Israel Is Hours Away From Becoming a De Facto Dictatorship - Opinion - Haaretz.com
The moment of truth is upon us. This is the most severe crisis in the history of the state. On Monday, the bill limiting the use of the reasonableness standard will be submitted to the Knesset for the first of three votes in the legislature. When the voting ends, Israel will be three hours away from a de facto dictatorship.
Tel Aviv District police chief Ami Eshed’s resignation speech Wednesday evening triggered a volcanic eruption. He spoke of political dismissals. Itamar Ben-Gvir demands blood and broken skulls. And the protest soared. The biggest skeptics and some of the opponents now understand: This protest will not be stopped. This protest will prevail.
The masks have been removed. On one side stand Benjamin Netanyahu and his partners, determined to degrade Israel into a corrupt and racist dictatorship that will crumble society, isolate the country and jeopardize its future. Facing them is a protest movement comprised of loyalists to Israel’s Declaration of Independence and the law. This is the force that stopped the insane blitz on the night the prime minister fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (a decision he reversed two weeks later). And this is the force that will stop the “Polish salami” on steroids that has replaced it.
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The government coup charges on. The so-called Tiberias Law eliminating the cooling-off period for state-appointed mayors, and the postponement of the election of the state’s chief rabbis, are corrupt measures in the service of a criminal. Eshed’s dismissal and the bizarre attempt to disband the Israel Bar Association after the defeat in the organization’s election are examples of the perversions still to come.
The government means to pass the amendment repealing the reasonableness standard before the Knesset recesses at the end of July. This must not happen. Once the bill is enacted, there will be no checks left to keep the piratical government from doing whatever it wants. This will be the end of the democratic chapter of our history.
Before us is a wanton government that is actively working to crush the independence of the High Court of Justice and change the system of government. This is a blatantly illegitimate action, above which flies a black flag of warning. It is the right and duty of every citizen to act without violence to stop the destruction of freedom, equality and the rule of law. We are a defensive democracy, in the parlance of political science, defending itself against those who would exploit its tools to destroy it from within. I call on the citizens of the state to join the struggle with a resolute spirit. Together we will fight. And together we will win.
The protest must rise up and roar, “It stops here! Israel will not turn into a dictatorship!” It would behoove the president and the opposition party heads to join this call. The resumption of the compromise talks serves only Netanyahu and his partners. Eliminating the threat of dictatorship is within our grasp. A clear result is better than a rotten compromise. To resume the talks now is to assassinate the protest. We loyalists to democracy must act even if we end up alone. We will never give in. We will never give up.
Nonviolent civil disobedience is a legitimate course of action that has been proved effective. The protest must adopt it without fear or hesitation. And if Netanyahu chooses to “dilute” the law and sow hesitation, may we fight him using all the available tools? Our demand will be clear: No compromise and no idle talks until the coup is ended and all of the associated legislation is canceled or revoked.
If Netanyahu insists on passing the reasonableness lawwithin two weeks, we face a constitutional crisis. The military reservists will carry through on their plan to stop volunteering, the protest will surge, the High Court will overturn the law and the case will be put to the gatekeepers, who will stand the test. The defeated Netanyahu will be forced to face the ferocious appetite of his partners and the frustrations of his supporters – under the shadow of his trial. This will be an important step on the road to victory, and even if it is delayed, it will surely come.
This is the fight of our lives. In the future, we will be asked: Did you stand at the side of democracy and the law? We must all make sure we can say that we did.