Judicial Overhaul Legislation is Dividing Israelis

Week after week since January, Israelis – in the hundreds of thousands — have been marching, protesting both for and against their government’s moves to eliminate some of the judiciary’s authority and transfer those powers to the executive and legislative branches of government, essentially tilting the balance of power in the country.

Now many are marching out of the country. In the thousands, they are seeking refuge for themselves, their families and their financial wherewithal to Portugal, Spain, Greece, Germany, and Poland in the European Union, as well as the U.K., the U.S. and Canada.

One poll conducted by an Israeli TV channel found that 28 percent of respondents were considering moving abroad. While certainly it is not expected that two million Israelis would leave their homeland, the numbers do reflect a disillusionment with or fear for the future of Israel.

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Of course, even among those who seek new homes abroad, it’s unknown how many will succeed in finding them. And many Israelis who support the right-wing government’s moves to overhaul the judiciary – and show that support in their own protests – are not fleeing the country.

But those who work in the relocation business are definitely seeing an increase in requests for information and help. Maya Chen, who is a relocation consultant, has been fielding “a lot” of requests for information from Israelis considering moving abroad. Chen, who moved to Alpharetta from Israel with her husband and three children in July, noted that she is not an immigration attorney and does not help people get visas. She provides emotional and logistical support to those who generally already have the legal ability to emigrate. Her Hebrew-language Facebook group is called “Together in Relocation.”

“There’s a big difference between asking questions and actually doing something” like moving abroad, she told the AJT. “It’s hard and it’s expensive but more people are expressing their concerns and looking for another option. Most people don’t move in a month; it takes at least six months,” said Chen, who had lived in Seattle for 10 years before moving back to Israel, and now just moving to Atlanta. “My goal is for people to not feel alone” as they are making the adventurous move.

While thousands of Israelis are applying for residency abroad – including doctors who have their own WhatsApp groups seeking information about relocation – a growing number of Israelis already living abroad are deciding not to return to Israel for now. And immigration numbers so far this year have also declined, except those from Russia.

Moving or staying abroad has become attractive as the outlook for Israel’s economy has declined. The Israel Innovation Authority released a survey showing that 80 percent of start-ups so far this year were opened outside Israel, and that companies intend to register their intellectual property abroad, resulting in a blow to Israel’s tax funds. Private funding of start-ups is also at a five-year low.

In addition, several credit rating agencies, including Moody’s, S&P and Morgan Stanley, have expressed concerns about Israel’s economic future. Morgan Stanley actually cut Israel’s credit rating. And more recently, the Bank of Israel raised its assessment of the level of risk to the stability of Israel’s financial system, citing the government’s judicial overhaul as the main source of danger to the economy.

Instead of considering emigration, many Israelis – both supporters and opponents of the judicial overhaul – are continuing to voice their opinions in protests in the streets. The separate groups are not split between left-wingers and right-wingers, although the latter does include a much higher number of residents on the West Bank.

A recent survey by the Israel Democracy Institute noted that a whopping 23 percent of a national sample had participated in the anti-overhaul protests, including 10 percent of self-identified right-wingers.

Among the protesters in July were at least two Atlantans who were in Israel for visits. Eti Lazarian, originally from Israel, said she participated in protests on both sides of the divide. At both, she was handed an Israeli flag to wave. “Both groups have opinions; both groups are passionate about what they do. The Israeli people have a way of making everything fun. These demonstrations are nothing but a big party.”

But in the streets, in the stores, in the mall, on the beach, that passion and stress can be overwhelming and exhausting, said Lazarian, who has lived in Atlanta for 20 years. “On both sides, people feel like it’s the end of the world. I love this country but to live here is a different thing.”

After attending several protests against the government’s judicial overhaul legislation, Dotan Harpak said, “These are my people, and they are hurting and fighting like no other nation has fought against similar anti-democratic takeovers.”

Another Israeli-born Atlantan, Dotan Harpak, said after his visit to Israel that “the place feels different; it’s not the Israel I grew up in, nor the Israel I have been visiting in the years since I moved to Atlanta. The anti-democratic judicial overhaul and other actions of the government, and of course, the massive protest movement, is omnipresent. It’s always in the air that surrounds you when you’re there. You can’t not see it and feel it.”

…the place feels different; it’s not the Israel I grew up in, nor the Israel I have been visiting in the years since I moved to Atlanta. The anti-democratic judicial overhaul and other actions of the government, and of course, the massive protest movement, is omnipresent. It’s always in the air that surrounds you when you’re there. You can’t not see it and feel it.

Harpak talked about the mix of protesters, “from the many Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War veterans, through the women’s fight, LGBTQ rights, religious pluralism, to a clear voice against the occupation and for Palestinian rights. All groups who are under attack by this government were welcome there, joining hands in the fight for democracy.”

Although he attended protests in various cities in the country, he said the main Saturday night protest in Tel Aviv “was an overwhelming shock to all my senses, both physically and mentally. I cannot describe what it feels like to stand in the middle of a 250,000 [person] crowd, all chanting ‘Democratia! Democratia!’ [Hebrew for “democracy.”] These are my people, and they are hurting and fighting like no other nation has fought against similar anti-democratic takeovers. Not in Hungary, not Turkey, not Poland. I was both inspired by their beautiful, creative, committed fight, and pained by it.”

The protests, on both sides, are expected to continue. Meanwhile, Israel’s High Court has called for all 15 members to hear several petitions against the first law passed in the judicial overhaul. That hearing is scheduled for Sept. 12.