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Israel: Citing the recent storm at the US Capitol by right-wing activists, former Israeli Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn said on Friday that the events proved that democracy was “fragile” and warned that Israel‘s democracy was in a more precarious position than the US Was.
Nissenkorn, who resigned in late December after leaving Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party, showed the effort of protesters in the Capitol, a fragile thing for democracy, he told Channel 12 News. “What we thought until a few years ago – that it was set in stone – is not how things are. Democracy in Israel is much smaller and more fragile than in America.”
Asked whether he believed Israel could see scenes similar to the chaotic ones unfolding in Washington on Wednesday, Nissenkorn said his concerns were a more fundamental, “sweeping change” for the democratic system in the country.
“We could see worse things [here]. We can see a situation where the entire democratic system is weak.” It’s much worse than the riots. “You can’t fix deep-seated changes over the years. ”
Critics have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of destroying democratic institutions through repeated attacks on the legitimacy of courts, prosecutions, and police as he faced scrutiny and is now prosecuted on corruption charges.
Nissenkorn said he experienced efforts to undermine democracy during his time in office, “how the security system of the democratic system is elected, pressure on an Attorney General, pressure on the Supreme Court, efforts to form an inquiry committee of judges.” Against, to prosecute French law [to protect the Prime Minister from prosecution]. we are in a situation where the whole system is being tested.”
He said that if he were not to face such efforts, “we would no longer be subject to a different type of governance.”
Nissenkorn said Netanyahu is “without any doubt corrupting the political system.” He said trust in the justice system was eroded because “when you provoke for a period of years, it, unfortunately, catches on.”
“It is not common that Netanyahu cases in Israel have prosecutor’s bodyguards, that Mandelblatt has bodyguards.”
Departing from the Blue and White, Nissenkorn has joined Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Haldai’s new party, The Israelis, and will run for Knesset on that stage in the next election.
He heavily criticized Gantz, accusing him of managing to negotiate behind his back with Netanyahu as he resigned, which severely damaged the rule of law and voided the powers of the Minister of Justice. In a Facebook post, Nissenkorn stepped into Gantz’s demeanor as he attempted to revive the alliance with Netanyahu in later weeks – an effort that eventually failed, with the government collapse and new elections for March.
Potential agreements between the parties were “nothing short of insane,” Nissenkorn said. “It would have politicized the state’s attorney and attorney general’s selection process and allowed Netanyahu’s envoys to veto the appointment of Supreme Court judges that would have superseded the powers of a judiciary.”
“The very dialogue on democracy’s safeguards [democracy] underlines the basic democratic principles, as well as the values for which we were elected to serve the people of Israel,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gantz accuses his former colleague of stabbing him in the back.
“It was me who brought him in, to join him, consult with him, work with him as a partner, he got 99 percent of his opinion, and eventually he found himself on some other stage, With which he thinks he will move on. I doubt it, “said Gantz.
The 14 MKs in the outgoing coalition have seen the exodus of lawmakers, as Cassett dissolved last week due to failure to pass a new budget, with the party in the polls, projected to win 4-5 seats. And Gantz questioned his leadership.
Netanyahu and Gantz reached a coalition agreement last year that saw Netanyahu as Prime Minister in place of Gantz in November of 2021, but the deal saw flaws in Netanyahu’s refusal to pass the annual budget.
As a result, after Cassett’s dissolution, Israel is now gearing up for its fourth election in two years.
Despite the alleged call to step within his party, Gantz announces that he will continue to lead the ailing Blue and White, claiming the party “saved the country” and setting the course for the end of Netanyahu’s rule.