The Hebrew word mamlakhtiyut (approx.: acting in accordance with the requirements of the state, raison d’état, reason of state) was coined by David Ben-Gurion (1886–1973) and applies to the conditions of the functionality of a sovereign state, its modus operandi, and the civic consciousness of its citizens. The concept of polity linked to this term dominated the political debates in the Yishuv during the 1930s and during the early years of the State of Israel. …