Israel is definitely a democracy, but it's an illiberal democracy (due to Arab and Muslim citizens being effectively second class citizens). Tunisia, then, might be the closest thing to a "liberal democracy" in the Middle East
Israel is probably the world's most successful *illiberal* democracy, and it demonstrates that illiberalism can actually be both sustainable and successful
It's no accident that right-wing populists and illiberal democrats across the globe see Israel as a model. In my recent trip to Germany interviewing AfD politicians and supporters, Israel repeatedly came up as an example to emulate. Bibi is their spirit animal, basically
To the extent that Trump has a special relationship with Bibi (as opposed to say Angela Merkel), it's at least in part because of a shared disdain for liberal norms and a shared disrespect for minority rights
