ARGUING YES
Jeremy Ben-Ami
President of J Street;
Executive Director of JStreetPac
ARGUING NO
Caroline Glick
Senior Contributing Editor at
Jewish News Syndicate;
Host of “The Caroline Glick Show”
Here is what we have in store this week:
• A new debate about the widespread protests around judicial reforms in Israel
• A closer look at how much trust Israelis have in their public institutions
• Your Sunday reading list
I’ve never not known Israelis to be in intense political conflict with each other. It was true when I was based in Jerusalem at the start of my journalism career. And it’s even more true now, as I saw on a visit there recently, with the country in a literal uproar.
The dividing line right now cuts across perceptions of Israel’s democracy. One part of the country warns this democracy is in danger, threatened by approaching authoritarian rule. The other part calls this claim wildly overblown, a politically-motivated false alarm.
The immediate cause of the outcry – one that week after week is pulling a massive chunk of Israel’s population onto the streets to protest – is a plan backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give whoever controls Israel’s parliament an effective veto over decisions made by the nation’s supreme court. It is presented as a “judicial reform.”
Sound too technical to polarize a people? Not when you know more of the story. Netanyahu heads the most right-wing government in Israeli history, empowering a coalition that sees the court as too liberal and elite, and also too independent and unchecked. The reform fixes that. Of course, if it passes, it’s the right positioned to get the new veto power.
That’s what scares the Israeli left (and many others). They see the court’s existing independence as the last line of defense for minority rights in Israel – for women, for LGBTQ people, for Palestinians. To them, the reform is a power grab, part of a pattern, and a threat to Israeli democracy.
It’s Caroline Glick vs. Jeremy Ben-Ami as Open to Debate asks: Is Netanyahu’s Government Heading in the Wrong Direction? Glick, who was raised in the US before emigrating to Israel, is a speaker, writer, and host of The Caroline Glick Show. You’ll hear her answer NO, “There’s nothing anti-democratic about Israel.” Ben-Ami, an American whose dad was an Israeli war veteran, is the president of JStreet, an organization advocating for a Palestinian state alongside Israel. He’s answering YES, that the reform will weaken “the full functioning democracy Israelis want.”
Their differences are more than technical, and maybe existential. Take a listen.
Sincerely,
John Donvan
DEBATING THE DATA
Less than half of Jewish Israelis have trust in their government.
Does Israel’s minority populations feel differently?
POINT/COUNTERPOINT
Is Netanyahu’s Government Heading in the Wrong Direction?
YES:
“The government, with its judicial overhaul and other proposals, is moving Israel away from the global camp of liberal democracies, … and by choosing the illiberal path, the Netanyahu government is moving Israel away from the values that undergird its alliance, not just with the US, but with the liberal democratic camp.”
Jeremy Ben-Ami
NO:
“We always have been presented with severe challenges, and it’s my conviction that the Netanyahu government is the best possible government to face… and to mount the challenges that we face today.”
Caroline Glick
WEEKLY POINTS OF VIEW
One state or two: What will Israel’s future look like?
Dore Gold | May 19, 2023
The Jerusalem Post
Watch Dore’s debate on Palestine joining the U.N.
The Durham Report Exposes How Thin the Collusion Case Really Was
Andrew C. McCarthy | May 20, 2023
National Review
Watch Andrew’s debate on Edward Snowden
The Court’s Warhol-Prince Ruling Is Pro-Artist, Anti-Art
Noah Feldman | May 20, 2023
The Washington Post
Watch Noah’s debate on China
Harry and Meghan’s Paparazzi Chase Exposes a Fading Business
Allison Schrager | May 20, 2023
Bloomberg
Watch Allison’s debate on redistributing the wealth
