Holy War in the Holy Land

When we think of a holy war in the Middle East, we usually think of Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims, but there is another controversy going on that many outsiders are unaware of. That is the conflict between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews living within the state of Israel. The conflict is this: the more conservative Orthodox are clashing with the more secular, liberal government of Israel, over issues such as Orthodox Jews putting up signs demanding gender separation in all of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The government ordered that these signs be removed. Another controversy in Israel is the issue of gay rights. Israel has the fourth largest gay pride parade in the world, which has taken place in Tel Aviv since 1999. In response, some Orthodox Jews have resorted to attacking some of the gay demonstrators, and have even been charged with hate crimes. If that were not enough, some members of the Orthodox community are upset with a popular new television show in Israel which they claim misrepresents their culture. It depicts scenes of lack of intimacy, spousal abuse and homophobia. One Orthodox rabbi even compared the government of Israel to the government of Nazi Germany. 

So, the question is, which form of Judaism will win out? Right now, it seems like the secularists have the power, but like many fundamentalists, the Orthodox community has large numbers of children, and many people are afraid that they could turn Israel in a much more right-wing direction in the future. I guess only time will tell in this sectarian struggle.