Some Post-Zionists among us believe that we have nothing to learn from the lessons of history, which is perhaps why we seem to be doomed to repeat the same mistakes yet again.
A healthy democracy survives on three pillars: 1) the free and open exchange of ideas; 2) a fair and level playing field; and 3) a deep respect, acceptance and understanding by its citizens of these basic tenets.
When it becomes acceptable that "non-democratic means may be used to protect democracy," then these pillars have become cracked and wobbly.
Before fully coming to power, by employing clandestine and violent provocateurs to create a sham threat to the state, Hitler managed to convince President Hindenburg to sign a legal decree ostensibly "For the Protection of the People and the State." Hindenburg thus suspended the Weimar Constitution that protected the civil rights of all Germans.
Free speech and assembly were no longer guaranteed. Confiscation of property by the state was permitted. 4,000 opponents of Hitler were immediately placed in "protective custody" (jail) for their political viewpoints. By March of 1933, after a few rounds of parliamentary elections, Hitler still didn't have a majority to rule Germany without opposition, so he tricked and convinced his fellow legislators into protecting the state from the Communism. They legally legislated the banning and expulsion of the Communist party from parliament.
With this one completely legal (if fundamentally undemocratic) act, Hitler removed his major opponent from the playing field, thus creating an artificial majority. And with this artificial majority and legal precedent behind him, Hitler took the next few steps unimpeded, simply banning all other parties except his Nazi party.
Unfortunately, like in Germany, Israeli democracy is conceptually weak and not ingrained in the Israeli psyche. Too many citizens believe that democracy begins and ends at the voting booth. Civil rights are incidentals, and freedom of speech and assembly should really only be for those that agree with them. Historically, Israel has had political parties banned, demonized and made illegal. Assemblies are often declared unlawful, or even forced to end via orchestrated police violence. Statements of opposition quickly land you a police investigation for "incitement". Israel has a dismally long history of artificial legislative majorities being openly created by bribe, threat or dismissal.
I am not comparing our leaders, past or present, to Hitler. I am comparing the state of Israel's weak democracy to Germany's.
The acceptance and understanding of democracy's underpinnings was weak in Hitler's Germany, and as a result, it was easily manipulated and exploited. Israel is now on that same path. Without stronger democratic safeguards for the absolute and inalienable rights of the people, Israel may also find itself too easily sliding down the slippery slope from democracy to totalitarianism over the next few years.
Some of us may choose to ignore the lessons of history. Some of us naively feel that using antidemocratic tools to protect democracy is appropriate. I fully expect this article will bring out cries of "incitement", abuse of the Holocaust and demands for a police investigation ? which only proves how weak our understanding and respect for democracy in Israel really is.
Israel must learn the lessons of history and protect Israeli democracy by protecting the inalienable rights of the people ? not by legislating and stealing them away for "the Protection of the People and the State".
A healthy democracy survives on three pillars: 1) the free and open exchange of ideas; 2) a fair and level playing field; and 3) a deep respect, acceptance and understanding by its citizens of these basic tenets.
When it becomes acceptable that "non-democratic means may be used to protect democracy," then these pillars have become cracked and wobbly.
Before fully coming to power, by employing clandestine and violent provocateurs to create a sham threat to the state, Hitler managed to convince President Hindenburg to sign a legal decree ostensibly "For the Protection of the People and the State." Hindenburg thus suspended the Weimar Constitution that protected the civil rights of all Germans.
Free speech and assembly were no longer guaranteed. Confiscation of property by the state was permitted. 4,000 opponents of Hitler were immediately placed in "protective custody" (jail) for their political viewpoints. By March of 1933, after a few rounds of parliamentary elections, Hitler still didn't have a majority to rule Germany without opposition, so he tricked and convinced his fellow legislators into protecting the state from the Communism. They legally legislated the banning and expulsion of the Communist party from parliament.
With this one completely legal (if fundamentally undemocratic) act, Hitler removed his major opponent from the playing field, thus creating an artificial majority. And with this artificial majority and legal precedent behind him, Hitler took the next few steps unimpeded, simply banning all other parties except his Nazi party.
Unfortunately, like in Germany, Israeli democracy is conceptually weak and not ingrained in the Israeli psyche. Too many citizens believe that democracy begins and ends at the voting booth. Civil rights are incidentals, and freedom of speech and assembly should really only be for those that agree with them. Historically, Israel has had political parties banned, demonized and made illegal. Assemblies are often declared unlawful, or even forced to end via orchestrated police violence. Statements of opposition quickly land you a police investigation for "incitement". Israel has a dismally long history of artificial legislative majorities being openly created by bribe, threat or dismissal.
I am not comparing our leaders, past or present, to Hitler. I am comparing the state of Israel's weak democracy to Germany's.
The acceptance and understanding of democracy's underpinnings was weak in Hitler's Germany, and as a result, it was easily manipulated and exploited. Israel is now on that same path. Without stronger democratic safeguards for the absolute and inalienable rights of the people, Israel may also find itself too easily sliding down the slippery slope from democracy to totalitarianism over the next few years.
Some of us may choose to ignore the lessons of history. Some of us naively feel that using antidemocratic tools to protect democracy is appropriate. I fully expect this article will bring out cries of "incitement", abuse of the Holocaust and demands for a police investigation ? which only proves how weak our understanding and respect for democracy in Israel really is.
Israel must learn the lessons of history and protect Israeli democracy by protecting the inalienable rights of the people ? not by legislating and stealing them away for "the Protection of the People and the State".