Articles

How do we divert Israel from a path leading towards a polluted, crowded, and expensive country to one that will take us to a low-pollution, competitive, and thriving economy? Project Israel 2050 is a one-of-a-kind cooperative venture led by the Israel Democracy Institute and the Environmental Protection Ministry, in collaboration with the OECD, the ministries of Energy, Transportation, and the Economy, and the Planning Administration. Here is a glimpse of the possible environmental scenarios for the foreseeable future and how they can be best dealt with.

Another Election? It Has its Pluses for the Public and for Democracy. Voters got to see how parties behaved after elections, and parties now know the real risk of a hardline negotiation stance.

The bizarre constitutional situation in which we now find ourselves raises a great many legal questions, not all of which have simple answers. Does the law allow the prime minister to fire all the government’s ministers? Can he serve as “the government” by himself?

Benjamin Netanyahu couldn’t form a government, because the electoral system is dysfunctional. The country needs to enact two simple reforms, or it will face perpetual stalemate.

Will Arab politicians take advantage of the second chance that the new elections have presented? Runing in a Joint List and reaching out to their younger voters - 60% of which didn't vote in the last election, would be the right place to start.

In today’s world of big data, it is easy to imagine what the impact would be of a single database containing information about their Jewishness—of Israelis and Jews around the world.

How do young ultra-Orthodox couples cope with the housing crisis? The most recent figures on home-buying point to a change of the trend in the ultra-Orthodox internal migration. This change poses a challenge, but also an opportunity. How should the state respond?

Israel’s housing crisis is affecting the ultra-Orthodox community as well. Housing costs in these communities are skyrocketing and young families are moving to the country’s periphery. What kind of apartments are they buying? What does their financing look like? 

The rigid halakhic position might make conversion irrelevant as the integration of “non-Jewish Jews” into Israeli society will soon legitimize the sociological path to becoming a Jew, outside the bounds of religion, and make conversion superfluous.

Conversion is a central theme of the upcoming holiday of Shavuot when the biblical story of Ruth the Moabite – widely considered the first convert to Judaism – is traditionally read. In the spirit of the holiday, we decided to examine what types of relationships Jewish Israelis are ready to have with non-Jews. We also looked into what Jewish Israeli think about the topic of conversions in general and the conversion process in Israel in particular.

Israeli military officers are less tolerant of higher civilian casualties than their American counterparts.

The story of liberal democracies in the late 20th and early 21st centuries has been, to a large extent, the story of protecting personal liberties by independent democratic institutions.

IDI’s President Yohanan Plesner and Canadian jurist Irwin Cotler on the challenges facing Israeli democracy in the months ahead.

Is it conceivable, for example, that a legislative body would enact a tax that would never apply, to its own members?

Reframing the eco-system to prepare for Israel’s job market of the future.

Among other things, government corruption deals a blow to the country’s economic vitality, and makes it less attractive to investors and entrepreneurs.

Today, Israeli election law focuses on banning propaganda conducted by means of boats and planes (e.g. adverts on them).

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox sector is less homogeneous than most assume.

Are these encouraging numbers the harbinger for positive change in Israeli society?

The Conscription Law and the repeated crises it has generated, are a classic example of the Israeli political system’s inability to deal with the country’s fundamental problems

Populism means different things to different people – and political populism has an even more sinister meaning

“The future coalition aspires to replace the current “judicialization of Israeli life” with the “politicization of Israel law”, says Yedidia Stern

The conservatives who think the court is moved by a malicious intent to stamp out politics are mistaken. Our High Court of Justice is squeaky clean, and of the highest possible caliber

In Israel the proposed Immunity Law is central to coalition negotiations - yet around the globe there is a gradual but significant process of reducing the scope of procedural immunity. See how Israel compares with democracies around the world

What if Netanyahu fails to form a coalition? Will Israel find itself again holding elections? Although unlikely – Dr. Ofer Kenig explains the possibilities

The Israeli Voice Index finds that 58% of Israelis think that signing a peace agreement will positively contribute to Israel’s international status, while 56% think that if Israel would withdraw unilaterally from the West Bank it would NOT improve Israel’s international status

A special survey finds that the 62% of the Israeli public is opposed to the Immunity Law, 47% think that if the law passes it should only be applied to new cases, and 39% oppose strengthening the Knesset at the expense of the courts

A deal is being negotiated behind closed doors: Immunity for the Prime Minister in return for obliteration of the justice system. All those who view yourselves as future leaders: show your political courage. History will judge you - do not enable this reckless initiative. Constitutional changes must only be made based upon a broad consensus at the conclusion of a serious public debate. They are not dark deals to be brokered in smoke-filled rooms at the expense of the public interest

It wastes public funds, impairs government efficiency, and hinders its capacity to promote policy

The Override Clause would not alter the balance between the branches of government – it would shift the balance of power between the government and the governed