IDI - Israel Democracy Institute
The Israel Democracy Institute is an independent, non-partisan "think-and-do tank" dedicated to strengthening the foundations of Israeli democracy.
A series of controversial bills are advancing through Knesset this week, as the session enters its final week before the summer recess and elections.
Some of the key legislation moving forward:
➡️ Legislation to Freeze the Arrest of Draft Evaders: The bill would temporarily suspend, for three months, all arrests, investigations, and enforcement proceedings against draft-eligible yeshiva students who failed to report for military service.
➡️ A bill intended to weaken the role of the Attorney General: The latest proposal would undermine the binding force of the Attorney General’s legal opinions and remove the AG’s exclusive authority to decide whether the government may obtain separate legal representation.
➡️ Basic Law: Torah Study: The revised bill establishes Torah study as a foundational value in Israel’s Basic Laws. There is concern that this could later be used to support exemptions from military service and continued public funding for yeshivas and draft evaders.
➡️ The Communications Bill: The bill would restructure Israel’s broadcast oversight, establish a new media regulator, and introduce new rules on funding, Israeli productions, and public broadcasting content.
Learn about other legislation advancing in Knesset and stay up to date as Israelis head into elections season: https://bit.ly/4pqn2Ra
IDI’s latest Israeli Voice Index finds a sharp drop in the share of Jewish Israelis who believe President Trump prioritizes Israel’s security, from 64% in March to 41% last month and 26% today, a 38-percentage-point decline, marking a record low.
➡️ The survey also found that, in light of the severe disagreements between the United States and Israel, 53% view this as a temporary crisis, while 36% see it as a turn for the worse; Arab Israelis are split, with 47% seeing it as temporary and 46% as a long-term trend.
➡️ After Israel’s April war with Iran (Operation Roaring Lion), 38% of the Israeli public say Israel’s strategic security situation is better than before the war, while 36% say it is worse and 21% say it has stayed the same. In all Jewish political camps except those who define themselves as Strongly Right, a largest share say it has worsened.
➡️ Ahead of Israel’s elections, only one-third of Israelis say a political party closely represents their views; the sense of representation is strongest among voters for The Democrats and Religious Zionism parties, and lowest among voters for the Together party.
Get the full picture in the latest Voice Index: https://bit.ly/3SNWNaW
07/03/2026
As Americans celebrate 250 years of independence, Israelis have reason to look across the ocean with gratitude and admiration. IDI President Yohanan Plesner writes that this is also a moment for Israel to honor its closest ally by rededicating itself to the founding ideals that bind our two democracies together.
The American-Israeli relationship is more than strategic, he writes. At the core of the alliance are shared principles of freedom, equality, self-government, rule of law, and separation of powers. Yet amidst the deep divisions in Israeli society over these very values, Israel remains one of the only democracies in the world without a constitution or bill of rights. Plesner reminds us that the US Constitution was not completed in 1776 – it took 13 years and no small amount of conflict and compromise. 78 years after the State of Israel's Declaration of Independence was signed, we too must complete this missing piece in our national infrastructure. These principles are not “nice to have,” he writes, they are what allow a democracy to ask so much of its people, and what tie Israel to its greatest ally.
Read the full op-ed: https://bit.ly/4y2ljFh
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