I moved to Israel from the United States. Both countries claim to be democracies and have periodic elections. They are quite different. The basic premise for each is that the majority rules. Both, however, are concerned with the corollary the the majority can only rule effectively by preserving the rights of the minorities.
In America there are checks and balances between the branches of government. In Israel, minority rights were supposed to be protected by using a proportional system for elections. It turned out to be almost unworkable. Part of the solution was to put a minimum percentage of the vote as a limit. Parties with less than that minimum got no representation. That made it a little easier. But it still left the problem that a large party could almost never garner an absolute majority by itself. They needed a coalition. Smaller parties joining the ruling coalition often did so by making special demands that were perceived as excessive. The Israeli Ultra-Orthodox religious parties are a prime example of this. Religious institutes and students receive what i perceived by the secular population as a disproportionate share of government funding. Similarly, while there is no institutional discrimination, Arab schools appear to be neglected and the Arab minority is exempt for required military service.
Currently, Israel has a fragile coalition government based on a power sharing agreement that may not function. The incumbent prime-minister appears to have consistently acted in a manner that thwarts the aspirations of any potential rival. Israel just weathered a threatened political crisis that could have taken the citizenry to the polls for the 4th time in a row. Benyamin Netanyahu is beginning to look like a banana republic dictator. He has been indicted for some serious crimes, including bribery. The activities he is supporting in the Knesset, Israel;s lawmaking body, look more and more like they are aimed at keeping him out of prison rather than promoting legislation that is good for the country. He is still popular, based on proven ability and past achievements. But there are more and more voices joining the chorus that want him to step down. He wields almost absolute power, and as the proverb states, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
Wetherhorn 