Of Massive Protests

Demonstration supporting judicial reform. Biggest rally ever? (Jewish Press)

Israel has experienced a series of continuous massive protests against government since the last election. Ostensibly against its proposed judicial reform legislation. Protests that were attended even by some Israelis that voted for one of the right wing parties that currently form the governing collation. Same thing the intelligence community  A lot of entrepreneurs - especially in high tech - have threatened to leave the country and pull their assets along with them. Some economists have predicted an economic disaster if there is judicial reform. The US president and  his liberal Democratic allies in congress have been warning Israel not to tamper with their Supreme Court which they see as tampering with democracy itself.

Netanyahu has been the focus of many protestors. I think that the vast majority of them hated Netanyahu long before the recent elections. For a variety of reasons. Reasons that among other things include accusations of corruption for which he is on trial; thumbing his nose at bipartisan US support by turning his attention to Republicans; his insult to a left wing President 8 years ago by accepting an invitation from a Republican controlled congress to address a joint session - ignoring the protocol of first being invited by a sitting president before addressing congress. Thus snubbing him! (Something he will never be forgiven for by the left.) And breaking promises made to fellow politicians even in his own party. Alienating them as well. 

All of which has generated palpable animosity towards him by the left in both the US and Israel.  

There have been a lot of theories about what these protests are really all about.  The one thing you hear most is the fear that this new legislation will destroy the power of the courts to rule on legislation they believe does not represent the core values of a liberal  rights based democracy. Thus making Israel a dictatorship of the right. A government controlled by Religious Zionist extremists that would expel Palestinians from the West Bank. An Israel that grants  undue power to Charedim whose religious world view would for example take away the civil rights achieved by the LGBTQ + community. And would  implement more legislation based on Halacha – ultimately making Israel a theocratic dictatorship not unlike Iran.  

There is on the other hand a theory being advanced mostly by the right. Which is that the left was unhappy with the results of last election. And that these protests are a thinly disguised attempt to overthrow the government that is not functioning in their best interests

Those on the side of those protesters have been saying that the protest numbers; and the types of people supporting them demonstrate just how unpopular this new government is. Including among some that voted for the Likud. True they voted right. But in no way did they get the government they thought they would. They instead got one controlled by extremist right wing politicians and Charedim. And they are all bitterly opposed to it, right along with the mostly left wing protestors, 

As a result, recent polls seem to indicate a massive defeat of the current majority if the elections were held today. All of this seems seem to confirm the theory that most voters are extremely upset at the construction of the new government. And that only a few radical followers of extremist MK, Ben-Gvir and company really support it.

Is that true? Is the current will of the vast majority - represented by massive number of Israelis attending and supporting those rallies? Or does the truth lie somewhere else? Are the poll numbers right?

First let us dispense with the polls. Which have been notoriously inaccurate of late. Both in the US and in Israel. The only polls that count are the ones in the voting booth. What about all the military, intelligence, and economic establishment people opposing reform?  There could very well be a lot of people from those agencies that support reform. I wonder if there are any statistics that would indicate what the numbers are.

What about the massive number of protestors? True - the  numbers are massive. But they are not the only protests that are massive. From the Jewish Press. 

More than 300,000 Israelis who support the government’s planned judicial reforms gathered Thursday evening in Jerusalem for a mass demonstration in favor of those reforms, police confirmed. More than a thousand buses were registered for the event held outside the Knesset. Organizers put the number of participants as high as 600,000 people.  Whatever the exact number, the pictures show tremendous numbers of people – quite possibly one of the largest rallies ever held in Israel.  

So much for the theory that democracy in Israel is finished under a highly unpopular extremist right wing government. The 300,000 Israelis (at a minimum) who attended this rally actually support this government and its leader, Netanyahu. They want judicial reform. They see the current government as the dictatorship. A dictatorship of the left! .And they want change in a hurry. They want to see a bigger role for religion.  And stronger measures against terrorists..

They reject the normalization of LGBTQ+ sexual behavior. Behavior that observant and even many traditional Jews that are not fully observant do not consider normal - based on the teachings of the Torah. This includes not only Charedim but all Religious Zionists and anyone else that accepts the values of the Torah over the fleeting values of general culture. They do not for example want to see anywhere in the holy land obscene displays of behavior and manner of dress that one typically sees at gay pride parades – even if they take place in Tel Aviv, the gay capital of the world. Tel Aviv is as much a part of the holy land as is Jerusalem.

What disappoints me the most is the strident anger against Netanyahu and the extremist right wing by a lot of people on the anti government side of the issue. Claiming this is how the vast majority feels. Which is obviously not the case.

Which side is bigger? The last election says the right is. Current polls indicate that the left is. Who knows where the truth lies. We will eventually find out at the next election. When that will take place is anybody’s guess.

What is clear though is that the country is closely divided between left and right both religiously and politically. Just like it is in America.  Neither side can claim with any degree of certainty that  their ideals are the most prevalent among voters.

I have consistently been saying that judicial reform must take place. That it has never been brought up as an issue until now is not anything past governments should be proud of.  A just democracy must be fair and balanced between competing interests. That is why I support a compromise that would give each side some of the things they want but not everything they want. 

If only one side prevails all the time it becomes a dictatorship.  A dictatorship is a dictatorship regardless of who the dictator is. Whether it is the legislature (Knesset) or the judiciary. That is why the only way forward  is compromise. That should be everyone's goal. At least those who are interested in a fair and just society. One that will ensure that it will not be one side that always prevails over the other.  

What compromise will ultimately look like is hard to know. There are many roads that lead to Rome.