Israel has a lot it can teach the United States of America.
Yair Lapid is the new leader of the opposition in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. It is his job to lead the parties out of power — hopefully back into power one day — but, until then, to serve as a backboard against which the ruling parties can bounce their ideas for governance before enacting the will of the majority.
In many ways, it is much like political life in America with Democrats, if they are in power, using Republican ideas as a check and balance against their own in the hope that by doing so the best ideas will surface and the public will be better served.
That is how our democracy is supposed to work. Unfortunately, we know all too well that right now there are a few glitches in the system that need to be resolved if we are to function as the Founding Fathers envisioned so many years ago.
Writing in “The Atlantic” last week, Lapid admitted, “As the new leader of the opposition in Israel, I face a difficult dilemma. ” He then hit readers, as well as his constituents and fellow citizens of Israel, smack in the nose.
“The opening of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial on Sunday was a moment of intense national shame and intense national pride.
“The shame is obvious: the serving prime minister taking his place on the defendant’s bench, charged with serious criminal offenses. Netanyahu is 70 years old. Even his most bitter rivals don’t enjoy seeing him like that. I hope, with all my heart, that he will be proved innocent, but the disgrace can’t be undone. I believe that the good of the country demands his time in office come to an end, but not like this … The thought of Israel’s longest serving prime minister spending the latter years of his life in prison is chilling.
“The pride is also clear: Only a real democracy, a law-abiding state, can put its leader on trial. Once again, Israel has proved that it’s a democracy, with tradition and principles made of steel. Netanyahu did everything he could in the past four years to avoid the moment when he had to appear before the judges. He dragged the country into three elections, he tried to change Israel’s Basic Laws (the closest thing we have to a constitution); and he orchestrated an unprecedented media operation, some of it with hidden foreign funding, to convince the Israeli public that he shouldn’t be forced to stand trial.
“The fact that he failed is a badge of honor for the State of Israel. ”
As I read through his piece I found myself wondering, where is America’s Yair Lapid? Who will step up and admit that what has been happening in our country the past few years is shameful in that we have allowed elected and appointed leaders to make a mockery of our justice system — not only continuing to cement in the public’s mind that justice is oftentimes limited to people at the top, but also to further erode America’s confidence in its own democracy that is at its best when checks and balances are in place and actually work.
I also wondered who in this vast and wonderful country can talk about our democracy and the way it is working with the same sense of pride with which Lapid describes Israel, even in this very dark moment as its prime minister sits in the dock.
And, more important, who in America in a position of either loyal opposition or respected leadership is willing to step up and risk being subjected to attack from the top and the bottom in equal measure, all in the name of appealing to the better angels of this great democratic nation?
As Lapid wrote, “The entire Western world is enveloped in a dark cloud of deep and poisonous suspicion toward judicial and media establishments. Conspiracy theories are powerful tools. Lies are more potent than the truth. Stories are stronger than facts. Leaders like Netanyahu have realized they no longer need to deal with problems. If reality is uncomfortable, they just find someone to blame. If anyone causes problems, they attack them personally, going hard and low. If they can’t find something sufficiently terrible to say about them, they encourage one of their conspiracy-theory-pushing websites to spread lies, and then quote the lies extensively.
“As the new leader of the opposition in Israel, I face a difficult dilemma. . . if we meet incitement with incitement, lies with lies, what will the public need us for? If I act like Netanyahu, Israel might as well keep Netanyahu. Our struggle against him is part of a wider struggle for our way of life, for the nature of Israeli democracy and for the values that made us what we are: decency, integrity, truth,and the acceptance of the other. ”
If Israel, as the Good Book suggests, is to be the light unto the nations of the world, it should start by illuminating a path for America to follow back to what made our country the greatest democracy on earth.
It bothers me, as an optimist at heart, to slow a hint of pessimism as we witness the degradation of our democracy. But I also understand that the sweep of history doesn’t always follow a straight line.
Lapid’s lament comes deep from within the heart of Israel, as does the light of Israel as it illuminates America’s vision, allowing us to see our way through these darker days. It is true that we share with Israel those traits Lapid writes about — decency, integrity, truth and acceptance of the other.
In the United States we have always believed that our three co-equal branches of government must act as a check and balance against the quest for too much power by any of the others. And that starts with the court system willing to do justice for all, regardless of one’s station in life with the legislative and executive powers committed to ensuring the judiciary the freedom to do just that.
To allow our government and the people responsible for it to do less when so much more is required is to bring shame to America. But citizens doing what is necessary to demand compliance with our democratic ideals, well, that will be a constant source of pride as we do all that we can to perfect our union.
At this difficult time in America’s history, when the very nature of our democracy is being challenged, where is our Lapid to show us the way?
Brian Greenspun is editor, publisher and owner of the Sun
Where I Stand:
Can Israel shine a light in the dark corners of American democracy?
Sun, May 31, 2020 (2 a.m.)