Conversing with Israeli's about a one or two state solution can be a minefield. Post 7 October those who once desired democracy-for-all are now conflicted by the nature of Israel's neighbors and autocrats committed to radical religious ideologies just like the Palestinian Authority. For the past 20 years the worlds major democracies have granted this Authority a "no-election" free-pass while they shape-shift its radical leader, Mahmoud Abbas, who risks losing power to even more radical ideologists and, if not for its monarchy, Jordan, once Palestine, would also spill into the realm of Islamic radical despots.
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| British Palestine included Jordan |
Israel's' democracy-idealists, some of whom may have proposed incorporation of Arab's under the PA into Israel's electorate, are conflicted by the heightened fear they may be uprooted from their beloved homeland by a non-Jewish radicalized Islamic majority in a hypothetical single democratic state. Their concern is presently reflected in the Palestinian Authority who will not tolerate Jews in its territories nor minority Jewish representation in its government.
With no sign of peace the 40 year "two-state" status quo is untenable and people on both sides continue to loose life in the tit-for-tat wars of terror. Israel's romance with a democratic ideal is intolerable and increasingly to blame for the ongoing loss of life. One must ask whether Israel's "two state" status-quo trades loss of Jewish life as collateral damage in much the same way Muslim terrorists embrace their martyrs?
The modern view of Israel's historical Jewish democracy is nearly always flawed, mostly ignorant of the facts. Its ancient Jewish society was always governed by religious elders that comprised the main body of its legal and enforcement authority. Transfer of authority was autocratic through Semicha, or 'Standing' granted by incumbents to enforce the will of its King and the court. One of today's arguments for judicial reform, by Israel's present government, is that High Court Justices with the Attorney General have usurped a similar authority, under a weakened democracy, but that no longer resembles the indigenous, religious framework that once governed it.
Crosslinking risk to homeland sovereignty, ongoing terror and the democratic ideal that upholds the status quo, like the well known business triangle, you can get it 1)cheap' and 2)'good', but not 3)'quick', any two, work, but three do not logically connect. As a result Israeli's are beginning to conclude that no-risk to homeland sovereignty and peace is preferable to the forlorn democratic ideal. Social and political change is actively occurring because of Israel's seismic demographic shift toward a more religious society and the emigration of its most liberal fringe.
Paving the way for more innovative forms of government must ultimately secure Jewish sovereignty over its homeland and preserve a democracy with security for its people in a government framework that moves the status quo toward a better outcome for all. Innovation may come from Israel's three Electoral College's one of which presently oversees the periodic election of senior Rabbinical leaders from its hundreds of liberal and conservative communities in cities nationwide. With constituent support and via a simple Knesset majority a future Knesset can pass a law to restructure itself introducing a Rabbinical upper house that would yield two important milestones:
1. Ensure Jewish sovereignty in its system of government and
2. Permit the ultimate modernization of some of the nations ancient religious laws.
In such a case representatives from any ethnic or religious background may be elected to the lower Knesset, but only elected Rabbinical leaders, from major cities, would qualify for election to the upper house of the Knesset where they would authorize bills exclusively introduced and drafted by the representative lower house of the Knesset.
The novel combination of this hybrid-theocratic democracy would enable Israel to offer its non-Jewish aliens permanent residency and after qualifying, ultimately citizenship where all citizens would provide military service. This would embrace the majority of people presently trapped by liberal autocrats who have awarded themselves the power to cancel every law that the government passes. If such power were rightfully granted to an upper house of the elected parliament Israel would finally be freed from its two-state quagmire and from the double standards of foreign governments and anti-Israel idealists that hold it to account.
