Israel’s Government

-Is Israel’s government becoming a gerontocracy? (Haaretz)

-Isi Leibler says that not only “our prime minister is a failed leader,� but his cabinet ministers have “an uncontrollable urge to conduct their private political theater via statements and leaks to the media. Instead of working in unison, they condemn the policies of their government, criticize ministerial colleagues, and frequently even contradict their own statements. No democratic government in the world has ministers behaving in such an undisciplined and irresponsible manner.� (The Jerusalem Post)

-Former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak has called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to fire Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann, whom he has accused of threatening to destroy Israeli democracy. (The Jerusalem Post)

-Ze’ev Segal argues that Friedmann’s plan, which sharply cuts back on the judiciary’s ability to review action of the other two branches, will “cast a stain on Israeli democracy, both domestically and externally.â€? (Haaretz)

-40 ministers “without portfolio� have served in Israel’s governments since the early 1990s. “This number has no equal in any democratic government in the world.� (Ynet)