The World Briefly

April 26, 2023

A Chipped Diamond

Israel

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Subdued protests marked commemoration ceremonies honoring the 75th anniversary of Israel’s founding Tuesday as the country continues its battle over a plan to reform its judiciary, the Washington Post reported.

At military cemeteries across the country, mourners honoring the fallen – as is tradition in the country – asked politicians to leave, left early themselves or shunned the tradition altogether. At one cemetery in Beersheba, for example, Itamar Ben Gvir, the national security minister who was disqualified from serving in the military because of his activism in an anti-Arab organization, was met by mourning families who demanded that he leave. Others applauded him. As he left, scuffles broke out.

Israelis usually keep politics out of celebrations marking its national holiday. But this year, social and political divisions have risen to levels unseen in the country, Reuters reported Tuesday.

Since the beginning of this year, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to protest plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition to limit the power of the judiciary and the country’s Supreme Court, plans which many view as a threat to democracy.

The government claims that such measures are necessary to curb activist judges who have intervened in functions reserved for the legislative and executive branches. But amid strong opposition both abroad and at home, Netanyahu paused the reform plan temporarily. The protests continue.

Still, analysts say the ongoing protests and standoff have raised fundamental questions about Israel that go beyond the composition of the Supreme Court and the power of the executive to override its rulings.

The growing power of religious and nationalist parties that helped bring Netanyahu to power last year has alarmed many secular Israelis who resent the special conditions and subsidies that allow many Orthodox men to not only avoid military service but also study in Torah schools rather than take paid employment.

Meanwhile, the nationalist right accuses its critics of failing to respect democracy.

Polls found that around 51 percent of Israelis remain pessimistic about their country’s future, which has rapidly evolved from a poor, largely agricultural country into a technological powerhouse within a lifetime.

This story originally appeared in the April 26, 2023 newsletter, Shiny, Happy People.