Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel’s history. After five elections happening in four years, Israeli voters re-elected him in November 2022 where he established a new government while on trial for corruption charges he was indicted for in 2019. Since then, he has introduced plans for judiciary reforms allowing Israel’s Parliament to overrule Supreme Court decisions by a one-vote majority and giving the government the power to appoint judges — which has led to large-scale public protests throughout Israel. Supporters welcome his tough stance on Iran and argue the changes are needed to better balance the power between lawmakers and judges and bring Israel’s judiciary system closer to other Western countries. Others argue they will overturn democracy, undermine the judiciary branch’s independence, and affect the country’s relationship with the U.S. and Palestinians.

Against this backdrop, we debate the following question: Is Netanyahu’s Government Heading in the Wrong Direction?