Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel

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Could Jewish fundamentalism derail the peace process, plunging Israel into civil war? In this controversial book, acclaimed Israeli writer Israel Shahak and American scholar Norton Mezvinsky explore the consequences of the fundamentalist belief that people of Jewish faith are special before God, a belief the fundamentalists passionately defend.The authors trace the history and developments of Jewish fundamentalism, examining the different strains, and distinguishing between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, and identifying the messianic tendency as the most dangerous. It provides a thorough assessment of fundamentalism in modern Israel, placing the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin in the context of what the authors see as a tradition of punishments and killings of those perceived to be heretics.Shahak and Mezvinsky argue that Jewish fundamentalism is essentially hostile to democracy in that it opposes equality for all citizens. The authors argue that it therefore poses a considerable threat to democracy in Israel; and that to fully understand the situation in the Middle East and the prospects for peace in the region, we must more fully understand Jewish fundamentalism.