In 2018, Israeli citizen and noted journalist Gideon Levy challenged the notion that Israel can be considered a true democracy when it operates a repressive military regime in the occupied territories.

Levy spoke on how Israel employs legislative measures, media campaigns, and other tactics to stifle dissenting voices. This suppression, Levy noted, was in the initial stages and would affect both left and right-wing factions within Israeli politics.

Levy discusses the intricate web of regimes that govern Israel. The first regime is a liberal democracy that allows for freedoms, like the freedom of expression, for Jewish citizens.

The second regime is focused on Israeli Palestinians who face discrimination in various aspects of life despite having equal civil rights on paper.

The third regime is the military occupation that is directly imposed on the Palestinian territories, which Levy described as one of the most brutal and tyrannical systems in the world.
Levy questions how credible Israel is as the only democracy in the Middle East when such tyranny exists in its occupied territories.