The Israeli population is
composed of heterogeneous cultural and ethnic groupings that typically
characterize immigrant societies. This heterogeneity has, over the years,
led to the formation of a society made up by a number of unique sectorial
units, each of which has an ideological, religious, political, cultural or
ethnic agenda.
The significant number of
sectorial units has led to increased fragmentation and splintering of
Israeli society and, as a result, to increased inter-sectorial tensions
within society. The Ben-Gurionian vision of an integrated and homogeneous
society has become an almost impossible dream and inter-sectorial
tolerance is perhaps the best that can be hoped for in the attempt to find
issues that are common to the different sectors in Israeli society.
The 1999 election results
indicate that sectorialism in Israeli society is on the rise. The Knesset
now has 120 members who belong to fifteen political parties, many of which
have a sectorial platform (Shas, Yahadut Hatorah, Shiniu, Yisrael B'Aliya,
Yisrael Beiteinu, Am Echad). The only semblance of unity that can
feasibly work is one based on the acceptance of a tolerated small number
of central principles such as parliamentary democracy, rule of law, need
for a national security force on the one hand, while on the other each
sectorial entity is given autonomy to promote its own legitimate
interests.
