Israel’s creeping coup d’etat

By Alexander Maistrovoy

What we see is essentially a creeping coup under the pretext of “defending democracy”

Despite the pervasive pandemic, the Blue and White leaders rejected a proposal for a government of national unity (exceptional case in the history of Israel in emergency). Moreover, they, together with Lieberman and the Arab list, took control of the Knesset commissions and together with the Supreme Court removed the Knesset chairman Yuli Edelstein.

There are two questions:
–       Do they act on their own behalf?
–       What their goals?

Some years back during my interview with Dr. Martin Sherman, ex-adviser of Yitzhak Shamir and lector at Tel Aviv University in Political Science, International Relations and Strategic Studies, he said that in fact an elite is governing (or is attempting to govern) in Israel. This elite is represented by three forces: Legal system, Mass-media and the Academy. A type of a Private Club which is trying to dictate its will to politicians, and through them to the whole nation. There is a kind of “state within a state ” or “deep state” – one can choose the proper characterization. This phenomenon is not exclusive to Israel. On the contrary, today it is an integral part of the modern Western world.
This elite has blatant radical leftist views; a completely unrealistic, far-fetched ideology, that takes countless forms and hypostases. It doesn’t matter if it’s called Globalism, Progressivism, Political identity, Political correctness or Multiculturalism.
This is an ideology that nurtures the rights of migrants and sexual minorities (who are not offended or oppressed in the West anymore); preaches “peaceful Islam” (“Islam is the religion of the world”) and furthers Western culpability for the Third World; creates a bugaboo for “global warming” with “martyrs of the new religion” like Greta Thunberg. This is the ideology of cultural totalitarianism: silencing the disgruntled and the disobedient in the court and through vilification in the media. It establishes censorship; introduces the concept of “sexism” to break the traditional model of gender relations; turns a “straight white man” into the main enemy of humanity. It affirms cultural relativism (all cultures are equal – painting by Florentine masters versus Berber rituals in the Atlas Mountains) and asserts the power of non-elected judges over elected legislative structures.

What are the goals of the elite in Israel? John Locke has always recommended to start from what he called “empirical experience”. “Empirical experience” shows that there are two super-goals. The first is to end the “occupation of territories.”
All the slogans of social justice, equality and economic prosperity of the left parties — from Rabin and Peres to Barak — invariably boiled down to “ending the occupation”. If the Likud was in power, its leaders would’ve metamorphosized: from formidable “hawks” they had turned into gullible, domesticated “pigeons.” It happened to Sharon, Olmert, Tzipi Livni and their other associates. Let me remind that the “Prince of Likud” Olmert and his “princess” Livni were ready to give up almost all of Judea and Samaria to Abu Mazen in Annapolis, and when Abbas refused, they planned to carry out “unilateral disengagement” similar to what Sharon did it in Gaza. Before the disengagement Sharon himself compared the value of Gush Katif to that of Tel Aviv. When he evicted the inhabitants of Gush Katif, the elite, represented by the media and Academia, supported him as enthusiastically as they’ve reproached him beforehand.

Thus, the super-goal of the cultural, legal, academic, and as a result, the political establishment, is “ending the process” or disengagement, regardless the losses or the consequences.

Second super-aim is to turn Israel from a Jewish state into a “state for all.” Or, by other words, is de-facto to turn out Arabs to first-class citizens in such quasi-state.

How does this relate to the current political chaos? All three recent campaigns were not focused on the real problems or on political programs.
They were focused solely on the identity of one person: Benjamin Netanyahu. “JustNotBibi” is the only thing that unites the Blue and White alliance, MERETZ, Lieberman, the media, the bohemians and the highbrows. “JustnotBibi” has become a mantra, a spell, a prayer.
Why? The answer is obvious. Netanyahu is by no means an ideal politician. He has many personal flaws. He surrounded himself with dubious and near-minded personalities, removing brilliant and competent people like former Foreign Minister de-facto Dory Gold. It’s unclear why over the years he consolidated numerous ministries in his hands, as if he was not the leader of a democratic country but a tribe ruler of Zimbabwe. He neglected many internal problems of Israel and got bogged down in dubious transactions for which he’ll end up paying. He degrades his true allies, like Bennett and Shaked.

In spite of it he should be credited for two fundamental things. He has refused to go on questionable, bloody experiments with his own nation in the name of ridiculous doctrinaire concepts. He endured the pressure from Obama, turned Israel into a world power, established relations with the leading countries of the world – thanks to him macroeconomics reached record levels, unthinkable at a time when “peace processes” were in full swing. During the 32 years of my life in Israel, 12 years of his reign were the calmest and most prosperous. Buses did not “fly through the air” with human limbs; the cities did not die off, as it was in the mid-90s and during the “second intifada”, when Israel “made sacrifices on the altar of the peace”; the country did not lose the wars with shame, as was the case in the second Lebanese campaign; people were not thrown out of their homes into the void, as was during the disengagement; Israel did not balance on the brink of civil war.
And, second, he made all he could to preserve Jewish character of this state.

Netanyahu refused to play according to the rules of the elite, and this is his “deadly” and unforgivable sin. That’s why he must go. Leave at all costs. Once he left, a government will be created. No one knows what it would be. Perhaps eventually it will be headed by the same Likud, but the experience of Sharon, Olmert, Shaul Mofaz, Livni and Meir Sheetrit suggests that it’s much easier to find controllable people than uncontrollable ones. And then the old and cherished dream of “ending the occupation” will regain hope.

At same time it will be achievable another cherished dream of post-Zionists – to turn Israel from a Jewish state into a “state for all.” Emmanuel Macron, their guru, once said: “There is no such a thing as French culture.” His like-minded people in Israel say the same thing: “There is no Jewish state – there is a state for all its citizens.”

It is no coincidence that professors of Israeli universities called for a vote on the Arab list, and many former MERETZ supporters heeded their call. So not surprising that now Blue and White together with MEREZ and Lieberman empowered the Arab list de facto.

Bibi must be broken at all costs – just like Trump in the USA or Salvini – in Italy. They go against the System, and the System, whether it is the Holy Church, the Communist dictatorship, or “Liberal democracy”, does not tolerate any heretics and dissenters. This is a well-orchestrated chaos, deliberate political anarchy, and it will be prolific. What we got is a creeping coup de-facto.

Author of “Agony of Hercules or a Farewell to Democracy (Notes of a Stranger)”, Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble