Early Zionist thought In the pre-modern era,
Jewish religious law defined a number of prerogatives for a
Halakhic state. When
Theodor Herzl published
Der Judenstaat in 1896, he envisioned a
secular state based on
European models, which included religious institutions under the aegis of the state. In order to avoid alienating the
Ottoman sultan, there was no explicit reference to Jewish statehood by the
World Zionist Organization (WZO) that he founded in 1897. Instead, the phrase "
national home" was used intentionally. Although Herzl's school of thought—that of
political Zionism—grew to be the most widespread and successful in the
Zionist movement, there were several types of
Jewish nationalism that advocated other methods by which the Jewish national home could be realized.
Homeland for the Jewish people The 1917
Balfour Declaration referred to "the establishment in
Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people" and the 1922
Churchill White Paper clarified that "Phrases have been used such as that Palestine is to become 'as Jewish as
England is
English.'
His Majesty's Government regard any such expectation as impracticable and have no such aim in view. They would draw attention to the fact that the terms of the Declaration referred to do not contemplate that Palestine as a whole should be converted into a Jewish National Home, but that such a Home should be founded 'in Palestine.'" The 1942
Biltmore Program of the WZO proposed "that Palestine be established as a Jewish Commonwealth." In 1946, however, the
Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry (also known as the
Grady–Morrison Committee) noted that the demand for a Jewish state went beyond the obligations of either the
Balfour Declaration or the
British Mandate for Palestine, and that it had been expressly disowned by the
Jewish Agency for Palestine as recently as 1932. The concept of a Jewish state was juxtaposed with an
Arab state in the 1947
United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, which also marked
Jerusalem as an international zone under the sovereignty of neither state. While the Partition Plan was adopted by a majority vote, it was never implemented due to the
1948 Palestine war.
Realization with the State of Israel Modern Israel was founded on 14 May 1948, when it was explicitly declared as an independent Jewish state assuming full responsibility for all
Palestinian Jews. This principle was given further legal effect in the
Law of Return, which was passed by the
Knesset on 5 July 1950, stating that "Every Jew has the right to come to this country as an
oleh." In 1970, it was modified to include non-Jewish people with at least one Jewish grandparent. Thus, the Law of Return enables qualified Jewish and non-Jewish immigrants of
Jewish descent (as well as their spouses and children) to gain
Israeli citizenship.
Israel as "the Jewish state" The phrase "Jewish state" is often used in global media (especially
Western media) and politics to describe Israel. American presidents
George W. Bush and
Barack Obama are among notable politicians who have referred to Israel as a Jewish state at an international level during their tenures. One of the conditions set by Israel for the
Israeli–Palestinian peace process entails the Palestinians' recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. However, this condition has been regarded by Palestinian politicians as a diplomatic trap that would jeopardize the
Palestinian right of return, citing the fact that it was never discussed in early Israeli–Palestinian negotiations and also not demanded in Israel's peace treaties
with Egypt and
with Jordan. In 1993, Israel and the
Palestine Liberation Organization exchanged the
Letters of Mutual Recognition, whereby the latter recognized the former as a sovereign state to proceed with the
Oslo Accords. Since the 1990s, successive Israeli governments have maintained an official stance asserting that the Palestinians must explicitly recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Secular–religious status quo Israel does not have a
state religion. However, the definition of the state as Jewish in character creates a strong connection, but also a conflict, between secular state law and Jewish religious law. Political interaction of different parties keeps the balance between state and religion largely as it existed during the
British Mandate period. The 2003
Gavison–Medan Covenant is a controversial proposal for reforming Israel's status quo in order to reinforce the state's Jewish character in a way that minimizes religious coercion. On 19 July 2018, with a vote of 62 in favour to 55 against (and two abstaining), the Knesset adopted the
Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People. The Basic Law was met with opposition internationally, including in the
Jewish diaspora and in statements by many of Israel's allies, who questioned whether it was consistent with Israel's commitment to exist as a "Jewish and democratic state" (violating the democratic principle) and whether it was negatively impacting the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. ==Internal debate==