Reply #167: Yes, it's a Jewish state - but that means that it offers automatic refuge to all Jews who wish to

[LeftishBrit]

immigrate. Indeed, they do not have to be religious Jews, or even meet traditional criteria for Jewish ethnicity. E.g. people who have a Jewish grandparent on their father's side can immigrate, even if their mother is not Jewish. The criterion is basically that anyone who would have been considered as a 'Jew' by Hitler is eligible for Israeli citizenship, as the primary purpose is to provide automatic refuge.

Can a non-Jew be a member of the government? Certainly. There are a number of Arab members of the Knesset; most but not all from specifically Arab parties. There are also some Druze members from all parts of the political spectrum. Majalli Wahabi, a Kadima MK and deputy speaker, was briefly, in 2007, the first Druze (and first non-Jewish) Acting President of Israel.

Considering that non-Jews constitute at least 20 percent of the Israeli population, they are seriously under-represented in government - but they are represented.