This evening (Monday), the Israel Democracy Institute is publishing selected data from the "Israeli Voice Index" survey for August 2023. The survey covers topics such as public discourse regarding the judicial reform, the reduction of the Clause of Reasonability, Supreme Court intervention in the Basic Law debate scheduled for tomorrow, the committee for appointing judges, contacts with Saudi Arabia, and the level of optimism regarding the security situation.
Regarding the judicial reform, it is noted that between two-thirds to three-quarters of the public supports dialogue and compromise between the parties. Support for this among voters of opposition parties is higher than among voters of coalition parties.
Regarding the early discussion in the Supreme Court regarding the annulment of the Basic Law on the Reduction of the Clause of Reasonability, 37% of the interviewees believe that the appeal should be rejected, either because it is a Basic Law or because reducing the Clause of Reasonability does not harm the democratic identity of the state. On the other hand, slightly fewer (34%) believe that the Supreme Court should accept the appeal, either because the law harms the democratic identity of the state (25%) or because the legislative process was flawed or not exhaustive (9%).
Not only the Clause of Reasonability: 60% support contacts with Saudi Arabia
In the general public, 20% believe that if the Supreme Court instructs the Minister of Justice, Yariv Levin, to convene the committee for selecting judges, he does not need to convene the committee. Just over half of the respondents, however, believe that he should follow the Supreme Court's ruling. This belief is significantly higher among Likud voters compared to those who responded that he should continue with his refusal policy on the matter.
