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Sun 30 Jun, 2013 04:34 pm
I recently heard a speech by Miko Peled, who was born in Isreal. His father was a general in the 1967 war; and later spoke out against Isreal's policy toward Palestinians. Having subscribed to Peled's site on the Internet, I have formed the opinion that Isreal is not a democracy. There are 6.5 million Jews in Israel, and just over 6 million Palestinians, however, the Palestinians have no representation. Only Jewish people are allowed to vote, and Israel calls all of the shots. The Palestinians are furthermore segregated within Isreal, by armed Isreali guards and road blocks.
What do you think? Is Isreal a democracy, and if so, how do you defend this position?
@Cyclops,
a democracy is direct rule by the people. Clearly Israel doesn't have this.
a republic is rule by representative who are elected by the people. This is the kind of govt Israel has.
@Cyclops,
The US calls Israel a "democracy," but they just don't know what they are talking about. I have visited Israel a couple of times, and have spoken to a Palestinian woman whose family has lived there for many generations. She told us they are not free to travel within Israel. That was confirmed by the fact that Palestinians have different colored license plates, and there are control points throughout Israel with armed guards.
http://visualizingpalestine.org/visuals/segregated-roads-west-bank
@
Geometry Dash Israel defines itself as a parliamentary democracy, but its democratic status is widely debated due to its treatment of Palestinians and the structure of its governance. Perspectives vary sharply depending on whether one is referring to citizens within Israel’s recognized borders or Palestinians in the occupied territories.
This is a really heavy and complex topic, and hearing from someone with Peled's specific background definitely adds a surprising layer to the conversation. It feels like I need to completely rearrange how I view the situation, sort of like moving icons around in
Sprunki Retake to get a different result. I think I need to do a lot more research on the specific voting laws to really understand how the representation works there.
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