The threat by reservists to refuse to volunteer – which is cast by the political leadership, large portions of the public, and even some among those serving in the IDF as tantamount to insubordination – represents nothing less than a sea change. The IDF, against the wishes and not at the instigation of the top military leadership, but specifically because of the mishandling of developments within the military due to the political crisis, has become a political actor. Moreover, the threat of refusing to serve has proven to be of much...
The Judicial Overhaul
A Complete Guide The Judicial Overhaul: The Judicial Dimension The Judicial Overhaul: The Military Dimension The Judicial Overhaul: Relations with the United States The Judicial Overhaul: The Regional Arena The Judicial Overhaul: The Civilian Arena The Judicial Overhaul: Social Solidarity
In a telephone conversation on March 19, 2023, President Biden relayed his concern to Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding events on the Palestinian front and Israel’s judicial overhaul. The conversation follows a series of developments in the United States that should lead the Israeli government to realize that its actions and rhetoric could lead to a deterioration in bilateral relations. Even if Israel has the right to protect what it considers vital to its national security, the importance of the United States to Israel’s national...
The resilience of the Abraham Accords is challenged by policies of the Israeli government and the escalating violence in the Palestinian arena. The countries that signed agreements with Israel have an interest in upholding them, in parallel with developments in the Palestinian arena, in the expectation that the Israel will restore calm and stability. However, continued escalation has already drawn some of them, partly of necessity, to pay closer attention to Israeli policy toward the Palestinians, particularly in the Ramadan period....
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Israel is facing an ominous combination of severe threats to its national security, widening rifts in its relations with the US, and increasing economic risks amid the global economic crisis. At the same time, Israeli society is in the midst of an unprecedented internal conflict stemming from the proposed judicial reform, which magnifies these threats and impairs our ability to tackle them. Without dwelling on the controversial contents of the reform, this much is clear: the...
The internal crisis and the widespread protests in Israel, together with the escalation of Palestinian terror, reinforce Nasrallah’s perception that Israel’s internal weakness is overwhelming, and persuade him of Hezbollah’s ability to deter and confront Israel in the event of a military conflict. Invoking his previous spider web metaphor regarding Israeli society, he declares that Israel is on the brink of a civil war and that the state is approaching its end. This perception also underlay the dispute with Israel over the agreement...
The State of Israel is now engulfed in an unprecedented and perilous set of circumstances. While Iran is on the nuclear threshold and the Palestinian arena is on the brink of wide escalation, Israel itself is racing toward the brink of passing fateful legislation that would reshape its governing system. Israel’s enemies watch with satisfaction, drawing confidence and daring toward new levels of brinksmanship, which could easily lead to escalation and possibly war. For Israel to cross the legislative threshold from the current reality...
The government of Israel should understand that proceeding with the proposed judicial initiative, which is undermining internal solidarity, damaging public trust in the government, and impairing governance, may well harm social resilience and consequently jeopardize Israel’s national security. Even if the government is determined to proceed with reforming the justice system, it should do so with caution and responsibility, based on broad public consent and in a way that does not entail harmful societal consequences.
Against the background of proposals for change to the judicial system in Israel and its relations with the government and the Knesset, this paper contends that loss of judicial independence and effective oversight of the government – as denoted by current political initiatives – could cause severe harm to the national security of the State of Israel.
The paper starts with an examination of whether and to what extent the independence of the courts and their supervision of the government affect Israel’s national security; this is...
Like all countries, Israel is influenced by the global geopolitical reality. In this reality, contrasting ideas and values play an important role, as they shape the interests and conduct of respective actors in the international arena. Leading conceptual and ideological polarities include liberal and democratic values vs. illiberal worldviews, support for globalization or isolation, and more. Thus, analysis must go beyond identifying the interests of international actors to also address the values they adhere to. Conduct in the...
