Israel’s One-State Reality and The Challenge Of Democratization

Abstract

Decades of massive Israeli settlement of the West Bank reflect a fundamental transformation of Israel from a state with a social democratic ethos to one dominated by a militantly nationalist political culture. Consequently, the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem has become unattainable. De facto Israeli rule of the entire country between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea is not a one-state solution but a one-state reality. The remaining path to a better future for both Jews and Palestinians is the democratization of that state. Factors that can contribute to this process are considered. The struggles and political emancipation of blacks in the United States, Irish Catholics in the United Kingdom, and women in most industrial democracies, suggest this process is likely to take decades or generations rather than months or years, but early signs of change are apparent.