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How Netanyahu is turning Israel into a banana republic

Once the coronavirus crisis is over, Israelis will discover what Arab Knesset members warned a long time ago: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "stole" their democracy.
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Blue and White senior Yair Lapid publicized March 17 a long Facebook post that he titled “You are not living in a democracy.” The very next day, it emerged that this was not simply the exaggerated statement of a politician to taunt his political rivals, but a sad truth. On March 18, a black flag was raised over Israel’s democracy. In an unprecedented move, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein decided to close the Knesset session several minutes after it had opened in order to avert the appointment of committees that could enable the activity of the Knesset plenum and prevent it from being replaced. These committees that are supposed to oversee the government — such as the Finance Committee or Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee — would, in a civilized, developed country, certainly meet for marathon discussions regarding solutions to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus. But now we will have to wait until Edelstein or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decide that the political dangers hanging over their heads have passed.

Later on, during Channel 12 News, it was reported that Knesset legal adviser Eyal Yinon described the destructive acts of Israel’s legislative house in the clearest of words. “The Knesset has died a peaceful death; it no longer exists,” he said in a closed conversation. Earlier, in an interview on the same channel, Netanyahu said that while he was fighting the coronavirus, the opposition was occupied with “petty politics.” One would have thought that Netanyahu was the only one fighting the modern plague.

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