ABSTRACT
Since independence, Israeli polity has muddled through from one crisis to another at high cost, including human lives, with the help of its powerful Western ally. According to Israeli law, Israel does not belong to its citizens alone but to the entire Jewish people. Many diaspora Jews share a strong spiritual tie with the Jewish community in Israel. They are eager for news of Israel, some support Israel financially, and some send their children to spend time there. Some call themselves Zionists without moving to Israel. By the end of the 1990s the Arab minority in Israel will approach a quarter of the population. Overall the Israeli economy has been a success. It ascended from an underdeveloped stage to the level of Western European postindustrial societies within a decade or two. In time, Israeli political parties may be less central than they were in the past; in fact, by the 1990s they had already lost much of their importance.
