Erode Democracy at your Peril

Neither of these reactions reflects how we feel, and not necessarily because critical nuance is lacking, but because of what it says about where Israel finds itself and what has happened to the Zionist dream.

The timing of this decision is significant as it comes shortly after Netanyahu's proposed legislation to ban a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas terror attacks on October 7, something the majority of Israeli society supports.

The proposed legislation is not only a blow to those Israelis, it is also a blow to Israel's democracy, as it is due primarily to Israel's independent judiciary that it has thus far avoided international courts.

Following October 7, many predicted that the judicial overhaul would be shelved indefinitely and that perhaps even the Netanyahu government itself would collapse.

Not only has neither thing happened, under the guise of war, both have been strengthened.

Prior to the news of the arrest warrants and Netanyahu's proposed legislation was yet another scandal - the so-called "BibiLeaks." 

Being investigated domestically as well, it recently came to light that individuals in Netanyahu's office exploited sensitive security information, leaking documents to the foreign media to allow Netanyahu to shape a narrative to the Israeli public that would bolster his image while attempting to tamp down dissent by the Israeli public.

The documents were illegally extracted from IDF systems in June, but were not leaked to foreign media until September. The timing of the leaks coincided with the murder of the six hostages that month, with Netanyahu knowing that the news of the murders would reinvigorate the protests and intensify calls from the Israeli public for the government to reach a hostage release and ceasefire deal.

These revelations are egregious not just because highly classified documents were leaked, they are egregious because the purpose of the leaks was not to mislead Hamas or aid in the advancement of ceasefire deals in Gaza or Lebanon, the purpose of the leaks was to mislead and undermine the Israeli people.

This cannot be stressed enough -- at a time when hostage families have lived more than 400 days in agony without the return of their loved ones and deals for their release less and less likely, Netanyahu's office sought to mislead, marginalize, and ostracize them.

There is simply no low to which Netanyahu is not willing to sink if it helps him maintain his power. And this low shows just how little he cares about the promise of Zionism and the State of Israel.

Israel is meant to be the place where Jews can be safe, a state that will protect Jews and save Jews from Antisemitism and persecution. What then does it say about the government of Netanyahu that so many Israeli Jews are persecuted in their homeland, that those held hostage by Hamas are not, and have not been protected and have in fact been abandoned?

These are, of course, not the issues for which the ICC arrest warrants have been issued, and many who disagree vehemently with Netanyahu are still voicing opposition to the issuance of the arrest warrants.

Indeed, we should be dismayed that an international court has intervened in Israel's conduct, not because they are wrong or biased or Antisemitic, but because it shows just how successful the attempts to undermine the judiciary and Israeli democracy have been in the past year and a half.

But let's not confuse our discomfort and dismay with this outcome with defending a leader who is capable and willing to throw everyone under the bus to advance their own agenda - not only the protestors, the hostages, and Israel's judiciary, but the very founders of the state and their vision for it.