Articles

Is Israeli democracy in danger? 

Prof. Amichai Cohen, Senior Fellow at the IDI's Center for Security and Democracy and Adv. Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz, Director of the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for Shared Society join in a lively discussion hosted by The Times of Israel, delving into all sides of the looming High Court override clause proposal.  

Prof. Alan Dershowitz in conversation with Dr. Jesse Ferris at IDI’s Judicial Reform Conference 2022.

Why is the override clause at the heart of the forthcoming coalition's agenda and how does this relate to civil rights in Israel? Prof. Suzie Navot, Vice President of the Israel Democracy Institute explains the role of the Supreme Court in Israel's democratic system in just over two minutes.

Security and Democracy Conference 2022 Summary Reel with English Subtitles

Israel’s new government has been sworn in and it seems that the electoral crisis of the last four years has come to an end. The last election saw the rise of the National Religious Party and the two ultra-Orthodox parties and their representatives are expected to hold key positions in the new cabinet. Join Israel Democracy Institute President Yohanan Plesner and Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz, Director of IDI’s Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for Shared Society, in conversation with Dr. Jesse Ferris, Vice President of Strategy, as they analyze what led to this election result and what it may mean for Israel’s future.

After five elections and several years of instability, Benjamin Netanyahu will soon be Israel’s prime ministership once again, backed by the most conservative coalition in the state’s history, with two far-right parties in his cabinet. What are the implications be for Israel’s judicial system, conflict with the Palestinians, international standing and relationship with the United States?

Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, and Jacob Kornbluh, the Forward’s senior political correspondent, in conversation with Editor-in-Chief Jodi Rudoren to parse the election results and share behind-the-scenes insights about what the next government portends.

Despite a clear majority of seats in the Knesset for Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition, the number of votes cast in the 2022 elections in Israel was almost equal between the factions. How is this possible?
Israel's electoral process is one of proportional representation and includes a 3.25% threshold. Find out what role this played in determining election results and how it differs from the American electoral college system.

Vocational training in Israel used to be a success story, but lack of funding and management has severely compromised its effectiveness. Dr. Eitan Regev explains how this in turn impairs productivity and wages and what should be done to improve this important program.

Secular studies should be incorporated into the curriculum in ultra-Orthodox schools for boys, says Dr. Gilad Malach. It is vital to the future of Israeli economy and society and can be done without compromising Torah study.

The labor market is undergoing dramatic changes - is Israel ready?

How are judges appointed in Israel? Who sits on the committee? And why is it so important to maintain the balance between judicial independence and democratic accountability in the appointing process? Tune in to learn more with Dr. Guy Lurie

The Ministerial Committee for Legislation is one of the most important ministerial committees in Israel but is not required to function in a transparent manner - it is time to change that.

The new reality in Israel in 2018 is complicated. The Israeli public is divided into two political blocs—the Right and the Center-Left- and they are at odds with each other in their understanding of the essence of democracy. Nevertheless, it seems that the many Israelis who define themselves as “Centrist” may take on the new task of identifying a common denominator between these two groups.

In response to a proposal by the Minister of Culture to make government funding of the arts contingent on a ministerial assessment of loyalty to the state, a number of Israeli cultural icons came together to illustrate the absurdity of the proposal.

The current parliamentary system in Israel is not too different from what happens at tenant meetings; it's almost impossible for decisions to be reached. With no clear majority, everyone looks out for their own narrow interests. The two largest political parties in Israel combined, don't even make up half of the seats in the Knesset, making Israeli politics a battlefield for the advancement of narrow sectorial interests. It's impossible to run a state like this!

In wake of Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman's surprise resignation yesterday, the country seems headed to elections. We must put an end to this political instability. This is not a question of left vs. right: establishing a system with two large political parties will encourage both to move closer to the center and represent the interests of Israeli society as a whole

Daphna Aviram-Nitzan and her team at IDI set out 18 months ago to resolve some of the heavy bureaucratic and regulatory burden with which the business sector must contend when establishing new manufacturing plants and doing business in Israel. The result is the “Regulatory One-Stop-Shop for Investors”, which was adopted in August 2018 by the government to improve the ease of doing business in Israel.

There is a glaring gap between the tremendous promise of Israel’s innovating workforce and the antiquated laws that constrain its productivity. In this video, IDI Senior Fellow Prof. Yotam Margalit proposes a series of changes to Israeli labor law, including new mechanisms for flexible working arrangements that will benefit both employers and employees.

Nasreen Hadad Haj-Yahya’s research finds that shared work spaces in Israel benefit both Jews and Arabs alike. Moreover, working together reduces alienation, erodes stereotypes, and contributes to the Israeli economy.

Alice Miller describes how the High Court of Justice helped change women’s military service and improve gender equality in the IDF

Attorney Yoav Laloum relates how by petitioning the High Court of Justice he was able to stop ethnic separation in ultra-Orthodox educational institutions

Ilil Leder, relates how she was able to achieve equality in education for her daughter and all special needs children with the help of the High Court of Justice

Batya Katar describes how she was able to make the state allocate the necessary budget to shield classrooms against rockets through the intervention of the High Court of Justice

 The “Regulatory Roadmap for Investors” was initiated against the backdrop of the heavy bureaucratic and regulatory burden with which the business sector must contend when establishing new manufacturing plants and doing business in Israel.

Ron Huldai, Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality: "The establishment of the Democracy Pavilion is an impressive demonstration of Israeli democracy. Only in a democratic society can freedom and tolerance co-exist. This is what allows the opposing sectors of Israeli society to live side by side." The Democracy Pavilion is located at the start of the Independence Trail in Tel Aviv and is open to the public free of charge. 

The nation state law is the "identity law" of the state, and this will have a revolutionary significance, since democracy is not mentioned in it.

In recent years we have seen one Prime Minister, several ministers and numerous mayors charged and convicted on corruption. But most people enter politics for idealistic reasons and with good intentions. So what went wrong?