to start excluding — I know it already started on marriage. Not to be anti-religious (why not, I’m anti- religious) but when I see a street full of Haredi, I know I’m in a “way of life” power struggle. The secularists need to curtail policies that encourage insulation and get the Haredi into the army and society. In other words, reprogramming.
77
It would have been good for this article to mention the IDF (Israel Defense Forces a/k/a the acronym Tzahal) which generally speaking is (or used to be) one overarching unifying factor in the country. All young Israelis (except those exempt) must serve 2.5 years and it's a common sight to see 18-year-old girls (women) with semi-automatic assault weapons strapped to their backs. The IDF and its constituent branches have their own "cultures".
20
@Gary E But the exemption from military service for the ultra-orthodox is one of the most divisive, dis-unifying factors in Israeli society.
3
One cannot understand Israel's deep electoral divide without examining the undemocratic electoral system, one that gives small parties disproportionately more power than is given by the electorate. Electoral reform has been on the agenda for many decades, but nothing happens. Until it does, the inability to create a government representative of the electorate and full population will continue.
24
It’s closely modeled on the British parliamentary system, for better or worse.
3
@David G
Not really. Israel doesn't share Britain's electoral system. The entire country is a single constituency. They use a system of proportional representation with party lists, and a minimum criterion of 3.25% for a party to gain a seat. Israel has typically been the most fragmented parliament in terms of the number and sizes of parties among the modern democracies.
Thank you for providing such an excellent description of the complexity of Israel's population. The photographs are extraordinary, beautiful and deep. They could stand alone and nothing would be lost.
46
What a wonderful and inspiring country,
I love that there are 30 parties on the ballot compared to two here.
Nice that no polling is permitted starting a few days before the election and that no campaigning is allowed shortly before voting.
It is complicated to foreign eyes but so far it is working.
25
@simon sez
Working--hmm. How about all the citizens who cannot marry in Israel because of a system that lets a group of religious hardliners determine if someone can marry and conveniently. exclude themselves from serving in the IDF--the one truly unifying factor in Israeli society.
10
A divided house will fall. Israel must use love, kindness, and an equal stake and willingness to feed, nurture and take care of all its citizens in order to thrive. Netanyahu just seems like a power hungry broker. Neither countries nor families thrive with a leader such as this.
28
It would seem that Israel is repeating the mistakes of the history of many nations. A beginning with high ideals followed by upheaval due to self interest. This is a tiny scrap of land among enemies. If it is to survive, its citizens need to find some togetherness under ethical leadership.
68
Let's hope for the middle ground to reassert itself. It would be ideal if the two largest parties would be forced to work together. The country can then become less politically right or left, and concentrate on pressing social problems.
9
Its so wonderful how each amazing culture of Israel is represented in the article. I just wonder, in terms of the candidates, who is going to protect the people in terms of violence? There are so many outside forces that threaten ALL citizens of this small country. I just hope that whoever is elected next does their best to represent everyone and keep them safe from those who try to hurt them. No matter who they are and what religion or group they represent.
30
@Shelby Good thoughts, well-expressed. Israel is a but a spec geo-politically, but remains a giant "problem" to her enemies, who are legion, both within and without the region.
10
And in those coalition negotiations, some splinter radical groups will be the final key to getting a majority, thereby magnifying their influence on Israeli policy way beyond their actual numbers. And thereby leaving bona fide efforts at a two state solution on the scrap heap.
8
They say a picture is worth a thousand words and this article proves it. Such a great depiction of the cultural and religious diversity of Israel! But it's anyone's guess where it all will fall in the election. With so many competing factions, it's a wonder how anything gets done. A shared foe which periodically states its intent to wipe out, not just conquer "the Jews" keeps everyone united when it comes to security.
22
Israel in fact IS a multicultural society.
Yet under Netanyahu it has been forced to DENY what it is, to the great trauma and disregard of its very identity.
One can only hope that the original, beautiful, Zionism of Ben-Gurion will re-emerge, of an Israeli State that is forever safe for the Jewish people, yet forever free and democratic, a light to the nations.
114
We're trying, each in his own way.
9
Those days are long gone. And, they were far from perfect. Or "beautiful".
15
Isn’t that the historic dilemma? Israel can’t be a Jewish state AND a democratic one, at some point the wrong tribes will be majorities.
45
Very interesting article. I wish more had been written about the Arab population, however.
32
Maybe the apartheid's working.
3
@SR. You mean the one where no Jews are allowed to enter towns under control of the PA?
1
Good Analysis. Israel is many things to many people (ranging from a joyous historic miracle to an evil terrorist state and everything between) but it would be hard to claim (with a straight face) that it lacks diversity.
47
Let's hope the era of Netanyahu is coming to a close. The man has always been self serving and now we learn corrupt. There is zero chance of reconciliation between Jews and Arabs as long as he remains in office. Just like his counterpart in America he is all about fear and divisiveness. The complex fabric of the Israeli population can only take so much ripping apart.
138
@Babel
Is there any surprise that Netanyahu and Trump are political allies?
10
People vote in their self interest- if this is to preserve entrenched philosophies of life and culture then expect the outcome to lock in the status quo. Not much will change except at the margins. The prediction- Netanyahu wins but gets little in building support outside that gained in brutal backroom deals. Nobody is going to be satisfied with the outcome and it will only be a matter of time- or regional politics- that causes the next round of recalcitrant electioneering.
17
@Victor Lacca
Your post expresses our modern crisis. We shouldn't be voting on the basis of self interest, but deciding on the basis of what we see as right and fair. But, through global spread of current media techniques, manipulating people's emotions makes this type of "tribe vs tribe" voting a move back to the stone age. As the article says, Israel used to be going in quite a different direction: more inclusive, more liberal, more secular. Now apparently, hair's on fire!!!