Will Israel Survive?

Since it first declared independence six decades ago, Israel has endured constant threats to its existence. Though the Palestinian conflict continues to hold the world's attention, it is in fact only one of the nation's long-term concerns. Aside from terrorists seeking to destroy it, Israel must contend with tensions between secular and religious Jews, the demographic challenges posed by a quickly growing Arab population, internal political divisions, and disputes over the water sources that are critical to its survival. In the face of these many challenges, the country's future can seem precarious indeed.

Mitchell G. Bard is a former editor of The Near East Report, the pre-eminent newsletter on US Middle East policy. He is Executive Director of the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise and the director of the Jewish Virtual Library. He has written and edited 17 nonfiction books, including The Complete History of the Holocaust and Myths and Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict. He lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland.