ABSTRACT
Since independence in 1948 the state of Israel has undergone some significant changes in its political system, its perspective on the conflict with the Palestinians and other Arab states, as well as a society, economy and nation. In 2008 as Israelis celebrated 60 years of statehood it was apparent that while the major political edifices of the state remained intact the constituent parts of the state, including its army and legislature, were enduring some of the worst crises in their history. From a critical perspective, the anniversary of independence and commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of the 1967 Six-Day War a year earlier was also a reminder of the price paid for the establishment and maintenance of a Jewish state wrought from the ashes of Britain’s mandate misadventure in Palestine.
