conversation of Spiegel with the Israeli sociologist Eva Illouz--at once critical but supportive of Israel as a democracy--am in fundamental disagreement with its premises but found it a good read: She says Israel is a colonial military power, a militarized society and a democracy all folded into one. The army, for example, controls the Palestinians through a wide network of colonial tools, such as checkpoints, military courts (governed by a legal system different from the Israeli system), the arbitrary granting of work permits, house demolitions and economic sanctions. It is a militarized civil society because almost every family has a father, son or brother in the army and because the military plays an enormous role in the ordinary mentality of ordinary Israelis and is crucial in both political decisions and in the public sphere. In fact, I would say that security is the paramount concept guiding Israeli society and politics. But it is also a democracy, which grants rights to gays and makes it possible for a citizen to sue the state.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 00:31:15 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015