Is Israel Becoming an Apartheid State?

How history repeats itself in different circumstances. According to a Jpost report of July 21st, 2019 "Labor chairman Amir Peretz 1 said on Sunday in an interview with Army Radio that there is no way for the Labor party to run for the upcoming September 17 elections with Meretz or Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak's Israel Democratic Party. Peretz's words were made after the Labor party merged with Orly Levy-Abucassis' Gesher, which sparked waves of criticism among the leftist parties" 2. This means that Amir Peretz and Orly Levy-Abekasis have an agenda of joining a Likud right-wing coalition. Under these conditions, we must understand that a vote for Labour is a vote for a right-wing coalition. Meretz leader, Nitzan Horowitz, has stated this. It will be a fatal blow to the left. Labour and Likud have been in coalition numerous times since Israel's establishment and after these elections, it may occur again.

If Labour under Amir Peretz and Orly Levy-Abukasis join the Likud, it will not be surprising. Orly Levy-Abukasis grew up in the Likud and still holds much of its ideology. She is the perfect pathway for Labour to enter a Likud coalition after the elections even if Netanyahu is not indicted. They have kept that option open. If this occurs, most Labour supporters will have very red faces. After all, the upcoming elections give the voter a chance to oppose the Likud and company. Voting for Labour is taking a gamble and may favour Netanyahu. This will be a happy day for Netanyahu if this happens.

As things stand at the moment in this rather sleepy election campaign, the left-wing is in danger of being written off as a viable legislative force in the Knesset. Instead of forming a united front against the right-wing coalition government, they are splintered. As mentioned earlier, Amir Peretz, with his latest partner, Orly Levy-Abukassis of Gesher, who is apolitical on state issues and is involved in social issues exclusively with a tendency towards her Likud upbringing is a massive gamble that could add another nail in the coffin of the dying Labour Party.  

A vote for the right-wing is a vote for an apartheid state as Rabbi Rafi Peretz, head of the Jewish Home Party supports, will be part of this despicable coalition. Not only is Rabbi Rafi Peretz, Minister of Education, the centre of controversy over re-educating the LGBT community to be heterosexual. He later softened his views on this issue because of the strong opposition to his support of “conversion treatment”3 He is really an Orthodox religious extremist and all that goes with it. This bigot must be forced to resign from being Minister of Education. He is a racist and wishes to turn Israel into an apartheid state by denying Palestinians in the occupied territories the right to vote. His agenda is to declare the occupied areas as part of Israel and the Palestinians will be denied representation. He waltzes with Kahanist fascists of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power Party)4 to include them in an extreme, racist right-wing Zionist religious party - Jewish Home Party and United Right Alliance, which he heads. He will be negotiating with these Kahanists as the heat of the upcoming elections increases. This racist demagogue is a dangerous wolf in sheep's’ clothing. He had failed to include these Kahanists. 

The cat that has been struggling in the bag of Israel's bigoted leaders has now been let out of the bag by Rabbi Rafi Peretz, Minister of Education, who clearly stated his desire that the occupied territories (West Bank) will be part of Israel and that the Palestinians living there will have no right to vote. He admitted this in his interview when asked if this is not apartheid. Peretz didn’t rule out the option that it is. So there you have it straight from one of the horse's mouth. This bigot will be in charge of educating the next generation - so it appears if the right-wing under the suspected felon Bibi Netanyahu forms the next government after the elections. This will give those who oppose the Israeli right-wing government justification of equating their rule with apartheid South Africa. This will eventually extend to the rights of non-Jewish minorities, who are Israeli citizens, being eroded and they will be second class citizens. The handwriting is on the wall. The recently passed Nation-State Law will assure that.

For those, who are still thinking of supporting Labour under Amir Peretz, will also get the right-wing extremists such as Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Transport and maybe Otzma Yehudit, (if they pass the threshold into the Knesset) the Kahanist fascist party as part of the coalition they do not want 5, assuming he forms a coalition with the Likud. 

Perhaps if the left of centre are prepared to drop their egos and that, of course, includes members of the Arab Parties, then they could form a strong opposition to Netanyahu and his right-wing shenanigans and even have a possibility of forming a new centre-left government. The Arab Parties must drop their strong nationalist tendencies and work with the left to form a party that represents the interests of all Israel's citizens irrespective of race, colour or religion. A true Jewish Arab Party coalition including, the Democratic Camp and Hadash-Ta-al. This means that a common platform free of over-bloated egos and past individual gripes can be accepted by all the parties concerned. If this unity of the left is not accepted the alternative will be a fragmented left opposition.  Many of these parties will not get sufficient votes to be elected to the Knesset and the right with its religious orthodox and ultra-orthodox parties will be the next government including Kahol-Lavan. This is the choice. Kahol-Lavan is sitting on the fence and will sway towards the coalition that has the best chance of forming a government. Avigdor Lieberman leader of Israel Beiteinu will be the trump card that decides which coalition group will be given the go-ahead by President Rubi Rivlin to form the next government.

This week Ehud Barak (Democratic Israel), Meretz and Stav Shafir (who left the Labor-Gesher Union) have decided to form a united list known as the Democratic Camp. It will be left of centre 6. Tactically, this is a good move but it might spell the end of the Arab vote that won Meretz representation in the Knesset after April 9th Elections. It remains to be seen if Ehud Barak, despite his apology for the loss of life of 13 Arab Israeli demonstrators in 2000 during the Um el Fahm unrest, will not lose the Arab Israeli vote. 

Surely if the new Arab Joint List (an agreement on 27th July 2019 has been reached by Hadash-Ta-al and United Arab List. Balad will probably join at a later stage.) would join up with the Democratic Camp, it would strengthen the opposition to a Netanyahu led coalition. After all, their principles of democracy, abolishing the Nation-State Law, fighting against racism and fascism as well as equal rights for all Israel's citizens irrespective of race, colour and religion coincide with the Democratic Camp agenda. Economic improvements and a peace agreement with the Palestinians that will herald the end to the occupation and a Two-State Solution is also an essential part of the new Democratic Camp ideology. The differences between the Joint List and Democratic Camp can be ironed out. After all, unity is the strength to get the Netanyahu led coalition out is a goal of both party lists. Unfortunately, the Democratic Camp and the Joint Arab List will not be running together and this weakens the left-wing opposition to Netanyahu. 

 The Arab vote must not be overlooked. Only a true Jewish-Arab Party on the left will gain more seats than if they run on their own. This Jewish-Arab Party would be concerned with fighting for true equality between all Israel's citizens, women rights and freedom of pluralism that we so desperately need in this country and of course a renewal of meaningful peace negotiations with our Palestinian neighbours, which appears to be absent in all party platforms.

We must also bear in mind that a vote for the Likud and its right-wing future partners in a right-wing coalition also is a vote for including the right-wing extremist party, Otzma Yehudit that is Kahanist racist party that was banned from standing for election in the Knesset by previous Israeli Governments. Under Netanyahu, this Kahanist party is gaining legitimacy in order to save Netanyahu from standing trial for suspected crimes.  

Well, the dye is now cast and the deadline for registration of parties standing in the elections has been decided on 1st August. The Arab Joint List has reincarnated, the right-wing of the Likud parties have formed a unity party leaving the Kahanist, racist extremist Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit Party and Moshe Feiglin’s Zehut running on their own. This means that these two right-wing racist parties may not even pass the threshold to enter the Knesset, which will be a small blessing. 

Labour-Gesher Party will not unite with the Democratic Camp in order to keep its option open of joining a Likud led Coalition after the elections. This is probably the reason why Amir Peretz and Orly Levy-Abukasis leader of the Gesher Party have formed a unity party. Avigdor Lieberman, the holder of the trump card in a possible coalition government of Likud-Kahol\Lavan including Israel Beitenu(Lieberman’s party). Lieberman has made it clear that he supports this move, excluding the ultra-Orthodox and Messianic religious parties. If Netanyahu fails to form a government, Lieberman supports the idea that another Likud elected Knesset member will be given the chance of forming the next government after the elections. 

My guess is that the results of the 17th Sept General Elections will not be much different from the results of the 9th April Elections. If we follow trends of Israeli citizens' voting patterns there is a definite trend towards the right with messianic religious fundamentalism on the rise. 

References:   

1.  "Amir Peretz | The Times of Israel." https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/amir-peretz/. Accessed 26 Jul. 2019.
2. "Amir Peretz: No way to run with Ehud Barak ... - The Jerusalem Post." 22 Jul. 2019, https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Amir-Peretz-No-way-to-run-with-Ehud-Barak-Meretz-596329. Accessed 26 Jul. 2019.
3.  "Israel's education minister now says he opposes gay 'conversion ...." 16 Jul. 2019, https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-s-education-minister-now-says-he-opposes-gay-conversion-therapy-1.7532713. Accessed 26 Jul. 2019. 
4. "Otzma Yehudit - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otzma_Yehudit. Accessed 26 Jul. 2019.
5.  "Otzma Yehudit breaks away from Jewish Home in spat over Knesset ...." 25 Jun. 2019, https://www.timesofisrael.com/otzma-yehudit-breaks-away-from-jewish-home-in-spat-over-knesset-seat/. Accessed 26 Jul. 2019.
6.  "Meretz, former PM Barak, Labor defector Shaffir announce joint ...." 25 Jul. 2019, https://www.timesofisrael.com/meretz-former-pm-barak-labor-defector-shaffir-announce-joint-knesset-run/. Accessed 26 Jul. 2019.

September 2019 Israeli legislative election:  An explanation of the Israeli September 2019 Elections

Israel's Independence Day Celebrations

Israel has only one day annually that is celebrated without any religious constraints or “mitzvot”. This is a day that secular and religious Israelis celebrate as well as those who identify with Israel and its people. 

Israeli Arab Citizens do not celebrate. There are no flags or symbols of celebration in their villages. It is a great pity that the two peoples - Jewish and Arab Israeli citizens are divided in their respective narratives causing the Israeli Arab sector not to celebrate Israel’s independence. Here in Israel, we have failed to achieve a common loyalty in Israel for all its citizens - Jew and Arab alike. It could have been achieved but Israel has failed to be the state of all its citizens for a number of reasons. The most striking, perhaps, is the non-inclusive character of Israel’s Jewish majority. An example of this is the non-inclusive wording of Israel’s National Anthem “Hatikva” - The Hope. 

Hatikva - Israel's National Anthem

The wording of Hatikva could be modified to include Israel’s non-Jewish minority symbols of culture without changing the wording of Jewish desires and hopes. 

Apart from the national anthem, there are other symbols of Arab Israeli culture that could be included and thus make them feel part of Israel's people rather than estranging them with all kinds of declarative laws that estranges them from Israel. This could go a long way in promoting a common patriotism that is all-inclusive. This could also be done through education from an early age as well as encouraging the establishment of integrated Jewish-Arab schools, where education in unity among all Israel’s peoples could be achieved.

 Arab and Jewish Israelis could learn each other's languages as well as secular subjects to equip them for their future. Arabic and Hebrew should both have equal status. Both Arab and Jewish Israelis should have the same standard of education and go to the same schools from kindergarten age until matric. In most western democracies, pupils of all faiths attend the same schools. When it comes to religious instruction, religious leaders of different faiths instruct the pupils in their respective faiths. 

Israel’s 71 years of independence should be a nation-wide non-political affair that is inclusive of all Israel's citizens. However, with the passing of the racist Nation-State Law last year, resulting in the grading of Israel's Arab Citizens as second class citizens that will estrange 20% of Israel's citizens even more. 

Another upsetting development is the attempt to politicise the law courts that have been impartial since Israel's establishment. The outgoing Minister of Justice, Ayelet Shaked, had her agenda in interfering with the court system 

It is a great pity that this year’s Independence Day celebrations will have a right-wing political slant to it which will, unfortunately, spoil its non-political nature. Ayelet Shaked will be replaced by Yariv Levin - a Netanyahu appointee, who intends to weaken the courts and make them subservient to the incoming right-wing coalition. Legislation will be passed to ensure that the court cannot overrule government decisions even if their legality is in question.  

Independence of the law courts will be compromised. Israel is going down a path that threatens democracy if the Netanyahu Government succeeds in appointing conservative judges to the bench. The opposition is weak and will whimper impotently against the incoming ruling government anti-democratic bills.

The Upcoming Israeli Election Winds

The upcoming elections 1 in Israel are a boring, predictable phenomenon. The majority of Israel’s Jewish Electorate are moving towards the right. The Benny Gantz 2 phenomenon is a distraction that PM “Bibi” Netanyahu does not like. He is determined to label him as “left” and a danger to Israel. Miri Regev, Commissar of Culture, is Bibi’s echo. This boorish, loud-mouthed, woman reiterates all Bibi’s prejudices and lies with gusto. She is also a racist that received a high place on the Likud list for the Knesset. She follows the Stalinist belief that if you tell a lie often enough it becomes the truth. Any cultural project that does not meet her approval does not get subsidized by the state.

The Ministry of Culture and Sport appears to be Miri Regev’s private property. She travels around campaigning in her mobile caravan expressing her pet hates for the “leftists” and those, who she views as haters of Israel, which includes in her view, Benny Gantz and others. This, of course, brings her lots of votes from the ignorant racists that are the grassroots of the Likud Party. After the “silent” Benny Gantz gave his speech, the polls 3 in favour of his new party, Hosen L’ Yisrael, soared but still remains 8 seats below the Likud Party. There is no chance of this party winning the elections as the situation remains at present.

Netanyahu is great at rabble-rousing the crowd with inaccuracies and punch lines that bring his party great numbers of votes. He labels his opponents as left to the extreme left even if this is not true. He is doing this with newbie Benny Gantz, who seems to pose a threat. If King Bibi says that Gantz is going to sell out Israel and has President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority’s apparent approval. This will be Bibi’s tactic aimed at the ignorant masses to believe him and will come to the polls “in droves” to vote for the Likud and its shenanigans. “If King Bibi says then King Bibi knows and we must not question his credibility”. Those who do are viewed as potential traitors to Israel and must be treated with contempt.  The result is that the ignorant, apathetic voters will rally round to support the Likud and Company at the end of the day despite what the polls say. Bibi’s magic is his talent at misleading the voter with untruthful slogans that are racist and appeal to the Islamophobic mindset of the ignorant of which there is no shortage. We saw this after the 2015 General Elections when King Bibi stated that ”the Arabs are coming in droves to vote”. The effect was like magic and the sheep came out of the fold to vote en masse after flooding the parks with barbecue grills of shishlik, kebabs and steaks on Election Day (which is a public holiday). “God Forbid! The Arabs are a threat” was their winning slogan.

There is no reason to believe that the upcoming elections will be any different. The Likud just had their primaries for their Knesset list. Many of the same poor quality of Homo sapiens, whose fear tactics are so obvious, was re-elected and received much support. It is enough to view the Likud members in their masses voting for these rabble-rousing racists, who were responsible for the passing of the racist Nation-State Law in the Knesset.

Netanyahu has a legal headache waiting for him - depending of course on the indictment prior to a hearing of Bibi’s suspected illegal corruption follies in Case 1000, 2000 and 4000 that Attorney-General Mandelblit intends to issue before the elections.  He, of course, is innocent as newly driven snow. He is sweating and floundering around like a paranoic, cornered rat subject to a witch-hunt. He is on the path of destroying Israel’s democracy, making friends with strange, right-wing despotic leaders in Brazil, Hungary, Chad, Poland, Italy and Philippines - maybe I have left out other friendly despots in the world - no shortage of those these days. Of course, President Trump is also on that list of devoted friends. Netanyahu blames the left, the police, the courts, the media and the attorney-general for his legal problems.

The upcoming elections, with all the blurb going around and polls on an almost daily basis all pointing to another victory for the Likud with the scum-like behaviour of its cabinet ministers and its MKs, many of whom have been re-elected on the Likud list after the recent primaries. This is far from Israel of its founding fathers and the Declaration of Independence being eroded by the racist Nation-State Law 4 to ensure Israel’s apartheid-like character with the non-Jewish Israeli citizen as second class.

If the Likud forms the next Coalition Government after the elections, and Netanyahu, despite his indictment becomes prime minister once again, new bills will be discussed resembling the French Parliamentary Immunity Law that will make it impossible to summon Netanyahu to court on the grounds of suspicion of him breaking the law and allowing him to mark time without him being accountable for his suspected illegal activities while he remains in office.

If this scenario does occur after the elections it will erode Israel’s battered democracy even further. The chances of a right-wing Likud Coalition after the elections is very high.

References:

1. "2019 Israeli legislative election - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Israeli_legislative_election. Accessed 7 Feb. 2019.
2. "Benny Gantz - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Gantz. Accessed 7 Feb. 2019.
3. "Israel Election 2019-Haaretz.com." https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections. Accessed 7 Feb. 2019.
4. "Final text of Jewish nation-state law, approved by ... - The Times of Israel." 19 Jul. 2018, https://www.timesofisrael.com/final-text-of-jewish-nation-state-bill-set-to-become-law/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2019.

The Dark Ages Dawning on Israel

The Gaza unrest and the fortitude of the people in the south of Israel - kibbutzim, settlements and towns near the border with Gaza have had their full share of rocket and mortar fire from Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

They fired nearly 500 rockets, about 80% was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system over two days. No doubt, this did save many lives and damage to property. Nevertheless, some missiles did get through causing severe damage to homes, injuries and loss of life. An uncertain cease-fire was declared and it is anybody’s guess as to how long this will hold.

Just after all this, the Minister of Defense, Avigdor Lieberman, resigned nearly bringing down the coalition. The Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett 1 and his side-kick, Minister of Justice, Ayelet Shaked 2, of the extremist right-wing Bayit Hayehudi Party, threatened to resign over Netanyahu’s refusal to give Bennett the Defense portfolio and taking on the Defence portfolio for himself. Eventually, after Netanyahu’s speech, Bennett and Shaked went back on their decision to resign and the issue of early elections was avoided. Mr Bennett, leader of Israel's right-wing Jewish Home party, imagined he had placed a risk-free bet to elevate his status and share the limelight with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 3. The Government Coalition has a majority of one mandate (61 to 59). This will make its governing ability almost untenable.

The whole scenario after the shaky cease-fire was declared was an exercise in childish behaviour within the coalition that proves that many coalition members are there for their own personal interests. If Netanyahu manages to govern with a one mandate majority, theoretically elections will be held in a year’s time. If there is a crisis and the coalition breaks up then it will be sooner. If the latter occurs and there are early elections, it will cost the country billions of shekels and we shall get the same government re-elected with a few minor changes. Many Israelis have moved towards the right and extreme right and it is very unlikely that they will change. Ask any Israeli why he/she fears change, he/she will tell you with great conviction that there is nobody who can replace Netanyahu and he is the only one worth supporting. After all, the economic situation in Israel is very good and this is the bottom line that will determine what government will be elected as well as the security situation.

The opposition to the present government is weak and disunited. They are unable to offer an alternate message that is strong enough to convince Israel’s electorate that Netanyahu has governed for too long and needs to go. Even the various police investigations of Netanyahu over his suspected criminality makes no impact on the Israeli electorate as according to most of them, Netanyahu is the best prime minister Israel has ever had.

The Dark Ages are now dawning on Israel. It begins with the eroding of democracy. Those who are left of centre in their thinking are ostracised by the present government and are viewed as unpatriotic, treacherous and wish to harm Israel. The occupation and the messianic Orthodox Judaism of the Bayit Hayehudi Party and the ultra-Orthodox Parties in collusion with the Netanyahu Coalition are heralding the coming of Israel’s Dark Ages. This is part of the government’s plan to justify its rule that is becoming increasingly autocratic. More anti-democratic bills designed to clamp people’s mouths will be passed into laws. The latest bill is the Cultural Loyalty Bill introduced by Commissar of Culture and Sport, Miri Regev, will undoubtedly gain government support. Freedom of speech, freedom of culture and eventually books that are written that will be interpreted by Commissar Miri as being anti-Israel will eventually be censored or banned. The legal community have come out against this anti-democratic bill. Freedom of culture will be decided upon by the Commissar of Culture, whose duty will be to decide what can be defined as anti-Israel, unpatriotic, seeking the destruction of Israel and supporting terror from the narrowest definition in her agenda. Miri has no idea what culture is as she was never exposed to it. She is one of the initiators of Israel’s dark age. She and the Minister of Justice were working together to even fire the vice-Attorney-General Dina Zilber for opposing this anti-democratic piece of legislation. Dina Zilber is certainly not a pundit for harming Israel. The opposite is true.

Earlier we had the Nation-State Law to ensure the Jewishness of Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People. This is another piece of heinous, racist legislation that ought to be expunged from the statute book of Israel. We can expect more disgraceful bills to be enacted before the next election, reigning in a period in Israel that will bring it closer to a dictatorship that can be defined as Israel’s Darkest Age. We must bear in mind that a country that occupies another people cannot be a democracy in the long run. Slowly but surely, the occupying power will slip into a pseudo-fascist regime. Laws ensuring the purity of an occupying nation will protect its status. In Israel’s case, two laws were passed, the Nation-State Law and the Cultural Loyalty Bill (soon to become law). These laws have two principles in common. Both intend to weaken the opposition to the Netanyahu Government by showing who is the boss and to clamp mouths of those who are involved in avant-garde cultural projects that go against Commissar Miri’s agenda.

There is also no true freedom from religion and the excuse that this is a Jewish country. Pluralism in Judaism is not recognized. Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist Judaism is not recognized nor are their rabbis. The only Judaism recognized is Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Judaism that ensures that there will never be a separation of Orthodox synagogue and state. They have also succeeded in alienating Diaspora Jewry, especially US Jewry who are mostly non-Orthodox observant. 

As I write this, I feel that Israel’s most brilliant philosopher of the 20th Century, Late Prof.Yeshayahu Leibowitz ז"ל 4 states it very well indeed. It is still relevant today:

”I am talking about the monstrous phenomenon of a regime that is imposed upon a population which is not made up of a single people but of two peoples who are enemies. On top of this national conflict, itself insoluble, there is a social conflict between these two peoples. One works and the other exploits the first. That is why there cannot be a democratic regime in this country, neither can human rights be respected. I insist: they cannot be. It doesn't depend on someone's goodwill. It is the consequence of the objective fact that the State of Israel is, today, a colonial power. Precisely when history, for the second half of the 20th century, has been characterized by world decolonization, the State of Israel and South Africa are the only remaining colonial powers”.
Yeshayahu Leibowitz 5

He continues: “I am not shocked, I am making an observation. If I raise my voice it is because some people still don't know. This is why I shout out loud: Judeo-Nazis do exist!”
Yeshayahu Leibowitz

This will also initiate a period of Netanyahu’s schmoozing with right-wing regimes in Europe that have a history of racism including anti-Semitism. This is a natural development expected within the right-wing regime of the Netanyahu Era.  

See:

1. "The Jewish Home" of Racism and Intolerance
2. Quotes of Yeshayahu Leibowitz  (29 January 1903 – 18 August 1994) was an Israeli public intellectual; professor of biochemistry, organic chemistry, and neurophysiology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; and a polymath known for his outspoken opinions on Judaism, ethics, religion, and politics.

References:

1.  "Naftali Bennett - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naftali_Bennett. Accessed 22 Nov. 2018.
2. "Ayelet Shaked - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayelet_Shaked. Accessed 22 Nov. 2018.
3. 20 Nov. 2018, https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/naftali-bennett-david-cameron-style-gambler-loses-to-israel-s-smoothest-operator-1.472790. Accessed 22 Nov. 2018.
4. "Yeshayahu Leibowitz - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeshayahu_Leibowitz. Accessed 22 Nov. 2018.
5. "Yeshayahu Leibowitz (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)." 29 Mar. 2011, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/leibowitz-yeshayahu/. Accessed 22 Nov. 2018.

Rosh Hashana - What of the Future?

On the eve of Rosh Hashana many of us - probably not all, reflect on the events of the past year and certainly, from a political standpoint, we in Israel have very little if anything of which to be proud.  From a personal and moral point of view, each to his own conscience. When it comes to human dignity, we have the Nation-State Law 1 that is an affront and an insult to Israel’s non-Jewish minorities, the Regulation Law 2 - (passed on 6th February 2017) legalization of land grabs for religious Zionist settlers in territories occupied during the June 1967 Six Day War.

Stealing land “in good faith” is now legal. How on earth can stealing land from its owners, whether Palestinian or others, ever be considered legal if carried out in “good faith” whatever the hell that means?  The trend in Israel is a swing towards an extreme right-wing regime that is a threat to Israel’s once vibrant democracy and a move towards a totalitarian ideology. Israel’s democracy can best be described today as an “eroded democracy”.

Today Israeli citizens, who oppose the present Israeli Government, are viewed as traitors and are ostracised and are even told to leave Israel as their ilk is not welcome in Israel by many right-wing supporters. Those who do not agree with the Likud-Bayit Ha Yehudi with the ultra-Orthodox non-Zionist "coalition tag-along's" agenda are viewed as enemies of Israel. There is no limitation to the number of terms a serving prime minister can be re-elected. PM Netanyahu, who is suspected of criminal activity and under police investigation in at least three cases, is still in office and his wife Sarah is on the road to being charged with fraud. The majority of the Israeli public still supports Netanyahu. They view these cases against Netanyahu as trumped up and a conspiracy by Israel’s enemies to bring down Netanyahu. Even in the US, Donald Trump cannot serve more than two terms as president. The US has hope that Trump will not remain president indefinitely. Why cannot Israel’s prime ministerial term not be limited to a maximum of two terms (eight years) as in the US?

The Minister of Justice, Ayelet Shaked 3, is doing all she can to weaken Israel’s Court system and making it conform with her party agenda. Judges appointed to the High Court of Appeal must be conservative and not conflict with her Jewish Home Party 4 (Bayit Ha Yehudi) agenda. She even stated that her efforts to introduce more conservative figures to the Supreme Court have made it more representative of the Israeli public as a whole rather than “a branch of Meretz” — the dovish left-wing political party. This, of course, is absolute nonsense. It is as if she has appointed herself to be the "supreme" Chief Justice and decide what is legal and what is not according to her boss, Naftali Bennett and his sidekick, MK Bezalel Smotrich, a right-wing extremist and dyed-in-the-wool Kahanist. These are the MKs that Netanyahu tries not to upset. Even senior members of the legal committee, past and present, who are certainly not identified with Meretz or any other political party, take strong exception to Ayelet Shaked’s statements. It appears that in Shaked’s view, true justice can only be achieved by Israel’s Law Courts if it complies with the agenda of her judge appointees according to her party agenda. Ayelet Shaked has hopes of running for prime minister in the future 5.

The list of intimidation of private citizens who are suspects of being anti-Israel (that means opposition to the present Israeli Government) continues to grow. There have been interrogations and harassment of returning Israeli Citizens at  Ben Gurion Airport.

For those who are interested in the erosion of the law system in Israel can consult the website of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel. Check out the summary of the present summer Knesset session on this link.

It is really sad that Israel’s electorate is moving in a dangerous, uncompromising right-wing direction and there is no doubt that at this rate, the chances of Israel moving towards fascism and a clamping of mouths direction in the coming New Year is not as remote as one would like to believe.

Despite my Pessimistic Prediction (I hope that I am proved wrong) I wish my readers a Happy New Year - a year of Peace between all our peoples and neighbours, Health and Happiness in the coming year.

References:

1. "Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Law:_Israel_as_the_Nation-State_of_the_Jewish_People. Accessed 7 Sep. 2018.
2. "Regulation Law - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_Law. Accessed 7 Sep. 2018.
3. "Ayelet Shaked - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayelet_Shaked. Accessed 7 Sep. 2018.
4. "The Jewish Home - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jewish_Home. Accessed 7 Sep. 2018.
5. "Ayelet Shaked: I may run for prime minister eventually - Israel News ...." 18 Jul. 2018, https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Ayelet-Shaked-I-may-run-for-prime-minister-eventually-562767. Accessed 7 Sep. 2018.