Is criticism of Israel on issues of rights, pluralism, equality and minorities justified given the historic and regional context of the state?

Essay from the year 2006 in the subject Politics - Region: Near East, Near Orient, grade: 1,7, Ben Gurion University (Middle East Institute), course: Society and Politics in Israel, language: English, abstract: This essay analyses the criticism of Israel on issues of rights, pluralism, equality and minorities. It views issues, such as the 1948 war, the traetment of Misrachi Jews and raises the question if a Jewish state is racist and colonialistic and excludes minorities, such as Arab Israelis. It aims to show that the criticism of the so-called 'New Historians' is partly justified in its content but ignores the historical and regional context of Israel.