Articles

Is the operation in Gaza a war, who is authorized declare war and what is the role of the cabinet and the government after war is declared?

The main demand made by Benny Gantz, chair of the National Unity party, for entering an emergency government is the establishment of a war cabinet. Why is this important and what would the powers of a war cabinet be? 

As the brutal attack from Gaza continues, the possibility of a change in the composition in the government is being bandied about. What kind of government is possible and what has been done in the past?

As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Oslo Accords this month, a larger share of Jewish respondents think it was incorrect to enter into that process, while the percentage of respondents who selected "don't know" was exceptionally large. 

The hurt felt by the broad section of the Israeli public that is moderately traditional may have serious consequences for the struggle against the government’s judicial overhaul.

The judicial overhaul is forcing Jewish Israelis to choose to identify, in an almost dichotomic manner with one of two camps. As they clash, the real loser is our unifying, complex, diverse, and open Jewish identity. 

The Supreme Court hearing on September 28th, 2023 will focus on the question of whether the amendment should be interpreted as being valid only in the future, to remedy the perception of personal benefit for the current prime minister.

As it is widely known that negotiations have been underway between Israel and Saudi Arabia under the auspices of the United States, we asked two questions regarding the expected impact of the negotiations and a possible agreement on domestic matters.

While technology cannot eliminate uncertainty or surprise, it can help decision-makers think about the future.

One of the important lessons learned from the Yom Kippur War was that the authority of government ministers to decide on security-related matters must be strengthened; However, even after five decades, the proper balance between the authority of the prime minister and the members of the security cabinet has not yet been properly regulated.

On the question of Unreasonableness, it appears that the dispute is not only between the Knesset and the Supreme Court, but also among the justices themselves. There are many possibilities, but only one ruling, which will be handed down no later than mid-January 2024.

The government is advancing a bill that will enable the police to use facial recognition technology by the police. Use of such technology by the police raises a number of critical issues. 

Yohanan Plesner, president of IDI and Prof. Yuval Shany, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Democratic Values and Institutions met with reporters to discuss the historic Supreme Court hearing on the repeal of the reasonableness doctrine.

41.5% of coalition voters and 6% of opposition voters said that the Court lacks the authority to perform judicial review over Basic Laws passed by Knesset. 73% of Israelis agree that in order to bridge the divisions between the political camps, attempts should be made to reach a compromise. 

Three petitions before the Israeli Supreme Court are transforming the usually slow month of September into a pivotal one in Israel’s ongoing judicial crisis.

On September 12, 2023, an unprecedented panel of 15 Supreme Court Justices will convene to hear petitions requesting to strike down the recent amendment to the "Basic Law: The Judiciary."

The Judicial Selection Committee has not met for more than a year, and during this period, various positions held by judges have been vacated.

Dr. Tammy Hoffman, Director of IDI's Education Policy Program explains why the current political and social crisis in Israel is related to the education system and why there cannot be democracy without educating toward democracy.

Marking the beginning of the new school year, a special survey was conducted asking the public whether they agree that it is the teacher's role to education for democracy. Almost three-quarters of the respondents agree that it is. 

Earlier this year, we published an article warning against the dangers of the judicial reforms, to our regret, many of the negative developments about which we warned at the beginning of the year have already come to pass.

Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi has proposed reforms to Israel's broadcast system. The components of the reforms, alongside the context in which they are being proposed, make clear that their objective is a politicization and government control of regulatory bodies.

A volunteer civilian army is possible only when a shared core of social values exists among citizens. But deepening social and political tensions has threatened this system.

All too often the Knesset amends Israel's Basic Laws - how does this compare with other parliamentary democracies?

In an effort to create uniformity, populists are ready to destroy the state.

Ditching the 5-year plan for the Arab sector will have adverse long-term effects on the Arab's sector ability to integrate into Israel's shared society.

The July 2023 edition of the Israeli Voice Index finds that 58% of Israelis believe the country is in a "state of emergency." Only a small minority of Israelis believe that IDF reservists, who fail to report for duty in protest of the judicial overhaul, should be dismissed.

The term "incapacitation" refers to a situation in which a government official is unable to perform their duty. The previous version of the law did not detail what constitutes incapacitation, nor who is authorized to declare incapacitation. The current version is accused of being personal and political.