On Independence Day, while symbols of sovereignty fill the public space, many feel a deep sense of alienation.
There is a real disconnect between national worship and the reality of life for many of the country's citizens. We may be free to hold ceremonies, but we are not truly free to live. Freedom, that cornerstone of a democratic regime, has become an elitist, narrow concept, and sometimes even a deceptive myth.
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The democratic majority finds itself deprived of rights that are by nature supposed to be fundamental: freedom of expression, the right to demonstrate, equality before the law, and a sense of civic security. These have become currencies dependent on political context. A state founded on the principle of majority rule has become a space where the majority feels persecuted, silenced, and discriminated against. Practical control has been transferred to extra-parliamentary centers of power: the media, the judiciary, and activist associations.
Freedom of expression
Freedom of expression has become selective. When right-wingers express political positions, the establishment response - sometimes criminal - is swift, decisive and disproportionate. Public figures such as Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg and former MK Michael Ben-Ari have served as examples of how verbal statements can escalate into criminal charges.
On the other hand, when extreme and violent representations are made by the progressive side - such as guillotines and images of political violence - responses are received that range from forgiving to apathetic in the name of "freedom of expression.".
Freedom to demonstrate
Freedom of demonstration has become a political luxury. Systematic blockades of transportation, welded gates in the village of Maimon, and the use of riot police have become standard practice when demonstrations come from the "conservative" side.
On the other hand, when extreme left-wing activists burn intersections or attack security forces, they are presented as civic heroes, and the legal advisor even notes that "there is no effective protest without disruption of public order.".
The freedom to choose and be chosen
The basic democratic principle of rule by the people is becoming a dead letter. While elections are held, policymaking is actually done in the corridors of unelected institutions.
The voter is merely a spectator in the stands. The real players - judges, legal advisors, and non-governmental organizations - determine the course of events.
The freedom to be heard in court
The legal system has long since become an arena of power from which certain voices are excluded. Public petitions by left-wing organizations are received, discussed, and published, accompanied by sympathetic media coverage - and are never charged with expenses.
In contrast, petitioners identified with the right are rejected outright, without being heard. Thus, the discourse of public rights is diverted into a system of ideological filtering.
The freedom to serve with honor
Divided on a political basis. When right-wingers refused to demolish their homes as part of political plans, they were expelled and slandered.
In contrast, pilots who refuse to serve within the framework of the democratic majority's decision are glorified as "conscientious" and heroes of democracy.
Freedom to protect against violent rule
When citizens experience violence from law enforcement agencies - and the system protects the attackers - the sense of civic security plummets. The case of Haim Mizrahi, who was brutally attacked by police officers disguised as anarchists, or of the girl Zisi, who was hit by a stun grenade - illustrate the collapse.
On the other hand, when a police officer arrests left-wing members at a dangerous demonstration, his commander is questioned with a warning and his professional future is in danger. Enforcement has turned from a justice system into a political tool.
The freedom to shape life
The socio-ideological gaps translate into contrasting life paths. The majority of the people are sent to demanding military service and menial jobs - while the elite are led into intelligence, high-tech management positions, the media, and the law.
It's not just about functional separation – but about writing a different narrative for each sector.
Freedom to equality before the law
The law is enforced selectively and unequally. Instigators and violent extremists from the political left enjoy de facto immunity.
In contrast, a protest from the conservative side - even if non-violent - is monitored, prosecuted and publicly denounced. The law is harsh towards one minority - and lax towards another.
Freedom of privacy
It has completely disintegrated. When a security authority refuses to monitor left-wingers due to a "moral red line," but at the same time spies on citizens from the wrong camp using advanced technological means - the state is crossing dangerous lines.
Laws are trampled on, and investigations are silenced. Suspicion of the citizen has become the default.
When the majority is afraid to speak, demonstrate, live according to its beliefs, or maintain its privacy - this is a regime of institutional oppression, not popular sovereignty.
And when we sing with trembling "To be a free people in our land" - we must honestly ask: Who is truly free here? Because if freedom does not belong to all of us - then perhaps all that remains is to cry.
