#36 | Democracy in Peril: Israelis Push Back on Threat of Autocracy with Raed Mualem & Shaul Gabbay
In today's episode, we explore the intense battle to preserve democracy in Israel.
In recent years, the world has begun to witness a redefining of what democracy means in several countries. A different model, wherein nations merely call themselves democracies but transform into autocracies, has begun to emerge and spread. While these countries remain formal democracies, at least in name, the regime quietly redefines the values of a true democracy.
Tragically, these countries tend to quickly transform into self-serving behaviors for the Prime Minister and his or her cronies at the expense of the population. This has happened already in Hungary, Poland and Turkey, and is in true danger of happening in the state of Israel. Democracy is truly on the line, and Israel could face civil war soon if steps to reverse these actions are not soon realized.
“It's only really two entities: The government controlling the Knesset (the Parliament), and on the other hand, the Supreme Court. So if in any way the government also controls and limits the court then you really don't have any separation at all. And then it becomes a situation where the government, particularly the Prime Minister, controls the country.” — Dr. Shaul Gabbay
Dr. Raed Mualem and Dr. Shaul Gabbay, both citizens of Israel, are my guests today. They discuss the very real danger of a precipitous fall into authoritarianism in their country. Along with millions of other Israelis, are strongly rejecting this shocking development. Both professors are highly educated and well informed of the situation, and offer their explanations of how Israel found itself in this precarious situation where democracy is hanging by a thread.
“Now this unique constitutional structure exposed Israel to a danger of democratic erosion, much more than any [other] democratic state. This is the weakness. This is our weakness.” — Dr. Raed Mualem
Since January of 2023, Dr. Mualem, who is a Palestinian citizen of Israel, and Dr. Gabbay, who is a Jewish citizen of Israel and the US, have joined hundreds of thousands of other Israelis taking to the streets to protest the change every Saturday in an effort to stave off the far-right coalition governments’ bold move to solidify power by stripping the Supreme Court — Israel’s only check on power—of its ability to restrain government actions. Reservists are refusing to defend the country, and hundreds of billions of dollars in investments have already left the country as the outside world holds its breath waiting for the outcome—an outcome that could shift the geo-political balance in the Middle East and the world.
Hundreds of thousands protest Government “reforms” in Israel every Saturday since January, 2023.
In this episode, we discuss:
• How the lack of a constitution in Israel contributes to a weak democratic structure.
• The reasons why Israel has rejected creating a constitution
• How a lack of checks and balances threatens Israel’s democracy
• How Israelis are showing their opposition to the power grab in powerful and influential ways
• The reason military reservists including top pilots gave for refusing to serve when called up if democracy fails
• High-tech companies, medical professionals, intellectuals and every day people plan to emigrate
• The untapped power of the Palestinian Arab populations in Israel to change election outcomes
• The disparity in equality across various demographics
• United States influence on the outcome of the crisis
