Israel's Regime Untangled
Between Democracy and Apartheid

An examination of the Israeli regime, looking at its diverse aspects in order to explore its democratic nature – or otherwise.

Gal Ariely (Author)

9781108845250, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 4 March 2021

230 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 1.8 cm, 0.481 kg

'This is a timely and innovative book. It contributes to both the literature on democracies and Israel. Relying on his vast theoretical knowledge and research experience, Gal Ariely defuses the charged rhetoric about the Israeli regime and presents the reader with a dispassionate, nuanced, and clear picture.' Ami Pedahzur, University of Texas, Austin

Israel attracts enormous attention among scholars, journalists, politicians, and the general public. Some regard the country as an apartheid regime that can only be challenged through boycotts and sanctions. Others believe it is a stable liberal democracy, created under extreme conditions. This book seeks to unravel these conflicting interpretations by focusing on three questions: How can the Israeli regime be classified? What are the borders of the Israeli regime? And what are the key factors that shape the regime and support its relative stability? Gal Ariely calls for an approach which disaggregates democracy into specific dimensions, examining the diverse aspects of the Israeli regime to determine the level of 'democraticness' exhibited rather than classifying the regime as a whole. In doing so he provides a comprehensive account of the Israeli regime, untangling conflicting interpretations and illustrates the advantages of using this approach for analysing disputed regimes more widely.

Introduction
1. How the Israeli Regime is Classified
2. Circumventing the Challenges in the Classification of Israel (A): Disaggregated Analysis of the Israeli Regime Across Dimensions of Democraticness
3. Circumventing the Challenges in the Classification of Israel (B): Spatial Analysis of the Israeli Regime
4. Democraticness of the Israeli Regime Across Dimensions and Zones of Control
5. The Conflict and the Israeli Regime
6. State Capacity: Stability and Changes in the Israeli Regime
Conclusions: The Israeli Regime Untangled.

Subject Areas: Political structures: democracy [JPHV], Comparative politics [JPB], Politics & government [JP], Middle Eastern history [HBJF1]