Throughout the years of the state's existence, and especially in recent decades, there has been a sharp debate that focuses on the tension inherent in the concept of a 'Jewish and democratic state.'.
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A Jewish state means giving priority to Jewish values and the interests of the Jewish people; whereas a 'democratic state' leans more towards 'a state of all its citizens.'.
Unfortunately, over the years, the Jewish element in the state's identity has been eroded, both by legislation and, above all, by the expansive interpretation of the Supreme Court, which gives decisive weight to human rights at the expense of Jewish values. Today, the concept of 'Jewish settlement,' which was at the center of the return of the Jewish people to their land, is perceived as racism.
But if we thought that the erosion was only in the 'Jewish' leg of the state, it now becomes clear that a big question mark also hangs over its being democratic. Ostensibly, we have a democracy – from time to time citizens vote at the ballot boxes, but this is only an appearance. We do not really have a democracy.
Three central factors are emptying Israeli democracy of its content, turning it into a sham: the culture of lies of politicians, the recruited media, and the judicial activism of the High Court of Justice.
The Culture of Lies: Elections are essentially a kind of power of attorney. Candidates ask the people to embellish their power to act on their behalf. The voter wants to advance the positions he advocates, so he chooses people who commit to him to implementing that policy and not some other way.
But what value do elections have if candidates receive the mandate and do exactly the opposite of what they promised the voter? And would we accept such behavior in any other field? Would we return to a business where we were promised one product and instead received another? Wouldn't we sue a lawyer who received a power of attorney from us to do an action we requested and it turned out that he did the opposite?
The statement 'they are all liars' is in fact a complete destruction of a central element of democracy – the ability of the citizen to choose policy and path. If elected officials are not committed to their promises, the citizen truly has no ability to influence the conduct of the state.
The mobilized media: One of the foundations of democracy is a free press. The people examine the actions of their representatives, and based on that, decide who to elect. But the public has difficulty knowing what is being done without the mediation of the media. It is they who provide the citizen with the information on the basis of which he decides whom to elect, whom to bring to power, and whom to remove from the leadership role.
A recruited and biased press – denies citizens the right to receive real information. It distorts reality, inflates what serves it, ignores what does not align with its goals. Instead of being a channel of information, it becomes a channel of propaganda.
The country's main media channels are completely mobilized to promote their agendas. They do not reflect reality, but distort it. They blacken the image of personalities they do not like, and demonize those they wish to criticize. Such media does not allow for true democracy.
Judicial activism: The third component in the destruction of Israeli democracy is the High Court of Justice. The lifeblood of democracy is the principle that authority is vested in the people, who determine the policies they desire in elections. But the moment the High Court places itself above the Knesset, and allows itself to annul laws or empty them of their content – it has taken authority from the people and appropriated it for itself.
What's the point of going to elections and deciding questions of Jewish settlement, religion and state, security issues, and the like - if the High Court overturns Knesset decisions based on them? Why bother and vote, if the legal system will sew cases for the people's elected officials, make their lives miserable, and put shackles on their hands, preventing them from being able to act?
Without a real correction of these three components, we not only do not have a 'Jewish state' but also do not have a 'democratic state'.
• The column is published in the new monthly magazine '20 Magazine', of Channel 20
