The danger to democracy in Israel is multi-faceted. Particularly worrisome, two of the central arenas from which these threats arise are the very ones charged with safeguarding democracy: The Knesset (Israeli parliament) and the government. Over the past two years, senior officials have voiced harsh and unprecedented statements directed against human rights organizations, political groups, and minorities, and have made various attempts to narrow their operations. At the same time, a long list of new legislative proposals have been introduced in the Knesset, some of which have been enacted, which clearly harm Israeli democracy and undermine the rights, the status, and the opinions of those who are not part of the current political majority or whom the majority wishes to shy away from.
The danger to democracy in Israel is multi-faceted. Particularly worrisome, two of the central arenas from which these threats arise are the very ones charged with safeguarding democracy: The Knesset (Israeli parliament) and the government. Over the past two years, senior officials have voiced harsh and unprecedented statements directed against human rights organizations, political groups, and minorities, and have made various attempts to narrow their operations. At the same time, a long list of new legislative proposals have been introduced in the Knesset, some of which have been enacted, which clearly harm Israeli democracy and undermine the rights, the status, and the opinions of those who are not part of the current political majority or whom the majority wishes to shy away from. It is important to emphasize that these legislative initiatives are not only private proposals introduced by individual MKs, but bills that have, in some cases, received the support of the government and in other cases have even been introduced by the government itself.
Additionally, recent years have seen the continued erosion of checks and balances between branches of government, a basic democratic principle that is vital for the survival of any democracy. There have been serious defects in the legislative process, and legislation has been introduced that would strengthen the powers of the government and weaken those of the opposition, which represents Israel’s minority voices.
Another dangerous phenomenon is the continued undermining of the status of the judiciary branch. This manifests itself in the government’s refusal to comply with court rulings made against it, and in legislative attempts to weaken the power of the Supreme Court.
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