{"id":6035,"date":"2023-04-02T13:14:18","date_gmt":"2023-04-02T13:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ameforum.net\/?p=6035"},"modified":"2023-04-02T13:14:56","modified_gmt":"2023-04-02T13:14:56","slug":"analysts-say-palestinians-will-pay-the-price-for-israeli-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ameforum.net\/en\/analysts-say-palestinians-will-pay-the-price-for-israeli-democracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Analysts say Palestinians will pay the price for Israeli 'democracy'"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

YUMNA PATEL<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For 12 weeks, Israel has been\u00a0engulfed in protest\u00a0<\/a>over controversial judicial\u00a0\u201creforms\u201d\u00a0<\/a>proposed by the far-right government of
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposed overhaul of the judiciary seeks to implement a number of bills into law, including giving power to Israel\u2019s legislature to override supreme court decisions, stripping the court of its authority to rule on Israel\u2019s Basic Laws, which serve as the country\u2019s constitutional laws, and giving politicians the ultimate power to appoint judges to the court. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cities like Tel Aviv have come to a standstill, with streets overtaken by protesters who have vowed to shut down the country. Police chiefs and former ministers have joined the marches, and tens of thousands of protesters have clashed with security forces outside the Knesset, Israel\u2019s parliament.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Sunday, March 26, protests came to a head after Netanyahu fired his Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, over the latter\u2019s public comments urging the PM to halt the legislation, warning that it \u201cposed a clear, immediate, and tangible threat to the security of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following Gallant\u2019s dismissal, hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets in protest, while Israel\u2019s largest labor union called a nationwide strike, grounding flights in and out of Tel Aviv, as Israeli airports and border crossings came to a screeching halt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under immense pressure, and despite promising to push through with the reforms amid weeks of unrest, Netanyahu caved in on Monday, March 27, albeit temporarily. The PM announced that he would be pausing his government\u2019s plans to overhaul the country\u2019s courts until the next Knesset session in late April. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOut of a sense of national responsibility, out of a will to prevent a rupture among our people, I have decided to pause the second and third readings of the bill,\u201d he said in his announcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under pressure from far-right influences in his coalition, who have called on their supporters<\/a> to stage counter-protests across Israel in support of the reforms, Netanyahu did not do away with the plans completely but merely pushed back any parliamentary votes on the bill for several weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen there\u2019s an opportunity to avoid civil war through dialogue, I, as prime minister, am taking a time out for dialogue,\u201d Netanyahu said<\/a> on Monday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to the announcement, the nationwide strike was called off, while leaders of the opposition in Israel, as well as some corners of the protest movement, welcomed the move as a step in the right direction, many vowed to continue the weekly protests until the plans were scrapped completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

US President Joe Biden\u2019s administration, which had expressed its \u201cconcern\u201d over the internal unrest, praised Netanyahu\u2019s government for the move. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu\u2019s announcement as an opportunity to create additional time and space for compromise. Compromise is precisely what we have been calling for,\u201d White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe that is the best path forward for Israel and all of its citizens. Democratic societies are strengthened by checks and balances, and fundamental changes to a democratic system should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A price to pay<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The price for halting the judicial reforms did not come cheap, and according to critics, Palestinians will pay the ultimate price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In exchange for the delay, Netanyahu promised his far-right coalition partner, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has been a big proponent of the reforms, the creation of a special \u201cnational guard\u201d answerable to Ben-Gvir and his ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea of a national guard, composed of border police conscripts and forces, reserves, and a \u201cvolunteer\u201d force, is not new and had been introduced<\/a> by the Israeli government under former Prime Minister Naftali Bennet as a measure to \u201cstrengthen national security\u201d in June 2021, on the heels of a wave of Palestinians uprisings across the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, analysts warn that the recent move to grant Ben-Gvir powers over the guard would amount to his own \u201cprivate militia.\u201d Many believe it will almost certainly be used to primarily target Palestinian communities across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cItamar Ben-Gvir is an extremist, he\u2019s someone who has consistently called for violence against Palestinians throughout his political career,\u201d Dr. Yara Hawari, senior political analyst at Palestinian thinktank Al-Shabaka, told Mondoweiss<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis [militia] is a big gift to Ben-Gvir that will come at a high cost to Palestinians in the West Bank. He will use it to collectively punish Palestinians and win brownie points with his electorate, which seems to revel in violence against Palestinians,\u201d Dr. Hawari continued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAgain, we are seeing Palestinians being used as pawns in Israel\u2019s political games. It\u2019s not the first and surely won\u2019t be the last time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once regarded as a fringe, extremist figure in Israel, Ben-Gvir has risen in the ranks of Israeli politics and was regarded as a kingmaker in the most recent elections<\/a>, the survival of Netanyahu\u2019s governing coalition relying on Ben Gvir and his far-right, ultranationalist supporters. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben-Gvir<\/a> has already enjoyed increased powers over Israel\u2019s police and security apparatus as National Security Minister. The newest agreement granting him powers over a national guard has solidified his power and rank in the coalition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBen-Gvir holds quite a strong position in the coalition. Netanyahu can\u2019t lose him. If he loses Ben-Gvir he risks the coalition crumbling completely,\u201d Dr. Hawari said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amjad Iraqi, a policy analyst, writer, and editor at the Haifa-based +972 Magazine<\/em>, told Mondoweiss<\/em> that while it remains to be seen exactly how Ben-Gvir will use the new militia, the fact that the agreement was made in the first place is alarming enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven if this militia doesn\u2019t come to fruition, it shows how normalized Ben-Gvir and his policy ideas are. This could easily happen in the future and outlast this current government,\u201d Iraqi said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iraqi continued, saying \u201cwhat we\u2019re seeing now is the government is trying to give politicians more executive armed force,\u201d describing it as a model of \u201ca diffused form of violence\u201d and the deputization of civilians on the ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the institutionalization of what we saw in May 2021 \u2013 where we saw these Jewish vigilantes and thugs, in so-called mixed cities like Haifa, partnering with police officers and claiming themselves as defense committees, and then going and attacking Arabs, Arab businesses, communities, homes, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is something that has already been crystallizing in many respects. Even if this national guard doesn\u2019t happen, it\u2019s already a de facto practice that is emerging. The model of the settler-soldier collusion in the West Bank is really being thought of much more clearly inside \u201848,\u201d Iraqi said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it is early to tell how it will play out, but it is alarming enough as a serious thing, and it shows the real full intentions of what these guys in government are thinking and how Palestinians in \u201848 are going to be caught in the cross hairs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A democracy for Jews, not Palestinians<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the conversation continues to develop within the protest movement inside Israel and the media coverage of it, there is one very large elephant in the room: Palestinians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been a noticeable absence of Palestinians from the protest movement: not only in participation but also in the discussions around democracy and the demands of the protesters. That erasure of Palestinians is not by accident, Dr. Hawari says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe so-called pro-democracy protests are not about democracy for everyone that resides between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean sea,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s actually about preserving Jewish ethnocracy in the settler colonial state of Israel. You\u2019ll notice from the slogans of protest and demands from various protest groups it\u2019s not actually  about dismantling this structure, which is inherently undemocratic; it\u2019s about preserving and reconfiguring it to a more liberal framework.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Hawari criticized the \u201cdisingenuous\u201d nature of the protests, which were sparked in response to the judicial overhaul by Netanyahu and his coalition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat very judiciary that these protesters are so worried about and determined to preserve and protect has been the same judiciary that has overseen the oppression of Palestinians in many different ways,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt oversees the demolition of Palestinian homes, the incarceration of Palestinian political prisoners, etc. So it\u2019s very clear that these protests are not really about the essence of democracy, it\u2019s about preserving or reconfiguring settler-colonialism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iraqi told Mondoweiss<\/em> that part of the reason why we don\u2019t see Palestinians featured in the protest movement is because it is a largely conservative, center-right movement. The \u201copposition\u201d in Israeli politics right now is not a leftist opposition but is made up of center and center-right figures in Israel who are interested in preserving \u201csome illusion of liberal rights\u201d and liberal Zionism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some corners of the movement have positioned themselves as more radical, like the \u201canti-occupation\u201d bloc<\/a>, which has rallied behind the idea that democracy cannot be achieved under occupation and apartheid. But those numbers are still small relative to the larger movement and have even come under attack by other protesters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even those who have taken a stance against the occupation and apartheid, Dr. Hawari said, are still falling short when it comes to the real confrontation that needs to take place: a confrontation against Zionism as an ideology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe framing is still very limited to one that acknowledges the 1967 military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and not one that even begins to tackle the ideology of Zionism as a settler colonial ideology, that at its core seeks to erase the Palestinian people from their homeland,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe majority of Israeli society doesn\u2019t even see Palestinians, surely not day to day. The Israeli regime has created a system of oppression that conveniently hides Palestinians from sight,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo for most Israelis, Palestinians aren\u2019t even on their political agenda. We\u2019ve seen this time and time again in elections when Palestinians have not been part of any kind of discussion across the political spectrum. These protests are very reflective of Israeli society and where it stands vis a vis Palestinians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What <\/strong>next for the protest movement?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since the announcement on Monday to delay a vote on the judicial reforms, the future of the current protest movement in Israel hangs in the balance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will Israelis seek \u201ccompromise,\u201d as some opposition leaders have expressed an interest in? Will the movement end if the reforms are put to bed and the status quo is returned? Or will the protests go even further and seek an end to the current government or a restructuring of Israel\u2019s political system as it currently stands?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iraqi says it\u2019s not entirely clear how things will unfold but that the most recent events did mark a shift \u2013 at least for Israelis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not black and white. Yes, the brunt of it does come down to things we already know \u2013 the protests falling into a Zionist spectrum, etc., but there are some interesting moves that are happening,\u201d he said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince Monday night, not everyone in this opposition movement is on the same page. These protesters, as far as I\u2019m hearing, are adamant about continuing the demonstrations. They are quite insistent and are not really buying the idea of pausing the judicial overhaul. They don\u2019t see this as being over,\u201d he continued, adding that this upcoming Saturday, the first day of the regularly scheduled weekend protests since Monday\u2019s decision, will reveal how things play out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA week ago I would\u2019ve told you most Israelis supported returning to the status quo,\u201d Iraqi said, but that since Monday, it has become more clear that the anti-government protesters \u201cunderstand the core of it is not about the judiciary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey see it as an entry point to a cause, and they understand the larger implications, which is a religious authoritarian regime that is being reflected in other places. This is what they are scared of, largely secular liberal Zionists, they see their identity as being threatened. There are things that matter to them other than the high court.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But at the end of the day, Iraqi admits, while Israelis see this as an opportunity for change and securing a better future, it is a future that largely does not include Palestinians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt could be a conversation that features Palestinian citizens and how they want to play a role, as this is a radicalizing moment for many Israelis, but it will obviously be a conversation that is centered on securing Jewish rights and democracy based on Zionist principles,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responding to claims by political pundits that the current protest movement in Israel could somehow bring about change for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation and apartheid, Dr. Hawari says that\u2019s highly unlikely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order for real change to happen, she says, \u201cthere has to be a real reckoning with what Zionism is and how it manifests itself in Palestine. Zionism is a settler colonial ideology and its main goal is to erase Palestine and indigenous Palestinians from their homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As long as the Palestinian issue is being separated and removed from the conversation on Israeli politics, she said, Palestinians will continue to be marginalized and erased from the picture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUntil there is a recognition of [Zionism as a settler colonial ideology], and until there is an internal recognition by Israelis that that is what their whole identity is built around, I don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to see any significant change.\u201d

(Source: Mondoweiss)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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