As Israel enters its eighth decade, the delicate balance between the state’s two dominant characteristics – Jewish and democratic – has arguably never been more contested. Recent steps perceived to have upset this balance have had implications not only inside Israel, but also vis-à-vis Israel’s relationship with Diaspora Jewry. The Israeli governments backtrack on the Western Wall/Kotel compromise has alienated many Reform and Conservative Jews the world over. The recently-passed Nation-State Basic Law raised concerns about a growing illiberal Israel putting particular Jewish values over more universal values like equality and democracy. The memory of 1967, to say nothing of 1948, increasingly becomes more abstract. Both Israeli society and Diaspora Jewry have undergone significant changes in the intervening decades.

On October 21, 2018, Jordan’s King Abdullah II informed Israel that he would not renew two annexes of the 1994 peace treaty between Israel and Jordan that leased the territory of Naharayim and Zofar to Israel. Many factors contributed to this decision, including Jordan’s anger over its exclusion from issues related to Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, and the recent diplomatic talks with the Palestinians. The single most significant factor that led to this decision, however, was Abdullah’s need to shore up his legitimacy in the aftermath of the protests and social unrest that erupted in Jordan over the summer.

November 2 marks Balfour Declaration Day. 101 years ago, in 1917, the British accepted the request of the Zionists to help them build a Jewish national home. Amongst the small number of Jews who wanted to find security in a geographic place, they chose their ancient homeland of Eretz Yisrael. To create a homeland, the Zionists needed British support and willingness on the part of the local Arab population not to resist interests in selling lands to immigrating Zionists. The Declaration received international legitimacy when it became part of the League of Nations document that governed the administration in Palestine. Later, the Declaration became a lightning rod for Arab opposition to a Jewish national home in Palestine and then the state of Israel after May 14, 1948.