A Free People in Our Land: Israel - Democracy in the Middle East

Israel - Democracy in the Middle East

"Israel has become - through hard work, ingenuity, and most of all, dedication to freedom and the rule of law - a flourishing and diverse democracy with a bustling economy, a vibrant and critical media, a creative artistic culture, and a commitment to equality based on gender, sexual orientation, and race. Other countries in the region, which have more natural resources and comparable amounts of foreign aid, have failed to translate these assets into benefits to their people."
Alan Dershowitz in The Case For Israel (Wiley, 2003)

For most of the 56 years since its establishment, the State of Israel has remained an oasis of democracy and pluralism in a region noted for its authoritarian regimes. Although some of these regimes offer varying degrees of rights to their citizens, none come close to the western democratic values and liberties which characterize Israeli society. Some states in the Middle East, such as Syria and Iran, are strict dictatorships notorious for both their suppression at home and their support for terrorism abroad.

Israel and the Region

© Koret Communications Ltd. www.koret.com

In several Arab countries and Iran, minorities are suppressed. In stark contrast, minorities in Israel are entitled to equal rights under the law and have judicial recourse to addressing their grievances when problems arise. These same minorities are represented in the Israeli Knesset.

In several of the Arab regimes, women are forbidden to hold political or public office; they cannot vote and in many other spheres of activity they are strictly curtailed. In Israel, the opposite is true; women play key roles in all aspects of Israeli life.

The notion of a free press, free expression of one's views and dissemination of a variety of ideas and opinions, are sadly lacking in almost all Arab countries, as well as in Iran. Although some of the Arab nations do grant their citizens a limited right of free expression, news editors and journalists are routinely jailed or punished for publishing their opinions or unflattering facts about the particular regime. In contrast, Israel provides an open and vibrant environment in which its media flourishes.

Recently, winds of change have begun to blow in the Middle East. Countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq, formerly infamous as bastions of totalitarianism, are now beginning to show signs of becoming fledgling democracies, thanks to the efforts of the United States and other western countries. The elections held by the Palestinian Authority are hopefully an encouraging sign of a move towards the emergence of a moderate leadership that will end terrorism and incitement, as well as undertake essential reform of the current system of Palestinian administration.

(Photo: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Although many Arab countries remain hostile to the notion of a Jewish nation in their midst, most Arab countries are gradually moving toward acceptance of Israel as a true polity, and not merely an aberrant and transient country. The attitude of the Arab nations towards Israel has improved over the years. In spite of initially refusing to acknowledge Israel's lawful existence, two of Israel's neighbors, Egypt and Jordan, have signed peace treaties with Israel, and relations have developed.

A Middle East devoid of cultural tension and economic barriers could gradually become a realistic goal of the region  as democratic values become increasingly prevalent in formerly closed societies. Israel has learned how to adapt the democratic ideal to its own unique society and remains optimistic that the gradual movement towards more tolerance by Middle Eastern nations will enable democracies to emerge throughout the Middle East, with the hope that those countries will join the society of nations that place the interests and rights of their citizens high on the scale of national values. This will serve the cause of peace as well.