On March 11, 2026, the Jan Koum Israel Studies Program (JKISP) at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law hosted constitutional scholar Masua Sagiv for a discussion, part of its Israel Insights Webinar series, titled “Who Stands for Democracy? Understanding Israel’s Constitutional Crisis.” Moderated by Amichai Magen, Director of JKISP, the conversation explored how Israel’s ongoing war, political realignment, and institutional tensions are reshaping debates over the country’s democratic future. The discussion also unfolded in real time under wartime conditions: Sagiv briefly left the session to take shelter during a missile alert before returning to continue the conversation, a moment Magen noted reflected the realities of daily life in Israel.

Sagiv argued that the key political question in Israel’s next elections may be less about individual leaders than about the coalitions that emerge afterward. While Israeli politics has shifted rightward — especially on security issues since the Second Intifada and the October 7 attacks — she emphasized that future governments could vary widely depending on whether parties align with far-right and ultra-Orthodox partners or form broader centrist coalitions. Turning to Israel’s constitutional crisis, Sagiv said that broad agreement exists across political camps that reforms are needed to clarify the balance of power among the judiciary, executive, and legislature. Yet political mistrust has repeatedly derailed compromise proposals. Ultimately, she argued, resolving the crisis will require rebuilding trust across Israel’s ideological divides and establishing clearer constitutional “rules of the game” to stabilize the country’s democratic system.