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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Is Israel a democracy? |
| 2019-11-12 |
| [Jpost] Is Israel a democracy? Yes, essentially, but there are major flaws in its political and electoral systems. For example, votes of parties that do not pass the threshold are discarded, and members of Knesset are not accountable to voters. This explains why so many Israelis (roughly one-third) don’t bother to vote. When I immigrated to Israel 40 years ago and was going to vote for the first time, I was told: "No matter whom you vote for, you get Shimon Peres." Israeli elections, one concludes, are meaningless because they are about personalities, not policies; they are superficial, not substantial. The real government is run by the "deep state," bureaucrats such as directors general of ministries and professionals who provide continuity and expertise, but are unaccountable. Politicians who become ministers are usually not experts in the subject of their position; they rely on an experienced staff. The carrier bureaucrat - both incompetent, and "liberal" - cancer is pervasive. Many Israelis believe that judicial institutions, such as the High Court and the Prosecutor’s Office, are not responsive to the people and represent a left-wing elite. This is apparent in the "judicial revolution" engineered by former chief justice Aharon Barak that gave the High Court virtually unlimited power to intervene in any government decision. It was also apparent when one of Israel’s finest legal experts, Prof. Ruth Gavison, was rejected as a candidate for the court because she was considered "too independent." Black robed tyrants are the same everywhere. In a democracy, institutions are meant to serve the people and provide social cohesion. That is the basis of national identity and national unity. Since Israeli voters have no direct access to Knesset members, they have little or no way of influencing the system and creating a truly representative democracy. As long as Israel’s flawed system exists, elections will end in stalemates, preventing stability and undermining national cohesion. Recently, the Blue and White Party has promoted legislation that would require the prime minister to resign if indicted. This cheap political maneuver seeks to empower the left-dominated Prosecutor’s Office to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu without a trial. It’s an example of the "deep state" corruption that we face. The never ending investigations launched be the prosecutor office against Bibi are the main reason for the current electoral deadlock. The decline in voter participation is due to many factors. It began when Israel’s economy liberalized and its private sector expanded tremendously. When public companies were sold off, the Labor Party, which had ruled Israel since its inception, lost access to sources of patronage and power. Those who no longer received jobs had less incentive to vote for it. The arrival of millions of immigrants from Russia, the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia, and the growth of the Arab population (which votes in smaller proportions compared to Jews), are also factors. A major reason, undoubtedly, is the loss of confidence in politicians and parties as a result of corruption scandals involving public officials. The problem in Israel’s electoral system is that votes for smaller parties which do not pass the threshold are discarded, regardless of whether they agree to transfer their votes to larger parties or not. Although all votes are counted, only votes of parties that pass the threshold count. Even if smaller parties pass the threshold but do not sign agreements with larger parties, their votes are meaningless unless they become part of the ruling coalition. Israeli law does not say what happens to votes of parties that do not pass the threshold. The law could require votes to be transferred to other parties by prior agreement, which would prevent those votes from being discarded. Presently, it does not. Of course, in non-proportional representation systems, 49% of the votes are discarded. |
| Posted by:g(r)omgoru |
| #2 ☺ Carrier bureaucrats... the Indian Navy. |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2019-11-12 03:09 |
| #1 Ooops. I meant "career bureaucrat". 😢 |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2019-11-12 02:58 |