Crisis in Israel deepens over the new government's radical plans, which have alienated and dismayed Israelis and Jewish Americans alike.
With massive street protests, a mutiny by elite military reserve officers and outrage from diplomats, academics and former officials, Israel seems steeped in epic crisis.
To be sure, Israel’s democracy always came with an asterisk: Palestinians living in Israel or under Israeli occupation in the West Bank or Gaza do not have full equal rights. But for Israeli Jews, Israel’s democracy has been unique in the Middle East. Since the coalition government was formed, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have filled the streets in Tel Aviv and other cities to protest. The demonstrations turned violent this month when police clashed with protesters in rare Israeli-on-Israeli confrontation.
Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Brad Schneider led a group of 16 Jewish members of Congress in a letter to Netanyahu, Herzog and Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid to express “profound concern about proposed changes to Israel’s governing institutions and legal system” that could “undermine Israeli democracy and the civil rights and religious freedoms it protects.
Biden reiterated these points on Sunday in a telephone conversation with Netanyahu, the White House said. “What is the U.S. doing to exert leadership and push the parties together?” said Jeremy Ben-Ami, who heads the liberal Washington-based advocacy group J Street, which promotes Israel-related issues. “Pursuing a solution very quietly behind the scenes does not meet the moment.”
“A lot of American Jews have yet to understand the depth of the crisis,” said Farkas, the L.A. rabbi. “It is not translating well. The pain. The anger. The tears. They are slowly waking up to it.”
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