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
From Cuba to Palestine: Beware Those Who Seek to See Hospitals Run Out of Fuel
What we’re seeing in Cuba is an intensification of imperial violence by those who have been unleashing it on Palestine, too. The parallels here are many, including how the mentality of a coloniser cannot be more on display here.
Have You Witnessed Democratic Mechanisms Being Eroded on Live TV? Here’s An Example
If you couldn’t believe what you were seeing during Pam Bondi’s, the U.S. Attorney General’s testimony in a House Judicial Committee hearing on the Epstein files, here’s how to make sense of it. It’s also why it is terrifying.
From Palestine to The Epstein Files: Will You Demand Justice or Embrace Collective Amnesia?
It is not only the violence by the ones in power that the Epstein files resemble Israel’s destruction of Gaza – it’s about the (potential) collective amnesia, too.
The Exploding Head Media 