Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Thursday 19 april 2018
Israel at 70: Satisfaction and grim disquiet share the stage

By DAN PERRY and JOSEF for perhaps half the Jews
FEDERMAN in Israel, cannot stand the
JERUSALEM (AP) — Is Israel popular Arabic-style "Mizra-
a success as it turns 70? As hi music" that in earlier days
Israelis commemorate the was suppressed; Moroc-
milestone this week, satis- can-descended Culture
faction and a grim disquiet Minister Miri Regev once
share the stage. boasted she does not read
It has a standard of living Chekhov.
that rivals Western Europe, Meanwhile, nationalist law-
though it lacks significant makers push legislation that
natural resources. It can would define Israel as the
boast of scientific achieve- Jewish nation-state. These
ments and military and initiatives have faltered so
technological clout be- far amid criticism that they
yond its modest size. It con- would discriminate against
trols most of biblical Israel, the Arab minority of about
and despite widespread one in five citizens.
criticism of its policies to- DISAGREEMENTS OVER JU-
ward the Palestinians, it has DAISM
cultivated good diplomatic After 70 years, the place of
ties with most of the world. Judaism in the Jewish state
But it's also a country that is unclear.
is weary from decades of In this May 14, 1948 file photo, an official shows the signed document which proclaims the estab- Most Israelis are either sec-
conflict with the Palestin- lishment of the new Jewish state of Israel declared by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion in Tel Aviv, ular or mildly religious. Yet
ians. It is riven by religious, Israel. the devout ultra-Orthodox,
ethnic and economic divi- Associated Press about 10 percent of the
sions. It is still seeking recog- population, wield dispro-
nition in a region that has equality in the developed powerhouse. Despite decades of devel- portionate influence be-
not fully come to terms with world, and poverty is espe- It is in a small club of nations opment, Israel is still working cause right-wing coalitions
the presence of a Jewish cially prevalent among its to have launched a satel- at forging a national iden- never have been able to
state. Arabs and ultra-Orthodox lite, and is widely believed tity. muster a majority without
Its founding declaration of- Jews. to be among an even Over a century ago, Zionists them.
fers it as a "light unto the These two sectors, at nearly smaller group with nuclear in Europe saw the Jews as They have used their po-
nations," but it still is regu- a third of the population weapons, although the a nation, not just a religion. litical power to shut down
larly accused of war crimes and growing, risk dragging government won't con- Persecution in Europe, cul- much of the country on
against Palestinians, mil- down the rest of the econ- firm it. Israel has one of the minating in the Holocaust, Saturdays, the Jewish day
lions of whom it has con- omy. world's strongest air forces. sent European Jews pour- of rest; obtain exemptions
trolled for decades without PUNCHING ABOVE ITS It has won European bas- ing into the Holy Land. from compulsory military
the right to vote. There is no WEIGHT ketball championships Soon after Israel's establish- service; and gain a mo-
end in sight to its occupa- For a country of just under and song contests, and hit ment in 1948, they were nopoly overseeing rituals
tion of the West Bank, or 9 million, Israel has enjoyed shows like "Homeland," ''In joined by immigrants from like weddings and funer-
to its crippling blockade of countries like Morocco, Ye- als. Their strict rules have
Hamas-ruled Gaza. men, Iraq and Iran. upset the secular majority,
The grand peace hopes These Middle Eastern, or but attempts at change
of the 1990s have mostly Mizrahi, Jews had little in frequently result in violent
evaporated. Israel still feels common with their Europe- protests.
endangered, with well- an counterparts. They were The issue of religion has also
armed adversaries calling poorer, more religious and affected relations with U.S.
for its destruction and no often targets of discrimina- Jews — the largest Jewish
permanent borders. Israelis tion. Three generations of community outside Israel
are fretting over the pos- integration and intermar- and a key base of support.
sibility of war with arch- riage have blurred the dis- Israel's Orthodox estab-
enemy Iran, which has a tinctions, but gaps remain. lishment repeatedly has
military presence in neigh- Arrivals from the former sought to prevent inroads
boring Syria. Soviet Union and Ethiopia made by the liberal streams
Prime Minister Benjamin Ne- have made Israel even of Judaism popular in the
tanyahu, despite winning more diverse, yet the differ- U.S. Last year, it blocked
three elections since 2009, In this April 26, 2012 file photo, an Israeli waves towards an Is- ent communities still often plans to allow egalitar-
raeli air force flyover during Israel's 64th Independence Day an-
is reviled by many and fac- niversary celebrations in Tel Aviv, Israel. keep to themselves. ian prayer at Jerusalem's
es corruption scandals. Associated Press The entire arrangement Western Wall. Such moves
A look at Israel at 70: can seem an affront to the have created a sense that
WEALTH AND ECONOMIC founding idea of the Jews liberal American Jews are
INEQUALITY surprising success. It counts Treatment" and "Fauda" are as a nation — yet it is also unwelcome. They also
Fueled by a vibrant high- eight living Nobel winners Israeli creations. Last year's a rare feat that all of these have been disenchanted
tech sector, Israel's per cap- among its citizens and has blockbuster "Wonder Wom- have been forged into a by Israeli policies toward
ita GDP of almost $40,000 helped give the world in- an" — the highest-grossing Hebrew-speaking popula- the Palestinians. American
ranks with Italy and South stant messaging, Intel chips live-action movie directed tion with considerable na- Jews tend to be liberal and
Korea, and is within reach and smart, autonomous by a woman — starred Is- tional pride. support the Democratic
of Britain and France. vehicles. High-tech units in raeli actress Gal Gadot. Still, antipathy exists along Party, while Netanyahu
But it also suffers from one the military have made Is- FORGING A NATIONAL cultural lines: Many Euro- boasts close ties with Presi-
of the highest levels of in- rael a global cybersecurity IDENTITY peans, still said to account dent Donald Trump.q