Haven’t you heard, Israeli democracy is in danger. That’s the latest media talking point on Israel. And where is the threat to Israeli democracy coming from? From its democracy.
Confused? That’s probably because you think that the word ‘democracy’ has something to do with the popular vote and the right of every person, irrespective of their religion, country of origin or accent to vote for the party of their choice – as misguided as the vote may be in some eyes. However, it actually means- the right of media pundits, academics and elitist judges to dictate how the country is run based on the values of a entitled upper class scrambling to hold on to power.
Out of their concern for Israeli democracy, the American media and the Obama Administration have been pressuring Netanyahu to “broaden” his coalition by replacing the Shas party of Middle Eastern Jews and the Israel is Our Home party of Russian immigrants, with the Kadima party. Traditionally, calls for a broader coalition usually mean one that represents more of the country. But due to their fear for “Israeli democracy”, this is actually a call for a coalition that represents fewer sectors of the country.
Liberals who usually value diversity in everything, want to close the door on a broad coalition in Israel. Why? Because Middle Eastern Jews and Russian immigrants tend to be right-wing, and diversity is only a legitimate value when it serves to promote the left. When the right wins elections, the pundits rush to their keyboards to type out an urgent telegraphic warning.
DEMOCRACY THREATENED BY DEMOCRACY. STOP. DEMOCRACY MUST BE ABOLISHED TO PRESERVE DEMOCRACY. STOP.
But if democracy threatens democracy, it’s not democracy that’s under fire. It’s the insistence of a small group of powerful people on getting their way regardless of what the public wants.
Atlantic shill Jeffrey Goldberg proudly portrays this Orwellian vocabulary when he warns that “wide swaths of Israeli Jewish society” are undermining the country’s democracy. And he lists Orthodox Jews, Middle-Eastern Jews, Settlers and Russian Jews. In other words the majority of the country.
And how is this terrible majority of Israelis undermining the country’s democracy? Well Jeffrey, they’re going to the polls and voting for the parties of their choice! And then the parties represent them in the Knesset and in the government coalition! Clearly this threat to democracy cannot be understated.
Unsurprisingly Jeffrey Goldberg’s list of the “Fearsome 4″ are all associated with the right. Even more unsurprisingly, they all represent ethnic and religious minorities that deviate from the establishment left’s native-born secularism.
It's a long piece but please read the rest of the article by Daniel Greenfield here http://www.israpundit.com/archives/32117#comments
