The Quiet Erosion of Democracy : Why Israel’s Political Crisis Should Worry Us All

GOVT133 Seungyun Lim

A country can hold free elections and still slowly lose the quality that makes it truly democratic.

Israel is described as the only stable democracy in the Middle East with independent courts, a free press, and regular competitive elections. However, the situation has started to deteriorate quietly. During the past decade, political polarization has become more intense while governments keep breaking apart and judges face attacks from political groups. We need to understand Israel’s ability to maintain democracy instead of studying its current democratic status.
Israel is experiencing the erosion of democracy gradually. Not because democracy has suddenly disappeared, but because political polarization, repeated instability, ongoing conflict, and the entanglement of religion and politics are weakening quietly.
The democratic system faces a critical threat because democracy decline develops through hidden processes which become impossible to stop once they reach an advanced stage. The multiple elections in Israel together with political stalemates and citizens disagreements about public issues demonstrate how the nation becomes more vulnerable. The case of Israel shows how democracy can maintain its democratic systems while its internal stability starts to break down.

Beyond Elections
The foundation of democracy requires more than conducting regular elections. The system requires public trust to function properly while protecting rights and maintaining strong institutions and operational governments.Now, these foundations are under increasing pressure.
On paper, the numbers still seem to work normally . Freedom House scores Israel 73 out of 100 in the “Free” category. But, a high score does not mean there is no cause of concern. Freedom House’s own data points to growing concerns about civil liberties and political rights..The core elements of democracy exist through these protections which lose their power to protect when they disappear, so democratic quality though the summary score fails to show this.

The V-Dem Institute‘s Liberal Democracy Index makes this trend visible. Israel’s score remained stable for many years, but it decreased between 2017 and 2022.The process of democratic erosion requires multiple time- based assessments instead of single-time evaluations to show its progress. The index shows the continuous decline of institutional quality through its measurement of three core elements which include rule of law and judicial independence and minority protections.

The Instability Trap
Israel held five national elections throughout the period from 2019 to 2022. As BBC News reported, each election led to political deadlock which forced governments to operate as caretakers while political factions deepened their existing conflicts.

This kind of deadlock does not just affect party politics. When coalition governments repeatedly collapse, it becomes difficult to make policy. It leads to citizens begin to see democracy as ineffective systems rather than valuable systems. This situation can make citizens’ dissatisfaction not only toward politicians but also toward democracy. People in society will accept shortcuts which lead to strongman leadership and weakened courts and emergency power when they lose trust.
The planned judicial reform 2023 resulted in major public demonstrations which developed into a direct clash between executive power and judicial authority.The action did not emerge from an uncontrolled authoritarian outburst. The situation developed because of long-standing political divisions which supported a coalition government that included members who viewed the judicial system as an opposing force instead of its protective function.

When Religion Enters Politics
Religion is one of the key drivers of shaping Israel politics, so it is impossible to understand the current crisis without considering it. The relationship between religion and state has historically influenced political institutions and public discourse in Israel. Survey data indicates that religious identity significantly influences political attitudes and voting behavior in Israel. People form their opinions about state operations and citizen duties and leadership systems through their religious background. The system produces effects on legal systems and government operations which do not exist in countries that maintain separation between church and state.
Religion alone does not cause democratic erosion. The deep involvement of religions in Israel’s political battles through ultra-Orthodox party control of coalition power leads to increased social conflicts which block the path to democratic agreement. This gives religious parties influence beyond their size, even small parties can become essential to forming a government in coalition negotiations. The process of making policy choices between different options creates deeper social conflicts which prove much harder to resolve than standard political disagreements.
The existing situation which faces conflict and polarizing divisions now faces an additional religious factor that creates more challenges for democratic institutions. The system creates limits which block democratic institutions from reaching consensus because institutions need to work together for survival.

Conflict as Accelerant
The ongoing conflict, since October 2023, has made all of these problems more severe. Recent analysis indicates that the 2026 elections may serve less as a conventional democratic process and more as a referendum on Israel’s future social contract, reflecting increasing social conflict. During the war, governments can justify emergency powers and restrictions on civil liberties in the name of national security. As a result, criticism can be dismissed more easily, and the citizens may become willing to tolerate limits on democratic procedures. At the same time, ongoing conflict makes it harder for citizens to resist democratic backsliding.
The two processes of internal division and external military conflicts build upon each other through an ongoing cycle of influence. The rising conflict between groups strengthens tribal bonds which create obstacles for politicians to find common ground. Different political beliefs between people create problems which prevent them from working together to solve their conflicts. The situation in Israel continues to repeat itself without any visible solution to break this cycle.

Why It Matters
Democratic erosion develops through processes which differ from traditional military takeovers. Recent research on Israel democracy suggests that democratic decline is a gradual phenomenon, the interpretation difference of ideology and religion can weaken. The following elements define this situation: Repeated elections have failed to establish a permanent government. Coalition members in the legislature demand ideological conformity instead of professional skills and the judiciary operates without any independent authority. Also, the public has become indifferent because of continuous disorder.
Israel has not crossed a point of no return. The failure of institutions occurs through stages which begin with minor problems that expand into severe complications. The process of deterioration occurs through time because conflicts intensify while people lose their ability to reach agreements and individual freedoms start to vanish without anyone noticing.
The lesson for other democracies is uncomfortable: no country is immune.The development of Israeli institutions took place throughout multiple decades while the country endured military conflicts and received large numbers of immigrants who brought their own cultures. The democratic system faces threats from polarization and ongoing conflicts which could lead to its complete destruction. The time to protect democracy is before the crisis becomes irreversible — not after.

References
Freedom House. “Israel”.
V-Dem Institute. “CountryGraph”
BBC News. “Israel election hopes and fears play out in crater town” March 24, 2021
Chatham House. “Israel in 2026: Elections will be a referendum on the legacy of 7 October- and the future of the social contract” January 2026
Pew Research Center. “7 key findings about religion and politics in Israel” March 8, 2016
University of Haifa Nexus. “Religion and Politics in Israel:The unique Dynamics of the Middle East’s Sole “Western Oriented” Democracy” December 16, 2024
The crisis of Israel democracy:political-ideological framings by members of Israel’s 24th Knesset