Israel is turning into a dictatorship | The Times of Israel
By: Robbie Michaelson (timesofisrael)
this is an excerpt from a longer article
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The State of Israel, once heralded as the Middle East's only functioning democracy, finds itself at a dangerous crossroads. Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's current government, a series of unprecedented actions and legislative proposals have emerged that collectively suggest an alarming drift toward authoritarian rule. The erosion of democratic institutions, the systematic undermining of judicial oversight, and the brazen manipulation of national security for personal political gain paint a disturbing picture of a democracy under siege from within.
.......The New York Times Revelations: War for Political Survival
The most damning evidence of Netanyahu's authoritarian tendencies emerged from an explosive New York Times investigation that revealed how the prime minister deliberately prolonged the Gaza war to serve his personal political interests. Speaking with over 100 officials, the wide-scale probe by the New York Times alleges that Netanyahu made decisions during the war that were meant to serve his own personal political interest.
In April 2024, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly shelved a Gaza truce deal that would have secured the release of at least 30 hostages due to a threat by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to bring down the government. The Times investigation revealed that when Biden administration officials confronted Netanyahu with polling data showing majority Israeli support for a hostage deal, "Not 50% of my voters," Netanyahu responded, according to the Times' sources.
This callous calculation—prioritizing the preferences of a political base over the lives of hostages and the will of the broader population—represents perhaps the clearest evidence of how democratic accountability has been subverted for personal political survival.
Running Out the Clock: The Hostage Negotiation Charade
Netanyahu's strategy of prolonging the war has extended to his approach to hostage negotiations, where he appears to be implementing a deliberate strategy to "run out the clock" until the Knesset's summer recess. US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff recently told families of hostages held in Gaza that he disagrees with Israel's approach to the war in the Strip, and believes reaching a new ceasefire and hostage release deal is the correct next step to take.
According to Channel 12, Witkoff told the families that the US "wants to return the hostages, but Israel is not ready to end the war." "Israel is prolonging the war, even though we do not see where further progress can be made," Witkoff said. This assessment from America's top Middle East envoy confirms what many have suspected: Netanyahu is deliberately dragging out negotiations to serve his political calendar rather than urgently pursuing the return of Israeli citizens held captive.
Bergman's Unchallenged Facts: The Silence Speaks Volumes
The credibility of the New York Times investigation has been bolstered by respected Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman's observation that Netanyahu and his supporters have failed to refute any of the specific factual claims made in the report. Bergman's comment on Channel 12 about how not one fact presented in the NYT article has been successfully challenged by Netanyahu or his defenders speaks to the devastating accuracy of the investigation's findings.
This silence in the face of such serious allegations is itself revealing. In a healthy democracy, leaders accused of such grave misconduct would either provide compelling counter-evidence or face immediate political consequences. Netanyahu's inability to meaningfully dispute the Times' findings while continuing in office represents a breakdown of normal democratic accountability mechanisms.
The Continuing Hostage Crisis: Failed Leadership
Palestinian terror groups are still holding 50 of the hostages who were abducted from southern Israel on October 7, when Hamas-led terrorists burst into the country, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and triggering the war. Hamas is also holding the body of an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014. Netanyahu's failure to secure the release of these hostages, despite multiple opportunities and international pressure, has become emblematic of his broader failures as a leader.
Adding insult to injury, respected peace negotiator Gershon Baskin has publicly stated that Hamas is ready to give up the hostages now and leave Gaza for an end to the war. This revelation makes Netanyahu's continued prolonging of the conflict even more unconscionable, as it suggests that a resolution that would bring the hostages home and end the war is achievable—if only the Prime Minister were willing to prioritize their lives over his political survival.
The prime minister's decision to prioritize his political survival over the lives of hostages represents perhaps the starkest example of how authoritarian tendencies have corrupted his decision-making process. Democratic leaders serve the people; dictators expect the people to serve them.
The Witkoff Factor: Questions of Honest Brokerage
The background of Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy, raises additional concerns about the integrity of hostage negotiations. Witkoff said that he and Trump did not attempt to make changes to the cease-fire and hostage-release deal originally put forth by the prior administration, yet many other conservatives have been deeply skeptical of Qatar's influence and role in the negotiations, viewing the country as a supporter of Hamas.
Witkoff's business ties in the region and his apparent close relationship with Qatari officials raise questions about whether he can serve as an honest broker in negotiations where Qatar plays a central mediating role. "Oh my gosh, Qatar was enormously helpful in this [cease-fire agreement]. Sheikh Mohammed [bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Qatari prime minister], his communication skills with Hamas were indispensable here," Witkoff said. Such effusive praise for a country widely viewed as a Hamas supporter raises serious questions about the neutrality of the mediation process.
Media Manipulation: Avoiding the Israeli Public
A hallmark of authoritarian leadership is the avoidance of direct accountability to the people. Netanyahu has increasingly demonstrated this tendency by refusing to engage directly with the Israeli public through domestic media, instead preferring to appear on friendly international outlets like Fox News where he faces less challenging questions about his conduct.
This media strategy allows Netanyahu to shape international narratives while avoiding the hard questions that Israeli journalists might pose about his handling of the war, the hostage crisis, or the various scandals engulfing his administration. Democratic leaders face their constituents; authoritarian leaders hide from them.
.....Settler Expansion: The Religious Right's Territorial Ambitions
Under the influence of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Israeli settlement activity in Judea and Samaria has reached all-time highs, with the majority being composed of religious settlers who believe all of Greater Israel has been ordained by God as belonging to the Jewish people. This religious nationalist ideology dismisses both demographic realities and the long-established rights of Palestinians, creating an unsustainable situation that threatens any possibility of a negotiated resolution to the conflict.
The expansion of settlements under this government represents more than just a shift in policy—it reflects a fundamental rejection of the two-state solution and an embrace of a messianic vision that sees territorial compromise as religiously forbidden. This ideological framework makes peaceful coexistence increasingly impossible and pushes Israel toward a future defined by permanent conflict and demographic challenge.
The unchecked influence of these religious nationalist ministers has effectively captured Israeli policy on one of the most sensitive and important issues facing the country. Their ability to drive settlement expansion despite international condemnation and obvious long-term strategic risks demonstrates how extremist ideologies have gained unprecedented influence over government decision-making.
Immigration as Demographic Engineering: Importing the Right Wing
Under Netanyahu's current government, Israel's Aliyah Shlichim (immigration emissaries) and immigration policies have reflected the composition and ideological direction of the coalition, with the result that the majority of immigrants coming from the United States have been religious and right-wing. This represents a subtle but significant form of demographic engineering that could reshape Israel's political landscape for generations to come.
By prioritizing the immigration of populations that align with the coalition's religious nationalist agenda, the government is effectively importing voters who will support its authoritarian and expansionist policies. This strategic approach to immigration policy demonstrates how even seemingly technical governmental functions can be weaponized to serve narrow political ends.
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Thanks for the lesson in politics. I wasn't aware that citizens could vote and by doing so could change the governing administration in a dictatorship. However, if a president is deemed by the nation's laws to be above the law in general or any specific circumstance, then I might change my mind about that.
I call bullshit on this. Hamas can release any remaining hostages, any time, on their own. Key components of this debate. Hamas murdered and kidnapped these people in the first place. No one else and they are the only ones with the power to release them. Right now. And therefore are directly responsible for all civilian deaths since they started this mess.
I think Witkoff must have had a stroke …..
How Netanyahu Prolonged the War in Gaza to Stay in Power - The New York Times
.....for Netanyahu, a truce also came with personal risk. As prime minister, he led a fragile coalition that depended on the support of far-right ministers who wanted to occupy Gaza , not withdraw from it. They sought a long war that would ultimately enable Israel to re-establish Jewish settlements in Gaza. If a cease-fire came too soon, these ministers might decide to collapse the ruling coalition . That would prompt early elections that polls showed Netanyahu would lose. Out of office, Netanyahu was vulnerable. Since 2020, he had been standing trial for corruption; the charges , which he denied, mostly related to granting favors to businessmen in exchange for gifts and favorable media coverage. Shorn of power, Netanyahu would lose the ability to force out the attorney general who oversaw his prosecution — as indeed his government would later attempt to do .
As the cabinet discussed other matters, an aide hurried into the meeting room with a document summarizing Israel’s new negotiating position, quietly placing it in front of Netanyahu. He gave it one last read, ticking off various points with his pen. The route to a truce presented real danger, but he seemed ready to move ahead.
Then Bezalel Smotrich , his finance minister, interrupted the proceedings. As a young activist in 2005, Smotrich was detained for weeks — though never charged — on suspicion of plotting to blow up vehicles on a major highway in order to slow the dismantling of Israeli settlements in Gaza. Along with Itamar Ben-Gvir , the far-right national-security minister, Smotrich was now one of the strongest advocates in the cabinet for re-establishing those settlements. He had recently called for most of Gaza’s Palestinian population to leave. Now, at the cabinet meeting, Smotrich declared that he had heard rumors of a plan for a deal. The details disturbed him. “I want you to know that if a surrender agreement like this is brought forward, you no longer have a government,” Smotrich said. “The government is finished.”
It was 5:44 p.m., according to minutes of the meeting. At that moment, the prime minister was forced to choose between the chance of a truce and his political survival — and Netanyahu opted for survival. There was no cease-fire plan, he promised Smotrich. “No, no, there’s no such thing,” he said. And as the cabinet discussion moved on, Netanyahu quietly leaned over to his security advisers and whispered what must have by then become obvious to them: “Don’t present the plan.”......
Words have no meaning at this point