In a region marked by autocracies, censorship, and repression, Israel stands out as a rare—if not the only—example of a vibrant liberal democracy. Though sometimes chaotic and often in crisis, its parliamentary system reflects a living society where freedom of expression is more than a slogan—it’s a pillar of the democratic order. There, one can criticize the government, protest in the streets, speak out in the media, and challenge power without fear of being censored, excluded, or silenced. Can we say the same about Europe today?
While Brussels legislates to restrict public expression under the banner of so-called hate speech and seeks to corner political dissent—especially conservative dissent—in Israel, citizens, whether religious or secular, Jewish or Arab, right-wing or left-wing, enjoy a genuine space of freedom. The irony is painful: a nation at war for the past 18 months offers more guarantees of pluralism and debate than the European Union, obsessed with moral censorship and ideological homogenization.
The current war, the longest since that with Lebanon in 2006, has united a fractured society. Even Netanyahu’s fiercest critics understand that Israel cannot afford the luxury of losing. Defeat would mean disappearance. In that context, national unity is not an empty slogan but an existential necessity. Even so, Netanyahu’s government is not in its best moment. With only a week left before the 2025 budget deadline, his coalition hangs by a thread.
The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, reflects the country’s ideological fragmentation in all its rawness. One of the most controversial items on the current legislative agenda is approving the 2025 state budget. The proposed budget amounts to 756 billion Israeli shekel (approximately $203.5 billion), representing a 21% increase in spending compared to 2024, excluding debt servicing. The defense budget has been set at 110 billion shekel (€27,5 billion)—a record.
The approval process has been marked by tensions within the ruling coalition, which holds 68 seats. Ultra-Orthodox parties such as Shas and United Torah Judaism have demanded the formalization of military service exemptions for their communities. These exemptions have been debated for years, and recently, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that there is no legal basis for excluding ultra-Orthodox men from conscription, intensifying political tensions.
The ultra-Orthodox parties have threatened to vote against the budget if their demands are unmet. Failure to pass the budget could trigger early elections, adding pressure to the current negotiations and risking the coalition’s stability and the budget’s approval before the March 31 deadline.
Adding to the turmoil is the discontent of Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of Otzma Yehudit, demanding more internal security funding and the attorney general’s dismissal. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is acting as a mediator, warning that a budget crisis could decrease the national credit rating.
Despite the political uncertainty, Israeli society is firmly committed to public debate. The streets are alive with protests, the media spares no criticism of the government, and public pressure has grown due to the lack of progress in freeing the hostages. Not everyone is home after a year and a half of war. And in Israel, that matters. Because for most Israelis, every citizen counts. Every life matters. Compare this to the cold statistics and bureaucratic euphemisms that have replaced a moral principle in Europe.
The contrast with the EU is stark. Here, in the name of progress and cohesion, uncomfortable voices are eliminated, victims who don’t fit the dominant narrative are marginalized, and everything that challenges Brussels’ woke dogma is censored. Where are the headlines and front pages about the women assaulted in Germany after the 2015 migration wave? Where are the reports on the systematic rapes committed in British towns by networks of Pakistani heritage men? Utter silence. In Europe, those victims are invisible. In Israel, they would be on the front page.
And while Israel faces total war, Europe plays with social engineering. The European Commission threatens to abolish the right of veto if countries like Hungary dare to dissent. Can you imagine what would happen if Netanyahu proposed stripping Arab parties of their vote or expelling the left from parliament? Brussels does just that to conservatives—applauded, no less—in the name of a so-called “enhanced democracy.”
Perhaps the more profound difference is that Israel is proudly a Jewish state, whereas Europe has renounced itself. Where Israel clings to its national, religious, and cultural identity as a shield against chaos, Europe dissolves it in the name of ‘new European values’ that no one voted for, but everyone must accept. The Christendom that once shaped the continent has been replaced by a cynical relativism that offers neither meaning nor purpose nor community.
It’s easy to resist when you know who you are. Defending a country is easy when you share a language, faith, roots, history, and destiny. But defense becomes impossible when you become a foreigner in your land—as is already happening in far too many European neighborhoods. Then, only imposition, censorship, and denial of the facts remain.
Israel has many problems. Its democracy is imperfect, its parliamentary system devilishly complex, and its society deeply divided. But it remains a nation united when it matters, with citizens unafraid to speak their minds because they know their freedom depends on that truth. If only Europe could remember that.
