In Israel, a Glimpse of a Trumpian Future

[babylonsister]

Daily Comment
In Israel, a Glimpse of a Trumpian Future
Netanyahu is willing to undermine the rule of law in order to insure his own political survival. Sound familiar?
By David Remnick
July 24, 2023


See if this sounds familiar: A cynical and self-admiring politician finds himself confronting the legal consequences of his low deeds and corruption. He faces criminal investigation, multiple indictments, trials, even prison. To defend himself from the potential consequences of his acts, he does not merely hire lawyers; he tries to stay in power. And, to obtain power, he is willing to deepen and inflame the worst tribal conflicts in his country. He is willing to undermine the rule of law. He is willing to make common cause with the most hateful voices in his society and place them by his side. In the end, he is willing to erode the liberty of his people to insure his own.

The eagerness to put self before country, of course, is the common thread between two profoundly unprincipled politicians, Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump. And, as such, the dispiriting turn in Jerusalem on Monday—the Knesset’s vote to diminish the powers of the Supreme Court and, therefore, enhance an imperilled Prime Minister’s ability to skirt justice—serves as a warning of what might take place in this country in the fall of 2024.

The decision in the Knesset could easily lead to even more illiberal measures, from the annexation of the West Bank to the suppression of critical press outlets. The weeks leading up to the vote saw unprecedented protest marches. Now, one friend from Tel Aviv told me, “The streets will burn.” Another friend sent a photograph of a mock military graveyard that demonstrators near the Knesset had erected. The gravestones provided only the names of the fallen and the single repeated epitaph: lashav, in vain. That is, they died in vain.

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https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/in-israel-a-glimpse-of-a-trumpian-future

[ProudMNDemocrat]

1. The democratic world needs to boycott Israel for it anti-Democratic behavior.

Do not travel there.

Do not spend money there.

For support of any kind boosts Netanyahu in his dictatorial moves. The citizens there are already taking to the streets over this. Its neighbors are paying attention. So should the rest of the world.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. And Netanyahu will turn this gesture into anti-semitic tropes.

Like the BLM movement to protest illegal settlements in the West Bank.

[thatdemguy]

4. I have to wonder if some here

See the talk about expanding our supreme court in the same light in anyway.

Is threating to limit the power of our supreme court by expanding it or new rules set by congress, because we disagree with it anti democratic? What if we add 4 justices to shift the balance back to a more liberal stance. Would the repugs expanding it again be anti democratic?

I was against removing the filibuster on judicial nominees. We did for lower judges when we needed it, which made it a lot easier for the repugs to do it for Scotus nominees.

That is why I feel the filibuster should not be touched, we wont be in power for ever.

[Elessar Zappa]

5. I'm not going to stop traveling where

I want just because of the country’s government. If I did, it would limit travel primarily to Europe, Japan, and a few other scattered nations. As long as the country’s not dangerous, I’ll consider going there.

[Beastly Boy]

6. No. Israel is not anti-democratic.

Tens of thousands of Israelis protesting the anti-democratic government should be enough of a hint.

Do travel there. And join the protests.

Spend money there. And make a Palestinian more self-sufficient.

Do not make yourself the enemy of Israel. Make yourself the enemy of the regime. Big difference that will make you more friends in Israel than enemies, and will make your enemies in Israel weaker than your friends.

[TheRealNorth]

7. That doesn't change the fact that Israel is controlled by a RW Fascist

Looking to do away with Democracy, is actively breaking International law, and will eventually annex the West Bank.

Also, if you joined the protests, they would probably kick you out, as Americans don't have the right to protest in Israel, and likely, in a few years, neither will left-wing Israelis.

[Beastly Boy]

8. Not sure how this relates to my post.

It is not accurate to claim that Israel is being controlled by a RW fascist. He controls the government, not Israel, as tens of thousands of Israelis protesting outside of his control keep showing on a daily basis. Projecting the actions of a RW fascist onto Israel as a whole is a fallacy that perpetuates the right wing fascist's grip on government. The fact is that nearly half of the country rejects the right wing control of the government. Only a third of the country directly supports Netanyahu's leadership.

Given israel's extraordinary political diversity, this can easily change. But boycotting Israel will not do that. On the contrary, it will build resentment among mainstream Israeli voters (because to them, quite logically, boycotting Israel means boycotting them), and it will empower the right wingers (because to them, quite logically, boycotting Israel reinforces their narrative of the left wing being the enemy of Israel, not the fascists in the Israeli government). This ridiculous self-defeating call for boycotting Israel can easily account for the five percent of Israeli voters that keeps the right wing fascist in power. And the fate of the occupied territories can only be affected by the changes in government.

There is no law forbidding Americans from protesting in Israel. In fact, there is anecdotal evidence that they do so (https://forward.com/news/541342/american-teens-israel-study-gap-year-protests-demonstrations/). If you are concerned with the fate of the left wing Israelis in the future, it is imperative to quit acting stupid in the present.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. And despite his public estrangement from TFG, Jared Kushner is furiously taking notes.

Please remember that Jared and his family have decades of close ties to Bibi.