SUZANNE RUTLAND: ‘Israel faces an existential threat from its own government’

I am not one to attend protests but this is different. The reforms will erode the Supreme Court’s power to act as a check and balance. It's the beginning of the end of democracy.

As many people know, I live between Sydney and Jerusalem. I have just returned from Israel where I participated in several protests. I have always believed in the importance of collective action and as a high school teacher and later university lecturer, I have gone on strike in support of my union’s positions, but I have never joined a picket line. As a committed Zionist, I have attended many rallies in support of Israel but never any rallies opposing Israeli government policies.

Like many Israelis, I am not one to go to political protests. I have felt my task was to work for Jewish education, and that my political opinions were my own personal views.

So, why is now different? I feel that Israel and world Jewry, including our own community, are facing an existential threat with the current government. Its judicial reforms, the first of which has now been passed, will have corrosive repercussions for Israel politically, economically, socially and from a security perspective. But most fundamental of all, they will strip the power of the Supreme Court to act as a genuine counterbalance to the Executive – which spells the beginning of the end of democracy.

The events of the last six months, as all commentators note, are unprecedented. Israelis are coming out week after week to protest, now in its 29^th week and I share their concerns.

For someone who has not been active in political protests, attending my first protest in Jerusalem was challenging. I called my friend, Peta Pellach, and asked if I could join her. She has been a regular since the start of the protests, going every Moitze Shabbat to the rally outside the president’s residence in Jerusalem.

As the sun set and darkness fell after the calm of Shabbat, I set off, initially feeling a sense of trepidation. However, within minutes I saw other protesters emerging, waving their Israeli flags, and I started to feel the atmosphere. The spirit and energy, especially from the young people there, was just amazing.