In democracies, when courts are losing their independence, it IS alarming.
And I would say, it IS alarming in Israel, too.
But what else is alarming? What is a must to talk about when we talk about the “threat to the Israeli democracy”?
Israelis have been protesting on the streets for months, for reasons that should be understood in any democracy: its far-right government has a plan to implement measures to limit the power of the country’s courts.
If it wasn’t happening in Israel, this is where the scandalousness (is that a word? Well, it would surely apply to situations like this) would end.
But precisely because it’s happening in Israel, there is so much to talk about.
In my episode, I present three points.
One, I talk about how democracy is (or isn’t) defined in political science.
In short, it’s not as straightforward as you think and I have a whole article on it here that I will shamelessly recommend. You can find more information on the example of Poland and its deteriorating judicial independence that I give in this part of my episode here.
Two, I ask if – no matter how simple the definition of democracy we chose to use is – we can actually call Israel a democracy.
“Democracy for some” – are we in on this concept?
When five million Palestinians living in its territory (the territories Israel illegally occupies and besieges) are neither citizens nor people with any kind of autonomy, do we say it doesn’t matter?
Three, I point to the violent response that protesters in Israel have seen from the Israeli forces.
I mention The Great March of Return in Gaza and the recent killing of a 15-year-old Palestinian girl, Jana Majdi Zakarneh, by an Israeli sniper.
It’s a dense episode. But that’s because there’s so much to talk about. Thank you in advance for listening to it and for sharing it with the broader community of people who care.
Justina
As promised, here’s an excellent video explaining Israel’s judicial reforms in greater detail:
PS. I’ve also filmed a quick video for you to share with the ones who might benefit from listening to my podcast:
Receive my work directly to your inbox:
Latest from the Blog
On One of The Gravest Crimes against Humanity That Not Every Country Chose to Condemn at The UN
The UN just voted to describe the transatlantic slave trade as ‘the gravest crime against humanity’. Yet not every country, according to its vote, agrees. My commentary is on what the abstentions show.
Your Antiwar Voice Is Needed More Than You Might Think
The war machine won’t stop until it’s stopped, just as its propaganda won’t just disappear on its own. It was to be actively pointed to, deconstructed, and rejected as loudly as possible. And this is where everyone’s voice matters.
Good News: We Are on a Boat Ride Together; Bad News: It’s Being Steered by Psychopaths
We’re on a boat steered by psychopaths — and they’re not taking us anywhere nice. As the U.S. and Israel are destroying Lebanon and Iran, one thing can’t be clearer: it is the whole world that has to make them stop.
The Exploding Head Media 