After fretting about civil war, Herzog says raging protests a boon for democracy
President Isaac Herzog tells diplomats at an Independence Day reception that the bruising national ruction over the government’s bid to overhaul the judiciary proves the vigor of Israel’s democracy.
“Debate and disagreement in a democracy are not only natural. They are critical,” Herzog says to the approximately 400 foreign officials from nearly 120 countries invited to the event, according to Herzog’s office.
“The fact that, as we mark 75, Israelis are fiercely debating fundamental questions about our system of checks and balances demonstrates that our democratic discourse is vibrant and that our citizens are fully engaged,” he adds.
Herzog has led efforts to bridge that debate by sponsoring talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing religious coalition and parties in the opposition. The talks have yet to provide any tangible results and distrust is high, with the government thought ready to begin ramping legislation back up in the coming weeks, and intense protests that preceded the talks continuing.
But Herzog says the quarrel is “a mark of pride.”
“Even as it demands of us to show up for the difficult work of hearing and listening to each other. And recognizing that there exists a multitude of opinions in our society,” he says.
The comments are something of a reversal from earlier statements expressing worry over Israel’s fate and damage done to societal amity by the legislative blitz and ensuing protests, which were among the most intense the country has ever seen. In mid-March, as protests were hitting their peak, he warned that the country was on the cusp of “civil war” and an “abyss,” unless an agreement is reached.
He says the compromise talks are ongoing. “I am driven by the firm belief that with goodwill and a willingness to engage in honest dialogue, our democracy can emerge from this reckoning stronger than ever,” he says,
The president does not speak out against the overhaul plan, which has also sparked criticism from abroad, but accuses Israel’s foes of trying to take advantage of Israel due to what he says is their misperception of the country as weakened by the divisions.
“Iran and its proxies in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon—Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad—have, in recent weeks, sought to capitalize on Israel’s domestic debate, misreading the vitality of our internal democratic discourse as a weakness; as an opening to wreak havoc,” he says.