The settlement policy in regard to the relationship between religion and political system in Israel

The purpose of the thesis paper is to demonstrate that the political system and religion are intertwined in Israel, and that religion has both direct and indirect influence on the political system; and in this respect to interpret the motivations of Israeli settlement policies as well as the strategies and methods used to implement these policies. The identity, interest and security perceptions of Israel (the Jewish peoples) constructed by the historical circumstances, and by each and every interaction between actors and institutions within and with other international actors are shaped with the motivation of existence and survival. This has been determining the settlement policy, and therefore both domestic and foreign policies. The factors which helped the Israeli identity and interest formation are; the goal of the promised land in religious texts, the Zionist doctrine of the Messianic Redemption and that Jews will gather once again in Jerusalem, the belief of victimhood which resulted from over 3000 years of forced exile, the abasement and oppression the Jews went through during the exile, and the sorrow, fear and panic caused by the Holocaust in the near past. Accordingly, Israel has adopted an approach where it positions itself as a state without allies or protectors besides itself, which has to keep fighting in order to survive and recognizes that the only path to realize this fight is the use of force. Even though there are many sub-factors that contribute, the thesis advocates that the principal dynamic of the settlement policies is the religion of Judaism.