Why does Israel need to exist?

Answer 1

Israel needs to exist for the same reason many other countries need to exist (I'm sure you can think of a number of them).

But the main reason is to give the Jewish people a safe place, after being persecuted for hundreds of years.

Israel also is one of the leading countries in technology development.

Answer 2

"People", in general, have little use for Israel. Jewish people, in particular, need

Israel because few other political entities in human history have allowed them to

both live there and be Jewish at the same time.

Answer 3

First, let us take a moment to realize how odd this question is. Nobody asks why any other country is necessary. For example, nobody asks if Turkey, Bolivia, or Vietnam are "necessary". That people speak about Israel in this way underlies a different standard being used in reference to Israel and countries other than Israel.

As for why Israel is necessary, it tracks back to Jewish History throughout the world where nearly every regime has seen fit at some point to repress the Jews or exterminate them. Furthermore, Herzl explained quite well that the European concept of a nation-state was dependent on the idea that all of the people in any particular nation were of the same ethnic stock and heritage. Jews were branded by this system to be "the Other" and were regarded at best as possible equals and at worse as traitors, spies, thieves, and fifth columns. When the Dreyfus Affair turned out marches in Paris that said "Death to the Jews" on account of a kangaroo court against a particular guiltless Jew, it became clear that the Jew could not be integrated into Europe. The Holocaust is often seen as the strongest proof that the Jew and the European Nation-State are irreconcilable. Unlike Muslims, who currently suffer from the "Othering" in Europe, Jews cannot return to their countries of origin if the discrimination becomes intolerable. This is why the Jewish State is necessary. Since it came into existence it has accepted Jewish political refugees from over 50 nations and flown missions at its own expense to rescue Jews from at least 10 nations.

It also tracks back to the legitimacy of any ethnic group to have a nation in their historic homeland. Ahad Ha'am explains that the Jewish Soul is intrinsically connected to his history and in the same way that a German-American can never be as properly German as a German in Germany, the People of Israel can never be as properly Jewish if they are not in the Land of Israel. The relics in that land speak to a Jewish sensibility and character. There are also religious reasons as expounded by Rav Avraham Kook which posit that the development of a Jewish State in Israel hastens the arrival of the Messiah.

Answer 4

1) Implicit Right of Existing Countries to Exist: First, we should note how odd this question is. Countries are assumed to have a right to exist by dint of existing in most cases. For example, nobody asks "Why does the USA need to exist?", "Why does Britain need to exist?", etc. They have an assumed right to exist by dint of the fact that they already exist. Israel has this patina, given to it by its detractors, of being an illegitimate country since its population is primarily made of immigrants and their descendants. This is extremely odd since every country in the Americas from Canada to Argentina is exactly this kind of country, yet nobody makes the claim that these countries are illegitimate. Israel is being held to a unique standard that no other country is being held to in this regard and this should be noted.

2) Protection of the Jewish People: Israel serves a primary purpose of being a place where Jews can go when they are being persecuted in their countries of origin. Jews have fled violence and hardship across the Arab World, Europe, Ethiopia, and Latin America to come to Israel and make a life for themselves.

3) Preservation of Jewish Historical Identity: The Land of Israel is the site of numerous relics of the historic Jewish Civilization with numerous religious sites such as the Western Wall, the Kabbalistic Synagogues of Safed, and the Holy City of TIberias. It is also literred with secular Jewish relics such as Herodian Palaces in Caesarea. These buildings and ruins are safeguarded by Israel to preserve the history of the Jewish people. Given the high profile of Jew-hatred in the world, there are innumerable organizations who would wish to re-write or eliminate Jewish Identity from the world, even if they cannot actually kill off the Jewish people.

4) Creating a Space for Jewish Cultural Exploration: Ahad Ha'am explains that the Jewish Soul is intrinsically connected to his history and in the same way that a German-American can never be as properly German as a German in Germany, the People of Israel can never be as properly Jewish if they are not in the Land of Israel. The relics in that land speak to a Jewish sensibility and character.

5) Human Rights Implementation: Israel one of the few countries in the Mieddle East region that has an exhaustive domestic implementation of human rights. Women, gays, ethnic and religious minorities all have the same civil rights as the male Jewish leaders. Israel has has female Prime Ministers, Arab Deputy Ministers and Supreme Court Judges, Mizarahi Jewish and Druze Supreme Generals in the Army, Bedouin War Heroes and Diplomats, and education for all citizens, so that they can all attain success. This kind of unique experiment can serve as a counterpoint to the dictatorships and theocracies in neighboring countries.

6) Jewish Religious Benefits: There are some Jewish religious reasons for the foundation of Israel as expounded by Rav Avraham Kook which posit that the development of a Jewish State in Israel hastens the arrival of the Messiah. They argue that the creation of a Jewish polty will be the first act in a series of acts that will eventually lead to a Jewish Theocracy led by the Messiah at the End of Days.