David Ben-Gurion and the Foundation of Israeli Democracy

Nir Kedar is Professor of Law and History and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Sapir Academic College in Israel. He is author of many books, including Law and Identity in Israel: A Century of Debate. Haim Watzman is a writer, journalist, and translator based in Jerusalem.

David Ben-Gurion and the Foundation of Israeli Democracy is an outstanding work of scholarship. Deeply researched, clearly written, and persuasively argued, the book will make an important contribution to our understanding of the formation of Israeli democracy and the crucial role that Ben-Gurion played in this.- Dov Waxman - University of California (Israel Studies Review) The full complexity and richness of the general perspective and particular ideas presented in Kedar's monograph, of course, simply cannot be captured in a brief review such as this one, which is why individuals interested in Israeli democracy are very strongly encouraged to seek out his work. Though the book presents an essentially sympathetic account of the origins of Israeli democracy, not to mention an essentially sympathetic account of Ben-Gurion's role in embedding democratic values and institutions within Israeli society, the author does not shy away from presenting Israeli democracy's warts, too. Kedar's work, in short, constitutes a nicely balanced and extremely informative inquiry into its subject.- David Rodman (Israel Affairs) [Kedar] makes an important contribution to our understanding of how Ben-Gurion's democratic vision shaped Israel, even if it fell short of some of its highest goals.(Jewish Review of Books)

• Introduction1. Ben-Gurion Versus a Constitution2. Democracy and the Army3. Establishing the Rule of Law4. Creating the State Administration5. Parliamentary Democracy and the Fight to Change the Electoral System6. A Democratic Jewish State7. A Sense of Peoplehood8. Nationalism, Human Rights, and SecurityConclusionBibliographyIndex