Israelis are endangered in terms of civil liberties, and human rights, and not just from a threat of a theocracy. One must keep in mind that Israel is not a true democracy- she does not have a representative government. The way it is set up, Israel draws the worst kind of leaders, and i the system is open to corruption. Leaders are picked by parties- like party bosses. They rule without having any voting constituency to answer to. Citizens have no representation. Look at the West Bank- 500,000 Jews may be thrown off of the land, rendered homeless on an edict from Bibi. This is not democracy- it is tyranny. The fact that Shas has any clout at all tells much about the flaws of the Israeli governmental system. Fringe party politics rule Israel. Tyranny of the few. ELECTORAL REFORM IS NECESSARY FOR the survival of the Jewish state.

Funny, I thought it was the Self Hating AntiJewish Leftist Dreks who have control.

To say that Israel is "significantly" more democratic doesnt make Israel a democracy. High-ranking Israeli leaders dont miss a breath in ensuring to the international community that Israel abides by the principles of international law. Let's see if this holds true. If Israel were a real democracy, then it would grant the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza the right to vote in its elections. Israel has already declared itself the effective occupier of the territories, and so under international law, Israel must allow Palestinians to vote in its elections. But, that's not the case, is it, Df? Why? There are still war criminals and Judeo-fascist Nazis running around and making policy in your country. You live in Beer Sheva so what do you know? Why dont you visit the West Bank and see the true face of Israeli democracy for yourself?

Of fertilizing foreign culture?

As a new secular ole hadas with a doctorate I am going to vote Shas in the next elections .

...has been your downfall for thousands of years. The warning that Samuel relayed to you was not false. Turn back to He whom you have forgotten and find your leadership there.

Theocracy was created as a word by Joesphus to describe ideal jewish political system. But to have proper theocracy you need a proper alive prophet, recognized by all, that can say what the ruler (G-d) wants us to do. If it is not that, it is not theocracy. Rule by rabanim would be called Aristocracy, rule of philosophers, it is the ideal state according to Plato (For more, see book 8 of Plato's Republic.). Torah disagrees with Plato's ideal, theocracy is better, problem is, since Hulda the prophetess nobody passed the test for a prophet, and from what other religions report, none of their prophets would pass. Failing grade means death by stoning, so not many people try to be prophets to Jews.

#5 John, #14 DACON9...You seem to have no problem spelling Muslums, but can not spell CHRISTIAN. In the real world true CHRISTIANS know that the Jews are G-d's chosen people, therefore we love them and support them more that anyone else. The rest of the world hates them especially the Muslums.

"If Israel were a real democracy, then it would grant the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza the right to vote in its elections." Interesting comment. Where in the world does any country allow non-citizens to vote in it's elections ? In Israel, permanent residents, which the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank are not, do not have voting rights. And remember, unlike what the Jordanians did in April 1950, Israel has not annexed the West Bank. In regards to east Jerusalem which Israel did annex, the Palestinians living in those annexed areas do have, if they accepted them, Israeli ID cards. The women receive NII child allowances and do have the right to vote if they decide to exercise that right. And you claim under international law ? What international law are you ready to quote ? And for your information, I have been through the West Bank quite a bit, even after the intifadas and I do know what goes on there. However, have you been at a site where one of the Palestinian suicide murderers has murdered women and children by blowing themselves up ?

(1st-time reader) Altho we probably disagree on just about everything, I foudn your comment stands out unlike most others it shows someone who thinks and does not just repeat slogans. Thanks. -- BTW, if Torah is the constitution, to keep the analogy can we vote ammendments? What about followers of other religions - treated like the Midianites? Jews marrying non-Jews? Torah contains both light and darkness...

(1st-time reader) surprised by many comments. Representative of a tiny fringe, or do a substantial part of Israelis really believe - as I read in comments - that the US is a secular dictatorship [huh? when was the last non-Christian president?], that Europe is pro-Moslem [huh? outlawing veil in FR school, minaret in SWZ, burka in GB...], that Israel is a Stalinist [!] dictatorship and that anti-Semitism explains everything (reversing the Nazi fantasy 'Die Juden sind unser Unglueck'?)? Where does such a wierd wortld-view come from? (Not that we don't have our own crazies here in the States!)

Most of the feedback writers seem to want to blame the left and seem to be completely unaware of what is happening here in Israel. Chas is busy restricting what we may do on the Sabbath: no movies or public transportation; what we may eat: stop selling meat that is not salted, do not allow the sale of chumetz with iron clad control, declaring things as not kosher when they are considered kosher in other countries and where you may sit on a bus as well as how you may recon the hours of the day. These are only some examples of their impositions on every body’s life. They seem to be impervious to public opinion, If you are an observant person you probably do not see this as an imposition, but it is in fact forcing religion down every ones else’s throat. It is important that Israel remain a state where all Jews without regard to their religious briefers can live in comfort, peace and free to do live as they please. Israel needs to be a State For Jews and not a Jewish (religious) State

It is hard to imagine a more close-circuit failure than this. Judaism is what prevents Israel from becoming an Islamic nation. Go ahead and eliminate every trace of religion from the state and take a big fat guess what will still be there. That's right - Islam. Because the only religion you will be able to remove is a) Jewish, and b) Xtian. Only a brain-donor, blind and deaf from birth can believe that Muslims are going to play along with your idea. The worlds idea of secularism today includes marginalizing everything else, and making room for a system they do not understand: Islam. This is what is happening all across Europe. The Euro-tards, psuedo-intellectuals who are collectively about as smart as a sack of hammers, have removed religion, i.e., Xtian & Jewish religion everywhere they can find it, and GUESS WHAT is happening now? The Islamization of Europe.

don't you visit Shomrun and Judea (Westbank) so you can have a very real understanding of what goes on there? Better yet, instead of your constant armchair patriotism, why don't you move there, energize it and help establish a new state? that's what young Jews have done, and continue to do, because their belief in the Jewish collective was and is so strong. with all the talk, all the highpowered drama and with all the multitudinous propaganda, this is the real test, whether you are committed. Youngs Jews are. Are you?

it is s leeping not blindness ... god gave the believers 300 years to sleep and to awake for a new social of believers // this auher gave it 10 years only and you see it as blindness .. as if no hope only your seeing

I am no fan of theocracy, but I would be more impressed if Mr Wohl would rant and rave against the banks that do not have any hours available for customer service, except for hours that the normal people are working at their jobs!

wake up ,, democracy is not ALL OR NOTHING ... just look at countries like Japan, France or Checz .... demacracy is maluable and should be formed around our first and foremost desire to be a Jewish homeland ... the arabs if they would aggree to live in peace could be guaranteed civil rights and liberties, but not the ability to overthrow israel as a jewish homeland just because some idea that democracy is ALL OR Nothing ... get real people this world is not black and white ... its in living color.

you are so right with what youve said,no to a theoracy,yes to asecular democracy

What you notice is not a national phenomena - it can be seen worldwide. Secularism is on the fore run, with sometimes negative extremes, which connect to materialism and egoism. Thus we saw a grow in murders, corruption, environmental damage, etc. To my opinion Shas is the parallel of the growing nationalistic movements in other Western countries (like the Tea Party in the US, Flamsblog in Belgium, the Swedish Democrats, UK Independence Party, etc.) Ridiculous, that the scope blurs and we find extreme forms of corruption in movements which claim to be fighting the outcome of modernism. Yet we have to think about the growing numbers of criminal acts among citizens in democracy, because it corrupts the base of the "rule of the people". A changing world is frightening, and the success of Shas, Al-Kaida, the Islamic Revolution in Iran and growing nationalism in Europe and the US is a reaction of the weak and less educated to this change. The democratic majority needs to find answers to the subtle feeling of insecurity among citizenry . Shalom le col Yissrael veShana tova!

10 years to a theocracy???? Moores law is among us in more than technology. Knowledge doubles every 18 months. Over 10 years too much will happen and that means the Theocracy will be here in much less than 10 years.