2026 Israeli Election Polling: The Month Ending July 31
Three months from the 26th Knesset election, polling shows the anti-Netanyahu bloc on the cusp of enough votes to form a coalition without the Arab parties.
In the News: “How Israeli Elections Differ From US Political System”CIE+ members only
CIE President Ken Stein speaks with the Atlanta Jewish Times in advance of the October 2026 election about differences between the U.S. and Israeli electoral systems.
Explainer: Israel’s Declaration of Independence
The Israeli Declaration of Independence was crafted in the final month before independence but reflects a thoughtful approach to citizens, neighbors and American precedents.
9 Key Questions About Theodor Herzl’s “The Jewish State,” February 14, 1896CIE+ members only
Nine questions guide key understandings about Theodor Herzl’s “The Jewish State.”
Status of Israel’s Judicial Overhaul, January 2026CIE+ members only
Three years after the Israeli government began the process to overhaul the judiciary, and after two years of war delayed efforts, the drive to rein in judicial independence continues.
Explainer: Oslo II Agreement Between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, September 1995
September 28, 1995 After signing the Declaration of Principles (DOP) on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, commonly known as the Oslo Accords, on September 13, 1993, Israel and the PLO reached three additional interim agreements before Oslo…
Explainer: Israeli Leadership
Jews always have bound themselves together by committing to Torah values, taking care of one another, adapting to new settings, coping with persistently precarious living environments, and finding leaders who looked past immediate obstacles to…
Women in Israel and Zionist HistoryCIE+ members only
When Prime Minister Ehud Olmert resigned in 2008 amid allegations of bribery, Israel came within reach of a milestone in gender equality — one that was a credit to the Jewish state as much as…
Explainer: Israeli Government and Politics
Jewish-majority self-rule existed in Eretz Yisrael during the First and Second Jewish Commonwealths, 1020 to 586 B.C.E. and 538 B.C.E. to 70 C.E., respectively. Then living for centuries as minorities throughout Europe, the Middle East…
Explainer: The Economy of the Yishuv and the State of Israel
By Ken Stein and Scott Abramson, March 23, 2025 Zionist/Jewish Economic Development in Palestine Before 1948 Jewish physical growth in Mandatory Palestine in the period known as the New Yishuv was sufficient through land acquired…
Domestic Discord — Haredim in the Military and Proposed Judicial OverhaulCIE+ members only
Two major discordant issues that vexed Israel before October 7, 2023, continue to cleave Israeli society: a possible exemption from mandatory military service for the Haredim and the Netanyahu government’s persistent effort to wrench from…
Amichai Magen, ‘Israel’s Summer of Discontent,’ Israel Journal of Foreign AffairsCIE+ members only
The summer of 2023 left Israeli society more divided than ever, with the direction of the Jewish state an unknown.
Yedidia Stern, The Radicalization of Israel’s CenterCIE+ members only
Dr. Yedidia Stern, President, Jewish People’s Policy Institute July 28, 2023 (By posting a guest’s views, CIE does not take a position on the contents, nor verify facts nor the assumptions presented.) Israel’s political center…
Shukri Friedman – “Speak Out Against the Haredim? Go to Jail,” Jewish People’s Policy InstituteCIE+ members only
Jewish People’s Policy Institute Shuki Friedman, Jewish People’s Policy Institute (Opinion) By gladly posting a guest’s views, CIE does not take a position on the contents, nor verify the facts nor the assumptions presented. A…
Origins of Israeli Democracy: Jewish Political Culture and Pre-State PracticeCIE+ members only
Neither Israel’s political culture nor Israel’s democracy based on Jewish self determination simply materialized on May 15, 1948. A connection exists from Jewish self-rule in the Diaspora to Zionist political autonomy during the Yishuv and to contemporary Israeli political culture. Likewise, the origins of Israeli democracy are found in the hundreds of years of Jewish Diasporas transitioning into the Zionist movement to the state; from aliyot before the Palestine Mandate to 1948 and since. Components of Israeli political culture…
Reaction and Review of the Four Elements of the Planned Overhaul of Israel’s JudiciaryCIE+ members only
By Ken Stein, May 1, April 4, March 22, March 5, February 11, 2023 Four months after Benjamin Netanyahu, was sworn in as Prime Minister to lead Israel’s 37th government in late December 2022, his cabinet…
Jewish Sovereignty Encased in Israel’s Declaration of IndependenceCIE+ members only
Explore the foundational text of the State of Israel.
Israel’s Proposed Judicial Overhaul: Events and Published Items, January 1-March 28, 2023CIE+ members only
A chronology and selected commentaries on the first three months of the Netanyahu government’s effort to revamp the Israeli judiciary.
A “Constitutional” DemocracyCIE+ members only
Israel, like Britain, is a parliamentary democracy, but, like Britain, Israel lacks a formal constitution. The following items show how the system works and include Israel’s proposed 1948 constitution and the Basic Laws that fill…
Are Ultra-Orthodox Parties Risking Losing the Allegiance of their Voters?CIE+ members only
For many years the ultra-Orthodox were perceived as “captive voters” who would always comply with their rabbis’ instructions to cast their ballot for ultra-Orthodox parties. In today’s new reality such directives are no longer enough
Israeli Parties Present 40 Lists for November Knesset ElectionCIE+ members only
Michael Jacobs and Ken Stein Israel on Nov. 1, 2022, is holding its fifth Knesset election since spring 2019 and its 25th since the state’s founding in 1948. Voters are facing a new mix of…
Polls and Surveys – Israel and the ConflictCIE+ members only
Public opinion both shapes and reflects policy choices. Attitudes provide snap shots of short and long term trends. Assembled here are a variety of current data about policies, reflections, and expectations.
The Return of Palestinian PoliticsCIE+ members only
Palestinian legislative elections are scheduled for May 22. Whether or not the vote takes place, finally scheduling elections was nothing short of remarkable. Palestinian politics has been in gridlock, with elections suspended since the terrorist group Hamas won a parliamentary majority in 2006. However, PA President Abbas could still postpone the elections.
