@noatishby: Israel is holding national elections in less than a week, and it’s the perfect opportunity to explain the Israeli democratic system. Israel is the only Jewish country in the world, and it’s also a liberal democracy. Can a country be Jewish and democratic? The answer is yes, and Israel’s founders answered that question on day one. On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion read Israel’s Declaration of Independence, which established a Jewish state and, in the same breath, promised complete equal rights to all its citizens, regardless of religion, race, or sex. Jewish and democratic were never two separate ideas. They were written into the same document, one highly influenced by the American Declaration of Independence. A Jewish state doesn’t mean that everyone in Israel is Jewish. It doesn’t even mean that Jewish Israelis are religious. Nearly half of Israeli Jews describe themselves as secular, and yes, you can be an atheist Jew. About 18% of Israelis are Muslim, Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the Christian population is actually growing, and everyone has equal rights. Jewish culture, history, and tradition shape the country’s calendar and its character. Democracy decides who governs it and how. Israel’s laws are written by an elected parliament, not handed down by religious leaders. That is the difference between a democracy and a theocracy. Israel is a parliamentary democracy with three branches. The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, makes the laws. The prime minister and the cabinet run the country. The Supreme Court interprets the laws. Next week, Israelis of all backgrounds will vote, because a lot is at stake: the direction of the country, its security, its international relations, and its future. Jews, Muslims, and Christians, religious and secular, right and left, will do what they’ve done for 78 years. Vote democratically. We’ll be in Israel broadcasting live on election day, and we’ll keep you posted on everything. Stay tuned.

Noa Tishby

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Friday 23 October 2026 12:43:33 GMT