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Israeli institutions at the crossroads

Cohen-Almagor, Raphael

Authors



Abstract

This essay discusses the SHABAC affair of 1984, conceiving it as the most serious scandal in Israel's history. I argue that key figures and institutions in Israeli society, including the president, the prime minister, the government, the knesset, the SHABAC, the army, and the Supreme Court acted wrongly in this affair. I then move on to discuss the government institution, protesting against the tendency to form unified governments composed of the two leading parties, Likud and Labour. I assert that stable democracy needs a strong government and no less inportantly a strong coalition. Only in time of war there is room to consider such a unified government. As for the Knesset, it is suggested to raise the entry threshold to 5 percent of the electorate in order to decrease the number of parties represented. It is further suggested to change the voting system: Sixty percent of the Knesset to be elected directly via a party list, and forty percent to be elected in the provinces. Finally, I discuss the roles of the Supreme Court, arguing that they do not include legislation. At the same time, judges can employ creative interpretations of the law when they formulate their rulings. It is further suggested that the Court should strive to represent different religious, national and cultural groups of society. © 2005, Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Citation

Cohen-Almagor, R. (2005). Israeli institutions at the crossroads. Israel affairs, 11(2), 462-467. https://doi.org/10.1080/1353712042000326560

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date Jan 24, 2007
Publication Date 2005
Deposit Date Mar 13, 2022
Journal Israel affairs
Print ISSN 1353-7121
Electronic ISSN 1549-7879
Publisher Routledge
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 11
Issue 2
Pages 462-467
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/1353712042000326560
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/1953356