During the past several years, Isael, which likes boast about being "the only Democracy in the Middle East" - though it will have to find a new catchy slogan now that President Bush is telling us that he has made Iraq into a democracy and is working on Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait - continues to make un democratic, some might say racist, laws to keep Jews in and everyone else out. These new laws are a clear indication that Israel is a Theocracy, and NOT a Democracy.
The media, whether out of loyalty or for fear of financial repercussions, manages to suppress any news which doesn't show Israel as a victim. Only some Israeli newspapers deal with some unpleasant, and undemocratic, aspects of Israeli reality.
"Theocracy - Rule by religion. A government that is based on theistic beliefs. Iran is a theocracy." And so is Israel. (http://www.reasoned.org/glossary.htm#t)
Today's HaAretz reports on the government's latest ruling not to provide citizenship, or in some cases even allow them to live in Israel with their parents, to children of immigrants who do not fall under the principle of "the law of return". The decision was made by a committee headed by the Israeli Justice Minister.
The Law of Return allows Jews and anyone with a Jewish parent, grandparent or spouse to become an Israeli citizen
Many of the immigrants who came to Israel from the former Soviet Union - an immigration Israel desperately wanted in order to boost its Jewish population - live in mixed marriages. The non Jewish partner in such a marriage cannot bring his children to live with him if they did not come together, and even if they did, the child cannot become an Israeli citizen, thus living without rights or legal status. Like Palestinians, they cannot even get a passport.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/593523.html
This is discrimination on the basis of religion, and does not fall within the definition of Democracy.
Another recently passed law falls into the same category: a law that prohibits citizenship or entrance to the country to any Palestinian that marries an Israeli and wants to live in Israel.
A law which prohibits the right of family reunification only to Palestinian families (if one part lives in Israel and another in the occupied territories) is also clearly racist and makes a mockery of the Jewish respect for family.
http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:8BkE2qlz-0oJ:www.aad-online.org/2004/Englishsite/Englinks/aad7/o
ut7.htm+law+that+prohibits+citizenship+for+any++Palestinian+that+marries+an+Israeli+and+wants+to+liv
e+in+Israel&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
But the most obvious indication of Israel's status as a Theocracy and not a Democracy is the fact that all the Jews who believe that Israel has a right to the land they have taken from the Palestinians invoke the name of God as the reason they have the right to the Palestinian land. God gave it to them. Two thousand years ago.
It would be muach simpler if God had given them the deed.