AHC: An Israeli Monarchy?

A while ago, I made this thread about the possibility of King Faisal of Iraq and Syria becoming "King of Israel." This is certainly one of the more outlandish scenarios, I realise. But this got me thinking -- what if the State of Israel, founded in 1948, became a monarchy? I honestly can't think of a reason for this to be the case, but that's your challenge.

What would be the royal dynasty of the restored Kingdom of Israel? Would the Baron Rothschild become king? How about the Sassoon family of Iraq, in an attempt to cultivate regional relations? Or would it be more important that the King of Israel be of the Tribe of Judah, like David and Solomon? Or some other case entirely?

How would the royal family establish its legitimacy? What affect does this have on Israel's fate on the world's stage? How would Arab states respond? At the time Israel was founded OTL, most of the region was ruled by monarchs, but there were also anti-monarchist movements like Baathism or the Free Officers.

Anyway, it's up to you. Have fun :)
 
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Marc

Donor
The only acceptable Jewish King would be the Messiah.
And he died at Auschwitz.
 
But this got me thinking -- what if the State of Israel, founded in 1948, became a monarchy? I honestly can't think of a reason for this to be the case, but that's your challenge.

Doesn't seem impossible or ASB. The zionists went so far as to resurrect the hebrew language of ancient Israel. Why not its original form of government--monarchy? I don't know who would be king, maybe ben Gurion, later Dayan.

What affect does this have on Israel's fate on the world's stage?

One potential drawback is that, unless a monarchy is a constitutional/parliamentary one, it would be a propaganda liability. For may years in the OTL, Israel sought to justify western/US support by pointing out it was the only democracy in the region.


How would Arab states respond? At the time Israel was founded OTL, most of the region was ruled by monarchs, but there were also anti-monarchist movements like Baathism or the Free Officers.

The arabs would've opposed Israel no matter what system it had.
 
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How would the royal family establish its legitimacy?

Depending on the type of monarchy and who sits on the throne, the royal family could establish it's legitimacy by attempting to make Israel as Jewish as possible. In our timeline, while Israel proclaims itself to be a state where the Jews are the only ones who deserve self-determination (see their most recent Basic Law), it doesn't go out of it's way to oppress or seek conflict with non-Jewish minorities like Christians or Muslims (the Palestinians are an entirely different ballpark) and is a functioning democracy. If we're talking about a Jewish royal family, they are bound to claim their right to rule comes from God, which doesn't bode well for a country claiming to be a democracy. It could be a constitutional monarchy where the monarch still claims the right to rule comes from God, but only goes as far as presiding over Jewish religious ceremonies or something to that effect and leaves the gentiles alone, but I see radicals within the Zionist movement using a Jewish royal family as a opportunity to make Israel a distinctly Jewish nation with no room for gentiles (see the group known as Lehi)
 
The arabs would've opposed Israel no matter what system it had.

I don't mean "would the Arabs have supported Israel" -- obviously, they wouldn't have. I mean "how would the Arabs have responded to their own monarchies?" Would the existence of an Israeli royal family impacted the legitimacy of the Hashemites, as Arab states sought to separate themselves from anything remotely Israeli?
 

Marc

Donor
Maybe some kind of coup made by followers of Ginsburgh?

What?

Think about the overarching role that rabbinic Judaism has played in Jewish society for the past two thousand years; think about the consequences of the Holocaust on Jewish hearts and minds.
 

Marc

Donor
...still not following.

May I suggest then:

War Against the Jews, by Lucy Davidowicz
The Making of Modern Zionism: The Intellectual Origins of the Jewish State, by Shlomo Avineri
History of the Jews, by Heinrich Hirsch Graetz (Old but still the core reading).
 
May I suggest then:

War Against the Jews, by Lucy Davidowicz
The Making of Modern Zionism: The Intellectual Origins of the Jewish State, by Shlomo Avineri
History of the Jews, by Heinrich Hirsch Graetz (Old but still the core reading).

Who died in Auschwitz who could have been King of Israel?
 
I don't mean "would the Arabs have supported Israel" -- obviously, they wouldn't have. I mean "how would the Arabs have responded to their own monarchies?" Would the existence of an Israeli royal family impacted the legitimacy of the Hashemites, as Arab states sought to separate themselves from anything remotely Israeli?

That's a bit of a stretch.
 
May I suggest then:

War Against the Jews, by Lucy Davidowicz
The Making of Modern Zionism: The Intellectual Origins of the Jewish State, by Shlomo Avineri
History of the Jews, by Heinrich Hirsch Graetz (Old but still the core reading).
Can you just tell me who died that means nobody can be the messiah anymore? I am sure they are excellent books, but this shouldn't be a question which relies on having to read lengthy tomes when a straightforward answer is appropriate.
 

Marc

Donor
Can you just tell me who died that means nobody can be the messiah anymore? I am sure they are excellent books, but this shouldn't be a question which relies on having to read lengthy tomes when a straightforward answer is appropriate.

The Messiah died in Auschwitz is used as a metaphor for a profound loss of faith for many Jews (and for some Christian theologians as well).
 
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