Last week, our representative gave a series of lectures in Toronto. The lectures attracted a great deal of interest from the audience who wanted to understand more about the problematic political situation in the State of Israel and its direct connection to the justice system.

The Legal Forum for Israel understood, many years ago, the danger that a judicial system of almost unlimited power poses for a democratic regime. For years, the judicial system gained a lot of power and learned how to utilize it for its own needs.The Israeli public is beginning to understand this today.

This week, the Knesset dispersed once again, and Israel faces its third election campaign within a year. Hanging over this, are the indictments filed against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Was there a way to prevent the impossibility of forming a government in Israel? Should we anticipate a fourth or fifth round of elections? How did Israel reach such a situation?

The 40-year process that has operated in the judicial system has led to the current situation in which the court intervenes and discusses whether an elected prime minister can continue to serve and be re-elected despite the law permitting a Prime Minister to run while facing indictment. This is one reason why Israel has not been able to act effectively for almost a year.

During its 15 years of operation, the Legal Forum for Israel has been busy formulating checks and balances between the unelected heads of the judiciary and the democratically elected government. Democracy is strengthened when elected officials are not silenced by those who are not elected, and our aim, at the Legal Forum for Israel, is to allow that to happen.

In Toronto, we were asked a lot of questions about this issue: What are the processes that led to the loss of power of the elected officials? How did they happen? And what is the Legal Forum doing to balance the different powers?