Israel’s unity government may prove a constitutional time bomb The deal involved changes to Basic Laws that may have been necessary in these political circumstances. But any country tinkers with longstanding constitutional arrangements at its own peril. Evelyn Gordon April 29, 2020
Israel’s constitutional crisis has been postponed, not resolved The High Court of Justice effectively seized control of another branch of government, in flagrant violation of legislation that the court itself deems constitutional. Once the coronavirus crisis ends, a full-blown court-Knesset war will be unavoidable. Evelyn Gordon April 1, 2020
How the ICC is encouraging greater civilian casualties By prosecuting Israel, the International Criminal Court has essentially said there’s no point even trying to uphold the laws of war because as the court interprets them, they are incompatible with self-defense. Evelyn Gordon March 18, 2020
Hoist with its own petard? Israel’s High Court created the problem that drove tens of thousands of voters into Benjamin Netanyahu’s arms. The result could be a government willing to enact legal reforms that the court bitterly opposes. Evelyn Gordon March 4, 2020
Turning human rights into a bad joke The U.N. anti-Israel blacklist asserts that the most basic essentials—food, water, transportation, communication—raise “particular human rights concerns.” But if every human activity is a “human rights concern,” then nothing is. Evelyn Gordon Feb. 19, 2020
Finally, a peace plan that takes Resolution 242 seriously The Trump administration’s Mideast proposal is the first real attempt to give Israel what that resolution promised more than 50 years ago—borders that are not only recognized, but secure. Evelyn Gordon Feb. 5, 2020
Jordanian vote shows why defensible borders still matter Visceral hatred of Israel is common even in countries with which it has peace treaties. Not only does this hinder peacemaking, but it creates a real risk that treaties won’t survive an autocrat’s fall. Evelyn Gordon Jan. 22, 2020
Why do Likud voters support Netanyahu? Thank the Supreme Court Millions of Israelis are willing to vote for a possible criminal because they see it as their only chance of curbing the legal establishment’s takeover of Israel’s democracy. Evelyn Gordon Jan. 8, 2020
In Europe, Israel needs a bottom-up approach to diplomacy Most people don’t care that much about Israeli-Palestinian issues, so small groups of committed activists can exert a disproportionate influence on policy. Evelyn Gordon Dec. 11, 2019