Local Communities and the Israeli Polity: Conflict of Values and Interests

This book represents the first systematic effort to analyze the role of local communities and regions in Israel's national politics. Traditionally portrayed as either elitist and highly centralized, or as pluralistic with very active interest groups, Israeli politics have seldom accounted for local and regional forces.

The authors demonstrate the growing importance of these communities in the politics of the country. Their analyses are based on the concept of "spatial sector," and eight sectors are covered: The West Bank and Gaza Strip Arabs, Israeli Arabs, development towns, renewal neighborhoods, religious neighborhoods, Gush Emunim settlements, kibbutzim and moshavim, and Jerusalem.

Efraim Ben-Zadok is Associate Professor of Public Administration and Co-Director of the Florida-Israel Institute at Florida Atlantic University. He has published many journal articles and book chapters about local and regional issues in Israel.