Israel's standing as a democracy among other western countries is subject to much scrutiny in light of the unique and trying conditions under which it exists. Much of this scrutiny comes from Israel itself, which is committed to maintaining the highest international standards set by other democratic systems. Two of the greatest challenges to its commitment to adhere to these standards are its security concerns and the multifaceted nature of its society. Israel is one of the very few recognized democracies that faces constant challenge by nationalist minorities, ethnic groups and various religious factions.

Many of Israel's citizens emigrated from or have personal links with democratic countries. While Israel's immediate neighbors are authoritarian or totalitarian regimes, most Israelis identify with the culture and norms of the West. Israel's achievements in the fields of science, technology, sports, and others are clear demonstrations of the fact that Israel ranks high alongside the more well established, stable and progressive democratic states in the world. Whether Israel manages to successfully uphold fundamental democratic ideals in its surrounding environment, and whether its public believes that these ideals are being fairly achieved, is the subject of the "Democracy Index", a comparative survey initiated by the Guttman Center in the Israel Democracy Institute.

The Index measures various democratic components in Israel against a number of internationally accepted principal indicators that characterize a democracy in terms of its representational aspect and by the norms and values that accompany this type of political system. The Index ranks Israel's democratic features against those of 35 other established democracies, as well as its standing among its own public.

In the survey, Israel fared favorably on the institutional aspects of democracy, where it ranks among such countries as Denmark, Holland and Finland. These aspects include representation, participation, amount of perceived corruption, checks and balances and accountability. Israel receives high marks in the area of
representation and ranks sixth out of the 35 countries in regard to its system of checks and balances. In spite of the decrease in voting participation over recent years, Israelis still turn out to participate in the electoral process in fairly high numbers as compared to other democratic countries.

Affected by its security concerns and the unique challenge it faces in that regard, Israel ranks in the middle third of countries in terms of social rights and equality (together with such countries as the United States and England) and in issues relating to the integration of military activity and politics. In areas unrelated to social composition or security, such as economic and gender freedoms, Israel is ranked in the top third (for example, Israel ranks alongside England, Spain, Argentina, Ireland and the United States in the area of gender empowerment).

In the categories of human rights, equal rights of minorities, and freedom of the press, Israel does not rank as high. In these categories, Israel is within the range of other democracies in its protection of these values, but falls short of reaching the high standard that it has set for itself. The Index also noted a higher turnover rate in the Israeli government than in other democratic systems.

On the other hand, Israel has proved adept in preserving its democratic character while under fire. As a result of living under almost constant duress, fear and continuous threats and acts of violence, Israeli democracy has evolved in a manner that enables it to remain intact under almost impossible conditions. Notwithstanding the physical and other assaults on the state that test its democratic nature, Israel remains committed to achieving the highest standard of democratic involvement.

Israel's success is based on the commitment of its leaders and citizens to preserving a democratic way of life and its striving to adhere to those values and ideas that characterize life in a democratic society.

The Index also measures Israeli perception of and satisfaction with the democratic makeup of the state. The fact that the latest survey noted a decrease in satisfaction in this area can be viewed as a positive indication of the public's desire to strive for a more fully developed and progressive democracy. In this respect, Israel's rating in terms of public satisfaction with its quality of democracy stands alongside Spain, Sweden, Bulgaria and Poland.

An increased sensitivity by Israeli society to substantive aspects of democracy such as equality and social justice, individual freedoms, human rights and freedom of expression, can be taken as a sign that the Israeli attitude towards these liberties is becoming more finely honed and is helping to shape how society perceives the level of democracy in the country. This trend can be seen from the growing awareness and concern expressed by the public about the status of minorities, particularly the Arab sector, and the weaker elements of society. Those surveyed expressed greater concern than in a previous survey, not only vis-a-vis the status of the Arab minority, but also about the social and economic disparity between various groups and classes in the general population as well.

A public opinion survey was also conducted among the younger population, in part, to gain a sense of what can be expected from the next generation. Encouragingly, the survey found that Israeli youth are likely to be more satisfied than the adult population with the nation's political institutions and the function of democracy in Israel. The younger generation also displays greater awareness of liberties and anti-democratic tendencies, such as restrictions on the freedom of expression. Accordingly, democracy appears to be increasingly viewed as an intrinsic and valued way of life for Israel, and therefore likely to be safeguarded in the future.

Professor Asher Arian is a Senior Fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute in Jerusalem and Director of the National Security Policy and Public Opinion Project at the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University. He is a Distinguished Professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center and Professor of Political Science at the University of Haifa. He is also the author of books on politics and democracy.

The Israel Democracy Institute is an independent non-partisan research institute that was established for the purpose of assisting in strengthening Israel's democratic institutions and shaping its values, which are still in a formative stage.