Articles

Ahead of the Shavuot holiday, the Israel Democracy Institute is releasing a series of source materials for study during the "tikkun leil Shavuot" (the traditional Shavuot eve study session).

While the Israeli public has been focusing on the war and on the hostages in Gaza, the government—led by the minister of justice—has been preparing an assault on the independence of the judicial system.

Across the issues of US-relations, the war in Gaza, evacuees from the south and the north, fighting Hezbollah, and public diplomacy efforts abroad—both Jewish and Arab Israelis give the government low grades.

A survey of various demographic statistics on Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. Which neighborhoods are more densely populated? Which ones are aging and which have a large majority under the age of 20? 

The discussion in the Supreme Court yesterday was not about whether a law exempting yeshiva students harms the principle of equality. It was about a much more basic question: is the State of Israel acting in accordance with the principle of the rule of law—that is, can yeshiva students be exempted from enlisting in the IDF, when there is no law allowing for this.

Israel's Supreme Court convened to hear arguments on the issue of drafting ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students who no longer are exempt from military service, and the legality of providing funding for yeshivas that enroll them as long as no new law has been legislated on this issue.

Article 18 to the ICC Statute requires the Prosecutor to notify the relevant States regarding a decision to open an investigation, providing those States the opportunity to request deferral of the investigation, because of the existence of a domestic investigation. The Prosecutor’s approach of not issuing new notifications new charges emerged weakens the ability of the Pre-Trial Chamber to monitor the implementation of the complementarity principle.

The heroic stories of battle alongside the volunteer spirit that swept the entire nation have shaken the dichotomies nurtured by the Haredi society for years.

The model that has supported the IDF and Israeli society since the state's founding and has been eroded over the years received renewed reinforcement in the current war. The avoidance of participation by Haredim places it at renewed risk.

A serious public and governmental discussion is needed regarding the privatization of internal security governance that we are currently witnessing, and its implications. This privatization threatens us all.

The issuance of additional interim orders in the genocide proceedings underway at the ICJ limits Israel’s operational wiggle room in Rafah, but leaves it with some flexibility in the interpretation and implementation of the new orders.

A special collaboration with Makor Rishon includes updated data on conscription, information on shifting trends in Haredi public opinion, articles and columns by researchers at IDI.

Women in senior government positions are leaving their roles, the number of victims of domestic violence is rising, and the prevailing spirit from the government does not bode well. Now more than ever, there must be a call for immediate and fundamental change in placing women's rights at the top of the national agenda.

Religious Zionism (the sector, not the political party that appropriated the name) is one of the most influential population groups in Israel. In the following essay, I wish to draw attention to a worrying process afflicting religious Zionism, the roots of which can be traced back to its early days and has dramatically worsened in recent years.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ) issued new temporary orders against Israel this week. Justice Barak’s dissenting opinion would seem to offer an important lesson for the future. Professional, focused, and well-founded legal criticism—as opposed to the very different means that are currently being widely discussed and pursued—is likely the best way to deal with the ICJ.

The government and the coalition have been given a second chance – which has come at a heavy price of blood and suffering – to turn this crisis into an opportunity and set the foundations for a new social covenant among Israelis.

A special report on consumption patterns and trust in the media and social media.

In this article, we wish to identify and discuss here some potential problems we identify in the part of the request pertaining to Netanyahu and Gallant, at least as it was presented in the Prosecutor’s short announcement and by the expert report supporting it. 

This Israel Democracy Institute's annual Eli Hurvitz Conference on Society in Economy 2024 convened top leaders in the midst of one of the most severe and significant wars in the country's history, ongoing since the attack of October 7, 2023.

Press Release
Eli Hurvitz Conference: Day 2 Morning Sessions
May 22, 2024, Jerusalem

Press Release

Eli Hurvitz Conference: Day 2 Afternoon Sessions

May 22, 2024, Jerusalem

New Study by Tomer Lotan and Vered Constantini at the Israel Democracy Institute

The tragedy of October 7, and the lack of a public sector response over the course of the ongoing crisis, shed light on the grim situation. This review presents figures and trends relating to the performance of the public sector and its ability to provide services and solutions in real time.

In May 2023, the Knesset approved a two-year state budget for 2023–2024. However, following the outbreak of the war in Gaza and the accompanying conflict in the north, the budget's composition, safety cushions, and especially the priorities it reflects are no longer suited to Israel’s economic and geopolitical realities.

When did the ultra-Orthodox first receive an exemption from military service? How have Haredi demographics influenced this issue?

This is a timeline of the central milestones affecting the issue of Haredi conscription. 

The proposed law ignores the dramatic change in Israel's security situation since October 7 and does not address the need for more combat soldiers, nor does it respect the burden on the populations that already serve.

A fictional tale of the very real danger in the absence of global regulation of AI.

In new research, IDI experts Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz and Gabi Gordon find that conscripting even a small percentage of eligible Haredi men would save the Israeli economy billions of shekels annually. They found that drafting even 20% of Haredi men would significantly reduce the number of days necessary for reserve duty and save 2.5 billion shekels in budgetary expenses by 2050. Full conscription of the ultra-Orthodox men would eliminate the need for reserve duty by 2045 and save the Israeli economy between 8-10 billion shekels.

The majority of the Jewish public (56%) think that securing a deal for the release of the hostages is the highest priority; a higher share of Jewish respondents think Trump would be better for Israel as US president; most Israelis think that celebrations of Israel's 76th Independence Day should be more restrained and less prominent this year.

Demands to lower the flames of criticism cannot legitimately be made by a government taking actions driven by narrow political interests. If the government does not act in a nonpartisan manner, they cannot demand those who hold different views refrain from opposing political action.