Israel is still a democracy. A flawed and increasingly failing democracy, but they are not (yet?) on the level of russia. Which for me makes their behaviour more puzzling.
I mean, democracies can commit all manners of atrocities too. Russia was a democracy when they invaded Chechnya if you remember that, and then you have all of Britain and France’s wonderful escapades in Africa and the Middle East and America’s wars over the past 70 years. Also I want to note that Israel has been like this since the very beginning.
Israel had a slight shift towards a more reasonable approach at some point, but then Yitzhak Rabin got murdered by an extremist linked to the Likud and it went back downhill from there.
That’s a good point. I guess I just wish there was more pushback within the Israel (there is some, but I get the impression it’s a tiny tiny minority).
But there are some important differences.
Israel is still a democracy. A flawed and increasingly failing democracy, but they are not (yet?) on the level of russia. Which for me makes their behaviour more puzzling.
I mean, democracies can commit all manners of atrocities too. Russia was a democracy when they invaded Chechnya if you remember that, and then you have all of Britain and France’s wonderful escapades in Africa and the Middle East and America’s wars over the past 70 years. Also I want to note that Israel has been like this since the very beginning.
Israel had a slight shift towards a more reasonable approach at some point, but then Yitzhak Rabin got murdered by an extremist linked to the Likud and it went back downhill from there.
That’s a good point. I guess I just wish there was more pushback within the Israel (there is some, but I get the impression it’s a tiny tiny minority).
The US was a democracy when it fabricated evidence for an invasion of Iraq which is estimated to have killed 4 million people.
Democracy at home, tyrant abroad.
Being a democracy is no protection against committing war crimes.