Israel’s Democratic Decline

No audio? Hover over the video player, and tap the Click to Unmute button.

On-demand recordings of FP Live conversations are available to FP subscribers.

The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is going ahead with legislation designed to weaken the country’s Supreme Court, a move that analysts are warning could lead to an erosion of democracy and a dramatic constitutional crisis.

A parliamentary committee approved parts of the legislation on Monday in a lightning-quick process that has triggered protests around the country. Leading jurists, economists, and retired security officials have spoken out against the legislation. But Netanyahu’s coalition, made up of far-right and religious parties, is hoping to finalize the reforms in the coming weeks and months.

To understand more about the legislation and the potential impact on Israel and the region, FP’s Dan Ephron spoke to Amir Tibon, a senior editor at the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Watch the full conversation or read an edited version of the interview.

Amir Tibon explains the ways in which the judicial reforms being pushed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government would weaken Israel’s Supreme Court.

Amir Tibon breaks down how legislation focused on the Israeli judicial system would affect the country’s economy.

Amir Tibon

Senior editor and writer, Haaretz newspaper

Amir Tibon is a senior editor and writer at the Haaretz newspaper and host of the Haaretz Weekly podcast. From 2017 to 2020, he was the paper’s correspondent in Washington, D.C., where he covered the Trump administration, Congress, and the American Jewish community. His writing on Israel and the Middle East has appeared in the New Yorker, the Atlantic, Politico Magazine, and other leading U.S. publications. He has also reported from war zones in Syria and Ukraine. Tibon currently lives with his wife and two daughters in Nahal Oz, a small community on the Israeli border with Gaza.

Host

Dan Ephron

Executive editor for podcasts, Foreign Policy

Dan Ephron is the executive editor for podcasts at Foreign Policy. Before joining FP, he spent 13 years at Newsweek, where he served as Jerusalem bureau chief, deputy Washington bureau chief, and national security correspondent. His book, Killing a King: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the Remaking of Israel, won a Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was chosen by both the New York Times and Washington Post as one of 2015’s 100 notable books.

Related

Upcoming Discussions

Heather Cox Richardson on American Democracy

✓  

Registered

Ask a Question

Ask a Question

  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

How to Reboot America’s China Policy

✓  

Registered

Ask a Question

Ask a Question

  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

On-Demand from FP Live

Samantha Power on Development Diplomacy

Ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal sat down with USAID administrator Samantha Power for a wide-ranging interview. The two discussed USAID’s priorities for UNGA, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and how the Biden administration views the United Nations. 

  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

The White House’s U.N. Agenda

As world leaders arrive in New York City for high-level meetings at the United Nations General Assembly, what are the White House’s main priorities? Linda Thomas-Greenfield is the Biden administration’s ambassador to the United Nations. She joined FP’s Ravi Agrawal to discuss the war in Sudan, the global food crisis, international cooperation in Ukraine, and the world’s progress in meeting the U.N.’s sustainable development goals.

  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

Inside Taiwan’s Foreign Policy

FP’s Ravi Agrawal spoke with Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. The two discussed U.S. relations with Taiwan, tensions in the Taiwan Strait, semiconductors, and much else.

  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

The World’s Most Important Alliances

How are alliances shaping geopolitics? Is the West correct in prioritizing like-minded clubs over reforming the postwar multilateral institutions it helped create? Watch Princeton University scholar G. John Ikenberry, a contributor to FP’s Fall issue, in discussion with FP’s Ravi Agrawal. Ikenberry authored the issue’s lead essay on the growing significance of the G-7.

  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

Foreign Policy’s forum for live journalism, convening experts and world leaders.

Loading graphics