News Brief

A poll by the Israel Forum for Stable Government and Tel Aviv University shows that 46% of Israelis are ready to give up on European-style parliamentary democracy, and would prefer to see Israel governed by a president and a house of representatives, along the lines of the way the U.S. is governed.

The reasons given by interviewees included a desire for stronger and more stable government – on average, Israeli governments have survived an average of about two and a half years, with 59% giving this as their main motivation. Sixty one percent said they wanted a set schedule for change of government every four years, and 59% said they wanted a change because they felt the current method of government was not responsive to their needs. In addition, 80% said that government ministers should be appointed based on their knowledge and experience in the area of the ministry they were serving in, not because of their seniority in a political party.