Published: 28 February 2023
Last updated: 5 March 2024
‘What is happening is not judicial reform, but more akin to an antidemocratic coup.’ Harari doubts whether he can stay in a country lacking protection for minority rights and freedom of expression.
The government’s far-right coalition, which came to power less than two months ago, is legislating at breakneck speed a series of extremely controversial laws, which taken together mean one very simple thing:
The government would have the power to pass any law it wants, and interpret existing laws in any way it likes, without checks on its power and without protection for minority rights.
In most democracies, the government’s power is checked and minority rights are protected through a number of mechanisms, such as a constitution, an independent Supreme Court, a federal system and recognition of international tribunals. None of these mechanisms will apply in the proposed new Israeli legal regime.
If I may end on a personal note, I have never seriously considered leaving Israel. Despite the many problems here, and despite receiving many invitations from various universities and research centres around the world, I always thought it was more important to stay and try to change things here than to leave for somewhere calmer and safer.
But as my job is to think and say things that the majority often does not like, I doubt whether I could go on working in a place lacking any meaningful protection for minority rights and for the freedom of expression.
FULL STORY A disaster for democracy looms in Israel By Yuval Noah Harari (Washington Post)
LECH WALESA Witnessed Poland’s Democratic Backslide. He Offers His Warning to Israel (Haaretz)
The Nobel Prize laureate spearheaded the fight against the Polish communist authorities 40 years ago. Now, he sounds the alarm for Israelis about mistakes that undermined democratic government in his country
Photo: Israelis take part in protests in Tel Aviv on February 25 (Jack Guez/AFP)
