Israel was excluded from the category of liberal democracies in a reliable global index

The Sweden-based V-Dem Institute, which reports annually on the quality of democracy in countries around the world, says it has changed Israel’s democracy classification following the government’s program for judicial reforms.The institute now classifies Israel as “electoral democracies,” countries where elections are held but civil liberties and equality under the law are not guaranteed.The Israeli government’s judicial reform plan, which has been approved by the parliament, has led to widespread nationwide protests since last year. After the start of the war in Gaza, the government temporarily stopped a large part of these changes, which it considers necessary reforms.Opponents of these reforms say that these changes weaken democracy and the independence of the judiciary. The government believes that the judges, who are not elected by the people, have too much power to prevent the government’s plans.