This study examines the main developments in Israeli political discourse regarding citizenship and civic education. Specifically, how civics high-school textbooks reflect these changes. We focus particularly on the tensions inherent in Israel`s dual identities as a Jewish and as a democratic State. We highlight three issues: 1) the justifications for Israel`s establishment, as shown in its Declaration of Independence; 2) different positions regarding the optimal proportions of Judaism and democracy; 3) the effects of the new "nation-state" law. This study uses the hermeneutic-interpretative method to analyze texts written in newspapers, textbooks, and the official Ministry of Education documents published between 1995 to 2001 and from 2005 to the present. The baseline for comparative analysis will be educational and constitutional Israeli documents from the State`s founding in 1948.
Findings indicate that from the mid-1990s, more liberal ideas and terms, such as multiculturalism and human rights, that encourage greater civilian participation in the political process, are found in the civics curriculum and textbooks.
From the mid-2010s, we see increasing evidence of ethnonational and republican discourse and an emphasis on the Jewish people`s right to land and the State`s Jewish character. The documents also suggest a growing need for the Ministry to justify Israel`s policies via its authorized books. Thus, in some cases, republican speech replaces ethnonational ideals. However, the liberal tone of the Ministry of Education is still observed, both in the political rhetoric in official documents and authorized civics textbooks.