Can you expand on this? I've heard it discussed that aspects of Jewish teaching lend themselves to a socialist interpretation, although I'm not up on specifics.
Essentially, classical Zionism, as expressed by Ben Gurion and his cronies, was not directly based on religion. As a matter of fact, it was explicitly antireligious. The goal of the Classical Zionists was not merely to establish a Jewish society in Israel, but a
socialist Jewish Society.
The tip of the spear of the Zionist movement has been historically composed of people like Borochov (Poalei Zion) and Ben-Gurion.
The people have ruled Israel exclusively for the first several decades of its existence. During their rule, they established the following:
1. Practical state monopoly on education (no, this is not my paranoid fantasy.
Current Minister of Education Yulia Tamir has stated she will not keep a blind eye to the opening of private educational institutions.
2. Insane taxes (at one time, government expenditures exceeded 80% of the GDP), and now amount to
only 53%
3. Nationalisation of the Electric company.
4. A state monopoly on weapons of self-defense, as embodied in the Altalena incident.
5. A prohibition of privately owned nationwide radio [to this day].
6. A state monopoly on TV broadcasting (up to the 1990s).
7. Nationalisation of all banking (later reversed)
8. State funding of the kibbutz movement and of the Working and Learning Youth (an organization that is still publicly funded, despite its association with the Socialist International).
9. Mandatory medical insurance.
10. A ban on homeschooling (in practice if not in law).
11. State ownership over 90% or more of all land.
Need I continue?
