Israel's Society Divided at 75.
Israel, which has undergone major societal transformations during its 75 years of existence, is facing deepening divisions. The socialist ideals of some of the founding fathers have given way to greater economic liberalism and a more multicultural society. Israel's population has risen twelvefold since 1948, reaching 9.7 million, with the Jewish majority accounting for 7.1 million, while there are two million Arabs and the remaining residents are largely non-Jewish immigrants. The political identity of Israeli youth has been forged by the "infiltration of the ministry of education by the religious right for decades," and there has been a shift in political opinion to the right in recent years.