ABSTRACT
Under the banner of Agudat Israel appeared a coalition of the remnants of what had once been the only Orthodox non-Zionist party. The court’s ruling not only removed Kahane from the electoral scene, but had farrreaching implications for Israeli law, the most important of which related to the definition of democracy. The court stressed the centrality of equality in a democratic regime; the principle of Israel as a Jewish state may not, according to this ruling, be used to justify discrimination between its Jewish and non-Jewish citizens. The Palestinian uprising in the territories had a divisive effect on the Israeli polity and society. The United States supported Israel by vetoing a Security Council resolution condemning Israel for one of its incursions into Lebanon. The real drama of diplomacy was seen in Israel’s relations with the People’s Republic of China. Israel registered its lowest economic growth since 1982, with only a 1% increase in the gross domestic product.
