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With and Without Constitution
Author: Raine
Date: 07/24/2023 12:57:27
Welcome to Monday. Breaking from WaPo is the news out of Israel. It's not good for democracy. It's one paragraph.
We still have a constitution, but it is stressed. That's an understatement, to be honest. We need elected leaders who run afoul of the document to be held accountable. There is something twisted that we actually have a constitution and yet we are seeing the very judicial overreach that Netanyahu wants to correct, no?
What's happening in Israel is proof that a right-wing party that has a supermajority is VERY dangerous. Fascism can and is happening here. It must be stopped by the courts and our votes.
I hope we see more indictments this week.
& 
Raine
JERUSALEM — The Israeli parliament approved the first part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s sweeping proposal to overhaul the judiciary on Monday, establishing a limit on the Supreme Court’s power to strike down government action and delivering far-right lawmakers a key victory in their bid to remold the country. The proposal passed despite hundreds of thousands of protesters turning out to oppose the measure, which critics said would erode one of the few checks on government power in Israel, a country without a written constitution. Supporters, led by Netanyahu, defended the changes are a necessary correction to judicial overreach. Both sides claim to be defending democracy.
We still have a constitution, but it is stressed. That's an understatement, to be honest. We need elected leaders who run afoul of the document to be held accountable. There is something twisted that we actually have a constitution and yet we are seeing the very judicial overreach that Netanyahu wants to correct, no?
What's happening in Israel is proof that a right-wing party that has a supermajority is VERY dangerous. Fascism can and is happening here. It must be stopped by the courts and our votes.
I hope we see more indictments this week.
& Raine
Comments:
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Comment by 
BobR on 07/24/2023 15:43:42
BobR on 07/24/2023 15:43:42
Israel is going to end up becoming the very thing that led up to that country's creation.
Comment by Will_in_Ca on 07/24/2023 15:48:45
Good morning, bloggers!!!!!
In Netanyahu's case, he lead his Likud Party and smaller allied parties to a coalition that, while fragile, holds a supermajority in the Knesset. Israeli democracy is at a crossroads.
Police are using skunk water and water cannons on protesters. I expect there to be many legal challenges and protests. You may want to read Haaretz, an Israeli liberal daily for more coverage: Israel's Democratic Crisis | Netanyahu Coalition Passes Key Judicial Coup Law Amid National Conflict
In Netanyahu's case, he lead his Likud Party and smaller allied parties to a coalition that, while fragile, holds a supermajority in the Knesset. Israeli democracy is at a crossroads.
Police are using skunk water and water cannons on protesters. I expect there to be many legal challenges and protests. You may want to read Haaretz, an Israeli liberal daily for more coverage: Israel's Democratic Crisis | Netanyahu Coalition Passes Key Judicial Coup Law Amid National Conflict
Comment by Will_in_Ca on 07/24/2023 15:50:34
The country is quite divided on this issue. Also, I distinguish between various types of regimes. I think that Netanyahu is seeing Putin as a role model. Also, I am not comfortable with comparisons of Israel to Nazi Germany.
Quote by BobR:
Israel is going to end up becoming the very thing that led up to that country's creation.
The country is quite divided on this issue. Also, I distinguish between various types of regimes. I think that Netanyahu is seeing Putin as a role model. Also, I am not comfortable with comparisons of Israel to Nazi Germany.
Comment by BobR on 07/24/2023 16:28:43
Nazi Germany didn't start with the death camps - that's where it ended up. It started with one party systematically taking over, neutering other parts of government that might keep them in check, and villainizing a whole class of people.
BobR on 07/24/2023 16:28:43
Quote by Will_in_Ca:Quote by BobR:
Israel is going to end up becoming the very thing that led up to that country's creation.
The country is quite divided on this issue. Also, I distinguish between various types of regimes. I think that Netanyahu is seeing Putin as a role model. Also, I am not comfortable with comparisons of Israel to Nazi Germany.
Nazi Germany didn't start with the death camps - that's where it ended up. It started with one party systematically taking over, neutering other parts of government that might keep them in check, and villainizing a whole class of people.
Comment by Will_in_Ca on 07/24/2023 16:34:08
While I am well aware of the history of Nazi Germany, I do not think the comparison is apt. Also, I already see some on my side of the aisle comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, despite the fact that there are more democratic rights, Arab members of Parliament, and Arab (Druze mainly) members of the IDF.
Already, Israeli reservists are threatening en masse to resign and several people in the Mossad are announcing that they may resign.
Quote by BobR:Quote by Will_in_Ca:Quote by BobR:
Israel is going to end up becoming the very thing that led up to that country's creation.
The country is quite divided on this issue. Also, I distinguish between various types of regimes. I think that Netanyahu is seeing Putin as a role model. Also, I am not comfortable with comparisons of Israel to Nazi Germany.
Nazi Germany didn't start with the death camps - that's where it ended up. It started with one party systematically taking over, neutering other parts of government that might keep them in check, and villainizing a whole class of people.
While I am well aware of the history of Nazi Germany, I do not think the comparison is apt. Also, I already see some on my side of the aisle comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, despite the fact that there are more democratic rights, Arab members of Parliament, and Arab (Druze mainly) members of the IDF.
Already, Israeli reservists are threatening en masse to resign and several people in the Mossad are announcing that they may resign.
Comment by BobR on 07/24/2023 18:14:57
I won't argue with you about this, because I know it's personal to you. I just have to wonder how they can be so brutal to people of another creed after being the victims themselves only 80 years ago.
BobR on 07/24/2023 18:14:57
Quote by Will_in_Ca:Quote by BobR:Quote by Will_in_Ca:Quote by BobR:
Israel is going to end up becoming the very thing that led up to that country's creation.
The country is quite divided on this issue. Also, I distinguish between various types of regimes. I think that Netanyahu is seeing Putin as a role model. Also, I am not comfortable with comparisons of Israel to Nazi Germany.
Nazi Germany didn't start with the death camps - that's where it ended up. It started with one party systematically taking over, neutering other parts of government that might keep them in check, and villainizing a whole class of people.
While I am well aware of the history of Nazi Germany, I do not think the comparison is apt. Also, I already see some on my side of the aisle comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, despite the fact that there are more democratic rights, Arab members of Parliament, and Arab (Druze mainly) members of the IDF.
Already, Israeli reservists are threatening en masse to resign and several people in the Mossad are announcing that they may resign.
I won't argue with you about this, because I know it's personal to you. I just have to wonder how they can be so brutal to people of another creed after being the victims themselves only 80 years ago.