Ashkenazi vs. Mizrahi: The Political struggle over Israel's past and future

Israel's political struggle between right-wing and left-wing parties may seem like a normal political conflict, but it carries within it a deep crisis over the identity and future of Israel.

Since 1948, the Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe and the United States, precisely the elite among them, founded the Zionist state. Then, Jewish migration from Middle Eastern and North African countries to Israel began, and they were known as Mizrahi Jews or Eastern Jews.

The Ashkenazi leadership, based in coastal cities such as Tel Aviv and Haifa, marginalized the Mizrahi Jews and settled them in rural areas and distant settlements with difficult living conditions.

The Ashkenazi elite has always been left-leaning and liberal-minded, with their goal always being to find a permanent solution to conflicts. This was demonstrated by the rise of Yitzhak Rabin, the bearer of the peace project, to the position of prime minister. However, he was assassinated by the extreme right.

On the other hand, the rise of Netanyahu and the Jewish right came with the support of Mizrahi Jews or Jews of Arab and Middle Eastern origin. Netanyahu succeeded in attracting them by developing and expanding settlements.

The irony of the support of Jews of Arab origin for the most hostile parties towards Arabs is explained by geography. These Jews who were forced to leave their lands in Arab countries and migrate to the entity are the same inhabitants of settlements in close proximity to Arabs.

Regarding demographics, births among Ashkenazi Jews have declined, and Mizrahi Jews now make up the Jewish majority at nearly 60 percent. Between them, there are Orthodox religious Jews and Jews of African origin, and Arab-Israelis now make up 25 percent of Israeli citizenship.

In Israel's political field, the extremist Jewish Ben Gvir and Netanyahu represent the Mizrahi Jews. In contrast, Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid, who come from Hungarian-European origins, represent the Ashkenazi elite in their proposals that mimic the West. These two political lines do not converge, and even if they do, demographics will remain a barrier between them.

Israel is at a dangerous crossroads. So, will demographics overturn politics, or will politics undermine the numbers game?