Politics in Israel - statistics & facts

Israel has a parliamentary democracy system with proportional representation. The government includes a prime minister as head of government, a parliament (known as the Knesset), and a president as head of state. Until the mid-1990s, the political system in the country included two major parties: the center-left Labor Party and the center-right Likud party. In recent years, however, a multi-party and sometimes sectoral political system has developed, making it difficult to establish a stable government. In a survey conducted in Israel in April 2022, 40 percent of respondents stated that they were optimistic about the future of the Israeli democracy.

The 37th government of Israel

Israel's last legislative elections took place in November 2022, representing the fifth election cycle in just three years. Following the publication of the results, Benjamin Netanyahu established a new government consisting of his party, Likud, and religious right-wing parties. After the government announced its intentions to make significant changes to the Israeli justice system in February 2023, massive demonstrations began against these changes. The demonstrators warned that the suggested changes in the judicial system could damage the democratic character of the country. There are discussions in the Israeli president's House between coalition and opposition representatives regarding reaching a compromise on the issue, although it is still unknown if agreements can be achieved.

Public opinion on international relations

Most Israeli population sees the United States as the friendliest country to Israel. In a survey conducted in Israel in 2021, the share of Jewish respondents who held a positive view of the United States stood on 75 percent, while 86 percent of Arab respondents saw the United States as a friendly country. The United States received a higher approval rate than most other countries. In contrast, most Jewish respondents disagreed with the United Nations' approach toward Israel. The approval rate of the UN as a friendly organization to Israel reached 10 to 22 percent, depends on political orientation.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Dec 21, 2023

Key insights

Share of optimistic respondents about the future of the Israeli national security
38%
Freedom score for political rights in Israel 2019 (Freedom House scoring)
2
Government expenditure on defense
21.74bn USD
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Turnout of voters for the parliamentary elections in Israel from 1992 to 2021

Elections

Voter turnout rate for the parliament elections in Israel 1992-2021

Overall score of Israel on the Economic Freedom Index ranking from 2000 to 2021

Politics & Government

Overall score of Israel on the Economic Freedom Index ranking 2000-2021

Military expenditure as share of the gross domestic product in Israel from 2010 to 2020

National Security

Military expenditure as share of GDP in Israel 2010-2020

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