A Petition Against the Israeli Government’s Planned Judicial Reform

We are academic researchers in the fields of International Relations, Political Science, and Game Theory.

We are deeply concerned with the Israeli government’s legislative initiative to weaken the Supreme Court as well as other regulatory institutions that are vital for the survival of a democracy. Many other petitions document why this initiative will eviscerate the human rights that Israeli citizens have enjoyed since the establishment of the state. As if that were not enough, our petition adds an additional concern, building on our areas of expertise: the initiative threatens Israel’s national security and will weaken its ability to defend itself.

Democracies have prevailed in almost all major conflicts where democracies faced autocracies, for the following reasons:

1.      Democracies support strong economies and, therefore, can devote more resources to security and protection.

2.      Prevailing in a violent conflict requires individual sacrifice. A decision to go to war that is vetted  by democratic institutions generates greater willingness to sacrifice than decisions made by autocrats.  

3.      Threats made by democracies in conflicts that escalate are taken more seriously by adversaries than those made by autocrats, because they are backed by voters and democratic institutions.

4.      Democracies have nurtured mutual support through stable alliances that autocrats fear for good reason. A descent to autocracy weakens support from other democracies.

Israel is located in a highly hostile environment despite its improved relations with some Arab countries. But its relations with Palestinians, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran who back extremist factions, remain fraught. Weakening democratic institutions will play directly into the hands of Israel’s enemies and undermine support from democracies around the world. Without that support, Israel’s very existence will be threatened.

We call upon the Israeli government to maintain the strength of its judiciary and other institutions that are essential for a strong democracy to thrive, especially in the current international context.