Jerusalem
By Venkatesh Raghavan*
The impact of the kerfuffle in Israel is felt far and wide, not just in Palestine and the United States of America, but in the entire Arab world. The US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, who recently travelled to Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, and Tunisia and was also at Aqaba and Sharm el-Sheikh, today acknowledged that leaders across the region expressed their concern to her regularly over these last two months about the insecurity, instability on the West Bank, and “certainly the ability to deal with that I think was to some degree – to some degree, not entirely but to some degree – compromised by the issues related to public protests and the public disagreement, if you will, over the judicial restructuring plan”.
To a specific question posed before her, how did she evaluate the commitment of the Palestinians and Israelis to their obligations in Aqaba and Sharm el-Sheikh meetings, Leaf said things were moving towards de-escalation ” very slowly…But I would say that both parties have shown a real seriousness of intent, but facts on the ground and activities and actions on the ground often get in the way of the best intentions. But what I saw clearly, what we heard clearly in both Aqaba and Sharm, is that the Israelis and the Palestinians are committed to this process, and the process will help them both provide greater security for their peoples. She pointed out that the first days of Ramadan “seem to have passed very well, very peacefully, and that’s a great thing. And of course, we are looking beyond the holy month of Ramadan and Passover and Easter to see that this – that this broader de-escalation and calming take effect and be of a more enduring nature”.
As it is, the Biden administration claims it is firmly committed to the objective of Palestinian statehood as the best way for both peoples to enjoy equal measures of security and opportunity and freedom, and Leaf said that was the “long-term goal here”.
After verbal sparring between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and American President, Joe Biden, in the previous weeks over the former’s decision to introduce judicial reforms, the USA is back to mending fences with Netanyahu.
Today (IST) the US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen to reaffirm the importance of the enduring U.S. – Israel bilateral relationship. Blinken reiterated the continued U.S. commitment to a two-state solution, welcomed recent efforts to de-escalate tensions between Israelis and Palestinians through meetings in Aqaba and Sharm el-Sheikh, and emphasized the importance of refraining from unilateral actions that exacerbate tensions.
The US President had earlier gone on record that Israel following its line of thought on judicial reforms was unacceptable to the United States and that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will not be invited to the White House any time soon. Netanyahu emphasized the autonomy enjoyed by Israel as an independent country, stating decision-making on internal issues will be as per the will of its citizens and not be subject to external pressures.
Netanyahu’s right-wing politics found wide support for an uninterrupted span of 18 years before his political opponents plotted to oust him from power. The bid failed to last and within a year, he was back at the helm of affairs as Israel’s prime minister in November 2022. In January this year, Netanyahu pitched for judicial reforms intended at clipping the powers of the judiciary and bringing it under the control of the legislative arm. Besides sparking nationwide furore, it also antagonized and ruffled the feathers of White House luminaries including President Biden.
In a recent press conference, responding to a protracted media query on what will be in store for Netanyahu and Israel in the coming future months, Vedant Patel, spokesperson for US State Department said “Our commitment to Israel is ironclad – our commitment to Israel’s security, our commitment to Israel’s democracy. And you saw the President speak about this, of course, over this week, but also when he had the opportunity to visit Israel last summer. Israel is a key and important partner as it relates to not just the region but our efforts across the world.”
Patel sought to downplay the verbal spat in the earlier week. In a summarized manner, his statement implied, “US support to Israel is not under any threat or facing any debacle.” Though Netanyahu’s pressure from the international community is currently still under wraps, the protests have entered into a lull before the storm phase with the cumulative effect of political apathy and oppression of the Palestinian community precipitating the ills of sidelining basic human rights values and tenets.
The state of Israel is now being faced with a major crisis just on the eve of its going into celebration mode of its Diamond Jubilee year of existence. Political observers on the ground expressed the sentiment, “Currently, the protestors valiantly withstood police violence and abusive behaviour from the ministers in the government’s cabinet. These are seen as signs that the inaudible voices of the silent majority confined to weekend partying conversations and whispered grapevines are now being replaced with loud cries of dissent and protest, cutting across political and social strata.”
Netanyahu’s future or his likelihood of continuing to occupy the prime ministerial chair in the forthcoming years will now depend on how well he can defuse the home-brewed crisis in addition to combating perceptions from international quarters.
Consequently, the sequel of things on Netanyahu’s home turf is under rough weather. The attempt to introduce a judicial overhaul seeking to reform the borders of the judiciary and the executive in Israel as proposed by him has bitten into the support base of the right-wing elements of the Likud Party, with protestors taking to the streets in big numbers. For the first time since being founded in 1949, Israel witnessed a sea of humanity from all walks of life, including intellectuals, scientists, doctors and highly qualified professionals participating in nationwide protests.
In nearly two decades of his reign, Netanyahu had systematically destroyed the democratic system in the country, rendering the idea of a two-state solution highly improbable. It’s construed as unfortunate that Israel’s civil society failed to see the writing on the wall, with incessant oppression of Palestinians that included their being deprived of even civil liberties leading to a near draconian dictatorship being put in place, stripping Israel of whatever shreds it had to claim to be a democracy.
The situation also reflects how people who are responsible for contributing robustly to the nation’s economy resent the presence of apathetic elements in the house or representatives who hardly figure in Israel’s wealth creation. The nation sees it as a greedy desire of far-right elements to protect them from judicial scrutiny, especially Netanyahu’s bid to escape from graft charges in the bribery scam he is still facing. The current round of protests on the streets is perceived by the majority of the civilians as an exercise in democracy being pitted against the designs of a dictatorial tyrannical rule. The protesting crowds bear the yoke of being stigmatized as anarchists and terrorists by the government and authorities in the seat of power.
The protestors also pointed out that it was not just about Netanyahu and his political cronies riding on unrestrained forays into eroding the democratic system’s checks and balances, but also affording future politicians in power with similar impunity from judicial scrutiny. Patel in a media briefing summarized that they were working in tandem with their Israeli partners to arrive at a consensus situation by means of dialogue and there was no pressure on Israel on taking any decision that was inimical to their interests. Political observers, however, pointed out that if Israel goes ahead with the proposed judicial overhaul, it will dilute its image as one of the world’s democracies and might also result in hostile sentiments against the state.
As of now, an uneasy truce prevails soon after Netanyahu pressed the pause button on pushing ahead with the judicial reforms. It’s seen as mounting pressure owing to people from various walks taking to the streets against the Prime Minister’s proposal. His cabinet member, in charge of the national security ministry, Itamar Ben-Gvir is, however, keen on ensuring that the reforms proposal gets the nod of the Israeli Parliament Knesset at the earliest. Additionally, he refuted the claim that Netanyahu had put it on hold fearing public backlash and averred, “No one can scare us.”
Observers in the Middle East pegged it as the biggest crisis ever in Israel’s home soil since its inception in 1949. There are two aspects on the reforms front that casts a shadow on Israel’s continuing to be a democracy. Firstly, it empowers the Knesset to appoint judges to the Supreme Court. Secondly, the executive will have the power to overrule the verdicts passed by the Supreme Court. “In other words, Israel will be fast-flying into the arms of theocratic dictatorships,” sounded a local protestor.
*Senior journalist (With inputs from global bihari bureau)
