The two edges of the Gordian Knot: religion, nationalism, and citizenship in Israel

Book section : Chapter

This chapter explores the intricate relationship between religion and nationalism in Israel, focusing on the institutional, legal, and societal roles of religion in the formation of Israeli society. Through historical analysis from the British Mandate era to contemporary legislation, it demonstrates how religion serves as both an external and internal gatekeeper for Jewish Israeli collective identity while marginalizing Palestinians. The chapter identifies five pivotal moments: the establishment of the Chief Rabbinate (1921), the Status Quo Letter (1947), the creation of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interior, early legislation including the Law of Return and Absentees’ Property Law (1950), and recent laws such as the Nakba Law (2011) and Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People (2018). The chapter reveals that Judaism operates as a hegemonic religion, serving national purposes for Jewish Israelis, while Islam is reframed as a tool for depoliticizing and denationalizing Israeli Palestinian citizens. This dual epistemological formation creates a Gordian knot between religion, nationalism, and citizenship, establishing Israel as a unique case where national and colonial framings of religion merge under the same institutional framework, ultimately maintaining Jewish supremacy and Palestinian exclusion from full civic participation.

Authors: Borabeck, D

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Host title: The Wiley Companion to Religion, Politics, and Nations
• Pages: 153-166
• Chapter number: 10
• Publication date: 2026-01-02
• Edition: 1
• DOI: 10.1002/9781394240548.ch10
• EISBN: 9781394240548
• ISBN: 9781394240517
• Language: English
• Keywords: Ministry of Interior; Chief Rabbinate; Muslim and Druze Department; British policy; colonial citizenship; Orthodox Rabbinate; personal status; national and colonial forming; Jewish–Zionist nationhood; Halakha
• Subtype: Chapter