thing for a people to live their religion as a minority ; it is quite another to exercise sovereignty as the majority population while trying to adhere to one ’ s ethical standards . Inevitably , tension will arise between a people ’ s spiritual or moral self-definition and the exigencies of statecraft , between the highest concepts of human nature and the daily realities of individuals in decision-making positions wielding power and balancing a variety of competing interests .
Even so , shall we raise the bar so high as to ensure that Israel — forced to function in the often gritty , morally ambiguous world of international relations and politics , especially as a small , still endangered state — will always fall short ?
Yet , the notion that Israel would ever become ethically indistinguishable from any other country , reflexively seeking cover behind the convenient justification of realpolitik to explain its behavior , is equally unacceptable .
Israelis are among the newer practitioners of statecraft . With all its remarkable success , consider the daunting political , social , and economic challenges in the United States 50 or even 150 years after independence , or , for that matter , the challenges it faces today , including stubborn social and economic inequalities and stark , indeed widening , political divisions . And let ’ s not forget that the United States , unlike Israel , is a vast country blessed with abundant natural resources , oceans on two-and-a half sides , a gentle neighbor to the north , and a weaker neighbor to the south .
Like any vibrant democracy , America is a permanent work in progress . The same holds true for Israel . Admiring Israel as I do , though , doesn ’ t mean overlooking its shortcomings , including the excessive and unholy intrusion of religion into politics , the inexcusable marginalization of non-Orthodox Jewish religious streams , the dangers posed by political and religious zealots , and the unfinished , if undeniably complex , task of integrating Israeli Arabs into the mainstream .
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