The Triumph of Israel's Radical Right

Two decades ago, the idea that a radical right could capture and drive Israeli politics seemed improbable. While it was a boisterous faction and received heavy media coverage, it constituted a fringe element. Yet by 2009, Israel's radical right had not only entrenched itself in mainstream
Israeli politics, it was dictating policy in a wide range of areas.

Quite simply, if we want to understand the seemingly intractable situation in Israel today, we need a comprehensive account of the radical right. In The Triumph of Israel's Radical Right, acclaimed scholar Ami Pedahzur provides an invaluable and authoritative analysis of its ascendance to the
heights of Israeli politics. After analyzing what, exactly they believe in, he explains how mainstream Israeli policies like the law of return have nurtued their nativism and authoritarian tendencies. He then traces the right's steady expansion and mutation, from the early days of the stateto
these days. Throughout, he focuses on the radical right's institutional networks and how the movement has been able to expand its influence over policy making process. His closing chapter is grim yet realistic: he contends that a two state solution is no longer viable and that the vision of the
radical rabbi Meir Kahane, who was a fringe figure while alive, has triumphed.


Author: Ami Pedahzur
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 11/15/2012
Pages: 296
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.20w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780199744701

Review Citation(s):
Choice 07/01/2013

About the Author

Ami Pedahzur is Professor of Government and a fellow of the Gale Chair of Judaic Studies at the University of Texas at Austin where he also serves as the head of the Israel Studies Collaborative at the Schusterman Center of Jewish Studies

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