Wednesday, February 11, 2015

2015-02-09 ISRAEL: Development of a totalitarian regime

2015-02-09 ISRAEL: Development of a totalitarian regime
=====================
[via ha-makom]
The linked article is only the latest in recent years, which review the development of totalitarian regime in Israel within the 1967 borders. Most Israelis are entirely unaware of the changes in US regime over the past couple of decades. The Israeli trends, as usual, appear to mimic the US older trend.
This report notes:
=1) Police - acquires undue powers=
a. attempts to pass a law permitting police to search homes, computers, etc without the knowledge of the owners. [note: one must assume that it happens already on a massive scale relative to surveillance of personal computers, but Israelis by and large like to live in self-denial of this fact, jz]
b. Increased practice of DNA sample collection by police
c. Detentions, investigations relative to facebook postings. In one extreme case the post asked a question about the Shin Bet, not even expressing opinion or divulging information...
d. Detentions, arrests, prosecution for expressing opinions regarding government - the most notable case is an attorney who uploaded a song parody about the plain clothed policeman charged with following and harassing him...
e. Arrests, interrogation of minors with no access to an attorney.
f. Increasing police violence against civilians.
=2) Governance - consolidation of powers=
a. Laws to preserve Netanyahu in power
Netanyahu is moving ahead various laws to make him more difficult to replace, e.g., limiting the authority to run no-confidence vote in Knesset (parliament).
b. Debtors' courts, debtors' prisons, debtors database
Large number of Israelis are in debt to the banks, and would never be able to pay the debts off. Increasingly punitive system is put in place against them.
c. Ongoing efforts to limit the authority of the courts.
d. Ongoing efforts to reduce academic freedom and increase government supervision of the universities.
e. Monopolies - increasingly control the economy.
=3) Freedom of Speech, Press, Assembly - increasingly restricted=
=4) PM Netanyahu - above the law=
Growing evidence of criminality, which law enforcement refuses to investigate.
=5) IDF - undue powers, above criticism=
a. Law is promoted to criminalize "insults" to the IDF.
b. Investigations of misconduct are either discouraged or shrouded with secrecy.
c. Weapons deals kept confidential.
=5) Transparency - increasingly restricted=
מה קרה לדמוקרטיה הישראלית ב-2014 ומה צפוי ב-2015? קבלו סקירה של המצב הנוכחי ותחזיות
HA-MAKOM.CO.IL
Like ·  · 

No comments: