How did Israel arrive at its fateful crossroads, and where does it go from here?

From its inception, the State of Israel has risen as a refuge—a home for a nation reborn, with a promise of justice, ethics, and equality for all native people. But as it enters its third consecutive year at war, at a time when its legal institutions are under attack and political scrutiny abounds, one cannot help but wonder: How did Israel transform from a cradle of community, innovation, and a shared sense of wealth and prosperity—to a divided nation on the cusp of a constitutional crisis?

To answer the most burning question in today’s geopolitical landscape, we must first understand how modern Israel came to be: the unwinnable wars of choice, the influx of religious zeal, and the growing inequality between its diverse cultures that overturned its peaceful democratic ideals.
Reviewing Israel’s greatest social issues of the past decades, attorney and social activist Levi Isaac Cohen sheds new light on modern Israel’s defining moments:
The social, judicial, and economic prejudice between its secular and religious communities.
The evolution of the Jewish nationalist-messianic movement from minority extremists to a political consensus-making powerhouse.
The criminal trials of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and their implications for the justice system.
Distancing of global allies and Jewish diaspora communities in favor of local extremist groups.

Like no other book in 2025, Critical State summarizes the historical turning points that led modern Israel to its existential crossroads. From the Zionist movement of the 19th century to the assassination of PM Yitzhak Rabin, the occupation of the West Bank and October 7th, Cohen draws a clear line to the degradation of Israel’s moral foundations, the failure of its security, and the critical state of its democracy.

Levi Isaac Cohen
Levi Isaac Cohen was born in Israel to a family deeply rooted in the country’s history—his father was Israeli-born, while his mother and paternal grandparents immigrated to Palestine: his mother from Austria in 1939, and his grandparents from Ukraine in 1923. He received his education at the Reali School in Haifa and later studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as well as at other universities in Israel. Over the course of his career, he authored dozens of professional legal articles. He went on to have a distinguished legal career as a practicing attorney, achieving notable success across a wide range of fields.