We are at the epicenter of a historic hurricane. This hurricane does not cause anger or hatred, but fear. We worry, we don’t sleep at night, we’re just terrified. And we are completely satisfied with it. There have been times in history when fear was the most logical response. There are moments in history when fear is needed to spur us to action, writes the great Israeli historian and intellectual Yuval Noah Harari in The Guardian.

Today we have good reason to fear and good reason to act. Don’t let anyone fool you: what this government is doing is not judicial reform, it’s an anti-democratic coup. The coup looks something like this, continues Harari.

Coups don’t always happen with tanks on the streets. Many revolutions in history were made behind closed doors with pen and paper, and when people understood the meaning of what was written on these papers, it was too late to resist.

History is full of dictatorships established by people who came to power legally for the first time. This is the oldest trick: first you use the law to gain power, then you use your power to pervert the law. Taken together, the laws that this government is currently enacting have one simple meaning (and you don’t need a doctorate to understand that): if these laws are passed, the government will have the right to completely destroy our freedom, the Israeli newspaper notes. historian.

Sixty-one members of the Knesset can vote for any racist, repressive and anti-democratic law they like. Sixty-one members of the Knesset can also change the electoral system so that we cannot change the regime. When we ask the leaders of this coup what will restrain the power of the government under the new regime and what will protect basic human rights, they have only one answer: “Trust us.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu, Justice Minister Levin, M.K. Rotman, chairman of the constitutional commission, we don’t trust you! You are tearing up the pact that has somehow held our society together for 75 years, and then expecting us to trust you, asks Harari in his Guardian article.

We don’t trust you because we know exactly what you want. You want unlimited power. You want to shut us up and tell us how to live, what to eat, what to wear, what to think, and even whom to love.

But you don’t know who you’re dealing with. The Israelites are not a good raw material for making slaves. [Η υποδούλωση των αρχαίων Εβραίων είναι βασικό μέρος των εβραϊκών ιερών κειμένων, που θυμούνται ιδιαίτερα στη γιορτή του Πάσχα]. We Israelis are stubborn, freedom-loving, and no one has ever been able to shut us up. We will not allow you to turn Israel into a dictatorship.

So what will happen in the coming weeks?

They will continue, says Harari, to try to enact their dictatorial laws. They will also continue to call us “anarchists” and “traitors” and take advantage or launch extreme actions to crush the resistance. For our part, we will continue to protest and ensure that Supreme Court judges enjoy popular support and determination to repeal these dictatorial laws.

What if the government refuses to accept the Supreme Court’s decision? Then we enter into a constitutional crisis. A constitutional crisis in uncharted territory, without clear rules and laws. From whom will the police receive orders – from the government or the courts? From whom will Shin Bet (security agency) and Mossad (intelligence agency) receive orders? Who will obey the Israel Defense Forces? And the most important question – what will the citizens do?

Polls show, the Israeli historian continues, that the vast majority of Israelis oppose what this government is doing. But polls don’t stop dictatorships. History teaches us that the last and most important line of defense for any democracy is you, the citizens.

Democracy is a contract whereby citizens must respect the decisions of the government, provided that the government respects the fundamental freedoms of the citizens. When one party breaches the contract, the other party is not obligated to continue to fulfill its obligations. When a government tries to establish a dictatorship, citizens may resist.

This is a historic test for the citizens of Israel, and if we fail it, we will not be given a second chance,” Harari emphasizes. We must raise our heads now—or bow for the rest of our lives. We must raise our voice now or keep our mouths shut for the rest of our lives. This is the time to protest, to shout, and also to stand firm.

For example, as a university professor, I hope that as long as this anti-democratic coup continues, all of Israel’s academic institutions will go on strike. We must, of course, continue to support our students in these difficult times, but it is time to stop all lessons and teach only democracy, human rights and freedom.

If some of us find it difficult to call a formal strike, I’m sure we Israelis will find creative ways to stop work and ignore orders. Each of us can set in motion the mechanism of an anti-democratic coup.

Finally, as a typical Israeli, since I have been given a public rostrum, I would like to take this opportunity to send a few private messages. Esther Hayut, Chief Justice, and Gali Baharav-Miara, Attorney General: You have been entrusted with one of the most difficult and important missions in Israeli history. This is a huge responsibility, but also a great privilege,” Harari writes in an article for the Guardian. This is your moment to make history. Do not hesitate and do not retreat: defend our freedom.

To President Duke and the leaders of the opposition parties: to keep our freedom and not compromise. When a tiger comes to eat us, we cannot agree on a compromise whereby the tiger will only eat half of our body. To the military reservists who are thinking about what they can do: don’t serve dictators! Your contract is with the Israeli Republic, not with its undertakers.

Armed Forces, Shin Bet, Mossad and Israeli Police: If the moment of truth comes, make the right choice. Go down in history as defenders of citizens, not servants of despots.

To all the protesters who came here tonight, and to the dozens of other protesters across Israel, I just want to say, “I love you.”

Last but not least, I want to convey a clear message from all of us to Netanyahu, Levin, Rothman and their colleagues – it is true that you have 64 supporters in the Knesset, but that does not mean that you are allowed to push them anywhere. want. Keep your hands off our freedom.

And Yuval Noah Harari concludes:

Stop the coup or we will stop the country.

Source: Guardian