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.

The Knesset Fascists pass the "The Theft Bill"

The third and final reading of the “Theft Bill” was passed by 60 - 52 votes in the Knesset. This odorous bill is now on its way of legalizing theft of privately owned Palestinian lands for the establishment of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. In other words, there will be no more evacuations of settlements and outposts by Supreme Court order if a Palestinian landowner has proof that the outposts and settlements were built on privately owned land as in the case of recently evacuated Amona.

Israeli parliament members vote during a Constitution, Law, and Justice,
Committee meeting

The Regulation Law: “The law legalizes and protects thousands of Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria which were built with government backing and lacked absentee land claims, but against which there are now property claims.

Under the Regulation Law, homes built on such properties will be allowed to remain, and owners with proven claims to the land will be given a choice of receiving an alternate plot of land or monetary compensation for 125% of their land's value”.

The amazing situation is that Israel has the power of jurisdiction over the Palestinian land owner in the occupied territories according to this law.

There is another viewpoint that claims that the Regulation Law does not contravene International or Israeli Law. According to several leading legal scholars, the “Regulation Law” does not contradict Israeli law, and precedents both inside and outside Israel can be invoked to justify its passage within the context of international law.

This is an extremist right wing Bayit Hayehudi (Jewish Home Party) attempt to weaken the Supreme Court and strengthen the settler movement as well as destroying any attempt to reach a peace agreement based on the Two-State Solution (which is moribund).

This very controversial Regulation Law has been condemned not only by the Israeli left of center political parties, but also by many members of the Likud Party. Even PM Benjamin Netanyahu is aware of the dangers that this law presents to Israel in International World forums including the Secretary General of the UN. Even the Attorney-General, Avichai Mandelblit, has stated that the law is illegal and he will not support it.

This move to pass the Regulation Law was a political move from the right and PM Netanyahu was sucked in by Bayit Hayehudi leader, Naftali Bennett, (who Netanyahu dislikes and fears) on his extremist right wing flank to put his weight behind this law. Netanyahu did not participate in this vote as he was on a plane returning to Israel from London.

The French statement came shortly after the United Kingdom issued a condemnation of the law; a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with British Prime Minister Theresa May in London, saying that the legislation damages Israel's international standing.1

If ICC prosecutors take their duties seriously, the legalization law significantly raises the pressure on them to put Israeli officials – even Mr. Netanyahu – on trial for complicity in the war crime of establishing and nurturing the settlements.2

If members of the Likud Party as well as the official opposition express opposition to this odious law then it is obvious that this law is against the interests of Israel. With the “theft law,” to quote Likud Knesset member Benny Begin, about to be voted on in Jerusalem, Netanyahu did not dare divulge the contents of his talk with British PM Theresa May about the UN resolution condemning the occupation in general and the land-grabbing settlement enterprise in particular.3

Many Knesset members in the ruling government coalition are not really as patriotic as they appear to be on the surface. They are interested in remaining in power even if it means being tools in the passing of laws that are populist in order to gain support from the various settler movements in the occupied territories. Netanyahu views Bennett and his gang as a threat to his power base and he will do what he can to prevent his support base from moving towards the Bayit HaYehudi Party.

It is hoped that the Supreme Court will examine this odious piece of legislation and annul it. This is the only hope that we in Israel have of getting this law out of the statute book.

A Foreign Ministry document approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and obtained by The Jerusalem Post tells foreign capitals: “The [settlement regulation] law will be reviewed by the Supreme Court.”4

There is no doubt that this right wing Government Coalition is the most polarizing government since Israel’s establishment. Most of its members pander to the most basic racist mentality in Israeli society in its widest context. The hatred for Arabs, prejudice towards those who do not believe in the official government line is viewed as traitors and as potential Fifth Column that needs to kept under observation. Even culture is moving towards strait jacketing under Israel’s Minister of Culture and Sport, Miri Regev. She “punishes” cultural activity if it is avante garde politically by threatening to remove financial subsidies for their activities on a personal basis.

Democracy in Israel is about to be subjected to a very rough ride and the definition of traitor will be a very wide definition indeed. Beware! “Trumpism” is on the rise!

1.  7 Feb. 2017, http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/136982-170207-u-s-refuses-to-comment-on-israel-s-controversial-outpost-legalization-bill. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017.
2.  7 Feb. 2017, http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/136982-170207-u-s-refuses-to-comment-on-israel-s-controversial-outpost-legalization-bill. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017.
3. 9 Feb. 2017, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/02/israel-palestinians-us-benjamin-netanyahu-icc-reularization.html. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017.
4. 9 Feb. 2017, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/02/israel-palestinians-us-benjamin-netanyahu-icc-reularization.html. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017.

Related articles

• Britain joins international condemnation of Israel's settlement law
• Indefensible: Israeli Land Grab Law
• UN Chief: Israel's new law on settlements is a 'contravention of international law'
• Israel plans more than 2,500 new settler homes to start Trump era