About Tuesday

A couple of years ago, when Obama was president, the decision makers in Israel shared more than once the opinion that Washington shall understand that 70 years after its founding the Jewish state is entitled to take its own decisions and be responsible for them. An opinion perfectly available that would have make a break in a certain level of inter-dependence between the two countries, each with specific strategic, geopolitical and economic interests.

After 13 years in powe as prime minister - anyone remembers Thomas Moore's quote: 'Laws could be passed to keep the leader of a government from getting too much power'? - 'Mr. Security' Benjamin Netanyahu announces that he succeeded - in fact - to convince the American administration about: the need to recognize unilaterally the Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights, eventually over the West Bank soon, the moving of the embassy to Jerusalem etc. What would it have to say when a new administration will be installed - at least the mandates of the American presidents are wisely limited to eight years - and will decide to reverse those decisions? 

If on Tuesday, the first Benjamin - or Bibi - will win against the second one - Benny Gantz - as the polls are already showing, what future for the Israeli democracy? There will be probably negotiations for creating a coalition, and the president Rivlin has an important word to say. But the Kahanists will be in the Parliament and together with them, way too much religious people. Fortunatelly, there are still some normal heads among the religious establishment wise enough to know that religion and politics shall be separated otherwise the poison is dangerous for both sides.

The predominance of an unique religious mindset already estranged the diaspora organisations. For years, the Kotel - the Western Wall - is a place of confrontation and exchange of curses. An abnormality despicable for all those involved in the bashing, will be about to become normality. 

Bibi's extremists friends, from Orban Viktor to the Austrian far right party and the Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines will rejoice, but this is the place where the Likud, created in 1973 by Menahem Begin and Ariel Sharon belongs to? Not forget about Putin...Or the Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

Journalists are permanently under threat as the prime-minister and its family hates it. Using a rhetoric familiar to his American friend, he and his wife and the son Yair are labelling easily every news daring to criticize them as 'fake news'. Israel Hayom and the dozen of thousands of boots and fake accounts and media brigades are 'real'. In psychological language it's called being delusional.

If the polls are to be believed, the day after Tuesday will be a sad day, with a new round of witch hunting, with a media under new threats and a deeper division not only between the Jewish/Israeli electorate and the Arab electorate - whose demonization is also part of the current 'Mr. Security's discourse - but between the Jewish/Israeli electorate and the Jewish/Israeli electorate. This division will go far beyond between the Tel Aviv 'party' people and the Haifa 'working people and the Jerusalem 'praying people', but between those who want a better and safe future for their families and children and the one family who's concerned about its own wellbeing. Europe, America and the world, there will be mor and more 'yordim' coming. 

Democracies are dying too and there is nothing that might stop the decline.