Democracy

Israel’s democratic backsliding follows an international pattern - opinion

Democracies can survive – but only if citizens, institutions, and leaders are willing to defend them before it is too late.

 US President Trump meets with Hungary's Prime Minister Orban at the White House in Washington, May 13, 2019
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa delivers a speech on the first anniversary of Bashar al-Assad's fall, in Damascus, Syria December 8, 2025.

Syria's future: Can Ahmed al-Sharaa reconcile democracy, Islam, and minority rights? - opinion

US President Donald Trump seen in the Oval Office in the White House in Washington, DC, US, January 14, 2026

Mistrust of Trump is reshaping the global order - opinion

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, February 5, 2026

Israeli voters deserve representatives they can trust - opinion


EU must stop funding controversial NGOs - opinion

The European Union's funding of Israeli political NGOs that oppose the government and support human rights has been highly controversial.

 EU FOREIGN POLICY head Kaja Kallas rings the bell at the start of a foreign ministers council meeting in Brussels on Tuesday. She has made efforts to repair the broken ties with Israel, say the writers.

Israel’s missing constitution creates a half-democracy - opinion

Israel's brittle democracy is vulnerable to attacks from within because of its lack of a constitution and other critical elements.

 ATTORNEY-GENERAL Gali Baharav-Miara attends a meeting of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee in April. Israeli democracy is actually shockingly half-baked, the writer argues.

A-G Baharav-Miara: Dismissal hearing part of 'political deal' aimed at ensuring gov't's survival

She warned that the hearing has devastating consequences for anyone who fills the role of attorney general in the future, as their hiring process will be subject to foreign and corrupt influences.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL Gali Baharav-Miara attends a Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee meeting in April. She says that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to advance the appointment of Maj.-Gen. David Zini as head of the Shin Bet is invalid and illegal.

Is a democratic Iran possible? - opinion

Two organizations situated outside Iran are dedicated to bringing it about. However, they are at loggerheads with each other.

 Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran, speaks during a press conference about the situation in Iran and the need to support Iranians, in Paris, France, June 23, 2025.

Jew-hatred knows no borders: Israel is everything Iran's regime hates - opinion

It’s the same ancient hatred that has chased the Jewish people from continent to continent and century after century. Today, that hatred wears a black turban in Tehran.

 THE WRITER attends a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. The Jewish people have seen Pharaohs and Romans, inquisitors and Nazis, and pogroms and rockets; we are still here, he asserts.

Benny Gantz's faction to hold leadership primaries as Israeli election looms

Gantz’s party will hold leadership elections and open public registration amid falling polls and rising support for Eisenkot.

 Leader of the National Unity Party MK Benny Gantz leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on May 26, 2025.

Israel, don't let democracy die: Beware the populist tide in Europe - opinion

After a populist with ties to organized crime won the Polish elections, does Israel face a similar threat?

  Polish presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki, backed by the main opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, gestures next to his wife Marta Nawrocka, his sons Antoni and Daniel and daughter Katarzyna, as they react to the exit polls of the second round of the presidential election, in Warsaw, Poland.

Yoav Kisch's new education plans fails to define Israel's democratic values - opinion

Before the current government takes it upon itself to reformulate the identities of our children, perhaps they ought to get their facts straight.

 EDUCATION MINISTER Yoav Kisch visits a classroom on the first day of school, in Jerusalem, last September.

What is the role of educational research in times of armed conflict? - opinion

My students reminded me of the imperative to deploy our research tools not only to interpret reality but to challenge it and envision something more just.

 ‘I turned to those whose voices I trust: my graduate students – Jewish and Palestinian, women and men – drawn from across Israel’s diverse social and geographic landscape.’

Israel’s friends have had enough with its irresponsible government - opinion

The shameful decisions of the Israeli government are crippling the country and turning its allies against it.

 THE WRITER announces the laying of the cornerstone for the School of Management at Western Galilee College in 2012.