Democracy, Populism, & Domestic Politics, Middle East Israel Pushes Its Emergency Powers to Their Limits

The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded Israel’s preexisting constitutional and political crises. On March 2, Israel held its third election in one year, after the previous rounds failed to produce a government. For over a year, a caretaker government that lacks a parliamentary majority has been governing the state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal indictment has also prompted a legal debate over his competence to remain in office.

Israel’s regulatory response to the COVID-19 pandemic should be assessed against this complicated background. Israel responded quickly to the crisis with a host of regulatory measures, essentially shutting down its economy. Yet commentators have accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of taking these extraordinary measures to entrench his rule rather than to protect the citizenry. Current political dynamics make it difficult to say whether government decisions are predominantly driven by electoral politics or a good faith evaluation of the public’s best interest.

Read more in The Regulatory Review >>