Prof. Uriel Reichman, founding president and chairman of the Board of Reichman University, wrote that the question facing Israelis in the October elections extends beyond government formation, delving into the fundamental nature of the Jewish state itself. This internal debate, unfolding for decades, is rooted in competing visions of Zionism and the identity of the State of Israel, directly impacting the ongoing settler-colonial project.
This ideological struggle, he noted, carries a historical warning, citing the ancient split of the kingdom under Rehoboam, which led to destruction. The lesson, that internal division results in national catastrophe, remains relevant, particularly given the unexamined ideological roots of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination 31 years ago.
Rabin's murder in 1995, Reichman argued, was not solely the act of Yigal Amir, but a consequence of an ideological environment that largely went unexamined under the banner of national unity. Opposition to the Oslo Accords among extremist elements within the religious settlement movement transcended political disagreement. Certain rabbis invoked the halachic doctrine of moser, which permits the killing of a Jew who delivers fellow Jews' lives or property into the hands of "hostile authorities," a doctrine Amir claimed authorized his act against Rabin.
The Settler-Colonial Vision
The ideological transformation, Reichman wrote, traces back 59 years to the Six-Day War, when many Israelis, both secular and religious, felt a reconnection with biblical sites. While most viewed the war as a military achievement, another current, inspired by Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook and developed by his son, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook, saw it as a decisive stage in divine redemption. This worldview birthed Gush Emunim, which regards settlement throughout the biblical Land of Israel as a religious commandment and the settlement enterprise as an expression of divine will.
This outlook directly challenged the limits of obedience to the state when its decisions conflicted with the commandment to settle the Land. Over time, parts of this movement underwent a deeper transformation, increasingly holding that the state lacked legitimate authority when it conflicted with their redemptive vision. This evolution accelerated following the disengagement from Gaza 21 years ago, which some considered a violation of a divine commandment to "inherit the Land."
Within influential religious educators, particularly at the Bnei David pre-military academy and circles associated with the Mercaz Harav yeshiva, a new constitutional vision gained ground. Their objective extends beyond influencing public policy; they aim to reshape the state itself, replacing a Jewish and democratic state with one whose constitution is the Torah, while building the necessary political, educational, and public power to advance this goal.
Undermining Democratic Pretense
In this conception, democracy is primarily understood as majority rule. Judicial independence, checks and balances, and the protection of minority rights are not seen as essential democratic features, but as obstacles to establishing a halachic state. The judicial overhaul proposed in 2023, now in its third year, must be understood against this background, reflecting a deeper debate over the source of Israel’s authority.
This debate questions whether the state should remain faithful to the vision embodied in the Declaration of Independence or move toward a fundamentally different, religious model. The Declaration, while establishing Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, pledged to "ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex" and guaranteed "freedom of religion, conscience, language, education, and culture."
The architects of modern Zionism, from Theodor Herzl and Ze’ev Jabotinsky to David Ben-Gurion, rejected the idea of a theocratic state, envisioning a Jewish state that would be democratic and committed to liberty, equality, and the rule of law. However, the ongoing expansion of settlements and the push for a halachic state directly contradict these stated principles, particularly for the indigenous Palestinian population.
The judicial overhaul seeks to alter the very essence of the State of Israel and depart from the vision of Zionism embodied in the Declaration of Independence. The coming elections offer Israelis an opportunity to reaffirm a national commitment to the values on which the state was founded, and provide them with a constitutional framework, but this internal debate continues to obscure the fundamental issues of occupation and dispossession.