[link removed]


** Democracy at Work: Supporting Israel Regardless of its Government ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

by Alan M. Dershowitz • December 9, 2022 at 5:00 am
[link removed] [link removed] [link removed] [link removed] [link removed]
m/oexchange/0.8/forward/email/offer?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gatestoneinstitute.org%2F19214%2Fisrael-democracy-support&pubid=ra-52f7af5809191749&ct=1&title=Democracy+at+Work%3A+Supporting+Israel+Regardless+of+its+Government [link removed]
* Israeli governments come and go based on the results of elections; Israel has had five of them in the last four years. But one's support for Israel should not vary with whether one agrees or disagrees with the outcome of a particular election, any more than one's support for the United States depends on whether Democrats or Republican are in control at a given time. One can be a patriotic American who stands and salutes the star-spangled banner even when one disagrees with policies of the government. One can work hard to change such policies. Sometimes they change. Sometimes they do not. That is democracy at work.
* One can also be a fervent Zionist, which simply means that one strongly believes in the concept of a secure and democratic nation-state for the Jewish people. That is all Zionism means. It does not entail support for particular Israeli policies....
* As then-President Bill Clinton once complained: "Israel is a democracy, damn it!" His point was that he could simply call the leader of a non-democratic ally and tell him what do. He could not do that to Israel, where the citizens decide what their government should do.
* Democracy does not assure good outcomes. It only assures a fair process.
* Those who understandably disagree with the outcome of the recent Israeli election should recognize that it is the product of factors that generally affect democratic elections: changing demography, economic considerations, external threats and numerous other variables.
* So please, as Israel approaches its 75th birthday, look at the big picture: no country has contributed more to the world in its first three quarters of a century than has Israel; no country faced with dangers comparable to those faced by Israel has had a better record of human rights, compliance with the rule of law and concern for enemy civilians than Israel.
* Governments and policies change. Support for the only democracy in the Middle East should remain constant.

Pictured: A voting booth at a polling station in Israel on election day November 1, 2022. (Photo by Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel's prime minister-designate is brilliant, hardworking and dedicated to the survival of the nation-state of the Jewish people. One may not like all the ministers in his likely new government. Neither do other longtime supporters of Israel. Some have questioned whether they can continue to support Israel in the face of certain policies proposed by some potential ministers. It is important to continue to support Israel even if one disagrees with some policies of a particular government.

Continue Reading Article ([link removed])

============================================================
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Twitter ([link removed])
** RSS ([link removed])
** Donate ([link removed])
Copyright © Gatestone Institute, All rights reserved.

You are subscribed to this list as [email protected]

You can change how you receive these emails:
** Update your subscription preferences ([link removed])
or ** Unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])

** Gatestone Institute ([link removed])

14 East 60 St., Suite 705, New York, NY 10022