Israel Democracy Institute

NEW @J_Insider | Polling from the Israel Democracy Institute found that a majority of Israelis believe ending the Iran war now would undermine Israel's security. PLUS: Views on Lebanon talks, U.S. influence and negative sentiment toward the Jewish state jewishinsider.com/2026/05/majori…

Jews all over the world are celebrating the holiday of Lag Ba'Omer today. In Israel, this holiday – which also marks the anniversary of the passing of the ancient sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai – is usually celebrated with a pilgrimage to his gravesite on Mount Meron in the Northern Galilee. With Hezbollah in Lebanon still launching attacks on northern Israel, the authorities banned a mass gathering that could serve as a target for the terrorist organization. In the days leading up to Lag Ba’Omer, fringe elements from within the ultra-Orthodox communities, began plastering the walls of Haredi neighborhoods with posters stating "One who comes to kill you, rise early [and kill him first]," and promising "a special distribution of self-defense equipment for all those ascending to Meron.” Throughout the holiday, there were attempts to bypass police barricades and reach Mt. Meron. In his new op-ed, Eliyahu Berkovits explains how in recent years, the Meron pilgrimage has become a serious point of contention between believers visiting the site and security enforcement seeking to prevent another tragedy like the one five years ago, in which 45 people were killed in a stampede. Berkovits states that those behind the violent posters are a minority Haredi militant faction, who exploit the religious significance of Meron and misrepresent those who seek to celebrate. “Haredi leadership must speak out against a romanticism of confrontation, and for public responsibility and safety… Protecting life is not a concession to the hillula [celebration]. It is the only moral and religious condition for its continued existence.” Read the full op-ed. bit.ly/4tghrNy

Read about the two politicians’ political evolutions: bit.ly/4n36D3D

Last week, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid announced they will run jointly in Israel’s upcoming elections on a joint list labeled Together (Beyachad in Hebrew). Although the two politicians have a long history of coordination and cooperation, they have never run together on a single list. In a new explainer, Prof. Ofer Kenig breaks down each politician’s political evolution and the history of their parties from 2012 to today. Bennett began his political career as chairman of the Jewish Home Party, while Lapid formed a new party, Yesh Atid. Since then, there have been six national elections in Israel (four between 2019 and 2022), with each politician and their respective parties forming various joint lists as well as running independently. The last time the two served together was following the 2021 elections, when Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett formed the 36th government in a rotation agreement, with Bennett serving as prime minister for a year before being replaced by Lapid for only six months, due to the political reality at the time, which led to the dissolution of the government. In 2025, Naftali Bennett registered a new party under the temporary name Bennett 2026, which will run together with Yesh Atid in the 2026 elections under the name Together (Beyachad).

Read the full op-ed: bit.ly/4cIx6jI

At his first press conference after winning elections in Hungary, Péter Magyar’s announced his intention to institute term limits for the prime minister. As Israel enters election season, the debate over term limits has been reignited – could this be a good fit for Israel? In their new op-ed, IDI's Dr. Dana Blander and Prof. Ofer Kenig examine the advantages and disadvantages of term limits, which are an exceptional tool in parliamentary systems. Proponents of term limits in parliamentary democracies argue that they act as a safety valve against excessive concentration of power, encourage leadership renewal, and strengthen party ideology over identification with a single leader. Opponents argue they may harm voter choice, undermine the value of political experience, and weaken leaders toward the end of their last term. Blander and Kenig argue that term limits are not a replacement for strong democratic institutions of oversight and checks and balances. "The question is not only how long a prime minister will serve, but to what extent the system as a whole is capable of limiting his or her power.”

Read the full explainer: bit.ly/4t3HRSx

In a dramatic ruling this week, Israel's Supreme Court ordered the government to impose sanctions that will now impact draft evaders on a personal level, alongside the existing collective sanctions. IDI President Yohanan Plesner and Research Fellow Dr. Gilad Malach say that this ruling “marks the end of the government’s attempts to drag its feet over enforcing the Defense Service Law, which imposes Israel’s mandatory draft.” The main change is the shift from collective sanctions on draft evaders, like cuts to yeshiva budgets, to personal economic sanctions that directly affect individuals, like the denial of housing discounts for young couples refusing to serve, making the cost of evasion tangible and immediate. Whether this ruling will lead to mass recruitment remains an open question. As Plesner and Malach write, “without a comprehensive conscription law… and without a widespread sense in the Haredi public and leadership that this is the end of the era of exemptions, it is difficult to foresee a dramatic change in behavior in the short term. The ruling is a necessary first step, but not the last.”

For the full explainer: bit.ly/3Qv1RQs

Former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid have announced they will run on a joint list in Israel’s 2026 elections in a party called “Together.” In their new explainer, IDI’s Dr. Assaf Shapira and Prof. Gideon Rahat lay out the pros and cons of the common tactic of merging parties in Israeli politics. In Israel’s electoral system, two or more parties may submit a joint electoral list, forming an alliance through which they run for elections together. This move is often driven by an individual party’s concern of failing to pass the electoral threshold, the minimum percentage of the vote required to gain seats in Israel’s Knesset. While there may be advantages to joint lists, such as generating enthusiasm among voters, they argue there are also notable downsides. For example, when parties run together, they risk losing “purist” voters who stand strong with a particular party and may object to such alliances. Learn more about Israel’s history with political mergers and who may benefit from them in the full explainer- link in the comments.

“Shapira argued that just the impression that the opposition bloc is ‘more coordinated, more united, and a more serious threat than they have been until now,’ could generate renewed energy among voters, including those who might otherwise stay home. ‘Large parties also tend to animate turnout,’ he noted, and if Eisenkot were to join the alliance, that effect could intensify.” @AssafShapias, Head of IDI’s Political Reform Program spoke with @ArielaKarmel @TimesofIsrael, following yesterday’s announced merger between former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid. Read the full article. timesofisrael.com/bennett-lapid-…

Countries that experience democratic erosion often have leaders who have used states of emergency to accelerate that process. IDI’s Dr. Nadav Dagan and Daphne Benvenisty discussed findings from their comparative study on autocraticzation and states of emergency in a webinar with the University of Haifa’s Minerva Center for the Rule of Law Under Extreme Conditions. Autocratization is an intentional process in which democracy is gradually dismantled from within and, in recent decades, has become the primary pathway through which regimes transition from democratic to autocratic rule. Dagan and Benvenisty compare five formerly stable democracies that experienced substantial autocratization and conclude that, when combined with emergency rule, the result can be an accelerated and intensified process of democratic erosion and replacement. While each process does not necessarily entail the other, they state: “When autocratization and emergency rule unfold simultaneously—whether because political leaders deliberately exploit a crisis to consolidate power or because an unforeseen crisis creates the opportunity—the consequences for democracy can be severe and potentially devastating.” Watch the full webinar bit.ly/4sRaEcK

Today, Israel marks its 78th Independence Day (Yom Ha'atzmaut), an opportunity for Israel and its supporters around the world to celebrate the establishment and accomplishments of the world's only Jewish and democratic state. With an election set for later this year, now is also an opportunity to reflect on how we can ensure that Israel emerges from these challenging times and look towards the future with hope, unity, and with renewed dedication to its founding principles. While Israel has achieved a great deal in so many areas, there is much work to do to preserve all that has been achieved. As IDI President Yohanan Plesner notes, “If Israel is to thrive and prosper for decades to come, its leaders must complete the national projects left unfished by our founders in 1948: fortifying democratic institutions, restoring public faith in them, and building a cohesive society around the founding values of national service.” As Israelis prepare for the months of election campaigning that lies ahead, Plesner reminds us that "talent, ingenuity and commitment to the greater good are the foundational building blocks of Israeli prosperity and national security," and that they "should not let the blaring noise of partisan politics crowd out the vital conversation about our way forward as a nation." Wishing you a happy Yom Haatzmaut!

This Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day), we pause to mourn the heroic soldiers who fell in battle defending the State of Israel, and victims of terror. We are honored to commemorate Staff Sergeant Aner Elyakim Shapiro z"l through the initiative “Ot.Hayim” (Living Letters), which takes the handwriting of fallen soldiers of the October 7th attacks and Iron Swords War and creates personalized fonts, so their writing lives on forever. Today, IDI's logo uses the handwritten font of Aner. Aner, a commander in the IDF Nahal Reconnaissance Unit, was on leave attending the Nova Festival with friends, when the brutal Hamas terror attack began. “Amid chaos and danger, Aner acted with extraordinary bravery. Unarmed, he stood guard at the entrance of a bomb shelter, fighting off heavily armed terrorists. With remarkable composure, he repeatedly caught and threw back grenades hurled into the shelter, saving the lives of dozens of people through sheer courage and presence of mind,” his memorial site explains. In his life, Aner was an artist who deeply believed in the power of art, especially music’s ability to heal and unite. His family shares, “Aner used his creative gifts to build bridges and pursue social justice. In death, he continues to inspire us to carry that mission forward.” Through his handwriting, we honor his courage and his memory – may it be a blessing.

Workers may be bracing for the day AI replaces them, but mass layoffs are not happening in Israel – at least not yet. In a new op-ed, Gilad Be'ery, Head of IDI’s Economic Reform Program, discusses findings from Israel’s first dedicated business survey on AI use, conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) in 2025 and analyzed by IDI experts. AI may not be replacing humans, but it is changing the nature of their work, with about 60% of Israeli businesses that use AI reporting that tasks previously done by humans are now done by AI and only 4% reporting that AI is resulting in layoffs. There are, however, significant gaps – the survey finds that AI use in knowledge-intensive industries, such as high-tech, is almost 3x higher than in traditional industries like manufacturing. Be'ery points to, among other things, low public spending on lifelong learning programs and an over-emphasis on policy promoting innovation in high tech, leaving other sectors behind. He calls for an action plan that invests in human capital across the whole economy, allowing all Israelis to make the most of the opportunities that AI presents. Read the full op-ed: bit.ly/3QaAniS

Viktor Orbán’s loss in Hungary’s elections marks the fall of one of the most influential modern populist leaders, which IDI's Prof. Ofer Kenig argues could have an impact well beyond the borders of Hungary. In his new op-ed, Prof. Kenig writes that Orbán’s leadership model stood as a “proof of concept” for populist leaders around the world that liberal democracy could be dismantled gradually, legally, and with public support. While Orbán’s defeat seems to fit into a broader, yet tentative, “mini-wave” of populist setbacks in Europe, he writes, populism remains a powerful and deeply rooted force, and reversing Orbán’s influence will be neither quick nor easy. Still, Orbán's defeat serves as a model and a reminder for countries around the world that populism can be challenged in elections. Read the full op-ed: bit.ly/4cpu6ax

This Holocaust Remembrance Day, IDI's Dr. Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler shares the memory of her grandmother Irene Riemstein who, after losing her family and surviving Auschwitz, immigrated to pre-state Israel at the age of 17, met her grandfather, started a family, planted an orchard, and built a life. Irene is no longer with us, but what remains are memories. Memories that can now be brought alive by technology. For the first time in history, she writes, it is now possible to take an old photograph and turn it into a living video; to generate a voice that sounds exactly like the loved ones we’ve lost. But if technology can supplement our memories, it can also rewrite them. Dr. Shwartz Altshuler argues that on Holocaust Remembrance Day 2026, we must ask ourselves what Holocaust memory will look like in an era in which the very ability to distinguish between testimony and its artificial fabrication is being undermined. Read the full op-ed by the Head of IDI's Democracy in the Digital Age Program @tehillaaltshul1: bit.ly/4tFUPGD

Our newly released flash survey of the Israeli public reveals that a large majority of Jewish Israelis (80%) think that Israel should continue the fighting in Lebanon against Hezbollah regardless of developments with Iran, even if this results in friction with the US administration. On the other hand, most Arab Israelis (66%) oppose continued fighting. A plurality of Jewish Israelis (49%) think that Israel’s strategic and security situation is better now than it was before the war with Iran, while among Arabs, a plurality (49%) say it is worse. The survey also asked about the management of the war. More than 90% of Jewish Israelis gave the IDF a positive performance rating for their management of the war with Iran, but only 38% rated the government’s performance positively. While Israelis across political orientations gave the IDF high grades, views of the government's performance differ across the Left (6%), Center (17%), and Right (54%). Get a full picture of Israeli public opinion during the recent ceasefire: bit.ly/3Q4ZS58

@LeviYonit @Freedland Watch the full conversation: bit.ly/41NQohn

IDI’s Dr. Amir Fuchs joins @LeviYonit and Jonathan @Freedland on the “Unholy: Two Jews on the News” podcast to discuss the controversial death penalty bill that recently passed in Israel’s Knesset. Dr. Fuchs lays out the key components of the new law, explaining that the death penalty will become the “default” mechanism for Palestinians in the West Bank who are convicted of a terrorist act, with courts able to impose a life sentence only in “unusual circumstances.” The bill also changes Israel’s penal code, he points out, which will now impose the death penalty for murder that is considered a terrorist act “with an intent to negate the existence of the State of Israel.”