While the attacks on the Supreme Court have been escalating in the past three years, with Justice Minister Levin leading the Bibi crowd into an ever-stronger anti-judiciary policy and legislation, the utterances of Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich regarding the Chief Justice Isaac Amit went way beyond that.
Smotrich called The Chief Justice a violent megalomaniac who is trying to steal Israeli Democracy and he stated that “we will run him over.”
Even though the statements were harshly criticized by opposition Knesset members, leaders of the judiciary and others, the coalition was totally quiet, including Prime Minister Netanyahu who did not bother to interfere with the crude remarks of Smotrich, who many called a clear violation of the law and for many was seen as an implied physical attack.
However, the remarks by Smotrich are all part of the plan to destroy the judicial system as we know it, attack the Supreme Court and its independence and to destroy its ability to be a uniting force in the Israeli system. Even the war of the past two years has not affected the determination of the coup’s architects and the attacks on the judiciary and its members are intensifying, both through legislation and personal attacks.
An example of this de-legitimization is the Government’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara who has been completely ignored by Justice minister Levin and is no longer invited to cabinet meetings. She has been accused of complicity in the case of the leakage of videos showing Israeli soldiers torturing Palestinians and the Internal Security minister, Ben-Gvir has till now prevented to publication of the final report, which will show that she was not involved with this scandal.
So, what does all this mean? The judicial system is in grave danger of becoming a politicized, irrelevant institution, its judges delegitimized and abused and its rulings more and more ignored. Netanyahu, who is still embroiled in his everlasting trial, directs the destruction of the legal system because he believes it will help him get out of these criminal charges and remain in office. However, it is more than just that. The destruction of the legal system, making judges irrelevant and toys in the hands of politicians will allow Netanyahu and his cronies to do what they want in the political sphere and no one will stop them based on legality and such trivialities.
But the legal system cannot handle this by itself. Judges will be replaced with puppets who will perform, and rule, based on the master’s demands and the basics of Democracy, the separation of ruling, legislating, and executive powers is being destroyed.
The judiciary by itself will not be able to fight this; judges are limited in their ability to destroy their own relevance and to solve this danger to the democratic system more is needed and it will require the involvement of every worried citizen. In the fight for the release of the hostages from Gaza ,for two years people have taken to the streets en- masse and that is what is required today. Only the people will be able to stop the destruction of democratic values, through pressure on the corrupt political system, and history has proved that.
Iran is on the verge of a revolution. Something that will still take time but once started it cannot be stopped without violence and the first indications of this are already visible.
And time is not on our side. Action should be taken now, before things will deteriorate even further and will become harder to solve.
Netanyahu and his cronies must be stopped or democracy will be destroyed. It is up to the man in the street now.
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