At the end of 2022, Benjamin Netanyahu managed to be resurrected from his yearlong political deathbed despite being the subject of multiple criminal inditements to again become Israel’s prime minister by aligning himself solely with extreme right partners. Since then, he has led Israel on a downward slide from a democracy to an autocracy.

Multiple western media outlets have been diligently and frequently warning US citizens about the danger of the US devolving from a democracy into an autocracy if the US GOP MAGA ex-president should win his presidential reelection bid in 2024, but these same outlets have been lazy in reporting on how Mr. Netanyahu has already been doing likewise in Israel.

As per the July 20, 2023 Jerusalem Post opinion piece, “Israel is on a slippery slope from democracy to autocracy, “Sherwin Pomerantz argues that the Israeli government is leading smaller attacks on Israelis’ freedom that aren’t related to its controversial efforts at judicial reforms:

Excerpts:

“The shift from democracy to autocracy is not an overnight thing. It’s not as if we wake up one morning and realize, “Wow, now I live in an autocratic state!” Rather, it is a slow slide down a slippery slope of minor attacks on our freedom that we accommodate, especially if it does not affect us dramatically at the moment.”

“In Israel, where the main topic of political discourse tends to be around judicial reform, there are other smaller attacks on our freedom that are playing out just under the surface and often move forward with relatively little mass concern.”

Knesset committee considers disbanding authority for women

“Case I: The Knesset Ministerial Committee for Legislation is considering a bill that would disband the Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women (AASW).”

“It is being privately sponsored by coalition party member Otzma Yehudit, and would dismantle the AASW, an independent professional body established in 1998 to protect women’s rights. In its stead, it would create a new political body that would be subservient to a designated government minister.”

“This would, in effect, take an independent advocacy group and make it into a government agency, giving the governing coalition control over the authority’s budget, its activities, whom it employs, and more.”

“According to the bill, the new authority would differ from the old one in significant ways:”

“Its head would need no professional or academic qualifications other than being a government appointee; the number of members would be reduced by half; instead of an independent body writing reports examining how government legislation will affect women, reports will now be written by the government itself. The new bill has removed all references to combating gender discrimination and does not set it as one of the Authority’s goals.”

“While the previous Authority could only pass regulations in consultation with the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of Women and Gender Equality, the new Authority would be allowed to pass regulations with no parliamentary review at all.”

“It is important to note that the minister who would be heading this new Authority, May Golan, herself voted against a bill that would have guaranteed women’s representation in Knesset parties.”

“As another independent body shuts down with its power consolidated within the government, Israel slides closer to an authoritarian regime.”

Gov’t is backing a bill to transfer power for bar to gov’t

“CASE II: A ministerial panel is backing a bill that would siphon off power from the Israel Bar Association (IBA) and transfer it to a new, government-headed authority. Just days after the country’s lawyers elected Amit Becher – who has been bitterly critical of the coalition’s judicial overhaul push – as head of the bar association, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation voted to give government support to a bill that will strip away the bar’s licensing authority and its representation on the committee that selects judges.”

“Contained in the bill is legislation shifting the Bar Association’s powers to grant licenses, administer the bar exam, and sanction lawyers for misconduct to a yet-to-be-created “lawyers council,” which would be chaired by a district court judge, to be appointed by the justice minister who, of course, is appointed by the prime minister.”

“The bill also includes a clause that would strip the IBA of its seats on the Judicial Selection Committee – the body that appoints judges and is at the heart of the government’s plans to remake the judiciary, although that may not be a bad thing. In a true democracy, the value of a bar association is in its vetting of the qualifications of potential justices, not in selecting them.”

“Yet again, another independent agency could end up under government (read: political) control to the detriment of democracy and freedom.”

“These are two specific cases, but there are others as well.”

How can this be stopped?

“HOW TO stop this? Demonstrations are, of course, a valuable tool that sends a message to the coalition that the people are not happy, and those should continue. But the real way to sidetrack unwanted government incursions into our daily lives is to convince enough members of the coalition to “stay home” when the third and final reading of a bill detrimental to our freedom is brought to the floor of the Knesset, if not before.”

“It is time to target the coalition members with a conscience and a love for Israel that is greater than their desire for personal power: Nir Barkat, Danny Danon, Avi Dichter, Yuli Edelstein, and Yoav Gallant to be specific. All efforts must now be made to convince them to vote their consciences, even if it means political suicide.”

“To paraphrase Pirkei Avot 2:5: “In a place where there are no leaders, strive to be a leader.” We should expect no less. After all, the future of Israel and our freedom depends on the responsible actions of such leaders.”

As per the October 21, 2023 article, “Netanyahu’s Attack on Democracy Left Israel Unprepared” by Anne Applebaum:

Excerpt:

“After the surprise Hamas attack on southern Israel earlier this month, I listened again to the tapes of those conversations (before October 2023). In almost every one of them, there was a warning note that I didn’t pay enough attention to at the time. When I asked people why they had sacrificed their time to join a protest movement, they told me it was because they feared Israel could become not just undemocratic but unrecognizable, unwelcoming to them and their families. But they also talked about a deeper fear: that Israel could cease to exist at all. The deep, angry divides in Israeli politics—divides that are religious and cultural, but that were also deliberately created by Netanyahu and his extremist allies for their political and personal benefit—weren’t just a problem for some liberal or secular Israelis. The people I met believed the polarization of Israel was an existential risk for everybody.”

Must reads:

The Shocking Bevy of Crimes Linked to Israel’s Incoming government/ Daily Beast…

Netanyahu told to ‘quit now’ as ex-leaders pin blame on dysfunctional government/ The Guardian …