The shape of things to come?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/19/with-pandemic-cover-netanyahu-is-carrying-out-coup-israel/
Hey, he needs to stay out of jail. What is a prime minister to do?
It is worrisome, but instead of a full blown coup, it's only the dress rehearsal for one. So maybe he's cancelled the courts for now, just before his trial, and his allies have temporarily closed parliament.
The context: his opponent Gantz has 30 days to set up a governing coalition. Which he probably can't do because his allies won't partner with the Arab-Israeli members who they need to constitute a majority. So Netanhyahu is using coronavirus to shit down govt and stall. Because while Gantz can't actually from a government, the anti-Netanyahu forces have 61/120 seats which would allow them to pass legislation that would 1) set term limits and 2) not allow any indicted official from being PM. Which would crash Bibi's career into a brick wall. So it's more a delaying tactic and thwarting gov't then a full-blown takeover/coup. it's the kind of hardball we've seen form McConnell, where he just thumbs his nose and steals a Supreme Court seat from hapless Dems and Obama.
I didn't read the article you linked, as my proxy server capabilities are sketchy at the moment. So forgive me if it adds any more info. But I think I summed up the gist of things.
Any applicability here?
Well, the virus crisis should be long past by the November election. Could trump and the generals he has in key positions delay the US election and then go on to make that the new normal? Hard to see that happening. Trump did just lavish a few extra hundred billion on the military, and the military has become a partisan component of gov't. Something the Dems need to address.
If US elections were say May 1st, there would certainly be cause for concern. But I think we're safe. The US 2-party system has a much more clear winner-take-all voting outcomes system and power transitions that would be hard to thwart.
Bibi is relying on voter fatigue. They've had 3 inconclusive elections in the past year (the main point of agreement is that the Israeli public is really ready to screw and stomp the Palestinians into further submission, which incidentally got the Arab-Israelis to finally unite, organize and vote, which they used to be very ambivalent about, resulting in Bibi being thwarted). Bibi's coalition is also the largest voting bloc (somewhat akin to Hillary winning more votes than Trump),
Really the main difference between the two major coalitions is that one is led by Bibi and the other doesn't like him at all. If Bibi weren't under indictment, he would likely step down and become a senior statesman, and there would be a national coalition gov't led by Gen. Gantz. or with a power-sharing arrangement. Bibi tried to get laws passed that would give him legal immunity and allow him the flexibility of either carrying on as leader or stepping down if that weren't possible.
Bibni is the strong man -- much like Putin or Erdogan -- and like them he bombs neighboring countries and runs roughshod over international laws and minority rights. This is the Return to the Strongman era, with autocrats finding it easy to push past and stomp on democratic norms. Israel's democratic tradition and reliance on the US makes it a little harder for him. Bibi can't just shut down opposition media, so instead he relies on Sheldon Anderson's free pro-Netanyahu newspaper and his corrupt billions. And then bribes/coerces another newspaper to provide favorable coverage (this is the most serious of the indictment charges against Netanyahu).
Trump has Fox News and America One as propaganda organs. And just derides and belittles the mainstream media. Which the Dems really need to push back on and defend the role of journalism in securing and preserving democracy, and explain the dangers when the news media is not accepted as legitimate. Kooky, conspiracy laden paranoid Trump and conservatives are setting the debate and debate parameters in the US.
Poll
5 (45.5%)