The entire essay is an example of "thinking past the sale." There is not a single specific policy of this supposedly ultra-right government that is refuted; it is taken as a given that the 37th government of Israel is anti-democracy illiberal.Last February, two months after the current government was formed, we wrote to you to warn of an existential threat to Israeli democracy and to the long-term viability of the Jewish state. Six months later, our worst fears are being realized. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition with the extreme right and the ultra-Orthodox parties signals nothing less than the end of the liberal state of Israel.This political crisis is not just one more Israeli debate over policy, but a struggle over the fundamental identity of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.A government that won just 48.4 percent of the popular vote, and which did so only after concealing from the electorate the sweeping nature of its plans, has dared to tamper with the basic identity of the state, and has led us into a crisis from which our society might not recover. Vital institutions that require social solidarity, and most importantly the military, are splintering, as Israel’s most committed and productive citizens revolt against a leadership that is beyond the moral pale. The tech economy that buoyed the “start-up nation” is beginning to sink. State power is shifting from judges to extreme clerics. The voice of fundamentalist religion is emboldened. A year ago, Israel was a regional powerhouse. Within a year, we could be on the road to becoming another failed Middle Eastern state.
But what specifically has the government done that is so extreme?
True, members of the cabinet have said some things that are very illiberal. Some have tried to do things that appear questionable. But in the end, how many actual laws have passed that justify demanding that the Diaspora publicly split with Israel?
The "reasonableness" law? Without it, the judiciary has literally unlimited powers, with no checks and balances on what it can do. It is in line with other Western democracies. The legislative branch, by definition, legislates laws, and the judiciary interprets them in every other Western democracy.
The law that terrorists who use sexual assault should have a greater penalty? The people opposing that are generally grasping at straws to pretend that there is something wrong with it just to oppose the government.
Yes, there are other things that have been brought up - but they haven't passed. Ideas like an independent national guard are mired in committees. A lot of the reason for that is because of the reluctance of Netanyahu to go along with the more extreme members of his coalition.
Netanyahu does not support a theocracy. He supports equal rights for Arab Israelis. And while he will concede things here and there to his coalition, he has shown multiple times that he will not allow Israel to become what the critics are claiming it has already become.
Contrast this with the Bennett/Lapid government, which ceded Israeli territory to Lebanon without any public referendum. That one decision had far greater repercussions, not only concerning the territory itself but also in signaling to Hezbollah that its demands would be rewarded.
Did the current government coalition partners hide their plans for judicial reform before the election? Not at all. And the Israeli Left even wrote an exaggerated warning about them in the New York Times - before the election.
Why is the military splintering? Why are high tech companies warning about fleeing the country? Is it because of the actual actions of the government - or because of the overblown reactions to ideas being discussed?
Why is the military splintering? Why are high tech companies warning about fleeing the country? Is it because of the actual actions of the government - or because of the overblown reactions to ideas being discussed?
A great deal of Israel's problems today are because of self-fulfilling prophecies of those who oppose the government, far more than what the government has actually done. This essay is written along those lines. It has very few facts to support its wild warnings - so it doesn't bother backing those warning with facts.
And a large reason the government hasn't done that much is because of the massive protests in Israel every week. The opposition could not win democratically so they are protesting - and there is nothing wrong with that. They are indeed influencing the government actions and helping stop the more extreme ideas turning into law.
Suggesting that the Diaspora publicly protest the Israeli government is a recipe for disaster. For years, Zionists have fought against a public split in American Jewry. The Obama administration publicly sided with J-Street, making it seem far more powerful than it actually is, because it wanted cover for its anti-Israel policies. Now, because of the unbridled hate people have for Netanyahu, even people who truly love Israel are advocating a public split.
That is what is weakening Israel - not the actual policies themselves, but this hysterical reaction to those policies.
There is plenty to disagree with and argue against in the current government. But to respond by telling world Jewry to publicly split with Israel is already having huge repercussions for the relationship between Israel and other countries. Israel haters are now quoting the Israeli Left to justify their slanderous accusations of "apartheid."
You cannot open the Pandora's box halfway, insisting that your public criticisms come from love of Israel but other criticisms are over the line.
The antisemites are having a field day. Arab media is filled with translations of articles in Israeli media about Jews warning that the state will collapse. Terrorists are encouraged to redouble their efforts to murder Jews because they perceive weakness.
Iran is actively working on opening up fronts in Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank as well as Gaza. One cannot underestimate how much these campaigns are being fueled by the perception of weakness that the public criticisms of Israel are giving the Arab world.
Messages of doom are emboldening terrorists to murder Jews.
The message to the world shouldn't be "Israel is in danger of losing tis democratic character." It should be "we believe in Israeli democracy, and we will work to build the next government that aligns with our values." It shouldn't be "only 48% of Israelis voted for this coalition" but that "Israel is a nation based on laws and while we disagree with the government, it is legitimate and deserves respect on that basis." Protests are a valid part of democracy, but not at much as the ballot box. Win elections based on the strength of your ideas - and if the voters don't agree with you, that is part of the deal in a real democracy.
And meanwhile, join with your political opponents on things you can agree on - like the importance of writing a constitution that could forestall the next decade's crisis.
