A majority of Israelis support the ability of the Supreme Court to strike down Knesset laws that contradict democracy, according to a special 20th-anniversary edition of an annual survey released today by the Israel Democracy Institute.
Amid the hardline right-wing government’s plan to push through a judicial overhaul, the IDI reveals that an average of 42% of the public trusted the Supreme Court in 2022, significantly lower than the two-decade average of 59.5%.
When broken down according to political affiliation, 80% of Israelis who define themselves as left-wing, 62% of those in the center, and 29% on the right said they trusted the Supreme Court as of October 2022.
According to an average of five measurements since 2010, a majority of Israelis (55.6%) support the Supreme Court having authority to strike down laws passed by the Knesset “if they are found to be contrary to the principles of democracy,” with more Arabs (87%) than Jews (51%) backing the court in this role.
In October 2022, 58% of respondents believed the court should have that authority. Only 37.5% of those in the right wing supported it, while 70% in the center and 89% on the left backed the court being able to strike down laws. Overall, 56% of Jews and 71% of Arabs supported that ability.
It's not (only) about you.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this