Israel at 68: Beneath the Glitter

Abstract

This appraisal of Israel, as it approaches 70, begins with two tributes to its achievements during the 68 years of independence. It is followed by discussions of the following dimensions from the perspective of 2016: the state of Israel’s economy; the presence of substantial poverty; conspicuous inequality; the problems confronting Israel’s senior citizens; the characteristics of Israel’s educational experience; the evidence of corruption; illustrations of official and nonofficial expressions of censorship; the malpractice of some politicians; the treatment of Arab Israelis over the decades; and the renewal, in 2015–16, of an informal variation of two earlier periods of Palestinian Intifadas against Israel’s policies and behavior toward its Arab minority.