Politics and Government in Israel

The Maturation of a Modern State

By (author) Gregory S. Mahler

Publication date:

03 March 2016

Length of book:

496 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442265356

This balanced and comprehensive text explores Israeli government and politics from both institutional and behavioral perspectives. After briefly discussing Israel’s history and the early development of the state, Gregory Mahler then examines the social, religious, economic, cultural, and military contexts within which Israeli politics takes place. He makes special note of Israel’s geopolitical situation of sharing borders with, and being proximate to, several hostile Arab nations. The book explains the operation of political institutions and behavior in Israeli domestic politics, including the constitutional system and ideology, parliamentary government, the prime minister and the Knesset, political parties and interest groups, the electoral process and voting behavior, and the machinery of government. Mahler also considers Israel’s foreign policy setting and apparatus, the Palestinians and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the particularly sensitive questions of Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement movement, and the Middle East peace process overall. This clear and concise text provides an invaluable starting point for all readers needing a cogent introduction to Israel today.

List of Figures, Photos, Tables, and Boxes
Introduction
Part I: The Political Setting
Chapter 1: History and the Creation of Israel
Chapter 2: Zionism, Culture, and the Domestic Political Environment
Chapter 3: Judaism and the Role of the Jewish Religion in Israeli Politics
Chapter 4: The Military, Economic, and Bureaucratic Setting
Part II: The Governmental Institutions
Chapter 5: The Constitutional System and Parliamentary Government
Chapter 6: The Prime Minister and the Knesset
Chapter 7: Political Parties and Interest Groups
Chapter 8: The Electoral Process and Voting Behavior
Part III: Foreign Policy and the Middle Eastern Political Setting
Chapter 9: The Foreign Policy Setting
Chapter 10: The Palestinians, the West Bank and Gaza
Chapter 11: Jerusalem
Chapter 12: The Peace Process
Notes
About the Author

Mahler’s new edition is the best introductory textbook on Israeli government and politics available today. His institutional perspective presents a balanced and thorough explanation of a complex and constantly developing political system. This is an up-to-date and indispensable book for those who want a better understanding of both the continuities and the changes in modern Israel.