Israel’s democracy is under a debilitating attack. The only democracy in the Middle East is going to the ballots in November for the fifth time in three and a half years because, under its broken electoral system, the person Israelis prefer as their leader more than anyone else was unable, time and again, to form a functioning government. In previous rounds, the Likud, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, received the most votes but was boycotted by other (small) political parties, thwarting a coherent coalition and resulting in political deadlock.

The political boycott brought Israelis to the polls in April 2019, September 2019 and March 2020, before Netanyahu was able to form a government in May 2020.

With 36 seats (out of the total 120 parliamentary seats), Netanyahu formed a government with Benny Gantz, his party’s 15 seats and a number of smaller parties. But the coalition agreement that gave Gantz veto power turned out to be crippling and another election was soon to follow in March 2021.

Ideally, once the dust of the November election settles, Israel should fix its unhinged electoral system by enabling Israelis to elect the leader of their choice and subsequently, after let’s say two years, vote for representatives in parliament who can complement or balance the power of the elected prime minister. This could turn Israel into a durable democracy.

The writer is the CEO of Acumen Risk Ltd. and the author, most recently, of Targeted Killings, Law and Counter-Terrorism Effectiveness: Does Fair Play Pay Off? The opinions expressed here are his own.

Source: Jerusalem Post