The recent vote by the Netanyahu government to curtail the Israeli Supreme Court’s authority to overturn decisions that violate its “reasonableness standard” is a terrible blow to Israeli democracy. We are speaking out as supporters of J Street, the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace, and pro-democracy Jewish Americans (jstreet.org).
This extreme-right Israeli government will now have an increasingly unrestricted hand to enact major appointments, dismissals and policies without fear that they could be overturned by the court. This will almost certainly include deeply harmful new acts of annexation and expropriation in the West Bank, in pursuit of a one-state nightmare of permanent occupation and exclusive sovereignty between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. This will continue to chip away at the rights of women, LGBTQ+ people, Palestinians (both Israeli citizens and those in the occupied territory), non-Orthodox Jews and many others.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis are now in the streets, engaging in inspiring acts of protest and civil disobedience. Israeli military reservists, chiefs of staff and other security leaders are accusing the Netanyahu government of sabotaging Israel’s founding values and destroying the social contract with its citizens. These Israelis need the U.S. government’s full-throated support – now. “Business as usual” from Congress and the White House is a recipe for failure.
J Street will continue to push U.S. officials to effectively challenge and deter the anti-democratic, far-right tidal wave that currently threatens to submerge our ally Israel.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.