Constitutional populism and democracy – the case of Israel

My paper will look at the current attack on constitutionalism in Israeli through the lens of the discussion on constitutional populism in Europe and elsewhere. It will argue that the Israeli case cannot be analyzed out of the context of the Israeli occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, an undemocratic situation typified by dispossession of the Palestinian population. Even if the High Court of Justice’s intervention in matters regarding the occupation are few and far between, they are enough to make the court seem as an obstacle to what – in the current nationalist mood –  are perceived by many as legitimate (for nationalist purposes) and even required (for security) Israeli actions. I will argue that the attack on  constitutional democracy in Israel is done against a background where the long term occupation already undermined democracy and consider the implications of this specific context.