Opinion | Democracy in Democratic Sheepskin Israel today

The line of ideological rift in Israel is no longer between "classical" right and left, but between supporters of a Jewish state and supporters of the state of all its citizens.

But even though many already understand this, not everyone sees that the means to make Israel a state of all its citizens - take on a new form.

If once the struggle was through a discourse of democratization, now it is actually done through undermining democracy.

Even before the 1977 revolution, the left led the line that the Israeli right was "dangerous" because it was not democratic enough. Right-wing leaders have been described as nationalists striving for the realization of messianic ideas. Begin was dubbed a "fascist" and Shamir a "terrorist," both of whom were portrayed as causeless to democracy. The discourse of democracy, legitimate in itself, has become a tool of political punch and a sophisticated means of opposing the state's Judaism. The 1990s were the "golden age" of this trend. The emergence of new organizations, such as the Israel Democracy Institute and the Movement for Quality of Government, is interesting in this context. Citizenship books in schools have changed, advisory groups have been set up to introduce more democratic messages into the education system, and even the Knesset Basic Law has unified the obligation to recognize a Jewish state and a democratic state into one section. But all this was not enough. The ideas planted by the left-wing elite did not receive the desired political-governmental translation. Still, the national camp parties managed to win the majority of the people's votes. And yes, not only has the Law of Return not been repealed,But even enacted the law of nationality.

And here, in recent years, a new trend is emerging: instead of encouraging democratization, anti-democratic practices are emerging, aimed at limiting the power of the national camp and changing the Jewish character of the state. First, criminalization and disregard for the importance of popular democratic institutions, such as party centers and primaries (especially of the Likud). Second, the emergence of the discourse of governmental corruption, not as representing an empirical phenomenon, but as a kind of inherent trait of elected officials, and therefore - diminishing the value of democratic choice in them. Third, the birth of "substantial democracy" and further erosion of the status of the Knesset, by the expropriation of its powers by the judiciary, and the High Court in particular.

If until now, in order to make the Jewish state a state of all its citizens, the left has worked to encourage "over-democratization", which was supposed to reduce the national-Jewish space in the face of non-national rights - now a new trend is beginning to use anti-democratic moves and reduce the power of representatives That they will not be able to advance their vision.

If once they only defiantly said that the people should be "replaced", today they have found a way to overrule his position.

In the light of this trend, one should look at the Netanyahu trial, and at the plea deal in particular.

This is the culmination of the transition from using democratic discourse to undermine the national doctrine of the right, to taking steps to restrict democracy so as not to allow the majority of the people to rule.

Either they will prevent in advance the ability to vote and be elected - through a restriction of tenure, for example - or the election will be annulled retrospectively, through a legal procedure that will remove the elected from the democratic game.

When the right loses the essential ability to choose and be elected and realize its chosen path - its struggle against Israel becoming a state of all its citizens will be decided by itself.

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