Israel's judicial fate lands front cover of 'The Economist'

Amid widespread protests in Israel and abroad against the Israeli government's proposed judicial reform, The Economist magazine has placed the headline "Will Bibi Break Israel?" on their front-cover with a photo of Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu behind a cracked Israel flag.

The magazine's article starts off with all of Israel's accomplishments and excellent economic results, including a GDP that reached $55,000 per capita last year. After listing the accomplishments, the article dives in and says, "instead of Israel celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, we are facing a crisis. The judicial reforms proposed by the right-wing faction of the coalition will undermine the rule of law and weaken Israeli democracy," the editorial said.

The article points out the economic danger of the government's proposed reforms: "With reserves of about $196 billion, Israel is not in danger of economic collapse. But the core of its economy is technology, which accounts for more than half of its exports. This is maintained by spending (5% of GDP) on research and development higher than in any other country."

"The experts and entrepreneurs responsible for this do not want their country to be enslaved by religious fanatics. Nor can Israel afford financially to alienate itself from the United States, which guarantees its security and provides 80% of its imported weapons."

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has led Israel for 15 of the past 27 years, is proud of having strengthened Israel over the years. Now he risks destroying his legacy and may leave Israel in a position where it will not be able to face the social and geopolitical challenges of the coming decades," the article continued.