The Supreme Court in Israel is the highest legal authority in the democratic system and as such presides over a wide variety of issues that range from constitutional disputes to legal conflicts.
In the past years, the Supreme Court has been the target of (mostly) Ultra-right politicians and activists, who took issue with rulings of the court in particular with respect to government activities in the Occupied Territories and constitutional rulings regarding legislation pursued in the Knesset.
This week a video was released of Haredi Knesset member Yitzhak Pindrus, who in a discussion at a Yeshiva school, remarked that his dream was to take a D-9 (a heavy duty armored bulldozer, used by the army) to destroy the Supreme Court. While his dream was hardly original, since already in 2015, another right-wing politician wanted to use a D-9 to destroy the court, it was no less shocking to hear a member of the Israeli parliament express such incitement to violence against one of the pillars of Israeli democracy.
Politicians from both right and left were quick to react and condemn the remarks by Pindrus including Justice minister Gideon Sa’ar and Knesset speaker Miki Levy, but the opposition has been eerily quiet and people like Ayelet Shaked, Binyamin Netanyahu and the Haredi parties did not bother to comment on or condemn the remarks by Pindrus.
But even the condemnations appeared to be knee-jerk reactions without being overtly convincing, and apparently such attacks on democratic institutions in Israel are no longer very dramatic. When the Knesset speaker expressed his “sadness” but doesn’t feel the need to take any action against Pindrus, it will not only encourage additional verbal attacks on legal and other democratic institutions but also will seriously increase the likelihood that some fanatic extremist will take the incitement by Pindrus as a call to arms. (Even though he most probably will not be able to lay hands on a D-9).
This danger is even enhanced when looking at the audience of Pindrus when he issued this incitement against the Supreme Court. While the average Israeli will hear his remarks and shrug his shoulders, the religious students in the Yeshiva school in the Occupied Territories, where the discussion took place, are fertile ground for right-wing religious indoctrination, in particular by such influential public figures as Pindrus. And when the establishment does not take serious steps to halt such incitement, these students, and other gullible youngsters, are easy targets for Right-wing religious fanatics. The
Rabin murder was preceded by incessant incitement that was not curtailed by the political establishment (and even enhanced by it).
The average Israeli, who may not be deeply involved in day-to-day political wrangling and is maybe not even very interested, still should be able to count on the system to do its job and protect the democratic institutions and democratic values from destruction from within. And the Knesset is the first and foremost source that needs to deliver that protection. There are times when political hassling should be put aside and our representatives should unite to be able to protect that very political system. With all the problems surrounding Israeli politics and its democracy, that very system has kept the country (more or less) on a course whereby the citizens are served and not one single limited worldview. Incitement may destroy this delicate balance quickly and once destroyed, it will be very, very difficult to go back to it.
Churchill said a long time ago that “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others”, and he is still right.
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