Israel's democracy is in danger

Written by: Professor Alon Ben-Meir
By all accounts, Israel is a "democratic" state, but a closer look at its internal political combustion unfortunately reveals that Israel's democracy is in tatters and its cohesiveness is being torn apart. This is due to the abject failure of political leaders to muster their collective ingenuity and energy to answer the call of the hour.

Israel is now in the midst of its fifth election in four years. None of the coalition governments formed during this period lasted more than a year. why is that ? The answer is rather simple yet deeply troubling. Although political parties are generally divided into two camps, the left and the right, approximately fifteen political parties are vying for the 120 seats in the Knesset (parliament). Most, but not all, will pass the 3.25 percent threshold to qualify for a minimum of four seats. Political disputes in Israel center around personalities rather than politics: who gets what position in the government, how to lure or bribe this leader or the leader of the other party to join the government, which ministry rival politicians want to fill (regardless of qualifications), and promised funds for benefit projects. Subjectively, the list goes on. And to top it all off, every president of every party feels most qualified to become prime minister, yet none of them can articulate a clear national agenda to put the nation on a firm path to protect its democracy and political stability.

The gravest threat to Israeli democracy, however, is the utter failure of all party leaders to recognize that the country is polarized and divided almost evenly between the anti-Netanyahu and pro-Netanyahu blocs (which align largely but not exclusively with the left and right), and that none of the political blocs has Able to form an effective coalition government with a stable majority in the Knesset. Nowadays numerous opinion polls conducted on an almost daily basis show that the outcome of the upcoming elections will not be much different, with the two rival blocs hovering around 57 and 59 seats, and the country may have to endure another grueling cycle of elections and still end up with the same political make-up. almost.

One might think that under these circumstances - when the state is existentially threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran, when violence boils over in the West Bank and Palestinian casualties mount, when the prospect of a Palestinian uprising on an unprecedented scale becomes increasingly believable, and when Extremist groups such as Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah pose a danger everywhere, when social cohesion is severely lacking, when poverty is widespread and the social fabric weakens - the leaders of all parties will come to their senses and put the interest of the "nation" above their own and those of their parties. One would expect these leaders to together seek common ground and reach consensus to address pressing issues facing the nation. But that's not the whole point for them.
The extent of Israel's political malaise and the erosion of its democracy could not be better illustrated than under the distasteful former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. No prime minister in Israel's history has been so corrupt or stooped so low to make his way as Netanyahu. His lust for power is boundless. He faces three criminal charges and is willing to destroy the judiciary to hide these charges. He is willing to sell the soul of the “nation” to the likes of Itamar Ben Gvir, the fascist, Kahane leader of Otzma Yehudit who is known to seek the expulsion of all Palestinians from Israel, as long as he can help Netanyahu form the next government.

So, when you have a country that has been ruled in succession for over 12 years by a fanatic like Netanyahu who can still form the new government, you know that Israel's democracy is in chronic distress and needs major political remedies. Just like here in the United States, if the Republican Party can cheat its way through the electoral elite and Trump, the most morally bankrupt former president, wins the next presidential election in 2024, our democracy will be shattered and the American dream will fade and die. Israel could face the same fate under Netanyahu. Thus, if Netanyahu has an iota of dignity and an iota of concern for the future of Israel, he should step aside, face the court with poise and ask for forgiveness, and President Herzog may pardon him for his service to the nation. This will pave the way for the formation of a stable, broad-based coalition government that can tolerate and take care of the urgent issues of the state.

Israel today, more than at any other time in its history, is in dire need of a leader who is decent, honest, courageous, visionary, and decisive to answer the call of the hour. Yair Lapid meets some of the attributes mentioned above. He has shown an exemplary ability to make the necessary compromises to reach a consensus in Israel's interest. He is politically savvy and has shown this in his meetings and dealings with world leaders. He showed his courage when he declared at the United Nations General Assembly that a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remained the only viable option. He has spoken out bravely again and again against the occupation and its depressing effect on the entire country, he has fervently called for equality between Israeli Jews and Arabs, and has called for the removal of the poor from their miserable lives. Finally, Lapid sought to nurture a healthy and cohesive society, the beating heart that sustains democracy.

This round of elections may be the most significant since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967. Every political leader, regardless of his political leanings, must ask himself what kind of country Israel should be in 10 to 15 years. Israelis want unity of purpose, and they want to preserve their democracy, prosperity, security and peace.

Normalizing relations with more Arab countries is of paramount importance and should be pursued, but it will not save Israel's democracy. He will not be able to use Israel's new and brilliant technologies to buy political influence abroad, however desirable, nor multiply its trade with foreign countries, which is so vital to Israel's economy and should be further expanded, nor maintain its military prowess and credible deterrence, which is something Crucial to national security, nor their remarkable progress in nearly every field of endeavour, including medicine, agronomy, chemistry, military innovations, engineering, electronics, and many others, outstanding achievements of which every Israeli should be proud, all of which are capable of salvaging Israel democracy. Indeed, no matter how important all of the above are to the state, none of them will preserve and preserve Israel's democracy.

Israel cannot secure and sustain its democracy unless political leadership generates social cohesion and equality with a functioning political system that provides political stability where national interests come first. Moreover, Israel cannot and never will be a true free and democratic nation until it ends the infamous occupation that abuses Israel at every turn. It is certainly the Achilles' heel that will ultimately make or break Israel's democracy.