Israel's democracy erodes as Palestinians face exclusion from vote

Israelis are heading to the polls, but their government is deliberately weakening democratic principles, according to a report. The democracy does not apply to those living in occupied territory, and critics warn that if this trend is not reversed in the upcoming elections, the country is lost. A Knesset committee recently voted to ban all Palestinian parties from the October 27 parliamentary elections, a move critics called racist, though the Supreme Court ruled Friday they may participate. The Israel Democracy Institute documents the erosion of democratic foundations, with the University of Gothenburg downgrading Israel from a 'liberal democracy' to an 'electoral democracy' due to pressure on the rule of law, separation of powers, and minority protections. Israel ranks 116th out of 180 on the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index, has killed over 200 Palestinian journalists in Gaza since October 7, 2023, and has blocked foreign journalists from entering the territory for three years. The government has also imposed sanctions on the newspaper Haaretz, passed laws to shut down foreign media like Al Jazeera, and Netanyahu has sued outlets over reporting on warnings he ignored before the October 7 attack.