Israel

Israel falls into the bottom ranks internationally (rank 27) with regard to vertical accountability.

The registration process for candidates and parties is transparent and fair. In recent years, some Knesset members have tried to disqualify candidates from Arab minority parties, accusing them of supporting terrorism. While the Central Elections Committee has disqualified some Arab candidates, the Supreme Court has overturned these decisions.

All Israeli citizens have voting rights. Palestinians in East Jerusalem are deemed permanent residents, not citizens, and can vote only in municipal elections. Polarization between political parties has increased, limiting interparty collaboration. Recent elections have been administered without significant issues.

The current government has sought to weaken the judiciary and reduce checks and balances. Ultraorthodox coalition parties reject the supremacy of the rule of law and exclude women from political offices, while the coalition’s right-wing parties advocate for Jewish supremacy and discriminate against minorities. The Freedom of Information Act contains notable exceptions.

Israel performs relatively poorly (rank 24) in the area of diagonal accountability.

Freedom of the press is based on Supreme Court rulings rather than constitutional protections. Media outlets are frequently critical of the government. The public broadcaster is independent. The government regularly attacks the media for providing one-sided coverage, but no formal legislation has been introduced to limit press freedom.

Freedom of association and assembly are protected by court rulings. Protests are frequently held. Some attempts have been made to limit civil society organizations, especially left-wing and externally funded human rights groups. Police sometimes use excessive force, especially against Arab, Palestinian, Ethiopian-descent and ultraorthodox protesters.

While labor unions have lost influence, when major civil society organizations in the economic sphere make proposals, the government tends to respond. Social welfare organizations have a strong influence on decision-making and often help implement policy. Some environmental groups have sophisticated capabilities, but the issue is not high on the state’s agenda.

Israel scores relatively poorly (rank 25) in the category of horizontal accountability.

The State Comptroller’s Office is an independent body with an extremely broad audit remit. However, it lacks enforcement power, and the current officeholder has deliberately limited critique of the government. The Privacy Protection Authority is part of the Ministry of Justice, and can initiate criminal investigations.

Judicial oversight is conducted by the Supreme Court, which has broad discretion and autonomy. However, recent attempts by the government to limit judicial oversight and politicize the Supreme Court’s appointment process have raised concerns. Public protests have so far blocked these reforms, but the efforts appear to be continuing.

The proposed judicial reforms would put civil rights protection at risk, as proponents have advocated removing courts from this role. Significant progress has been made on LGBTQ+ rights. Legislative resources have been expanded, but these resources remain insufficient for effective oversight of the executive.

In the category of coordination, Israel performs relatively poorly (rank 26).

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) coordinates between departments, oversees annual plans and monitors cabinet decisions. While ministers do not need PMO approval for their proposals, the prime minister must agree to include them on the cabinet agenda. PMO capacities have weakened as professional staffers have been replaced by partisan figures.

Interministerial coordination primarily occurs through interministerial committees, which are typically created to promote specific programs. Consultations and information sharing between individuals is common, and informal meetings between officials occur frequently.

Policymaking in Israel is extremely centralized, and local governments have little autonomy. The central government regulates, fund and oversee many services such as education and welfare services. Standards exist for such services, but affluent localities can supplement these services. The remaining services are not regulated, and are left to local authorities.

Israel falls into the lower-middle ranks (rank 21) with regard to consensus-building.

No formal mechanisms for integrating scientific knowledge into policymaking exist, though consultations with experts frequently occur. In such cases the meetings are often not transparent.

Consultation with employers and unions occurs on an ad hoc rather than institutionalized basis. The government generally avoids such consultation unless the cooperation of labor or capital is required for policy implementation. Social welfare groups provide many welfare services, and thus are deeply involved in many stages of the policymaking process.

Statutory committees handling environmental issues are required to include a representative from an environmental organization. Because this issue is low on the government agenda, politicians often overlook environmental concerns. A government site offers access to quantitative data from various governmental departments and on various subjects.

Israel falls into the bottom ranks internationally (rank 28) with respect to sensemaking.

Nearly all government ministries have departments for strategic planning and policy, but impact varies. Much strategic development occurs instead in the Ministry of Defense or the Ministry of Finance. Generally, strategic plans do not include multiple scenarios, and the strategic planning units do not contribute significantly to the policy planning process.

Under law, new regulations must undergo a regulatory impact assessment (RIA) before implementation. These are required to be based on scientific principles and transparent to the public, and should involve relevant stakeholders. The quality and effectiveness of RIAs vary significantly across ministries.

Sustainability checks are not mandated or routine parts of the RIA process. There is no general legal or formal requirement for ex post evaluation of policies. When they do occur, they tend to be initiated by individual ministries, and carried out by private strategic consulting firms.

In the category of economic sustainability, Israel performs relatively poorly (rank 26) in international comparison.

There is no circular economy strategy or roadmap. The Ministry of Finance is responsible for coordinating critical infrastructure policy, but no strategic plan has been prepared. Implementation of a carbon tax has been delayed. The OECD has criticized Israel for failing to meet climate standards.

No comprehensive vocational training policy is in place. Most training is performed by private organizations. Current policy does not facilitate worker mobility, and there is no short-term work scheme to handle economic shocks. Labor market participation rates are low among Arab women and ultraorthodox men. Unemployment benefits are comparatively low.

Income taxes are progressive. Both income and corporate tax burdens have fallen in recent years, accompanied by a rise in indirect taxes, especially VAT. Budget policy includes a deficit ceiling and an expenditure rule that limits year-on-year budget growth. The Ministry of Finance also holds hidden budgetary reserves. Government and public bodies provide most R&D funding.

Israel falls into the bottom ranks internationally (rank 27) with regard to social sustainability.

Education spending is higher than the OECD average as a share of GDP, but lower on a per capita basis. The country faces a significant teacher shortage. The school system is split between general, religious and Arab schools. Religious schools get more funding per pupil, while Arab schools receive less.

The basic income is insufficient to fulfill basic needs. Poverty rates are high among the country’s Arab and ultraorthodox populations. The healthcare system is centralized, and offers high-quality treatment. Pension benefits do not prevent poverty for many residents. Following the large wave of immigration from Russia, a significant share of the population lacks pensions.

There is no comprehensive gender equality strategy. The current government has reduced focus on the issue. Family policy includes 15 weeks of maternity leave with pay, as well as child allowances. Childcare is accessible and free from the age of three, but few subsidized slots are available for younger children. Immigration policy exclusively targets Jewish immigrants.

Israel falls into the bottom ranks internationally (rank 28) in the category of environmental sustainability.

A climate law introduced in 2023 had not yet been passed by mid-2024. The proposed measure set a national goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to 2015 levels and achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

In the absence of specific measures and targets, the country has addressed climate change through measures including gradual electrification of cars and buses, the shift from coal to natural gas in power plants, and the promotion of sustainable energy production and greater energy efficiency in economic activity.

Policies are in place to protect air and water quality, and prevent soil pollution. Biodiversity protection has not been a government focus. The complicated regional political situation has hampered the development of a strategic regional environmental protection plan with specific goals and measures.