Politics and Government in Israel

by Mahler, Gregory S.

• ISBN13: 9780742516106
• ISBN10: 0742516105
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-04-01
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc

Summary

Recognizing that students today need a grounding in history before they can understand contemporary politics, this concise text begins with a clear discussion of the historical development of the Israeli state. Gregory S. Mahler then explains Israel's pol

Author Biography

Gregory S. Mahler is professor of political science and provost at Kalamazoo College

Table of Contents

List of Figures, Tables, Maps, and Boxes	xi
Preface	xv
Introduction: The Study of Israel in Comparative Context	1	(1)
What Do We Study?	1	(1)
How Do We Study Politics?	2	(2)
Studying Political Institutions and Behavior	4	(1)
Studying Israeli Government and Politics	5	(5)
Notes	10	(3)
Part I: The Political Setting
History and the Creation of Israel	13	(40)
Historical Roots of Contemporary Israel	15	(2)
The Emergence of Zionism, 1830--1917	17	(3)
Growth of the Yishuv, 1880--1939	20	(3)
The Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate Period, 1917--1947	23	(10)
World War II and the Holocaust	33	(1)
Transition to Statehood, 1945--1948	34	(4)
The Palestinians	38	(4)
History and the Creation of Israel	42	(2)
Suggested Reading	44	(1)
Notes	45	(8)
Zionism, Religion, and the Domestic Political Environment	53	(32)
The Concept of Zionism	55	(7)
The Religious Communities of Israel	62	(1)
Judaism in Israel	63	(6)
Religion and Politics---Jewish Issues	69	(6)
Israel's Non-Jewish Communities	75	(2)
Zionism, Religion, and the State	77	(1)
Suggested Reading	78	(1)
Notes	79	(6)
The Social and Economic Context of Politics	85	(32)
Peoples of Israel	86	(3)
Ashkenazim and Sephardim	89	(1)
Immigration and Emigration	90	(3)
Social Class	93	(1)
Education and Culture	94	(2)
Health Care and Social Services	96	(2)
Cities, Villages, Kibbutzim, and Moshavim	98	(3)
The Economy	101	(4)
Foreign Economic Relations	105	(1)
The Political Culture and the Economy	106	(1)
Suggested Reading	107	(2)
Notes	109	(8)
Part II: The Governmental Institutions
The Constitutional System and Parliamentary Government	117	(24)
The Debate over Creating a Written Constitution	118	(4)
The Structures of the Israeli Constitution	122	(4)
The Role of the Courts in the Creation of a Constitution	126	(6)
Israel as a Parliamentary System	132	(2)
Conclusion	134	(1)
Suggested Reading	135	(1)
Notes	136	(5)
The Prime Minister and the Knesset	141	(30)
The Setting	141	(4)
The Balance of Power	145	(2)
Legislation in the Knesset	147	(3)
The Members of Knesset	150	(21)
Legislative Behavior of Members of the Knesset	151	(3)
Knesset Organization	154	(4)
Coalition Politics and Coalition Governments	158	(6)
The Knesset, the Government, and Israeli Politics	164	(1)
Suggested Reading	165	(1)
Notes	165	(6)
Political Parties and Interest Groups	171	(22)
The Setting	171	(2)
Ideology in Israel	173	(2)
The Functions of Parties	175	(2)
Parties and Issues	177	(5)
Interest Groups	182	(4)
Suggested Reading	186	(1)
Notes	187	(6)
The Electoral Process and Voting Behavior	193	(28)
The Electoral System and Israeli Voting Behavior	194	(1)
Proportional Representation and Elections	194	(8)
Past Proposals for Electoral Change	202	(4)
The New Electoral System for Prime Minister	206	(1)
Voting Behavior and Electoral Results	207	(1)
Voting and Ideology	207	(2)
Ethnicity	209	(1)
Voting Trends	209	(3)
Significance of the Electoral Process for Israel	212	(3)
Suggested Reading	215	(1)
Notes	216	(5)
The Machinery of Government	221	(30)
The Bureaucracy and the Civil Service	223	(4)
Local Government	227	(3)
The Judiciary and the Legal System in Israeli Politics	230	(5)
The Military and the Government	235	(2)
The Bureaucracy, the Judiciary, and the Military	237	(1)
Suggested Reading	238	(2)
Notes	240	(11)
Part III: Foreign Policy and the Middle Eastern Political Setting
The Foreign Policy Setting	251	(38)
The Setting: The Legacy of Warfare	252	(16)
Strategic Considerations	268	(2)
Military-Security Concerns	270	(3)
Political-Diplomatic Concerns	273	(2)
Economic-Developmental Concerns	275	(2)
Cultural-Status Concerns	277	(1)
The Foreign Policy Setting: A Recapitulation	277	(2)
Suggested Reading	279	(1)
Notes	280	(9)
The Palestinians, the West Bank and Gaza, and Jerusalem	289	(42)
History	290	(2)
The Palestinians	292	(4)
Palestinian Statehood and Governance	296	(5)
Palestinian Goals	301	(2)
The West Bank and Gaza	303	(3)
Jerusalem	306	(3)
Israeli Attitudes, Intentions, and Policies	309	(7)
The Palestinians, the West Bank and Gaza, and Jerusalem	316	(2)
Suggested Reading	318	(1)
Notes	319	(12)
The Peace Process	331	(36)
The Quest for Peace	331	(2)
Progress toward Peace, Post-1948	333	(1)
Progress toward Peace, Post-1956	334	(1)
Camp David and the Peace Process, 1978--1982	335	(6)
Israel's Peace Initiative, 1989	341	(1)
The Madrid Peace Conference, 1991	342	(2)
The Oslo Accords, 1993	344	(3)
The Wye River Memorandum, October 23, 1998	347	(3)
The Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum, April 30, 2001	350	(1)
Bilateral Progress	351	(5)
The Copenhagen Track	356	(2)
The Quest for Peace, Again	358	(1)
Suggested Reading	359	(1)
Notes	359	(8)
Index	367	(14)
About the Author	381