Israel’s recurring political crises are often discussed as clashes of ideology, personality, or policy. But beneath those battles lies a deeper issue: the country never fully resolved the constitutional questions present at its founding.

That omission made sense in 1948. Whether it still does is another matter.

The comparison with the United States is revealing precisely because the circumstances were so different.

When American leaders gathered in Philadelphia in 1787, they had already secured independence and spent years debating republican government in colonial assemblies and the Continental Congress. The Constitution that emerged was not improvised. It was a deliberate attempt to design a durable political system capable of balancing power, restraining factionalism, and surviving future conflict.

Israel’s founding unfolded under far more chaotic conditions.

By the time the Israeli Declaration of Independence was proclaimed, the Jewish community in the land was already fighting for survival. Arab irregular forces had launched attacks following the UN partition vote, and neighboring Arab states soon........

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