Israel’s turn away from democracy
It’s a perilous time. Ethno-nationalist, antidemocratic, authoritarian forces are ascendant throughout the world. This resurgent fascism appears in MAGA form in the United States and permeates a Trumpian Republican party led by the twice impeached former president who fomented insurrection in a failed attempt to reverse his election loss and end democracy’s peaceful transfer of power. A 2024 presidential candidate, he’s called for terminating the Constitution, our foundational document that presidents swear to preserve, protect, and defend.
His first presidential campaign, launched in June 2015, began with a racist attack on Mexicans, and throughout the seven and a half years since his escalator descent at Trump Tower he’s been tapping into humankind’s evil inclination, calling forth racism, bigotry, and anti-Semitism as he amplifies the voices of hate. Virulent anti-Semites were his recent dinner guests, including a Holocaust denier and an admirer of Adolf Hitler.
Those who prefer to tap into the goodness of humankind — who value freedom, justice, and equality — must be ever vigilant, always prepared to guard against this hate and engage in the defense of democracy. The results of the U.S. midterm elections that culminated Tuesday with Sen. Raphael Warnock’s runoff victory in Georgia offer hope that the human inclination toward good ultimately prevails over humankind’s evil inclination. These election results were a repudiation of MAGA and a reflection of continued commitment to democratic values.
Israel’s November election, on the other hand — its fifth in four years — took a terrible turn in the opposite direction. Benjamin Netanyahu’s incoming governing coalition will be further to the nationalist religious right than any government in Israel’s history, an extremist coalition without any moderating center force. Running counter to the pursuit of justice, freedom, and equality, it poses a troubling threat to democratic values.
The alliance of these extremist parties makes this alliance Israel’s third largest political force. It will have tremendous influence in a governing coalition that Benjamin Netanyahu will be desperate to keep together because he will be desperate to keep himself in power. Driven by an ethno-nationalism that does not value democracy or universal human rights, these parties will push Israel in an anti-democratic, authoritarian, racist, anti-feminist, and homophobic direction that will make the claim that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East increasingly untenable.
“I wanted to personally share with you that J Street is updating our tagline — which summarizes the core priorities and values of our movement,” J Street founder and president Jeremy Ben-Ami wrote in a recent email to J Street supporters. “Going forward, we’re going to officially make clear that J Street is a pro-Israel, pro-peace, and pro-democracy movement.”
This “pro-democracy” addition to the tagline at this critical juncture reaffirms J Street’s longstanding commitment to uphold democratic institutions and values.
“That commitment has always been core to our identity as we work to help secure Israel’s future as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people, and to ensure self-determination and freedom for Palestinians in an independent state of their own,” Ben-Ami wrote in his email.
For me, it reaffirmed my 2008 decision to support Israel through J Street, newly founded in November 2007, as the right decision. At that time, I was happy to find an alternative to AIPAC, which I’d experienced as a “my country right or wrong” demand for uncritical support for Israel. Since I can’t relate to my own country that way, believing that love of country requires work to right the wrongs, why would I give any other country such uncritical support?
“Living our values and defending democracy” was the theme of J Street’s national conference in Washington, D.C. this past week. I attended virtually and came away with a sense of urgency and renewed commitment to support J Street’s work in protecting democratic freedoms in the United States and in Israel. This was living our Jewish values.
By contrast, AIPAC endorsed as “pro-Israel” 109 of the 147 insurrectionist-enabling Republicans who did not certify the 2020 election. And AIPAC’s new political action committees spent unprecedented millions in Democratic primaries to defeat prodemocracy candidates that AIPAC apparently deemed “antiIsrael.”
Those who would tap into the goodness of humankind should reject such compartmentalization. Being pro-Israel and pro-democracy should be inseparable. Otherwise, being “pro-Israel” inclines away from that goodness.