Now it’s Israel’s turn to fall apart. The country is engulfed in a constitutional crisis between its old-school Bolheveist left (cheered on, of course, by the usual organs of the Left, both there and here) and those in the center and on the Right (who, according to our mass media, are “authoritarian” “extremists” who want to “remove checks and balances” as a way to “destroy democracy”).
At issue is the unchecked power of Israel’s Supreme Court, a self-appointed body accountable to no-one, which has for decades now increased the scope of its sovereignty at the expense of both the legislature and executive, and now rules as arbitrarily, over every aspect of civic life, as an Ottoman sultan.
I know that things are breaking down rapidly in pretty much every modern democracy, but the slope of that slide seems to have steepened very sharply in Israel lately.
One thing to take note of: as always, it’s that all-too-familiar type — those brainy uplifters and Utopia-builders who wreck things always and everywhere — who’ve been trying to grab all the power and tell everybody what to do. And don’t let yourself be lied to: the Israeli Supreme Court no longer pays any attention whatsoever to cheeky little impertinences like “elected representatives”, “the popular will”, or “legislation”. Nor has it for a very long time now.
You are only likely to hear one side of the story from any major media around here — so to give you a little perspective on what’s really going on over there and why, here’s a three-part article that should give you a clearer view.