The results of this election will select 120 members of the 26th Knesset, which in turn will have a critical influence in selecting the Prime Minister and leadership of the critical ministries. The Israeli system has many admirable qualities, but there remain concerns over the ability to address extreme factional interests.
The news in the nation this week is deeply troubling. Extremists are attacking Muslims in unlawful actions that have alarmed both governments and human rights organizations. U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee condemned settlers as “terrorists” after they besieged Palestinian homes on the outskirts of the village of Qusra on Sunday.
Huckabee’s condemnation is an important and needed voice after the alarming actions targeting Palestinians. The actions were reportedly carried out by individuals affiliated with the West Bank’s Tel Talpiot outpost. News reports detail how cables connecting the homes to the electricity grid and solar panels were cut, and water pipes were damaged, disrupting food and power.
Huckabee wrote on X on Thursday that these individuals were “Israeli terrorists.” He has insisted that the Israeli government has responded to the complaint and taken its own actions to counter these measures.
In the meantime, Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir is under fire for a statement made on the podcast of former Gaza-held hostage, Rom Braslavski. He stated, “It’s no secret, I disagree with the prime minister. I think targeted assassinations should be carried out in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night. Not just those who pose an immediate threat — there are people there who are not worthy of life. They shouldn’t live. They’re not even people.”
These actions and statements are undermining U.S. efforts to disarm Hamas and restore governing systems in Gaza.
Most Israelis oppose such groups and views. However, the election is again infusing radical groups with power that far exceeds their actual political support. I have long expressed criticism of the Israeli system created under its “Basic Laws,” which requires endless and unstable coalitions for prime ministers to secure office.
I admit that I have a bias in favor of the Madisonian system. However, Israel is a prime example of how these systems can be dysfunctional, requiring the maintenance of “confidence” in prime ministers through shifting coalitions. The result is unwarranted power for small parties that dictate policy despite representing a small fraction of the population.
In Federalist No. 10, Madison warned about “the mischiefs of faction,” which he defined as “a number of citizens…united and actuated by some common impulse of passion.”
In Federalist No. 9, Hamilton wrote that “A firm Union will be of the utmost moment to the peace and liberty of the States as a barrier against domestic faction and insurrection.”
The protection of minority groups and voices is a difficult balancing act for any system. We achieve that through a bicameral government and federalist system as well as constitutional protections in the Bill of Rights. The Electoral College and the Senate are structural elements designed to protect smaller states from being overwhelmed by high-population states such as California, Florida, and New York.
The Israeli parliamentary system also uses a unicameral legislature that exacerbates those problems, as does a judicial system that engages in reviews that often seem more like legislative or policy judgments.
Israel remains the rare democratic system in the region, but the system itself renders the country most vulnerable to the most extreme elements of its society.