Problem
A. The state of Israel was established as a homeland for the Jewish people, who are both an ethnocultural and a religious group. This confuses the nature of the Israeli state. How does the definition of Judaism as both an ethnic and a religious identity complicate the politics of Israel as compared to other ethno-nationalist states?
B. The religious claim to the land of Palestine in the hands of Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims and Christians is the greatest barrier to the negotiation of a final peace between the two peoples. Debate.
C. Electoral reform would serve to limit the influence of religious parties such as Shas and Agudat Israel, effectively secularizing Israeli politics. Debate.
D. Many modern commentators, such as Gadi Taub, argue that the religious settlers represent a threat to the persistence of a secular Zionist state, and by virtue of their demand for a greater Israel in a land where Palestinians may soon be the majority, a threat to Zionism itself in the land of Palestine. Do you agree?