Constitutional Principles and their Implementation
Constitutional Principles and Their Implementation, a project headed by Prof. Mordechai Kremnitzer, IDI Vice President for Research on Democracy, aims to revise portions of Israel’s outmoded legal corpus in accordance with the constitutional principles embodied in the Basic Laws enacted by the Knesset in the early 1990s. Over the last fifteen years, IDI’s legal research team has authored numerous legislative proposals to strengthen individual liberties, some of which have been adopted by the Knesset and endorsed by the Supreme Court. IDI is a leading force shaping the professional debate on freedom of speech, human dignity, equality, conflict of interests, and other fundamental principles of a vital democracy.
Constitution by Consensus
A constitution, adopted by consensus, is the single most important component of a common political and ideological framework for Israel's future. It is critical for defending human rights, for articulating core values, and for defining the rules governing political change in a divided society. For this reason, IDI has chosen to lead the movement to enact a constitution for Israel. The Institute's “Constitution by Consensus,” the product of two years of difficult deliberations among 100 public figures from across the political spectrum, is the first attempt in the history of Israel to trace the contours of a constitutional order that is potentially acceptable to a large majority of the population. Due to its success in capturing the elusive balance between the Jewish and democratic foundations of the State, IDI’s draft has become the basis for the constitutional debate taking place in the Knesset today.