Articles

In Haredi society, the question of whether or not to follow IDF Home Front Command instructions can sometimes be far from straightforward. The Haredi leadership needs to speak up clearly and uniformly and call for full obedience to these instructions.

Over three-quarters of the Jewish public supports continuing the war, while among Arabs, only 19% support it – this marks a decline in both publics since the first week of the war. Among both Jews and Arabs, Operation Roaring Lion has improved assessments of the level of solidarity in Israeli society as a whole. Both Jews and Arabs think that Iran’s resilience has proven to be somewhat stronger or much stronger than anticipated by the operation’s planners.

A bill seeking to expand the powers of religious courts and to allow them to arbitrate in civil disputes passed into law. What does the law say, what are the implications for fundamental rights, and is it possible to ensure that arbitration is entered into voluntarily by all parties?

A "special state of emergency" has been applied over the years due to security crises, the COVID pandemic, and now the war with Iran. How does this affect the regulation of the courts and the power of the Minister of Justice?

The decision for Knesset to advance highly controversial legislation during the war with Iran, and under a special home front situation, risks undermining proper legislative processes, impeding public debate on the issues, and hindering the ability of elected officials to address urgent war-related matters.

The cyberattacks we have seen since the beginning of the conflict with Iran are a reminder that the digital front of the war is not marginal. Now is the time to implement cyber regulations that can help protect the business community and civilian infrastructure. 

The Pardons Department in the Ministry of Justice writes that they cannot determine the President of the State has the authority to pardon Prime Minister Netanyahu, nor can they recommend the extraordinary and far-reaching step of doing so.

A majority of Jews (82%) and just over one-half of Arabs (52%) think that the interests of the US and Israel are very strongly or fairly strongly aligned in the joint operation in Iran. Around 70% of Jews think that Iran’s nuclear project and the threat of ballistic missiles can be eliminated. A smaller, though still large, share (61%) believes that the regime of the ayatollahs can be overthrown; Arabs are more pessimistic - just over a quarter, but less than a third, think that each of these goals can be achieved.

The draft exemption bill has been “set aside” for now, and it appears increasingly unlikely that the (non-)conscription law will be finalized in the current Knesset. This explainer reviews the history of the bill, explains the manner in which the existing law is expected to be enforced, and assesses the chances of the government passing an exemption law after the war is over but before the upcoming election. 

Just before the launch of the war, 53% of Jews and 29% of Arabs supported direct military involvement with the US in an attack against Iran, while 41% of Jews and 58.5% of Arabs supported responding only in the event of a direct Iranian attack against Israel. After Operation Roaring Lion was launched, in close coordination with the US, the overwhelming majority of Jews (93%) and minority of Arabs (26%) supported it.

The impressive improvement in women's representation in the Knesset that was seen between 1999 and 2015 has halted in the past decade. This is true in government as well, where the representation of women is actually regressing rather than improving compared to the previous government, and is particularly low compared to other democracies.

What are the implications of declaring a “special home front situation,” and what powers does such a declaration confer to Israeli authorities? What rights do citizens have in areas regarding which such a declaration has been made? What’s the difference between a “special home front situation” and the ongoing “emergency situation” that has long been in force in Israel? This article explains these issues, and more.

What can we learn from South Korea, India, Hungary, Venezuela, and Turkey? Findings from a comparative study show a clear link between the use of 'states of emergency' and accelerated erosion or dismantling of democracy, and autocratic consolidation.

All your questions answered about the "Western Wall Law" under debate this week, the religious, political, and judicial background that led to the present situation, and where we might go from here in this core question of the balance of religion and state in Israel.

The regression in women’s representation in Israel is not a decree of fate but the result of political choices, and precisely in an election period, parties have a real opportunity to reverse this trend.

Research into the government's key discounted housing program, which takes place through national lottery rounds, finds shifting patterns of the government's prioritization by geography and population group.

A reform that introduces a personalized component to Israel's elections would strengthen voter influence, enhance accountability of those voted into power, and improve Israel's democratic system.

Professor Karnit Flug, former Governor of the Bank of Israel from 2013 to 2018, and William Davidson Senior Fellow for Economic Policy at IDI's Center for Governance and the Economy, joined Amichai Magen, a Senior Research Scholar at Stanford's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) and the founding director of the center's Jan Koum Israel Studies Program. After two years of war and growing international challenges, where is the Israeli economy now, and where might it be going? 

Israel's decline in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, though moderate as of now, points to a concerning trend, especially taken together with recent IDI survey findings on the topic. But steps can be taken to restore norms and strengthen institutions that combat corruption.

Advancing civic readiness in the Arab education and informal education systems would help empower young Arab Israelis and steer them away from criminal organizations.

IDI experts argue for a universal obligation to serve, as opposed to the model of the latest "conscription" bill, which would be harmful to Israel's security and social solidarity. However, if the present legislation does move forward, the points presented here would mitigate the harm in the proposed bill.

Withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement would undermine Israeli companies’ ability to meet the environmental standards of their trade partners, which could impact the entire economy.

The following is an executive summary and key findings from a full study, which can be found in Hebrew here.

44% of the total sample supports direct military involvement in a potential US attack on Iran while 50% support participating only if Israel is attacked by Iran. The largest share (49%) think that Israel’s security will be harmed by reduced military aid from the US, down to zero, while 39.5% think it will not be harmed. Rise in optimism for the future of all four topics: democratic rule, national security, economy, and social cohesion.

A fabricated AI-generated image of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid posted on the Likud's social media accounts is a clear demonstration of a dangerous new form of election propaganda. Urgent steps must be taken to prohibit the use of such materials against one's political opponents.