A perilous implosion awaits Israel unless true democracy prevails

Reforming Israel's electoral system

Much can be said about the inefficiency and intricacies of Israel's electoral system. Israeli elections are largely fair and free but nevertheless there is a need for substantial reform. For the purpose of this article, it suffices to focus on one critical aspect of Israel's electoral system. Any reforms should aim at reducing the number of political parties by raising the electoral threshold from 3.25 percent to perhaps 7 or 8 percent. This change alone would compel smaller parties who roughly share similar ideological and political leanings to merge and create a larger party, which would also help to reduce polarization. But more important, it would prevent small parties from being kingmakers and having outsized power to form as well as precipitate the collapse of a government if their demands are not met. With fewer parties, each party would naturally gain a greater number of seats and will be able to form a coalition government without the need for a party of only 4 or 5 Knesset members, which under the current structure holds the government hostage to the narrow demands that serve the sole interest of such a party, even at the expense of the nation's interests.

Moreover, the fewer the number of political parties in any coalition government, the fewer compromises will have to be made in order to avoiding settling on the lowest common denominators to reach consensus on any policy. This change alone would allow most governments to complete their four-year mandates and prevent frequent elections. During the past four years the country went through five elections, which is absurd to say the least. There is no doubt that this one change alone will dramatically improve the government's functionality and further enhance its democratic underpinnings.

In conclusion, Israel has never faced the kind of social and political turmoil it is currently experiencing. The foundations of Israel's democracy as a representative government-independence of the judiciary, equality before the law, social justice, religious freedom, freedom of press and expression, and protection of human rights-must be guarded with zeal. These democratic pillars have largely been enshrined in basic laws and any tampering with these pillars betrays the very essence behind Israel's creation.

Israel, which was established as a home to protect the security and the rights of every citizen and welcomes any Jew regardless of their religious affiliation, country of origin, or gender, has been alarmingly eroding in recent years.

The whole nation must now rise up and revive the moral tenets and the democratic values on which the country was created, and live up to the vision of its founders.