ISRAEL IN TURMOIL is a dramatic story of of life of the Jewish State under the government of PM Bibi Netanyahu from from 2022-2026.
The series starts with Bibi Netanyahu coming to power in late 2022, as we follow key political moments of his rule that cast a light on the man and the country. The series ends on 27 October 2026 with the Israeli election when Bibi will either be re-elected or not – with massive consequences for Israel, the region and beyond. The natural arc of the series follows Bibi forming government through to the general election. The stakes constantly build as the country fights multiple wars externally and internally feels on the cusp of civil war. It’s the story of Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu told through the sounds and voices of the massive Israeli protest movement against his rule. While largely unknown around the world, to give you a sense of the scale of these protests they often numbered the equivalent of six million Britons taking to the streets.
The series asks some big questions:
• How far will one man go to stay in power and what are the consequences for Israel, the Palestinians, Jews around the world, and wider Middle East?
• Can the people of Israel (civil society), stop what they regard as a corrupt, authoritarian war mongering leader who will trample democracy for his own personal and political ends? On 27 October 2026 with the Israeli general election we will find out.
The film documents the unprecedented democracy protests that spanned 40 weeks in a row from January to September, involving the equivalent of tens of millions of Americans. Documentarian Danny Ben-Moshe heads to Israel to see first-hand a protest movement attempting to prevent the unravelling of democracy, in response to legislation by the right-wing government designed to limit the power of the judiciary as a check and balance on government. Whatever one’s political views and whatever way the political story unfolds, this was a historic moment, and we experience what it is virtually like to be amidst the diverse and vibrant protests involving tens of thousands of people. The political stakes are massive and the divided country on the brink of civil war.
We then follow how civil society, and democracy protest NGOs in particular, pivoted after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 to fight an external enemy and to support their fellow Israelis no matter what their political orientation. A society divided by a political fault line over the questions of democracy became fully united as it struggled with a military threat and internal shared trauma. The film follows the resolutions of protests to free the hsiuatges held by Hamas in Gaza and culminates with the general election in late 2026.
