THE GOVERNMENT CLOSED down opposition newspapers. Citizens were persecuted on religious grounds. Anyone who initiated contacts with members of organizations not approved by the government would be sent to prison. These are not the '30s in Western Europe, these are the '80s. And all of this is happening in Israel.

Recent events in Israel belie the country's image as a modern democracy. On June 24, the Minister of Interior decided to take active measures against citizens thought to be spoiling the Jewish identity of the country. From then on, identity cards will specify if the bearer is a "real" Jew or merely converted. In the lines usually specifying nationality, the words "Jewish (converted)" will appear.

This measure is intended to stop the wave of Americans who convert to Judaism and then move to Israel. Their fault is to have joined Reformed temples. They will not be allowed to become Israeli citizens unless they reconvert.

A few weeks later, on August 6, in the Kenesset, the Israeli parliament, socialist legislators voted against an anti-racism law that they themselves had proposed earlier. The final version of the law was very different from the original draft. The religious parties forced through a more lenient version because the old text conflicted with parts of the Jewish Law that prohibit marriages between Jews and non-Jews.

As a consequence, Israeli rabbis will continue to refuse to perform marriages unless both the bride and the groom are Jewish. This poses a problem in a country where there are no civil marriages.

THE SAME DAY the anti-racism law was passed, the Parliament approved another controversial law. Israeli citizens who have contacts with groups the government dislikes are now liable for prosecution and risk up to seven years in jail. Only certain forms of press conferences and international meetings are allowed to take place.

By restricting free speech the Israeli government also created serious obstacles to the peace process. The law is clearly designed to stop even the talks between some Israelis and moderate members of the PLO. Such meetings are the only possibility to involve the Palestinian people in the peace process.

A week later Israeli authorities closed down two left wing newspapers, invoking laws dating from the British mandate. The editors were guilty of publishing articles opposing the government. The two newspapers were published by Arabs and supported the Palestinian cause.

THE UNITED STATES has shown a disturbing tendency to overlook the Israeli government's increasingly antidemocratic activities in the interest of "strategic cooperation." True, Israel is the United States' staunchest ally in the region, and abuses are hardly as serious as in other countries in the Middle East. But we should expect better from a state founded in response to intolerance--one that for so long was a model of principled government.

Instead, the Israeli government is becoming less tolerant. For the past several years the state of Israel has been criticized by Amnesty International for violating human rights. Any recent issue of the Amnesty International Report has several pages on Israel. The authoritative publication lists several charges: the imprisonment of prisoners of conscience, arbitrary arrest and detention, imprisonment of citizens with no charge or trial and allegations of torture.

What is happening in the country long considered the only bastion of democracy in the Middle East? The institution created to protect the Jewish people is actually promoting discrimination against Jews. The religious parties are trying to transform Israel into a theocracy. Efforts toward peace are being stymied.

Authoritarian approaches do not lead to lasting political solutions. Israeli leaders must adopt a different attitude toward dissent or betray the democratic ideals on which their nation was founded. The U.S. can back Israel without backing intolerance and oppression. American influence in Israel is enormous. It should support more democracy, not less.