Analysing ultra-orthodox (Haredi) political parties in Israel from the societal security perspective

This thesis analyses the Israeli Haredi political parties which are Yahadut HaTora and Shas from the societal security perspective. The study uses the core ideas, concepts and way of thinking of the societal security approach in order to understand the main perceptions, behaviours and strategies of the Haredi political parties in Israel. This study begins with the theoretical framework by stressing the constructed nature of security and the changing focus of security studies from state-centric perspective to non-state dimensions. In this regard, it is discussed how the religion could be located in this changing agenda of security by giving references to the existing litature and the relationship between the Haredi identity and the Jewish religion. Secondly, it examines the historical evolution of the Haredi identity (micro context) and provides an historical account on the creation and transformation of the state-religion relations (macro context) in Israel. The main argument supported in this chapter is that the societal security perceptions of the Haredi parties are being shaped within these micro and macro contexts. The chapter also revisits the status quo arrangement in Israel by stressing the major challenges against it as the key reference to adress the motivation of Haredi parties in their approaches to the state-religion relations and the key issues regarding the Haredi identity. In the third chapter, the study analyses Haredi parties' policies in four key issues which are the autonomy of the Haredi education, the conscription of Yeshiva students, conversion to Judaism and the Shabbat regulations. This chapter claims that Haredi parties are approaching these issues from the identity-security nexus by securitising Judaims as a belief, community identity (Haredi) and the national character of the state. 2009, 2013 and 2015 elections are taken as case studies for the first three themes whereas Shabat issue is analysed with the cases of particular crises. The findings of this chapter support the main hypothesis of this thesis which is that the motivations and the behaviours of the Haredi political parties are being shaped by the security concerns about the religion in different levels and forms. In this way it is also provided an analytical tool to compare and contrast Yahadut HaTora and Shas parties apart from the traditional comparisons on the basis of Askhenazi- Sephardi divison. In conclusion, this thesis contributes to the societal security literature by analysing the role of religion which has largely been neglected as well as the literature of the Haredi politics which have mainly been discussed in state-religion relations by applying the security perspective.