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Israel: Growing Pains at 60 Viewpoints Special Edition Israel: Growing Pains at 60 The Middle East Institute Washington, DC Middle East Institute The mission of the Middle East Institute is to promote knowledge of the Middle East in Amer- ica and strengthen understanding of the United States by the people and governments of the region. For more than 60 years, MEI has dealt with the momentous events in the Middle East — from the birth of the state of Israel to the invasion of Iraq. Today, MEI is a foremost authority on contemporary Middle East issues. It pro- vides a vital forum for honest and open debate that attracts politicians, scholars, government officials, and policy experts from the US, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. MEI enjoys wide access to political and business leaders in countries throughout the region. Along with information exchanges, facilities for research, objective analysis, and thoughtful commentary, MEI’s programs and publications help counter simplistic notions about the Middle East and America. We are at the forefront of private sector public diplomacy. Viewpoints are another MEI service to audiences interested in learning more about the complexities of issues affecting the Middle East and US rela- tions with the region. To learn more about the Middle East Institute, visit our website at http://www.mideasti.org The maps on pages 96-103 are copyright The Foundation for Middle East Peace. Our thanks to the Foundation for graciously allowing the inclusion of the maps in this publication. Cover photo in the top row, middle is © Tom Spender/IRIN, as is the photo in the bottom row, extreme left. Middle East Institute Viewpoints: Israel: Growing Pains at 60 • www.mideasti.org Viewpoints Special Edition Israel: Growing Pains at 60 Middle East Institute Viewpoints: Israel: Growing Pains at 60 • www.mideasti.org Israel: Growing Pains at 60 A Special Edition of Viewpoints Preface by Paul Scham 8 Introduction by Don Peretz 9 I. Culture and Media Reflections on Israeli Literature, by Glenda Abramson 1 The Israeli Media: Future Challenges, by Gabriel Weimann 16 Green Lines of Imagination, by Ronald W. Zweig 19 II. Economy The Israeli Economy: Past Achievements, Future Prospects by Paul Rivlin Much Accomplished, Much More to Be Done, by Avia Spivak III. Identity Why Celebrate, by Mark A. Heller 8 Majoritarian Despotism and the Hollowing out of Citizenship in Israel, by Amal Jamal 0 Israeli Citizenship, by Yoav Peled Majority-Minority Relations in the Jewish Republic, by Ilan Peleg 5 Is Israel in the Middle East? by Elie Podeh 8 Russian/Soviet Jews in Israel, by Larissa Remennick 1 Israeli-Jewish Diaspora Relations, by Gabriel (Gabi) Sheffer Middle East Institute Viewpoints: Israel: Growing Pains at 60 • www.mideasti.org Demography and Environment, by Arnon Soffer 7 IV. Domestic and International Affairs A Society in Denial? by Galia Golan 51 The Rise and Possible Fall of Partition West of the Jordan, 198-008, by Motti Golani 5 A Success Story, by Efraim Inbar 57 Historical Success in Danger, by Menachem Klein 60 Between Samson and Jeremiah, by Ian S. Lustick 6 Globalization and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, by Uri Ram 65 Transformations in Israeli Politics since the 1990s, by Doron Shultziner 67 Debating the Failure of the 000 Camp David Summit, by Mark Tessler 70 Israel and the Arab World between War and Peace, by Eyal Zisser 7 V. Religion and Society Challenges on the Road to Tranquility, by Raphael Cohen-Almagor 77 The Intergenerational Split between Secular and Religious Jews, by Eva Etzioni-Halevy 80 Israeli Civil Society at 60, by Tamar S. Hermann 8 Israel and the Jews from Arab Countries, by Avi Picard 86 Ba-Tipul [In Treatment], by Donna Robinson Divine 89 Religious Thought as a Promoter of War or Driver of Peace, by Avinoam Rosenak 9 Middle East Institute Viewpoints: Israel: Growing Pains at 60 • www.mideasti.org 5 Maps UN Partition Plan, 197 96 The Armistice Lines of 199 97 Territories Occupied by Israel since June 1967 98 Staged Israeli Transfers of West Bank Territory to Palestinian Self-Rule During the Interim Period, 199-000 99 The West Bank after Oslo: Control and Separation — June 00 100 Facilitating Disengagement — Israel’s West Bank Road Plan — 00 101 West Bank Separation Barrier — April 007 10 Golan Heights 19-000 10 Golan Heights — Israel Withdrawal Options 10 Israeli Settlement in and around the Old City of Jerusalem — August 006 105 Containing Palestinian Neighborhoods in and around Jerusalem’s Old City — 008 106 Statistics Demographics 108 Economics 111 Education 11 Environment 115 Technology 116 Women 117 6 Middle East Institute Viewpoints: Israel: Growing Pains at 60 • www.mideasti.org Freedom House Rankings 118 Selected Works of Contributors 119 Bibliography General Historical Studies and Reference Works 11 Intellectual Origins of the State 1 British Mandate to Independence 15 Struggle for Statehood: The Early Years 18 National Security Affairs and Civil-Military Relations 150 Israel and the Arabs in War and Peace 156 The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 16 The Pursuit of Peace: Dialogue and Diplomacy 167 Israel’s Foreign Relations: States and Diaspora 17 Israel’s Relations with the United States 17 Israel’s Law, Government, and Politics 178 Economic Conditions and Development Policies 18 Society and Culture: Memory and Identity 187 Literature and the Arts 195 Religion in Society and Politics 198 Biography, Autobiography, and Memoirs 01 Women of Israel 0 Water Resources 05 Middle East Institute Viewpoints: Israel: Growing Pains at 60 • www.mideasti.org 7 Preface Paul Scham Within a mere few years after World War II the Middle East was remade. The creation of the State of Israel in 198 and its consequences helped propel that part of the world to what seems to be a permanent and unenviable spot on any list of world crises. Shortly before that momentous year, two other events of rather lesser moment that have nonetheless had a continuing impact on the Middle East occurred, namely, the establishment of the Middle East Institute in 197 and Don Peretz’s arrival in Palestine the year before, to begin his studies in the then minuscule field of the modern Middle East. The two have been associated for almost the whole time since, both providing an eclectic perspective on the Middle East, but each starting from a very different point. MEI was founded by Arabists (back when the word had some meaning), most of whom had served in the State Department, and some of whom had grown up in the Arab world themselves. Paul Scham, Adjunct Don Peretz, in contrast, was the scion of an old Middle Eastern (Sephardi) Jewish family, Scholar at MEI, is co-edi- whose interest in the region was piqued by his Jewish connection. tor of Shared Histories: Much of Don’s work throughout a lifetime of teaching and publications has been A Palestinian-Israeli dedicated to the Arab-Israeli conflict and its ramifications. What particularly distinguish- Dialogue (2005) and for- es his contributions is his hard-headed empathy for both sides — a quality that was (and merly a Research Associate in some respects still is) rare and refreshing. From almost being tried for espionage by at the Truman Institute Palestinians in 198 (when they discovered he was Jewish) to being regarded with suspi- of Hebrew University, cion by much of the Jewish establishment for most of his career for being too open to Arab Jerusalem. viewpoints, Don has put forward a perspective informed by the conviction that recogni- tion of the real grievances of both sides is essential for successful peacemaking, an insight that is still the key to any possible settlement. MEI is proud to have been associated with Don Peretz through its entire history and his distinguished career. MEI’s contribution has been to provide a forum for responsible, yet widely diverg- ing views through policy-relevant scholarship and education. From its beginnings, and more fully from the 1960s on, The Middle East Journal has published Israeli and Israel-ori- ented scholars on any number of topics related to the country and its issues as part of its mission to cover the entire region. In the last few years, it has hosted as Resident Scholars such distinguished Israeli academics as Moshe Ma’oz and Yoram Peri, while also provid- ing an intellectual home for me when I returned from Israel, as well as for many others. This collection of essays follows in that tradition by presenting a variety of sub- jects and viewpoints from a distinguished group of scholars to mark Israel’s 60th birthday. Most, quite properly, are directed at issues other than “the conflict,” but its presence, of course, informs almost all of them, as it does so many aspects of life in Israel. And, no one could reasonably claim that they represent a limited perspective on anything. As the field of Middle East scholarship is shaken by political and methodologi- cal rifts, and as many academic institutions are establishing separate “Israeli Studies” and “Middle Eastern Studies” institutes, MEI maintains its insistence on providing a variety of viewpoints on issues. While by no means any longer the sole institution in Washington focused on the modern Middle East, it has preserved its mission to provide different per- spectives to inform policy, scholarship, and the education of the general public, as the region has become ever more visible to Americans. 8 Middle East Institute Viewpoints: Israel: Growing Pains at 60 • www.mideasti.org Introduction Don Peretz My first visit to the country before it became Israel was in 19 when I was eleven. My family had lived there for generations, since the expulsion of Jews from Spain dur- ing the Inquisition in 19.
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