The hysterical headlines are true: Israeli democracy is indeed in danger, but not in the way the Left makes it seem. Democracy is not in danger of religious "fascists" and "fundamentalists," but rather lawmakers who adopt such rhetoric every time a right-wing government is elected into power.
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We have often heard such warnings over the years, but in the last few days โ as Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu is nearing the establishment of a government โ they have begun bordering on incitement and outright rebellion.
The Left adopted the "democracy is in danger" slogan even before the establishment of the state. In the 1930s, Ze'ev Jabotinsky was likened to Hitler and Revisionist Zionism to Nazi policies. In the 1950s, when Menachem Begin's Herut faction was moderate, the Left incessantly warned of the danger of the "fascist" Right. This did not cease even when Likud came to power and did not change the public administration of the previous government and even carried out policies of surrendering territories in exchange for peace, including the evacuation of settlements.
The discourse of incitement against the Right and the religious bloc is often conducted in complete contrast to reality, and perhaps the current cases might have been overlooked had they not bordered on outright delegitimization of the incoming government.
"We will continue to stand firm even in the face of the thunder and lightning that can be heard and seen at this time," said President of the Supreme Court Esther Hayut, as if weighing the ties between the government and the authorities was not a legitimate democratic process.
And how can Hayut, who is supposed to understand what democracy is, claim that 2.4 million votes for the right-wing bloc are "lighting and thunder"?
As for outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid, he has a short, but rich history of a lack of basic understanding of democracy. Most recently, he urged municipalities to boycott the incoming government, claiming it "abandoned the education of our children." What else could be expected from a lawmaker belonging to the same camp that cries wolf on democracy whenever the Right is in power?
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai too has claimed that Israel is becoming a fascist theocracy and called for a boycott of the government, even suggesting a civil rebellion.
The democratic Right, which has the right to implement its policies, must remain steadfast in the face of the inciting anti-democratic Left that is inciting rebellion.
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