Is Israeli democracy in danger? Understanding the nation’s four prominent political dilemmas

Democracy in Israel is indeed facing an uncertain future.

An important question now being asked all over the world is: Will the incumbent government destroy democracy in the country? This is because some of the government’s policy proposals have triggered widespread condemnation, both locally and globally.

These policies have made many in Israel furious, as evident from the large demonstrations seen this year. Controversies dominating the country’s political life right now centre on the following points: donations to elected officials, electronic tagging of domestic violence offenders, judicial reform, and the creation of a national guard.

To begin with, let’s understand the makeup of the current Israeli government in brief. It’s a coalition government, agreed upon on December 29 last year. Six parties joined forces for its formation, including Noam, Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism, Otzma Yehudit, and the Religious Zionist Party. Benjamin Netanyahu is leading a government for the sixth time.

Four Prominent Controversies Surrounding Israel’s Political Landscape

Understanding the political dilemmas for Israel, let’s start with the controversy surrounding donations to elected officials. The issue concerns Prime Minister Netanyahu personally. The government brought major changes to the Public Service (Gifts) Law in March, allowing the politician to accept donations for his legal defence fund.

A number of critics of the change believe allowing elected officials to receive gifts could facilitate governmental corruption.

Second, the law concerning the electronic tagging of criminals accused of domestic violence has generated quite a controversy. It was described as being anti-men. A bill necessitating the practice was the result of an increase in the murder rate of women inside Israel. The Knesset eventually voted down the bill, citing threats to national security.

The third and potentially the most serious one concerns the Israeli government’s proposed judicial reforms, which critics fear would put the tradition of the separation of powers at risk. The reform would give the Knesset more power, allowing it to overrule certain decisions made by the Supreme Court.

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In addition, the change would also give the Knesset more say in the appointment of judges.

The fourth political dilemma is the creation of a national guard, which has raised concerns over the country having two police forces. While one will be the regular police – instructed to manage situations concerning the Jewish citizens of Israel, the other one will be a pro-government militia that will deal with the Palestinian citizens.

This will discriminate against the Arab population. Consequently, Israel’s cabinet in April agreed with the formation of a law enforcement apparatus that word operate separately from the police. Many political observers fear the professionalism of the Israeli police could be threatened.