Israel and India between Democracy and Ultranationalism: Normative Dualism in Deeply Divided Societies

Both India and Israel are often involved in a conflict between their commitment to the major ethnic community of the state and their obligation to treat all citizens equally on the basis of the liberal value of equality, regardless of religion, race or sex. Although each of these states is defined differently – Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and India as a secular democratic state – it is fascinating to note that they both use similar policies to cope with ultranationalist groups. We found that these countries suffer from the same symptom of “normative duality,” which drives the state and its ruling bodies in two opposite directions: an aspiration to protect democracy and equality for all its citizens and a clear tendency toward, and often identification with, nationalist right-wing entities that seek to emphasize the nationalist and exclusive nature of the state. We analyze the ways in which the two states deal with this normative duality by examining the responses of each to ultranationalist right-wing terror attacks and by examining the limitations on participation in politics. We found that despite the major difference between the definitions of the two states, both India and Israel allow partial freedom of action to ultranationalist groups, and a significant gap exists between the declared policy and its implementation.