close
close

Apre-salomemanzo

Breaking: Beyond Headlines!

    • Israel’s current government is destroying its democratic systems (opinion)
    aecifo

    Israel’s current government is destroying its democratic systems (opinion)

    Umito Posted on

    Israel’s war is not limited to battles across its borders. Under cover of war, the Israeli government The country is also waging a war against its own citizens: it is advancing legislation and policy that further suppresses citizens’ rights, especially those of its Arab citizens.

    Although not a new phenomenon, the current war has led to an unprecedented situation in which Arab citizens of Israel are constantly actively and openly attacked by state institutions. This state of affairs, in which a national minority group is silenced, oppressed and persecuted by the state, brings Israeli democratic systems to the brink of collapse.

    While Arab citizens pay the immediate price, all Israeli citizens, especially those whose views and values ​​differ from those of the government, will soon feel the same pain.

    Protecting the rights of minorities is one of the fundamental principles of democracy, one that distinguishes between healthy majority rule and dangerous tyranny of the majority. Israel’s Arab citizens – descendants of those who remained within Israel’s borders after the founding of the state in 1948 – make up a fifth of Israel’s population and have suffered decades of discrimination in all areas of life. life.

    But their reality has gotten worse since the horrific attacks in October 7. Since then, the regime has not only failed to protect their rights, but has actively attacked, harassed and silenced them. Unfortunately, it is easy to find recent examples.

    A COMMEMORATIVE ceremony organized on October 7 at the Supernova festival site in Re’im. (credit: CHEN SCHIMMEL)

    An Arab pharmacist was arrested three weeks ago for wearing a ring with an Arabic inscription after a customer complained that it represented ISIS, an allegation that was found to be baseless in court . A few days earlier, a young Arab girl was suspended from school for declaring in class that “there are also starving children in Gaza who have no homes.” The same week, the deputy mayor of one of Israel’s largest cities, Beersheba, assaulted an Arab gas station worker and threatened him with his gun, an incident that did not is not the subject of any investigation.

    This set of events indicates a deeper development. The government exploited the understandable rise in public fear and anxiety caused by the war to deepen discrimination and consolidate Jewish supremacy.

    First months of the war

    During the first months of the war, there was a wave of investigations and arrests of many Arab citizens for “liking” and other activities on social media, with most turning out to be completely innocent but with the expected silence effect. Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvirleader of the far-right Jewish Power party, has distributed more than 100,000 firearms to private citizens since the start of the war, many of whom lacked training and experience, while issuing public statements fanning the fear of Arab citizens.

    Subsequently, the government cut budgets for Arab society development programs at a rate three times greater than other widespread cuts to government ministries, then, in the midst of war, closed the Arab aid center. emergency for the Arab society that was in place. intended to meet the needs of Arab citizens in times of war.

    Recently, the Education Committee passed for final approval in the Knesset a bill authorizing the dismissal of teachers whose classroom statements could be classified as “supporting terrorism”, which stipulates that what is considered terrorism will be defined by the political level rather than by professional standards – despite the objections of professional bodies, including the Ministry of Justice.

    Stay informed with the latest news!

    Subscribe to the Jerusalem Post newsletter

    These and other acts of oppression show that public systems meant to serve all citizens and protect the rights of minorities are instead advancing the government’s racist and undemocratic agenda. In the immediate term, it is Arab citizens who pay the price, but make no mistake: in the medium and long term, all Israeli citizens will be affected.

    Protesters across the country are already feeling the cost of police politicization. The flood of weapons on the streets poses a threat to everyone. The law that allows for the firing of teachers can and will be used to persecute any teacher who expresses views contrary to the government. Budget cuts will harm financial growth overall and worsen the deterioration of the Israeli economy, in addition to the horrific economic impact of the war.

    It is not too late to stop this destructive trend. Even today, many Guardians fight to stem the tide, but as long as the war continues and the public agenda is dictated by it, their power is greatly weakened.

    It is crucial that liberal public opinion in Israel understands that an additional cost of war – besides the abandonment of hostages and evacuees, the crushing of the economy and the massacre of so many innocents – is also the abandonment of the democratic mechanisms that this implies. to protect us all.

    Ending the war and halting the ever-rapid erosion of democratic processes could return power to the guardians to stop the destruction and begin to begin healing and repair.

    The writer is co-CEO of Sikkuy-Aufoq, an NGO promoting an equal and shared society for Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel.



    Umito
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like