Democracy

Turkey lurches into political crisis with crackdown on opposition - analysis

Clashes erupted at CHP headquarters in Ankara after a court removed opposition leader Ozgur Ozel, raising fears of a deeper political crisis as Erdogan tightens his grip.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Supporters of ousted Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel react as riot police enter the party’s headquarters to evict its leadership after authorities ordered enforcement of a court ruling removing them from the building, in Ankara, Turkey, May 24, 2026.
World WIZO President Anat Vidor. A biography that reads like the story of Zionism.

The civilian army: Anat Vidor and the quiet power of WIZO

“Give power to civil society. Because otherwise we will teeter on the edge of totalitarianism. Not instead of the government. Alongside it.”

|ByRONNIE ROSENMAN, IN COLLABORATION WITH WIZO
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu speaks alongside former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban in Budapest last year. Orban transformed Hungary into a quasi-autocracy, while Netanyahu has not achieved the same in Israel, the writer says.

Are new Knesset proposals pushing Israel toward Hungary-style governance? - opinion

Concerns mount that Israel’s new legislation could reshape democracy in a Hungary-like direction.

|ByPAUL GROSS
A Satellite image shows a likely oil spill covering dozens of square kilometers near Iran’s Kharg Island, earlier this month.

In double trouble: Iran’s oil crisis – opinion

Given that the Islamic Republic’s lifeblood – oil – is being squeezed, it should learn from history that collapse always begins with a warning sign such as this one

|ByMIKE EVANS

Netanyahu may attempt to 'sabotage' next elections, Golan warns

Golan urged a mass volunteer operation to safeguard ballot integrity, and said his party would assemble “eyes and ears in every polling station” and defend the Central Elections Committee.

JANUARY 29, 2026BySHIR PERETS
Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party in Israel, speaks during a demonstration in Tel Aviv, March 22, 2025.

South Korea’s ex-PM Lee Hae-chan dies of heart attack during official visit to Vietnam

Lee, 73, died on Sunday after emergency medical aid for a heart attack, a South Korean presidential advisory panel said in a statement.

JANUARY 26, 2026ByREUTERS
South Korean special envoy Lee Hae-chan attends talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (not pictured) at the foreign ministry in Beijing, China, May 18, 2017.

WATCH: Pahlavi announces six demands for int'l community, Iranian diaspora to support protesters

Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi outlined six key demands to rally global support for Iranian activists and protesters, urging a coordinated international effort to weaken the regime.

JANUARY 23, 2026ByJAMES GENN
Anti-Iranian regime protesters in Paris, France, hold banners, including of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi over a background with the Pahlavi royal crest, reading "FREE IRAN," January 18, 2026.

Democracy’s blind spot: Extremism that no longer fears exposure - opinion

Extremism today does not fear visibility and no longer relies on secrecy to grow.

JANUARY 19, 2026ByASHER STERN
A PROTESTER holds a placard using the IDF acronym of Israel Defense Forces instead as ‘Infant Death Force’ in London last month. Today’s ideological manipulation echoes the rhetoric that paved the way for the Holocaust, the writer asserts.

Trump’s new world order is hitting the Middle East at full speed - opinion

Donald Trump’s aggressive foreign policy is reshaping the global order and sending shockwaves through the Middle East, from Iran to Israel.

JANUARY 13, 2026ByAVI BENAYAHU
US President Donald Trump gestures as he addresses House Republicans at their annual issues conference retreat, at the Kennedy Center, renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center by the Trump-appointed board of directors, in Washington, DC, US, January 6, 2026.

Those who seek truth do not silence the press - opinion

In order to repair what has been broken here, we have to know, we have to ask, and we have to demand answers

JANUARY 13, 2026ByILANA DAYAN
Ilana Dayan addresses the Emergency Conference of Israeli Journalists in Tel Aviv on December 9, 2025.

Shutting down Army Radio is a blow to Israeli democracy - opinion

In the battle for the country’s future, shutting down Army Radio would be a serious blow to the fundamental rights of Israel’s citizens

JANUARY 13, 2026ByNACHMAN SHAI
Soldiers broadcasting from the studio of Galei Tzahal (Israel Army Radio).

'Wide-scale attack' on media: Israel’s leading journalists warn against Shlomo Karhi's reform

Leading journalists believe the proposed reforms to the media landscape are not about expanding choice, but about silencing dissent

JANUARY 13, 2026ByJEHUDIT WEINBERGER BASHA
Journalists from across the political spectrum are warning that moves to change the media echo illiberal models found in countries like Hungary and Turkey.

When governments gag the press, democracies collapse - opinion

Why current government reforms threaten one of Israel’s last democratic safeguards – the media

JANUARY 13, 2026ByHANAN MELCER
Israeli journalists gathered last month for an emergency meeting to discuss the government’s proposed reforms to the media landscape.

Israel is sliding toward authoritarianism, and elections won’t stop it - opinoin

Israel tiptoes on the edge of authoritarianism as Netanyahu’s government tightens its grip on power.

JANUARY 12, 2026ByRAPHAEL COHEN-ALMAGOR
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ministers at a 40 signatures debate, at the plenum hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on December 8, 2025.