{
  "id": 19841515,
  "title": "Israel's broken political system keeps resisting reform, despite decades of warnings - analysis",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/israels-broken-political-system-keeps-resisting-reform-despite",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-13T17:56:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-914666"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Israel's 78-year-old political system resembles worn-out shoes that cause discomfort and fail to protect its citizens. Despite numerous calls for reform over the decades, the system remains dysfunctional and ill-suited for the country's unique governance challenges, as demonstrated by the 2026 Knesset elections. The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), founded in 1991 by renowned political reformer Dr. Arye Carmon, has long studied, warned, and recommended changes to address these issues. However, the gap between identifying problems and persuading those in power to change them has grown significantly.\n\nIDI's Political Reform Program head, Dr. Assaf Shapira, highlighted the decline of party platforms and the rise of personality-driven politics. He noted that voters increasingly focus on individual candidates rather than parties and their ideologies, which has led to a decline in ideological debates and policy formulation. Social media further influences voter perceptions, especially among young people who do not watch serious news broadcasts. Candidates often attempt to persuade voters in a few seconds, making complex issues difficult to explain.\n\nDr. Shapira identified several structural weaknesses in Israel's political system, including the lack of checks and balances over the government, limited midterm elections, and the absence of a formal constitution. He emphasized that accountability does not exist in Israel, as everything is viewed through a political lens, and there is no culture of responsibility for failures among the prime minister and his cabinet.\n\nThe phenomenon of personality-driven politics is not unique to Israel, but it is more pronounced due to sector-based voting and unique characteristics of the Israeli electorate. While tribal politics have always existed, it has become stronger in recent years, making it harder to persuade voters to change their minds. Dr. Shapira attributed this development to social media, the decline of ideologies, and demographic changes that have transformed Israeli society. He expressed uncertainty about how to combat tribal politics, given the country's long-standing divisions.",
  "summary": "More than ever, the 2026 Knesset elections have shown how dysfunctional and ill-suited it is to the country’s unique governance challenges.",
  "key_points": [
    "Israel's political system resembles worn-out shoes, failing to protect citizens",
    "IDI has warned of reforms for decades but sees no change in power",
    "Personality-driven politics and social media influence voter perceptions"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}