Israel has a Failed State Index Score Due to the West Bank

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Israel
According to the US-based Failed States Index (FSI), Israel ranks number 67 and is in greater danger of becoming a failed state than the likes of Congo, Cuba and Jordan. Despite Israel’s booming economy, high life expectancy and low unemployment, part of the explanation for its low FSI ranking is the West Bank. According to the Fund for Peace’s methodology, Israel/West Bank is considered one entity when determining its Failed States Index score. The issues Israel/ West Bank scored highest on the FIS were; external intervention (8), factionalized elites (8), human rights (8), group grievance (9.3), and refugees (8). Other sources of Israel's instability stems from the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, inequality, internal breakdown and elite control of law in the judicial system.
History
There is a relatively long history in Israel which is needed to know in order to begin to understand what is happening today. What Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza strip is today was called Palestine prior to 1948. They were part of the Ottoman Empire until near the end of World War One and were then occupied by Britain. The demographics in Palestine was 85% Muslim 9% Christian and 5% Jewish. The State of Israel was formed in May 14, 1948 after the end of the British Mandate. With the establishment of the State of Israel, as much as 170,000 Jewish displaced persons and refugees began streaming into the new sovereign state. On May 15, 1948 Israel was invaded by five Arab states and then began the War of Independence. The following year Armistice agreements were signed with Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. In 1967 Israel won the Six-Day War where Jerusalem and its holy sites came under Jewish control. In the 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty Isra...

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...untries’ shared values, providing years of unparalleled military and diplomatic support. But now those ties are being tested. The Arab Spring, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, failed peace talks, and Israel’s own decision to give Washington the cold shoulder have put new strains on the 65-year-old alliance. Without solving the Occupation, Israel will continue being a failed state. Societal chaos in Palestine can be directly attributed to a conflict in which Israel is at least an equal partner. Accordingly, the U.S. should treat the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a serious menace to America’s safety and move forcefully to end it. As a Civil Affairs team deploying to Israel and trying to meet Department of State, Department of Defense, and USAID’s objectives for the country we should put in place project and programs to help ease tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.

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