Fascism is Here

Yes, fascism is most surely here in the state of Israel, and has been here for years. Say those words in mixed company and in all likelihood a snarky apologist for the leadership of our declining republic will come back at you with a condescending remark like:

“Fascism? You don’t even know what the word means.”

It’s hard to respond to that without being just as condescending. Those who think that fascism is nothing short of an iron-fisted dictatorship that fires automatic weapons against all dissidents apparently don’t know what fascism in transition smells like.

For the sake of clarity, Israeli fascism hasn’t (yet) reached the lowest levels of that original fascist regime which ruled over Italy a hundred years ago. Its character is more akin to that failed experiment with fascism that took place in Hungary in recent years.

As comedian George Carlin once said (paraphrased), nowadays we avoid calling things what they really are, and instead use “soft language.” Hence, what was once called “fascism” is now called “formal democracy,” i.e. get yourself elected and you can more or less do whatever you want.

That said, here is a review of the various manifestations of fascism in transition under the current Israeli government:

Fascism is disregard for the rule of law in “the only democracy in the Middle East.” Fascism is on the rise when an extreme right government recklessly aims to destroy the foundations of liberal democracy as specified, for lack of a constitution, in Israel’s Declaration of Independence. Hence, fascism is a brazen attempt to revoke laws that protect equal rights for all Israeli citizens regardless of religion, ethnic origin and gender. Fascism is a blitzkrieg of legislation, under the guise of a “judicial reform,” to strip the Supreme Court and Attorney General of their powers. Fascism aims to invalidate the democratic principle of checks and balances.

What’s more, fascism means violent suppression of the opposition. When a police force is taken over by a terrorist, in this case Itamar Ben-Gvir, that’s fascism. When demonstrators blocking traffic are assaulted with stun guns and sprayed in the face and eyeballs with water cannon, under Ben-Gvir’s orders, that’s fascism. When elderly protestors outside the Knesset are butted by mounted police horses, in the name of national security, that’s fascism. When peaceful protestors sitting in a circle singing “Kol ha’olam kulo gesher tzar me’od” are prey for police brutality, that isn’t formal democracy, that’s fascism.

When the parents of hostages pleading for a political settlement to release their sons and daughters from Hamas captivity are subject to ridicule by (now former) National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi, that’s stinking to high heaven fascism.

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes policy decisions with conflict of interest and an end game to delay his trial, stay in power and out of jail, that’s the f-word.

The above illustrations of fascistic behavior in Israel were as plain as day before October 7th. The PM has ever since refused to authorize a state commission that would expose his share of the blame for the worse security disaster in Israel’s history. What empowers Netanyahu to blame everyone but himself and get away with it? The f-word again.

True to form, Netanyahu’s “wartime strategy” has focused on the survival of his extremist coalition over the national interest. Examples abound: letting Israeli hostages rot in Hamas tunnels while calling off agreements to release them, all for the sake of pleasing Bibi’s coalition partners Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich; refuting a police investigation of senior associates in the PM’s office accused of receiving monthly payoffs from Qatar, a major supporter of Hamas; sending Israeli families to bomb shelters in a war we started with Iran and can’t finish without losing face; and most recently the PM’s desperate attempt to restart the twice failed US-Israeli war with Iran on the eve of the elections, which was reportedly blocked by IDF Chief Eyal Zamir.

Indeed, the IDF has seen enough of what happens when Netanyahu, a three times indicted criminal suspect, proven coward, and wannabe Mussolini, teams with fellow fascist, serial sex offender and wishful Nobel Peace Prize candidate Donald Trump to lock horns with an oil-rich, theocratic regime run by crazy Ayatollahs. Embarrassing loss of prestige, military stalemate and economic chaos is what happens.

For an encore to this shit show, Netanyahu and his irresponsible government have turned a blind eye to rogue Israeli settlers, terrorists by any other name, attacking Palestinians in the West Bank, to the delight of their extremist supporters who beleive there’s no such animal as an innocent Palestinian.

In consequence, the national elections were held last week with Israel internationally isolated and under threat of economic sanctions.

Appallingly, the Likud still emerged as the largest party, and Bibi once again came up with the largest coalition, comprising 53 mandates. But, not so fast, 53 is still less than the opposition’s 67 potential Knesset members, meaning: those who voted against the fascists came out on top.

The problem is that 19 of those 67 mandates go to the Israeli Arab parties. Apart from the well-documented racism of the October 7th government, Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman has made ambiguous pledges to exclude Arabs from the proposed Change Government.

Is there soft language for “racist?” How about giving a minority the right to vote and not counting their vote?

If we accept “our Arabs” as partners, we might in spite of ourselves realize Ben-Gurion’s vision (and Isaiah’s) of Israel as “a light unto the nations.” Should we reject the Israeli Arab parties, that won’t change the reality that with democracy now in decline in the United States and all over Europe, we would be just another blight unto the nations of the freefalling free world.

Stated plainly, the dilemma now facing Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot and his Change Coalition partners is clear: To include the Israeli Arab parties in the Change Government, or to go on pretending that the representatives of some 20% of the population are irrelevant.

The first option would spell the long-awaited political demise of Bibi Netanyahu and his crackpot government, and herald a new era of reawakening and hope.

If the other option is chosen – snub the Israeli Arabs, “pull off a Gantz” and, God help us, take another stab at “unity” with Bibi, the next headline will read “Fascism is Here to Stay.”