Government, Elections, Judiciary ©Professor Gad Barzilai

Parliamentarian Sovereignty Formally, the sovereign power is embedded in the Knesset.

Parliamentarian Democracy National and local elections [1949- ] Elections in a multi-partisan system The government is part of parliament and should get its vote of confidence A constructive vote of non-confidence

Electoral Turnout in Comparison

Labor Party as Dominant [ ] The Roots of domination Social class Political organization Nation building

The Roots of Decline The challenge of Peace The challenge of Social Justice The challenge of Ethnicity Institutional fragmentation The 1973 War

Likud- Roots of Ruling [ ] From a small opposition to a ruling party

Roots of Likud Rise The Power of Middle Class The Leadership of Begin From War to War The Mizrachi Voting The Pressures of Economic Capitalism and Liberalization The Occupation of the 1967 Territories

The Decline of Likud and Labor The War in Lebanon and the development of a new civil society [ ] The collapse of the Oslo Accords [ ] The emergence of Shas [1984- ] The emergence of centrist political parties [2003- ]

Basic Electoral Statistics

Centrist Parties- A Change? Dash Shinui Kadima

Religious Parties– A Nation-State? NRP [Mafdal] Agudath Yisrael

Shas- Power through Ethnic Mobilization - Observant Jews from Mizrachi origins - Replacing the State as a venue of social welfare - Building a system of education - Ultra-Orthodox leadership - Pragmatism in national security issues - Veto position in coalition building

Arab-Palestinian Parties: Bi- Nationalism?

Far Right- Arabs??

Zionist Left- Equality and Zionism?

From Partisan Hegemony to Judicial Politics

The Chief Justice Aharon Barak Dorit Beinish

Liberal feminists are using litigation in order overcome individual discrimination.

Same-Sex Marriage: Equality?

Israeli Arab-Palestinians

And the 1967 Occupied Territories?

A “Jewish and Democratic” State? What Does It Mean? Contentions around a Legal Ideology

No Constitution; Basic Laws Basic Law: The Knesset [1958] Basic Law: Israel Lands [1960] Basic Law: The President [1964] Basic Law: The Government [1968] Basic Law: The State Economy[1975] Basic Law: The Army [1976]

Basic Laws Basic Law: Jerusalem [1980] Basic Law: The Judiciary [1984] Basic Law: State Comptroller [1988]

Law of Return 1950 Absentee Property Act 1950 Citizenship Law 1952

New Basic Laws Basic Law: Human Dignity [1992] Basic Law: Freedom of Vocation [1992/1994]. A “Constitutional Revolution”?

Institutional Ramifications Judicial Supremacy Executive Reactions Parliamentarian Reactions

Religious Parties– A Democracy? NRP [Mafdal] Agudath Yisrael

Centrist Parties-A New Balance? Dash Shinui Kadima

Zionist Left-Privatization of Religion

Far Right- A Territorial Jewish State

Arab-Palestinian Parties: A Secular Bi- National State

The Challenge of Constitutional Accountability

The Active Field of NGOs