As Israel turns 75, its biggest threats now come from within
The country needs a new political settlement that diminishes the power of extremists
As Israel marks its 75th anniversary, take a moment to admire how it has triumphed against the odds. Before it declared independence in 1948 its own generals warned that it had only a fifty-fifty chance of survival. Today Israel is hugely rich, safer than it has been for most of its history, and democratic—if, that is, you are prepared to exclude the territories it occupies. It has overcome wars, droughts and poverty with few natural endowments other than human grit. It is an outlier in the Middle East, a hub of innovation and a winner from globalisation.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Survivor nation”
From the April 29th 2023 edition
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