Israel it has never been a country for everyone. “The homeland of the Jewish people” has limited its scope to devotees of the same faith. But now even those shared beliefs cannot unite all Jews under the same umbrella. Before the far right drift of the country, aggravated by demographic trends favorable to the dominance of the ultra-orthodox, many Israelis choose to abandon the national project. Not even the recent massive protests against the far-right government can offset the wishes of a growing part of the population of leave israel.
Not He can no longer look at his country in the same way, not even at his neighborhood. “Once you wake up, there is no going back,” says this Israeli journalist who has Spanish citizenship. “I had never thought that I was going to leave Israel, but suddenly, the token fell on me and I realized that it is not possible to be in a country that is occupying, no matter how much one wants to ignore it and sublimate it,” says this woman in her fifties who hides behind a pseudonym. “I don’t want my son to grow up here, to grow up as an Israeli, to go to the Army; the situation is so cyclical and irresolvable that there is only generation after generation of young Israelis educated in the occupation and Palestinians educated as occupied beings,” he denounces.
right-wing citizenship
His anxiety is one that is repeated in conversations with friends, in internet searches, in red tape. This awakening, even without official figures, is born for different reasons, but it is getting worse now. Now that the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu Made up of far-right ministers, openly homophobic and racist, it has been in power for a month. He has already sent out thousands to the streets to protest against the reform of the judiciary in an unprecedented gesture. But it’s not enough. “I’m leaving to never come back, since I can’t contribute to making this place better”, Noa affirms with “impotence”.
The new Israeli government only comes to confirm a trend that has been cooking in the Jewish State for years. In 1995, only 29% of the population considered themselves “right-wing”, but a survey of the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) shows that in 2021, that number reached 62%. Supporters of the left were only 11%, compared to 36% in 1995. After a five years of political instabilityIsraelis voted last November for the fifth time in three and a half years and elected representatives who have formed the Most right-wing government in history from the country. The presence of the extreme right and a majority of ultra-orthodox in the Cabinet confirm the conservative turn of a country that was born in the communes.
“It seemed to me that this country made sense and that could be a socialist state and egalitarian”, acknowledges Noa. More than 15 years after landing in Israel, she has realized that those dreams are impossible. Now, the institutions advocate for measures of the “Viktor Orbán’s Hungary”. Netanyahu-led ministers devise strategies to control public media and modifications to reform the judiciary. His legal reform proposal wants to strip the Supreme Court of the ability to overturn legislation or government decisions deemed illegal so that their rulings can be “overturned” with a simple parliamentary majority.
demographic trends
Another IDI survey shows that 70% of Jews secular in Israel they are concerned about preserving their lifestyle under the new government, also considered the most religious in the country’s history. And it is that Netanyahu’s allies have already expressed their intent to oppress minorities, such as the LGTBIQ+ community, women or racial groups, through legislative measures. The openly racist and anti-Arab ministers in the government indicate that darker times are ahead for the Palestinian population of Israelwhich is 20%.
The demography predicts an even more complicated future for people like Noa. Currently, the country is made up of a 12.6% ultra-Orthodox population. But predictions indicate that this figure will reach the 24% by 2050, according to Israel’s National Economic Council of 2021. Most ultra-Orthodox only study and receive state subsidies. “Israel is going to become something like the Islamic Republic of Iran“says Noa. With a dominant presence of ultra-Orthodox in the streets and a growing majority in the institutions, there are many who warn of the possibility that the Hebrew state will mutate some kind of theocracy.
Besides, the economic situation in Israel is another reason for expulsion for many. Is he seventh most expensive country in the world, according to the Numbeo ranking, ranking ahead of Singapore, Luxembourg or Hong Kong. In turn, it has third most prohibitive city Globe: Tel Aviv lags behind New York and Singapore, after topping The Economist’s ranking in 2021. Outrage at high costs and income inequality it is aggravated by the highest inflation recorded in a decade, with a maximum of 4.6% year-on-year.
“More fear in the streets”
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“I try not to think about what my future will be like if things continue as they are now,” he confesses. Elinor Nadit among thousands of people at the weekly mass protest in Tel Aviv against the new government. This biology student is part of the group Socialist Alternative that calls for a “general strike & rdquor ;. “The new Executive is planning to take away many of our our democratic rights as they consolidate their power & rdquor ;, denounces Nadit to this newspaper. “As a queer person, I feel more and more fear on the street, because those who are violent towards women, the LGBTIQ + community and Palestinians feel more empowered and have increased violence & rdquor ;, he adds.
jonathan hirschfeld He has been coming to the demonstrations every week since Netanyahu’s government took office a little over a month ago. “This is crucial and it is a global fightWe have seen it with Trump in the United States or Bolsonaro in Brazil,” says this 44-year-old painter from Telavivi. “Netanyahu is the horse pulling the carriage but we would still protest if he were anyone else, because this judicial reform will change the system in Israel and will leave us without the protection of the courts,” he told EL PERIÓDICO. “We don’t want to be a dictatorship& rdquor ;, he concludes.