ArchitectGuy on Israel

JNS
Against all odds: The psychology behind Israelis’ happiness
Rachel O’Donoghue
March 27, 2025

Israelis shouldn’t be happy. They are in the midst of a grueling war with Hamas that has stretched on for a year and a half. They live with grief and anxiety over hostages still held by the terrorist group and IDF soldiers battling Israel’s enemies on multiple fronts. Their economy—particularly the tourism and tech sectors—has taken a hit. They face global diplomatic isolation beneath the shadow of an existential threat. By any reasonable measure, one might assume that Israelis have little to be happy about. And yet, they are. Once again, Israel has ranked among the happiest countries in the world. According to the newly released 2025 World Happiness Report, Israel placed eighth globally—just behind Sweden and ahead of Luxembourg, Australia and the United States. READ MORE

TABLET MAG
Israel’s Deep State Is Worse Than America’s
Moshe Cohen-Eliya
March 25, 2025

…Outside observers, particularly in the West, often describe Israel’s legal crisis as a power grab by a radical right-wing government. The truth is the opposite. For years, unelected officials in Israel’s judiciary, security services, and legal bureaucracy have amassed extraordinary powers to override elected decision-makers. Israel has become the only Western constitutional democracy in which judges have veto power over judicial appointments, the attorney general controls the government’s legal voice, and intelligence chiefs act as constitutional guardians. The result is a crisis of legitimacy—and a growing confrontation between the institutions of popular sovereignty and what can only be described as a deep state. READ MORE

JPOST Knesset approves dramatic judicial selection committee bill The Knesset approved on Thursday a bill proposal that dramatically amends the committee responsible for electing Israel’s judges, by increasing political involvement in judicial appointments at the expense of professional involvement. The bill is a watered-down version of one of the central components of the government’s 2023 judicial reforms, and marks a significant achievement for the reforms architect…According to the new proposal, which will apply beginning with the next Knesset, the two IBA [Israel Bar Association] members will be replaced by two “public representatives”, one appointed by the coalition and the other by the opposition.