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IDI - Israel Democracy Institute

The Israel Democracy Institute is an independent, non-partisan "think-and-do tank" dedicated to strengthening the foundations of Israeli democracy.

05/31/2026

Military security is a classic public good from which all citizens benefit. Yet in Israel, the burden of producing and financing this public good is not shared equally.
A new study by Gilad Cohen Kovacs and Dr. Gilad Malach, researchers in IDI's Ultra-Orthodox in Israel Program, calculates Israel’s annual military-security cost, distinguishing between the “visible” cost of formal defense spending and the “hidden,” non-budgetary costs borne by compulsory soldiers, reservists, and employers. When broken down by population group, Haredi Jews, who make up roughly 14% of Israel’s population, receive about 21 billion shekels worth of military-security protection each year based on their share of the population, but contribute only about NIS 6 billion toward the cost. This amounts to an approximate 15 billion shekel annual security subsidy for Haredi Jews. Cohen Kovacs and Malach argue that such policy frameworks as sanctions for draft evaders could reduce this imbalance and are particularly necessary as the Haredi population grows alongside the post-October 7 defense spending. As they write, “Israel’s military-security burden is no longer only a question of civic fairness or military manpower. It is also a major structural economic issue.”
Read the full executive summary: https://bit.ly/4u2Whmb

05/27/2026

This week, a proposed amendment to the “Western Wall Law” was under debate in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee. This bill is part of a decades-long debate over who governs Israel’s Western Wall – the Kotel – one of Judaism's holiest sites.
At the heart of this debate is whether the Western Wall should be treated as an Orthodox synagogue, or as a national-Jewish heritage and holy site – and who should have the authority to decide how Jews may pray there.
In their explainer, IDI’s Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz and Hodaya Ben Ari analyze how the proposed bill aims to change the existing status quo by entrenching the Chief Rabbinate’s status as the exclusive authority determining the rules of conduct at the Kotel and other holy sites. This is a cause for concern for liberal Jewish groups who pray in the southern section of the Wall, a space that allows for egalitarian prayer. If the Chief Rabbinate is given the authority to decide whether this prayer aligns with Orthodox conduct, activity there could be curtailed or the site could be closed altogether.
Read more about the debate over the status of the Kotel: https://bit.ly/4wPQQd2

05/25/2026

Ahead of Israel's national elections later this year, experts from IDI's Viterbi Center for Public Opinion, Prof. Tamar Hermann and Dr. Lior Yohanani, break down the four key issues they expect to take center stage in one of the most consequential elections in recent Israeli history – and the issues may not be what you expect.

➡️ Responsibility for the security failure of October 7.

➡️ Balance of power in the judiciary, media, and other key institutions at the heart of Israel's democracy.

➡️ Participation of Arab Israeli parties in the next governing coalition.

➡️ The role of Israel's ultra-Orthodox sector in society.

“Ultimately, the upcoming election is shaping up to be a struggle over Israel’s soul,” they write. “Beyond the immediate security concerns, the campaign will be a referendum on the future of democratic institutions, the balance between religion and state, and the possibility of restoring a liberal civic consensus in an era of unprecedented polarization.”

Learn about Israeli public opinion and the issues shaping the upcoming election, and how voters for coalition and opposition parties differ in their views: https://bit.ly/4wOV98y

05/21/2026

The question of how to define what it means to be officially Jewish – and who gets to decide – has been debated since Israel's establishment, and the answer to this question is, indeed, critical, as it determines who is eligible to become an Israeli citizen.
Currently, according to Israel's Law of Return, converts from all Jewish denominations abroad are recognized for the purpose of citizenship. But now, some members of the Israeli government are proposing to amend the law so that only Orthodox conversions abroad would be recognized for purposes of immigration.
This week, Jews around the world mark the holiday of Shavuot – a holiday in which conversion to Judaism is a central theme, when the biblical story of Ruth the Moabite, Judaism's first documented convert, is traditionally read. A new explainer by IDI's Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz and Hodaya Ben Ari analyzes the existing law and the implications of the changes under consideration, and considers what we can learn from the story of Ruth and her conception of Jewish identity.
Read the full explainer: https://bit.ly/4eYMQAA

05/20/2026

In a 110-0 vote, the Knesset voted to advance a bill to dissolve itself and trigger early elections. If the legislation ultimately passes, elections will be held slightly earlier than the date originally set for October 2026.
Speaking with ARD radio, Dr. Assaf Shapira explains that the Knesset being dissolved before completing its full term is extremely common in Israeli politics. In fact, out of 24 Knesset terms, Israel's parliament has dispersed through a dissolution law in 14 cases, and only six Israeli governments completed their full terms. For the bill to pass, it must go through the full legislative process, including a preliminary reading, a vote in the House Committee, and then three additional readings in the plenary, with the support of at least 61 of 120 Knesset members. Shapira noted that if the coalition backs the bill, it could become law relatively quickly, ultimately leading to early elections. However, if the coalition chooses, it can slow the process by delaying committee discussions and holding later votes in the Knesset. If the Knesset is dissolved and elections are scheduled, the government continues serving until a new government is formed after the elections.
Everything you need to know about dissolving Israel’s Knesset: https://bit.ly/4eY2rQW

05/19/2026

This week, members of Israel’s Knesset are set to begin voting on whether to dissolve parliament and head to early elections. If not, elections will most likely take place as scheduled in October 2026.
In his explainer, Dr. Assaf Shapira, Head of IDI’s Political Reform Program, outlines the basics of Israel’s parliamentary elections. In theory, Israeli elections are held every four years, but it is very common for Israel’s Knesset vote to dissolve itself, triggering early elections. Elections are held nationwide, the entire country constituting one electoral district, where voters cast a single ballot for the political party list of their choosing. Unlike in the U.S. and other presidential systems, in Israel voters cast their ballots for a party, comprised of a list of candidates, not a vote for individual candidates. Each list then receives seats in the Knesset proportional to its share of the vote—if they earn enough votes to pass the electoral threshold.
Unlike in many democracies, there is no early voting in Israel, and only Israelis serving in official capacities (such as diplomats and Jewish Agency emissaries) can vote while abroad.
Learn more about Israel's election process and what makes Israel’s system unique: https://bit.ly/4upY0mI

05/15/2026

The coalition announced this week that they are unable to pass a law exempting ultra-Orthodox Israelis, which prompted the UTJ party, an ultra-Orthodox faction in the Netanyahu coalition, to announce call for the dissolution of Knesset and early elections. Is the ultra-Orthodox public aligned with their leaders?
Dr. Gilad Malach, Research Fellow at IDI’s Ultra-Orthodox in Israel Program, told Kan English Radio that there hasn't been a real change among mainstream ultra-Orthodox Israelis in their opposition to enlisting in the IDF having been assured by political leaders that a law exempting them from mandatory military service would be passed. With the economic sanctions in place for draft evaders and no exemption law on the horizon, Malach says this may lead to a behavioral shift in which some may see serving in the IDF as a necessary step avoid financial hardship. He also adds that many in mainstream ultra-Orthodox society are now angry at the leaders of the UTJ and Shas parties, viewing them as having disappointed their communities by failing to pass the draft law.
Listen to the full interview: https://bit.ly/4umBCdK

05/14/2026

One of the arguments made by opponents of a State Commission of Inquiry into the October 7 attacks – in which the President of the Supreme Court would appoint the members of the commission – is that the Court itself should be investigated for its role in the worst national security disaster in Israel’s history. At the heart of the allegations is the claim that the Court restricted the IDF and prevented the military from responding aggressively to provocations along the Gaza border in the years leading up to October 7.
In a new op-ed, IDI’s Dr. Eran Shamir-Borer, former Head of the IDF’s International Law Department, and Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitsan Alon, former Head of the IDF’s Operations Directorate, write about their first-hand experience as IDF officers involved in the efforts to address the violent riots along the Gaza border in 2018. The two argue that the claim that the Supreme Court tied the IDF’s hands along the Gaza border in the years leading up to the October 7 attacks is completely unfounded. Instead, they attest, the Court upheld the rules of engagement that the IDF proposed to defend the border against Hamas-instigated riots, and that these allegations only seek to thwart accountability and avoid the establishment of a State Commission of Inquiry.

Read the full op-ed – link in bio. https://bit.ly/4flMZhq

05/13/2026

This week, the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party, an ultra-Orthodox faction in Netanyahu's coalition, said it would work to dissolve the Knesset and trigger early parliamentary elections. This followed Prime Minister Netanyahu's announcement that the coalition had failed to pass legislation exempting ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students from military service.
Dr. Assaf Shapira, head of IDI’s Political Reform Program, lays out the process for Knesset dissolution and early elections in a new explainer. If it were to move forward, the process would begin with a vote to pass a Knesset dissolution law, which would follow the normal legislative process requiring a simple majority in three readings of the legislation. If passed, Knesset is dissolved and elections are typically held at least 90 days, and no more than five months, after the law is passed. Shapira explains that even after the Knesset is dissolved, both the Knesset and the government continue functioning until a new government is formed. If the bill is not passed, another dissolution bill generally cannot be brought to a vote for six months.
Understand the full process of how Knesset could be dissolved and what would come next if, indeed, the process moves forward: https://bit.ly/4fiuVov

05/12/2026

Prime Minister Netanyahu had appointed Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman as the next head of the Mossad and this decision was subsequently approved by the Advisory Committee on Senior Civil Service Appointments, which reviews appointments to seven of the most senior positions in Israel’s public service.
After several petitions were submitted against the appointment, the Supreme Court agreed to hold a hearing to examine its legality. At the heart of today's hearing are questions surrounding the ethical integrity of the appointment. In a new explainer, Dr. Assaf Shapira lays out the role of this Committee – which includes its primary duty of assessing candidates nominated by ministers (the prime minister, in the case of the Mossad), formulating an opinion on whether the proposed appointments are appropriate in terms of ethical integrity, and recommending to the government (or the prime minister) whether or not the appointments should be made.
Learn more about the question of ethical integrity and the role of the Advisory Committee: https://bit.ly/4uG0DQS

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