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 titled “Who Stands for Democracy? Understanding Israel’s Constitutional Crisis,” as part of its Israel Insights Webinar series. 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 Israel's democratic future. During the webinar, a missile alert prompted Sagiv to leave the conversation; while awaiting her return, Magen noted the moment reflected the realities of daily life in Israel.

Sagiv argued that for the next Israeli elections, the key political question surrounds not which individual leaders prevail but rather 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 the range of future directions depending on whether parties align with far-right and ultra-Orthodox partners or form broader centrist coalitions. Although consensus exists across political camps regarding concerns over a constitutional crisis—including desires to clarify the balance of power among the judiciary, executive, and legislature—political mistrust repeatedly derails compromise proposals. Resolving the crisis, Sagiv argued, will require rebuilding trust across Israel’s ideological divides and establishing clearer constitutional “rules of [the] game” to stabilize the country’s democratic system.