Ehud Barak, the former prime minister of Israel, warned in an interview with CBS News that Israel is on the verge of non-violent civil uprisings in response to the current government’s attempts to undermine Democracy. He said the protests could be dangerous, and some protesters may lose their lives, but they are necessary to stop the government from harming Democracy.
Barak’s interview came one day after Netanyahu attacked the protesters against the “judicial reform,” minutes before he left Israel to the U.S. to the UNGA.
“They are allied with the PLO and Iran. Whoever organizes the protest is equipped with a lot of money,” Netanyahu said. The prime minister added: “They (the protesters) are defaming Israel before the nations. When I was the head of the opposition, I never did this.”
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After Netanyahu’s words caused a fierce storm in the Israeli public, his office issued a clarification to the statement: “When the Prime Minister used the word “companions,” he was referring to the fact that while he was representing the State of Israel at the United Nations, Israeli citizens would demonstrate at the same time as the PLO and BDS supporters – something that had never happened before. It is hoped that the Israeli demonstrators will take at least a few minutes to demonstrate also against those who deny the right to exist of the State of Israel.”
Barak also said that he believes the violence that could arise during the protests will come from the right side of the political spectrum. However, he does not believe a civil war will erupt in Israel.
The legislation would give the Knesset the power to overturn decisions of the Supreme Court, which is seen as an attempt to undermine the independence of the judiciary.
The protests have so far been largely peaceful, but there have been some incidents of violence. The government has condemned the violence but criticized the protests for being “undemocratic” and “terrorists.”
The protests are expected to continue in the coming weeks. It remains to be seen whether they will successfully force the government to abandon its efforts to overturn Israeli Democracy or turn to non-violent civil uprisings.
