Israel is currently one of its region's most outstanding nations. In an Arab and Muslim – hence "Oriental" geography, Israel is neither Arab nor Muslim, but also neither Eastern nor Western. Israel has some conditions while it is being imagined at the intellectual stage, or when it is being built on the theoretical plane, based on this originality.

Two key ideas lie at the core of the idea of Israel: The "exile" pattern is one of them, while the "divine selection" motif is another. One of the most symbolic effects of being Israeli even today is the exile of the Israelites from their homeland. When the Israelites were driven from their homeland by pharaonic Egypt and the Persian Empire, the tale of the Hebrews officially began. One of the most obvious signs of Jewish culture is being in exile, away from home.

The entire theological tradition of Israel is shaped by the presumption that the people of Israel were chosen. Also, the idea of the "chosen people" influences every aspect of a typical Jew's thoughts and behavior. The implications of this occurrence in terms of group psychology are extremely clear. The Jew considers himself to be only subject to God's judgment because being Israeli entails being a part of a chosen people.

Although the notions of election and exile are central to Jewish culture and identity, because of these two themes, the Israelis regarded their centuries-long absence from their homeland as a religious and extraterrestrial mission. The Torah declares that "This land, from the river of Egypt to the big river, to the Euphrates," was promised to the Jews. The desire to one day return to this land thus made it necessary to be an Israeli.

Israel outside

The idea of Israel is a concept constructed "outside" because its members reside outside the "promised land." In the distinctive setting of medieval Europe, many themes and customs in the deeply ingrained legacy of Judaism were developed. Although Judaism places its "solidity" and "ancientness" in its roots in the Palestinian territories, from which it has been exiled for millennia, this mythical image does not match reality. Moreover, Jewish identity, like other Semitic categories, is shaped by patterns imagined by outsiders as opposed to its own constituents.

Jewish stereotypes have been ingrained in the common European mind since the Middle Ages. This conventional identity conforms to an ideal design that has long been established in Europe: Wealthy, frugal, skilled in handicrafts, yet obviously "different" because of its hereditary traits. Several individuals who made significant contributions to intellectual and cultural advancement during the Middle Ages originated from the separated Jewish communities in different regions of Europe. Jewish thinkers like Maimonides, Rashi, Nahbanides and Rashbam had a significant impact on medieval Europe's intellectual landscape and helped to shape not only the Jewish tradition from which they descended but also the entirety of European culture. Spinoza, a Sephardic Jew from the Netherlands who was excommunicated at 24, is probably the most well-known example of this school.

The Jewish community in Baghdad, especially in translation activities, made very important contributions to the development of Islamic civilization and, due to being from the "People of the Book," they took place in an elite/legitimate category within the Muslim empire.

Anti-Semitism and Semitism

Early modern Europe's gradual move from a theological and philological perspective of the "other" to a more "rational" one had many effects, but the concretization of the concept of "race" was one of the most significant. Since the end of the 18th century, all Semitic communities, especially Jews, have been actively sidelined while Europeans have turned to Aryan origin myths to justify the "superiority" of their own people. Although it also affects the Turks, who are not Semites but are very "Oriental," and the Arabs, another Semitic people, this "practice of othering" has had a greater impact on Jews, who have long been a part of European civilization but who are still seen as "others" because of their religion and other inherited traits.

Europe experiences a steady rise in institutionalized anti-Semitism that eventually leads to the Nazis' operations. Jew refers to the "absolute other" that needs to be kept out of society for European "imaginary communities" that have started to nationalize. On the other hand, this procedure also entails the interpretation of Jewish identity in a manner appropriate for the demands of the contemporary and modern day. The Zionist movement and the Yiddish-based Hebrew Renaissance, which have their roots mostly in Eastern European Jewish communities, both seek to give Judaism a more distinct national flavor.

Zionism is the practice of applying Judaism to Israel as a contemporary nation-state. The Zionist movement will give rise to the idea that a national language and national geography are the primary requirements for being a nation in the modern sense. Through European academics and politicians, Zionist thinking was theoretically established and constructed as an ideal phenomenon. In some ways, this represents the transition from anti-Semitism to the Semitic movement Zionism while also supporting the ideal Jewish identity as one that is Western rather than Eastern.

By the close of World War I, there was a major emphasis on the idea of a homeland that sprang from Europe in the fabled geography depicted in the Holy Book and that would be dependent on it in terms of politics and culture. Its essential tenets are now obvious. As the Ottoman Empire fell, the Middle East essentially became a blank slate, giving England and France, the two primary colonial powers in this region, unrestricted influence. The Sykes-Picot and Balfour Declaration, two crucial agreements from 1915 and 1917, laid the groundwork for Palestine, a predominantly Muslim and Christian region, to become the homeland of the Jewish people.

Jewish versus Israeli

Young Arab nation-states resisted the state of Israel's establishment in Palestine after the British colonial administration ended in 1947, mostly to maintain their legitimacy in the eyes of their own populations. Despite all the contradictions it contained, Israel's presence in the region was de facto maintained because of the Arab-Israeli wars of 1948, 1967 and 1973.

The biggest contradiction is related to the type of political system Israel currently has. Israel seems to be one of the few parliamentary democracies in the Middle East, at least on the surface. However, in this context, it is necessary to give the example of the "judicial reform" proposed by the country's most right-wing coalition in January, led by Premier Benjamin Netanyahu, which would limit the powers of the judiciary and give the government a say in judicial appointments. This controversial judicial regulation has also caused the public to take to the streets, and violent protests have been ongoing for weeks.

It is also important to mention the "rights" that Israel theoretically grants to its Arab minority. Due to these "rights," Israel is acknowledged even in the literature as a multicultural nation. On the other hand, because of the ignorance of another group, this issue still appears to be a knot that cannot be untied.

The secular and national ideal is the theoretical foundation for the present conception of Israel. Hence, being Israeli places one step above belonging to any other race or faith. The hazy distinctions between being Jewish and being Israeli become even more complicated at this stage. For instance, the distinction between being Jewish and Israeli is obvious due to the minority status of the African Jewish community (Falashas), which was transferred to Israel from Ethiopia in a significant operation in 1984 and whose membership is estimated to be over 100,000 today.

Being Israeli in principle entails belonging to the state of Israel, but in reality, it is the same as being Jewish. According to Bernard Lewis, "A Jew can be an agnostic or even an atheist and still pass inspection in the modern nation-state of Israel. Yet if someone changes his faith, he is no longer considered Jewish in every way by the government, the law, and the vast majority of people."