Articles

The 20th Knesset was the most injurious of all with regard to democratic values, freedom of expression, gatekeeping and, above all, minority rights. In the next government we can only hope that someone will champion liberal center-right values to continue to protect our democracy. 

Despite a solid decade with the same prime minister, other cabinet posts have switched hands at alarming rates.

In its fight against terrorism, Israel has often been proud of its ability to effectively fight terrorism, while remaining faithful to democratic principles. House demolitions were always considered a necessary evil, which could be resorted to in very exceptional circumstances - are we now facing populist trends that runs contrary to the traditional ethos of subjecting counterterrorism policies to rule-of-law constraints.

The majority of Israelis think that Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria harms Israel’s security and want a right or center-right government. Read more in the latest Peace Index. 

More and more ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Israelis are enlisting in the IDF, driven by personal, financial, and professional motives, with military service seen as an “entrance ticket” to Israeli society and to the labor market. But military service also introduces them to the shared components of identity and citizenship linking them to the state and its values, and enabling them to identify with others, from outside their community.

The steady increase in the percentage of women in Israel's parliament has not been accompanied by a concomitant rise in their cabinet representation. In this article, IDI researcher Dr. Ofer Kenig argues that the new government that will be formed following the 2019 elections provides Israel with a golden opportunity to rectify this situation.

Full separation of religion and state isn't possible, but why is the Chief Rabbinate in the kashrut business?

It is commonly accepted that in order to defeat Netanyahu, the political parties in the center and on the Left must unite and present a single and clear alternative. However, under the current system, this claim is simply not true.

Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he will not step down even if indicted and will run for elections in three months. Where does the law stand? Dr. Guy Lurie explains

In 2016, Israelis’ trust in the mass media reached an all-time low. But the decline seems to have bottomed out then; the increase in trust registered in 2017 has continued this year and reached 31%. This is still low as compared to many other institutions, but is all the same an improvement.

Half of the Jews in Israel support expanding the freedom of activity of non-Orthodox Jewish streams - what do Israeli Jews think about religious services offered in Israel?

We would not be global leaders in cyber and technology without simultaneously protecting fundamental human rights.

IDI’s 2018 report on ultra-Orthodox society is out - shedding light on changing trends in population, education, employment, and leisure in the ultra-Orthodox community in Israel.

Trust in Israeli media is on the rise, and that's a valuable lifeline to those whose job it is to keep the public informed.

Israeli society is becoming increasingly polarized with each group holding a very different view of democracy and the State of Israel

The monthly Peace Index reveals that: 46% of Jewish Israelis name Benjamin Netanyahu as their preferred candidate for the next prime minister.

Supporters of this government show increasing tolerance for graft, and this is a red flag for the rule of law in Israel.

One fact is clear: the moment the attorney-general announces his decision, half of the public will reject it, to the point of accusing him of serving political interests and not really seeking the truth.

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.

The majority of the public (53%) sees Israel’s situation in a positive light and is proud to be Israeli (88% of Jews and 51% of Arabs);
For the first time the #1 tension in Israeli society is the tension between Right and Left; Israel ranks high on international indicators of political participation

"Our central mission—and we see you as a partner in this—is to strengthen Israel’s democratic core in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence"  says Yohanan Plesner in his address to President Reuven Rivlin.

Black Friday is a good reminder that that in order to protect our privacy as well as minimize the use of personal data to influence our ability to make free choices, there needs to be a change in consumers’ habits as well as increased digital literacy. 

How can we reverse the growing rift between Israel and diaspora Jewry? Both sides have their work cut out.

The annual Democracy Index reflects Israeli public opinion on Israeli democracy. Do you think more roles in the IDF should be open to women? Are you proud to be Israeli? Complete the quiz to find out your opinions compare to Israeli society at large

The truth is that the bill was designed to castrate expression and creativity, and induce self-censorship by artists and cultural institutions.

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.

For Israel, coping with the situation in the Gaza Strip is far from simple. The way the situation is handled has security, economic, humanitarian, and political implications. Therefore leadership must act and speak responsibly - this is not always the case.

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!

IDI is calling to amend the Kashrut Supervision Bill, so that instead of creating an additional layer of intermediaries, the market will be open, transparent and regulated by Rabbinate authorized rabbis.

A modern nation of laws isn’t supposed to act based on revenge. Its legal system is founded on decency, justice and equality, not primitive concepts like hatred.