Draft:A Jewish State — Ethnostate?

The concept of a “Jewish state” is often misunderstood and mischaracterized as an “ethnostate”. However, whether a state is considered an “ethnostate” depends heavily on the definition used. Under definitions that restrict citizenship solely to a particular racial or ethnic group, ethnostates are widely criticized. Yet under broader definitions describing a state dominated by a single ethnic group, many nation-states around the world fit this description without negative connotations.

Definitions

According to bab.la, an ethnostate is:

A sovereign state of which citizenship is restricted to members of a particular racial or ethnic group This restrictive definition implies exclusion and is generally considered problematic.

According to Collins Dictionary, an ethnostate is:

A state that is dominated by members of a single ethnic group which is merely descriptive of the demographics and governance of many nation-states, without implying illegitimacy.

Comparison to other nation-states

• Poland: The Polish state is the nation-state of the Polish people, culturally centered around the Polish language and heritage, yet it operates largely on civic principles, granting citizenship to non-Poles through legal naturalization.
• Armenia: Armenia is an ethnic-based nation-state and even maintains a Law of Return facilitating citizenship for the Armenian diaspora.
• Japan: Japan is a largely mono-ethnic nation-state, yet its identity as a “Japanese state” is generally accepted internationally without controversy.

Israel as an ethnic-based nation-state

Israel was established as a homeland for Jews following centuries of persecution, pogroms, and the Holocaust. Its foundation as a Jewish state is a response to historical necessity and the need for a safe haven. Like Armenia, Hungary, and Greece, Israel has a Law of Return, granting Jews worldwide the right to immigrate and gain citizenship. This is not unique or inherently illegitimate. Israel allows non-Jews, including Arabs, Druze, and others, to acquire citizenship, vote, and participate in civil society, distinguishing it from the restrictive, exclusionary definition of an ethnostate.

In Israel, Arabs and other non-Jews enjoy full civil and political rights. Non-Jewish citizens can vote in national elections and run for office in the Knesset (parliament). Today, there are 12 Arab members serving in the Knesset, and more than 90 others have served in the past. Beyond representation, Israel has taken steps to reduce socio-economic disparities. For example, targeted development programs such as Plan 922 and Plan 550 have allocated tens of billions of shekels to Arab communities to promote education, infrastructure, housing, and employment opportunities. These initiatives highlight that Israel, unlike a true ethnostate, actively works toward inclusion and equal opportunity for minorities within its borders.

Many countries recognize Israel as the legitimate nation-state of the Jewish people (United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Argentina, and more) without labeling it an ethnostate. Criticism of Israel for its Jewish identity often ignores the parallel in 22 Arab states that define themselves as “Arab” culturally and politically.

Nation state law

Critics often cite Israel’s Nation-State Law of 2018 to claim that Jews have more rights than Arabs and that Israel functions as an ethnostate, and not as a democracy. The law specifies that the right to self-determination at the national level is reserved for the Jewish people. However, this does not demonstrate inequality at the individual level. Every citizen, whether Jewish or non-Jewish, retains the same legal rights, protections, and freedoms.

The principle of self-determination referenced in the law applies to the national or collective level, not to individuals. In practical terms, it reflects the reality of a nation-state: the state is designed to serve as the national homeland for the Jewish people. Self-determination at the national level often leads to the establishment of a state for the group exercising it (Crawford, The Creation of States in International Law, p. 435), this is the historical and legal norm of nationhood. Granting equivalent national-level self-determination to other groups within Israel would effectively allow them to govern themselves independently, potentially creating autonomous “mini-states” within the country, a situation incompatible with the very concept of a single, unified nation-state.

In other words, the law merely affirms Israel’s character as a nation-state of the Jewish people; it does not imply discrimination against individuals from other ethnic or religious groups.

Law of return

The Law of Return is another law that is frequently cited as evidence that Israel is an “ethnostate”. However, this is a misrepresentation. The law does not restrict non-Jews from acquiring Israeli citizenship; rather, it grants Jews an expedited path to immigration and naturalization. This distinction is crucial: Israel’s immigration framework includes avenues for non-Jews to become citizens, while the Law of Return simply reflects Israel’s foundational purpose as the national homeland of the Jewish people.

Importantly, Israel is not unique in this regard. Several other nation-states maintain similar “kinship-based” immigration laws. Armenia, Hungary, Germany, Greece, and Ireland, among others, have laws that prioritize diaspora populations or people with ancestral ties to the nation. These laws are understood internationally as legitimate expressions of nationhood, not as exclusionary ethnonationalism. Israel’s Law of Return fits within this same norm.

The origins of the Law of Return are not arbitrary. Its principles were rooted in the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine (1922), which explicitly required the facilitation of Jewish immigration and naturalization.

Mandate for Palestine, Article 6:

The Administration of Palestine, while ensuring that the rights and position of other sections of the population are not prejudiced, shall facilitate Jewish immigration under suitable conditions and shall encourage, in co-operation with the Jewish agency referred to in Article 4, close settlement by Jews on the land…

Mandate for Palestine, Article 7:

The Administration of Palestine shall be responsible for enacting a nationality law. There shall be included in this law provisions framed so as to facilitate the acquisition of Palestinian citizenship by Jews who take up permanent residence in Palestine.

Thus, the idea behind the Law of Return was internationally endorsed decades before Israel’s independence. It reflects the recognition of Jewish peoplehood, their historic connection to the land, and their right to reconstitute a national home after centuries of persecution.

Ethnostates Examples

• Nazi Germany: Citizenship, political power, and residency were restricted almost exclusively to ethnic Germans. Minorities, especially Jews, were systematically excluded, marginalized, and persecuted. It was an authoritarian, mono-ethnic state.
• Fascist Italy: Under Mussolini, the state promoted Italian ethnic identity and nationalism while systematically discriminating against minorities, restricting political rights, and later adopting anti-Semitic laws.
• Apartheid South Africa: A system of institutionalized racial segregation in which political rights, land ownership, residency, and social participation were legally restricted to the white minority, while Black South Africans were systematically disenfranchised, segregated, and oppressed.
• Saudi Arabia: Citizenship and political power are heavily tied to Arab ethnicity and Sunni Islam, with non-Arabs facing significant restrictions.