5 - The Conflict and the Israeli Regime

Summary

Israel is deeply involved in conflict that has both internal and external dimensions. The intensity of the conflict and the appeal of securitization to different spheres – territory, identity, and demography – should further intensify the impact of the conflict. This chapter outlines a perspective on how the conflict shapes the regime. It argues that the conflict has formed the regime differently across varying dimensions and zones of control. The high levels of political contestation are explained by the need to ensure legitimacy and by the PAI’s diminished power of contestation. The lower levels of protection and coverage are also explained by the internal and external aspects of the conflict. The largest shifts in the Israeli regime – the expansion beyond Israel proper after 1967 and the reshaping of the zones of control after the 1990s – can also be explained by security considerations among other explanations.