The relationship between democratic institutions and practices, on the one hand, and policy on issues related to war and peace, on the other, is one of the most intensely debated topics in international relations. Under the framework of "democratic peace," a wide range of theories and models has been presented in the attempt to clarify these links. From the basic nco-Kantian argument that democratic states are less likely to go war against each other, compared to dyads involving at least one non-democratic country, the literature has developed a number of variations and refinements. Some analysts conclude that democratic processes and institutions reduce the proclivity- towards the use of violence in the context of international disputes, and others present evidence that cultural similarities between Western liberal democracies explain the perceived variance in behavior.(1)

While the disputes among the theorists continue, accompanied by the collection and evaluation of the data, a number of attempts have been made to analyze specific regions and international conflicts in terms of "democratic peace" theories, broadly defined. The Middle East "peace process"(2) and the intense debate on democratization (and its absence) in the Islamic world, have also led to studies of the links between democracy, war, and peace in this region.(3) This research has highlighted the role of religion in this equation, resulting in three-sided theories on the links between democracy, religion, and polices with respect to war and peace.

In this context, the case of Israel and the Jewish religion has been largely neglected. Despite its involvement in a bitter and protracted conflict, Israel has developed and maintained a democratic political structure, and the nature of this democracy, as well as its relationship to the Jewish tradition, has been the subject of intense debate. However, the few academic publications relating to Israel in the context of democratic peace and the Middle East have dealt exclusively with secular political institutions and perspectives.(4)

The objective of this article is to explore aspects of Israeli policy with respect to Middle East peace processes in the framework of the Jewish political tradition and its influence on the Israeli polity and government policies. Following an analysis of the nature of democracy in the Jewish tradition and in Israel, we will examine the interaction of the three principle variables--religion, democracy, and policies with respect to war and peace--in terms of the three central approaches to the "land for peace" formula that have developed in the Israeli religious sector.

ISRAELI DEMOCRACY

In considering the relationship between democracy and religion in the Middle East in the context of democratic peace theories, Israel is a unique case.(5) A "Jewish state" (or a state for the Jews) in a region characterized by states in which Islam is the official religion and dominant culture, the political institutions of the modern state of Israel resulted from an uncomfortable synthesis of Jewish tradition and nineteenth-century European philosophy and institutions.

The foundations of the Zionist movement and the modern State of Israel are based on a combination of both ancient...