Rights10/4/2026

Analysis: Likud’s Laws and Measures Weaken Democratic Institutions

The author of the analysis article on Zman.co.il argues that since 2023, Likud has supported laws and government measures that increase political control over the courts, legal advisers, and the media. This is the author’s assessment, not a court ruling; the publication compares the party’s current path with the principles of the rule of law and civil rights enshrined in its constitution.

Key facts

•The source is an analysis by the author, not a court ruling
•Abolition of the reasonableness standard: July 2023; struck down by the High Court of Justice in January 2024
•Basic Law: The Government — amendment concerning the prime minister’s incapacity to perform his duties
•Judicial Selection Committee: the law was passed in March 2025 by a majority of 67 votes
•Gali Baharav-Miara’s dismissal was overturned by the High Court of Justice in December 2025
•Tax rate in the bill concerning public organizations — 80%

Which Changes Were Advanced

In July 2023, the Knesset denied the courts the ability to review the reasonableness of decisions by the government and ministers, but in January 2024 the High Court of Justice struck down the amendment. The court determined that the amendment to Basic Law: The Government, which limits the possibility of declaring the prime minister incapacitated from performing his duties, was a clearly personal amendment and postponed its application until the next Knesset. In March 2025, the Knesset approved, by a majority of 67 votes, a change to the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee; it is due to take effect beginning with the next Knesset, and petitions have been filed against it.

The Attorney General and the Head of the Shin Bet

In May 2025, the High Court of Justice ruled that the dismissal of Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar was unlawful and that Benjamin Netanyahu had been in a conflict of interest, although by then Bar had already left his position. In August 2025, the government voted unanimously to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, but in December seven High Court justices unanimously overturned the decision. At the same time, the coalition advanced a bill allowing the government not to act in accordance with the attorney general’s legal opinion and expanding the justice minister’s oversight of the position.

The Media and Public Organizations

The bill concerning public organizations, approved by the Ministerial Committee in February 2025, imposes an 80% tax on donations from foreign countries and restricts the hearing of petitions by organizations funded primarily by foreign governmental bodies; the Knesset has not yet approved it. The publication also describes broadcasting regulations initiated by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and a temporary provision adopted in December 2025 by a vote of 22 to 10, allowing foreign media outlets to be shut down for two years even outside a state of emergency. The author links these measures to the risk of increasing the influence of the state and owners over the press.

Assessment of the State of Democracy

According to the data presented in the article, in 2024 the V-Dem Institute downgraded Israel’s status from a “liberal democracy” to an “electoral democracy” for the first time in more than 50 years, citing, among the reasons, the government’s actions concerning the judicial system. According to the source, Israel remained in the same category in the 2026 V-Dem report. On this basis, the author concludes that Likud’s current policy is inconsistent with the party’s historical definition as a national-liberal movement.

What this means for you

The initiatives described concern citizens’ and organizations’ access to judicial review, the independence of the judicial appointment process, the status of legal opinions issued on behalf of the state, and access to information through the media. Some of the measures have already been struck down or limited by the High Court of Justice, some are due to take effect at a later date, and others remain bills; their practical implications therefore differ.

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