Constitution

Looking back at George Washington’s 1790 letter, the root of American religious freedom

George Washington to the Jews of Newport, Rhode Island, and the presentation of him by artist Arthur Szyk.

|ByDAVID GEFFEN
Declaration of Independence of the United States. New Canaan, 1950. Featuring George Washington.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the general Conference of Fatah Youth in Ramallah, with a backdrop including a portrait of Abbas and Yasser Arafat, November 27, 2025; illustrative.

PA drafts constitution, omits Jewish ties to Jerusalem, calls for Sharia legal system

The draft constitution also called for the "right of return" for refugees, caring for families of "martyrs, prisoners, and exiles," and reaffirming the PLO's position as representing Palestinians.

|ByJAMES GENN
US VICE President JD Vance is seen at the Turning Point USA conference last week. His statements that the US will always be a Christian nation is nauseating in its inconsistency and undermining of the founding fathers’ intentions, the writer says.

America's separation of church and state maintains its strong bond to Israel - opinion

Mainstream media coverage of the recent Turning Point USA’s annual conference was concerning for the American Jewish community, Israelis, and pro-Israel Americans of all religions.

|ByALIZA PILICHOWSKI
THE KNESSET during a meeting on December 24, 2025.

Israelis still believe in the country, but not its institutions, IDI survey reveals

Only about a quarter of Jewish respondents described Israeli democracy as “good” or “excellent,” continuing a downward trend in recent years, with ratings among Arab respondents even lower.

|ByJOANIE MARGULIES

Treasury's plan: Foreign contractors & loans to boost periphery construction

The Treasury's program to revive periphery demand includes discounts on new apartments, subsidies for veterans, exploring foreign contractors, and government-guaranteed loans for struggling builders.

JANUARY 3, 2024ByOFER PETERSBURG
Kiryat Gat

Maine election disqualifies Trump from presidential primary ballot

The decision came after a group of former Maine lawmakers said that Trump should be disqualified based on a provision of the US Constitution.

DECEMBER 29, 2023ByREUTERS
With Vice President Mike Pence looking on, US President Donald Trump gives a statement on Jerusalem, during which he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, US, December 6, 2017

Will Israel's Thai workers return to agriculture, construction jobs?

The Thai embassy in Israel is considering returning agricultural workers and exploring construction industry partnerships to address the female labor shortage post-war.

NOVEMBER 19, 2023ByOFER PETERSBURG

If the Declaration of Independence falls, Israeli unity will fall too - opinion

This last bastion of consensus is under attack. If it succeeds, there will no longer be any text around which the State of Israel and Israeli society can unite.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2023BySHUKI FRIEDMAN
THE ORIGINAL scroll of the Declaration of Independence: The words are not a hastily drafted text; they are constitutive words, the writer argues.

Knesset speaker calls to replace High Court if reasonableness law struck down

Knesset speaker Amir Ohana has suggested swapping the High Court with a "constitutional court."

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023ByTROY O. FRITZHAND
Knesset speaker Amir Ohana holds a press conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem. September 6, 2023.

Why are Israelis not protected by due process of law? - opinion

Israelis may not yet be ready to agree on a full written constitution, but defining due process and reviewing that sufficient procedures are applied may provide Israel with basic checks and balances.

AUGUST 19, 2023ByLEON HARRIS
Israelis are seen demonstrating near the Supreme Court in Jerusalem ahead of a vote in the Knesset on judicial reform, on February 20, 2023.

Is Israel in danger of entering a constitutional crisis?

LEGAL AFFAIRS: It is necessary to explore these scenarios, the consequences of a constitutional crisis, and just how likely one is to erupt.

AUGUST 18, 2023ByMICHAEL STARR
A sign reading "Save Israel from Netanyahu" is seen at a protest against the government's judicial reform, in Jerusalem, on July 23, 2023.

Ben-Gvir vs Shabtai: Who will police obey in a constitutional crisis?

The police chief said that the police were only guided by the law and as long as he was in command, the only guiding principle would be the law, even in a constitutional crisis.

AUGUST 16, 2023ByMICHAEL STARR
NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTER Itamar Ben-Gvir and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai attend the opening of a new police station in the Negev.

Splitting Israel into two Jewish states solves nothing - opinion

As long as I have a choice I shall nevertheless always opt for pluralism, and in the current social and political crisis will fullheartedly support compromise over any sort of escapist purism.

AUGUST 14, 2023BySUSAN HATTIS ROLEF
A LIGHT RAIL train stops at the Jerusalem City Hall station. ‘As a Jerusalemite since 1969, I have no desire to replace this chaotic pluralism for a largely monolithic secular, liberal, middle-class Ashkenazi Tel Avivian reality,’ says the writer.

The funeral bells are ringing for Israeli democracy - opinion

Senior officials from all walks of Israeli life, not to mention foreign governments, have added their voices, calling for an end to what looks like madness.

AUGUST 11, 2023ByJANE BIRAN
Demonstrators protest against judicial reform in Jerusalem on July 23.