Public Unrest Palpable in Israel
By Jake Bengelsdorf
This March, I had the incredible opportunity to visit Israel. While in the Holy Land, I saw Israel firsthand in its most precarious political climate in recent memory. The major issue for the country is a proposed bill which would overhaul the current judiciary system to allow Israeli parliament to both override decisions by the Supreme Court and decide who is appointed. The fear of many protesting Israelis that this bill would allow far right policy to be enacted without proper checks and balances. The divide between the Israeli left and right is becoming more clear, and the protests and unrest are palpable in everyday life in Israel.
I landed on March 10th, just one day after protestors blocked roadways to Ben Gurion International Airport. The Histadrut Labor Union, Israels’ national trade union center (with 800,000 members) grounded planes at the airport, moved to start closing ports, medical services, and other transportation in protest of the proposed reforms. Even the workers in the Israeli Consulate in New York, where I interned last semester, were on strike. There was an anxious air in the airport, with a number of Israelis on the plane speaking grimly of politics. On my journey to Jerusalem, I saw a multitude of billboards, signs, and stickers exclaiming “democracy!” along the road, as well as plastered all over Jerusalem. Signs of protest and division were ubiquitous. I attended a Hapoel Yerushalayim soccer match where a number of cheers and signs lended commentary on the ongoing political climate. I even found myself coincidentally walking past the law offices of Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right Israel politician and proponent of the judicial reform. His nameplate had scratch marks, and had been covered with protest stickers.
Later in my travels, I found myself with some free time after visiting the Israel Museum. I decided to walk to the nearby Israeli Knesset building, where free public tours are offered weekly. Parliament was not in session, and the building felt surprisingly quiet for such a momentous time in Israeli politics. The tour guide spoke little of the recent political climate, mostly focusing on the fact that the Knesset remains a democratic and representative body. Questions about the judicial reform asked by members in the group were answered very diplomatically.
I found myself in a number of institutions that were affected by the judicial reform proposal, specifically institutions going on strike in protest. When visiting friends studying at Ben Gurion University in Be’er Sheva, students were called on by the school to join protests of the government’s proposed judiciary overhaul. They hosted a “day of disruption” where many classes were canceled, roads were blocked, and students protested. Attendees of Ben Gurion University spoke of the danger this reform posed to higher education in Israel, and that universities such as theirs were driving factors in Israel’s economic prosperity. While a majority of Ben Gurion students are left-leaning, there are right wing student groups on campus that support the reform.
On March 16th, I spent the day with a friend who serves as a news correspondent in Tel Aviv. In the weeks beforehand, he had been called to report all over the country as tensions brewed between the right and left of Israel. This time, he was reporting on the protests of hundreds of thousands of Israelis convening on that Thursday at the busiest traffic intersection in Israel.
Present at the protest were citizens of many backgrounds. There were lots of flags: Israeli flags, pride flags, and flags of different political movements waving high above their heads. Special protest cohorts, such as a group of over one hundred women in Handmaid’s Tale outfits marching in unison. Stands with bracelets, t-shirts, and pamphlets were set up to serve protestors. This was far from the first protest of this size in recent weeks, and many Israelis interviewed said this has become a part of their weekly routine as an Israeli citizen.
I left Israel on March 19th, just one week before Ben Gurion International Airport closed due to the Histadrut trade union’s protest of the judicial reform. A general strike was called for the entirety of Israel, and airport employees sprung to action canceling flights as roads to the airport were blocked. Throughout my trip, the animosity in Israel was palpable. However, when participating in protests, whether in Be’er Sheva or Tel Aviv, there was a profound sense of positive spirit from participants. Israelis on the left were incredibly united in their efforts and seemed to feel optimistic about their efforts. Protestors gladly flock to the streets en masse when called upon, and see their activism as a duty to their country. Being in Israel for this tense political climate extremely illuminated the sentiment backing public outcry over the proposed judicial reforms.
