Another roller coaster week in Israel

Dear Friends,

Question: Is the news from Israel:

1. Frightening? 2. Hopeful? 3. Infuriating? 4. Inspiring?

Answer: All of the above.

On Feb. 13, a vast crowd rallied outside the Knesset in Jerusalem to protest government plans for neutering the judiciary and weakening Israeli democracy. Media put the number of protesters at 100,000. They came from across the country: entire families, Zionist youth group members, high school students, activists and ordinary people of all stripes. They came with a clear message: YES — to a system of checks and balances, NO — to unbridled power in the hands of politicians.

This demo came on the heels of weekly monster protests in Tel Aviv. Also heartening have been the many calls for brakes on the judicial overhaul from Israel’s high tech sector, other business leaders, professional groups, and military reservists. The determined stance against government overreach by such large swaths of Israeli society is unprecedented.

But will Netanyahu and his coalition partners listen?

As masses of people chanted “Democracy!” outside the Knesset walls, inside, the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee was paving the way for the judicial reform to proceed. The Committee approved two key bills: the first giving the government a majority in the panel appointing judges and the second preventing the Supreme Court from blocking legislation amending one of Israel’s quasi-constitutional basic laws. The bills will now go for a vote in the full Knesset, probably on Monday.

Despite calls from no less than the President of Israel for a slowdown, it seems the Netanyahu coalition is moving full speed ahead to impose its far-right agenda.

“Revenge” settlements

The hard-right blueprint came to fore through another development this past week. Last Sunday, the Netanyahu cabinet announced plans to legalize nine wildcat outposts deep in the West Bank, plus the construction of some 10,000 new homes in “regular” settlements. This was a supposed “answer” to (read “revenge against”) the lone-wolf Palestinian terrorist attacks in Jerusalem of the week before. The terrorism rationale is a lame excuse to pursue annexation of West Bank territory in all but name. Legalizing outposts condones and encourages more such lawless squatting. Moreover, settlement expansion merely deepens Palestinian despair and fans the flames of terrorist sentiment.

The US, the EU and Arab nations, including those which have diplomatic relations with Israel, have condemned the outpost/new construction announcement.

Peace Now is, of course, speaking out vigorously against these new government land grabs.

“The promotion of thousands of housing units in settlements, in addition to the decision to establish nine new settlements, through the authorization and expansion of outposts, jeopardizes the possibility of a future Palestinian State, as well as being a prize for criminals and violent settlers… While the immediate and primary victims are the Palestinian residents and the Palestinian people as a whole, the government imposes on all Israelis to live in a non-democratic state because there cannot be a democracy alongside occupation and settlements.”

Peace Now is also very worried about moves to re-establish settlements that had been evacuated through a law passed in 2005 and is about to be amended. The amendment would greenlight a return of Jewish settlers to an otherwise wholly Palestinian area of the northern West Bank. This would further strike at Palestinian aspirations for eventual statehood and be a new source of settler/Palestinian friction.

More from Peace Now on this latter issue HERE.

Powerful Commemoration

Amid these worrisome trends come glimmers of hope and inspiration. On Friday, February 10, Peace Now held a powerful, multi-faceted event at Tel Aviv’s venerable Herzliya High School to promote peace and democracy activism. The event, that included prominent speakers and popular musicians, commemorated the 40th anniversary of the murder of Peace Now activist Emil Grunzweig at the hands of a far-right terrorist. The audience of hundreds absorbed the message about combating right-wing violence through a commitment to peace and civil society.

Says Mauricio Lapchik, Director of Development and External Relations for Peace Now:

“The event was genuinely emotional and touched the hearts of the older and younger generations who attended. The attendees agreed that this was one of the most significant events they have participated in over the past few months.”

The February 10, Emil Grunzweig commemoration was wholly funded by Canadian Friends of Peace Now. Once again, we thank our supporters for making this meaningful event possible.