The self-image and international recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state has prompted a wide range of scholarly debate since its establishment in 1948. The long-lasting Israel...Show moreThe self-image and international recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state has prompted a wide range of scholarly debate since its establishment in 1948. The long-lasting Israel-Palestine conflict has led to a series of harmful acts within the state and as such, has resulted in many questioning Israel's claims to democracy. Since Israel is considered an example of a Western democratic state and is often recognized by the West as being the only successful democracy in the Middle East, this thesis aims to analyze this claim. By approaching the matter from a legal perspective, specifically focusing on the conception of citizenship and the allocation of land within Israel, the research demonstrates that laws practiced by the Israeli parliament leads to clear tension between the concepts 'Jewish' and 'democratic’, since the laws put into place to govern the citizens of the state have as a priority to uphold the Jewish character of the state and to protect the Jewish majority residing in Israel. As such, this research concludes that Israel should not be considered compatible to a traditional Western democracy, since the state's two identities, Jewish and democratic contradict each other in practice.Show less
