Israel's government legal but not legitimate, says former PM Ehud Barak

Israel's government legal but not legitimate, says former PM Ehud Barak | GZERO World

Is Israel's democracy in danger? On GZERO World, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak sits down with Ian Bremmer to discuss what Barak thinks is the hidden agenda of the current government's judicial overhaul.

For Barak, the proposed reform process is really a power grab because it would undermine the very institutions that Israel stands for. He also accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using a "clever tactic" to hide his true motivations.

Despite being a legal government, Barak describes the ruling coalition as "illegitimate" — with a "black flag waving over it." And that, he adds, has big implications for the future of Israeli democracy.

Watch the episode of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer: How Bibi could end Israel's democracy (or get ousted)

More from GZERO Media

US President Donald Trump pardons a turkey at the annual White House Thanksgiving Turkey Pardon in the Rose Garden in Washington, D.C., USA, on Nov. 25, 2025.
Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto

Although not all of our global readers celebrate Thanksgiving, it’s still good to remind ourselves that while the world offers plenty of fodder for doomscrolling and despair, there are still lots of things to be grateful for too.

Marine Le Pen, French member of parliament and parliamentary leader of the far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party and Jordan Bardella, president of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party and member of the European Parliament, gesture during an RN political rally in Bordeaux, France, September 14, 2025.
REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Army Chief Asim Munir holds a microphone during his visit at the Tilla Field Firing Ranges (TFFR) to witness the Exercise Hammer Strike, a high-intensity field training exercise conducted by the Pakistan Army's Mangla Strike Corps, in Mangla, Pakistan, on May 1, 2025.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)/Handout via REUTERS

Field Marshal Asim Munir, the country’s de facto leader, consolidated his power after the National Assembly rammed through a controversial constitutional amendment this month that grants him lifelong immunity from any legal prosecution.