The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel: Promise Unfulfilled

by Dahlia Scheindlin

A narrative chronicle of Israeli democracy that defines historic phases and follows thematic challenges to democracy, competition between religion and the rule of law; the statist society and chaotic minoritocracy; modern illiberal populism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The comprehensive portrait exposes endemic flaws of democracy in Israel, but also shows that Israel has considerable capacity - and responsibility - to fulfill the promise of democracy.

Genres: Israel, Politics, History, Middle East

277 pages, Paperback

Published December 4, 2023

Reviews

[Daniel]

Beyond the clichê of "the only democracy in the Middle-East," Dahlia Scheindlin writes a concise and dense history of Israeli democracy. Her style is in full alignment with her profession of journalist: clear, precise, fast, graphs to support arguments, references to a vast literature of primary and secondary sources. She wears her biases on her sleeves: she leans heavily towards left-wing progressivism, without seeming to go full-blown socialist. This shows in her definition of democracy, which goes beyond simply having regular elections, but having the institutions to guarantee individual liberties, human rights, and the maintenance of this system. It doesn't make sense to criticize her for not considering some sort of worker democracy, ownership of means of production, etc, as this is not the premise of the book. Those are not the lenses used to see Israeli democracy. Perhaps they should be, but then it would be an entirely different history.
Scheindlin also doesn't straw man those with whom she disagrees, or perhaps it seems so to me, who on most accounts stand on her side of most issues she covers. She does make a good case of why someone who disagrees with her holds the positions they hold, no matter how wrong they are.
The most interesting aspect of her approach was the spectrum of democracy. Ultimately, the conclusion is that democracy for some but not all is no democracy. But relying on this to dismiss everything else hides the ebbs and flows of democracy, of institutions and sectors that at times progressed towards democracy, and moments when they receded. There are correlations between these pieces, but they don't always move hand in hand, linearly towards Absolute Spirit. No, in some aspects Israel had fully democratic features from the get go, like universal suffrage, going alongside a large state ruled mostly by one party and that imposed a military regime on part of its own population. There were moments of market liberalization in tandem with power rotation and expansion of civil rights, while the typical Israeli tergiversation entrenched its most undemocratic and defining feature: the occupation.
The final message is inspiring: there's no use in setting a democratic utopia as the standard to strive for, as its unattainability can be used as an excuse to not even trying. Knowing that Israel has and had democratic features and institutions under its left and right wing governments set a moral requirement that the country must do better. It has to be democratic to all its citizens and relinquish its undemocratic rule over the occupation.

[Sam Bahour · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers a deep and insightful analysis of the roots of Israel’s artificial “Jewish and Democratic” character, even before the creation of the state. The author, who is based in Israel, views all subjects living under Israeli rule, Jewish and non-Jewish, as equally deserving human beings.

This book will teach you how Israel’s creation was formulated from “crooked timber,” and how its flawed foundations have led to its current predicament.

This book will also provide you with insights on the strategic corrections Israel must make to have a future worthy of existence, and to end the cycle of violence and oppression that plagues both sides of the Green Line.

President Biden and his administration, and Jewish Americans, in particular, would be well-advised to read this book with great attention and then wake up and smell the relentless stench of death on both sides of the Green Line.

This book challenges the “Jewish and Democratic” mantra that many still cling to and exposes the harsh reality of Israel’s democracy, or lack thereof. The book’s closing pages capture its theme in a single sentence: “Israel is democratic enough to know just how undemocratic it is.”

The author, Dahlia Scheindlin, is a public opinion expert, political consultant, scholar, and writer. I am honored to be able to call her a friend.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent political history of Israel, which looks at how the state achieved its present form. The author begins by looking at late 19th century Zionism, and the institutions that this movement built in Ottoman Palestine. She then looks at the British Mandate period, to explain how these institutions operated under that system. She traces many of the characteristics of today's Israel to that period. She also looks at social movement, both amongst Israeli Jews and Arabs, and how they impacted Israel's politics. I think the author is fair, but she is definitely critical of many popular leaders. The book contains very detailed analysis of political/social movements and elections, so it can be a bit confusing for the non-specialist in some places. The book was also written before the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks, and the subsequent war. However, the author traces many issues that were important during the past two years, and provides background/context. An excellent, and very comprehensive, introduction.

[Ann Rudnicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-researched, detailed, and nuanced.