Due to the media's portrayal of Israel it is easy for one to envision a country that is far from being a democratic state. The author of this article challenges this and says that Israel is in fact one of the most resilient democracies. Democracy is a concept that is found in Jewish text and Israel did not build democracy with the United States as a blue print. Israel's democracy is a growth out of their religious texts and of the need for a Jewish and democratic state government. After 64 years of democratic rule Israel became one of the elite democracies, including the United States, Canada, and Britain, to have never suffered from times of non-democratic governance. The author does mention that Israel has its flaws with gender discrimination and a war with the Palestinians but he is quick to note that even America has discrimination. Israel has been known for being very peaceful when settling disputes. They even go to the extreme of allowing political officials who supported enemy terrorist regimes to still hold political office. In dealing with protests and conflict Israel has taken a peaceful and timely approach to resolving issues.
It is interesting to see the peaceful side of Israel. With the war waging on in Jerusalem and conflicts still present between the Palestinians and Israelis it is easy to think that Israel is losing its status as an example of a democratic nation in the middle east. This is most definitely on the contrary and Israel has shown an extreme resiliency when their country is besieged with violence and conflict. Although Israel still has conflicts to work out it is a very reliable example for the middle east. Their willingness to settle disputes in a peaceful and timely manner is something most countries in the middle east can learn from. Even though they are a Jewish state they are very open to equality no matter what religion, race, or gender. They are a thriving democracy that answers yes to the question, Is democracy good for everyone?
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/04/05/Israel_Is_a_Democracy?page=0,0
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