Radicalized Conservatism in Israel: The One-State Ideology and Democratic Decay

The year 2023 will be known as the most consequential year in Israel in generations. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict intensified into levels of violence that shocked the world. The bloody episode overshadowed a constitutional overhaul introduced by Israel’s Likud-led government, widely criticized as an attempted executive coup. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s most impactful leader in decades and indicted for multiple corruption charges, has entered his third term as Prime Minister following four snap elections in under four years. The government he formed has been dubbed the most right-wing government in Israel’s history. To explain these developments, ’Radicalized Conservatism in Israel’ presents a comprehensive examination of right-wing ideology. Based on rigorous argument analysis adhering to the self-identification of Israel’s political elite, it exposes essential features of the Israeli right, discovering the hidden power of its one-state vision: Its radical reactionary goals are rooted in the manipulation of common sense center-right conservative values.

Mateo I. Cohen is a lecturer at Leiden University. A summa cum laude expert in democracy studies, his research articles on the Israeli right, conservative ideology, and democratic decay had been published in journals such as the European Constitutional Law Review and Israel Studies. His PhD project compares ideological justifications in decaying democracies governed by conservative parties. Besides his academic position, Mateo has written investigative and opinion pieces on Hebrew platforms such as Haaretz and The Seventh Eye, and regularly advises NGOs about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Radicalized Conservatism in Israel is his third book and first research monograph.