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Opposition leader Yair Lapid said in an interview with NY92 community center in New York Thursday that the government's proposed plan to shake up the judiciary and the subsequent protests weakened Israel in the days leading up to Hamas's surprise deadly attack on October 7. "I understand the people who said 'okay, we weakened ourselves in this fight. We took it one step further'," he said.

However, he clarified that the blame for "weakening the country," in his words, primarily falls on those who promoted the laws. "I think when you are threatening Israel's democracy you're weakening the country. Democracy is the reason we have the inner strength we need to fight what we're facing."

Lapid qualified his statement after being asked whether he thought the protest was to blame for the disaster. "I met today with the protesters. What they have built here in Expo Tel Aviv is an unbelievable operation helping everybody who was forced out of his home and the victims and the families of the victims. These are great Israeli patriots. They didn't weaken this country, they have strengthened this country."

Lapid explained his decision not to join the emergency government as National Unity Chairman Benny Gantz did stemmed from "technical reasons." "I was the first person to say we need the unity government. But I told Netanyahu, "again, I'm not going to be a cheerleader.' I mean, I want to know what is it that I do, what kind of authority am I going to have? And it turned out I didn't want this to work this way. So fine. I have so many ways to work for my country in a time of need and unity is not only about the government unitu is about the people to begin with."

"we have suffered the consequences of a false sense of safety. And therefore we allow ourselves to dive into the polarization of modern-day politics," Lapid added. "So we dive directly into the festival of diversity. And now we were reminded in a painful way that the real risks we have from the outside."

He also argued that there is no alternative other than a ground offensive to topple Hamas' rule, and afterward, the Palestinian Authority will govern Gaza with a very strong support system of the international community and the moderate Arab world. However, according to him, to reach this situation, one must first cross a river of war and pain."

Lapid also reiterated that he would support the government's decisions or any agreement presented to him. Lapid's remarks came hours after he was asked if he, as a former prime minister, also bears responsibility for any oversight - to which he responded: "If everyone is responsible, no one is accountable."

Link:
Lapid: Threat to democracy weakened the country - Ynetnews

The Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy (EIPAD) invites the UMass Amherst community to an in-person film screening and virtual discussion with whistleblower advocates involved in the making of the 2016 documentary on drone warfare, National Bird, on Wednesday, Nov. 1.

The two-part event begins with the screening of the documentary, which details the story about three Americans who turned against the drone warfare they once supported, from 3-5 p.m. in the Student Union Cape Cod Lounge.

A virtual discussion webinar will take place via Zoom from 7-8:30 p.m., following the in-person screening. The discussion will feature filmmaker and investigative journalist Sonia Kennebeck, veteran, whistleblower and researcher Lisa Ling and writer and attorney Jesselyn Radack.

To register for the virtual discussion, visit the Blowing the Whistle on Drone Warfare webinar registration form.

EIPAD was created in dedication to the stewardship of whistleblower Daniel Ellsbergs legacy and the commitment to put the overlapping causes that defined his activism into action. The screening and virtual discussion is sponsored by EIPAD with assistance from the UMass Graduate History Association.

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Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy to Host Documentary ... - UMass News and Media Relations

BAY VILLAGE, Ohio A new generation of poll workers is here with Bay High School students gearing up to help at the polls this November. And theyre official with training from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections through a new program called, The Future of our Democracy.

As the political science teacher and Bay High Schools social studies department chair, Robert Grossman explained, these teens are learning about the electoral process, while gaining confidence and belief in the importance of exercising their right to vote.

If you're 17,18 and you had a good experience working the polls, I think the opportunity to continue to be involved dramatically increases, Grossman said.

Immediately after receiving an invite from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, Grossman says his students were all in. Eleven of them eagerly signed up for training, which he admits surprised him.

Theyre pretty much working a 14, 15-hour day after working two hours the night before after going to school that whole day, he said. Once I explained to them all this is what the expectation is, not a single one of them backed out.

As part of the countys commitment to ramping up voter participation, students are met with the commitment to their civic duty. Grossman explained that those who are 17 leading into an election, must sign a waiver promising they will register to vote. However, those who are 18, must already be registered to vote to move forward with poll training.

Senior Maggie Buttrick says the responsibility is one she does not plan on taking for granted. Buttrick says she has watched her father exercise his right and volunteer for years growing up; its what inspired her to get involved.

The people that are actually working really seem to care, she said. As someone whos not 18 yet and cant vote, I wish I could vote.

The behind-the-scenes training opportunity also restored faith in the system for this group, including Mallory Kaminski. As Kaminski shared, she is aware of the intense scrutiny over the security and fairness of the electoral process nationwide.

Theres not really much education on the system itself after you vote [and] theres just a lot of harsh language towards the poll workers, she said. With what I know from my training I feel confident that my vote will be counted and preserved.

Principal Jason Martin says the refreshing perspective, awareness, and responsibility shown by this group of students is reassuring as he believes they are the voices of our future.

To see them being willing to carry forward the democratic process to learn more, to inspire others to become involved, to make sure that this opportunity continues to exist for generations to come its a great opportunity.

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These high school students are doing their part for democracy - News 5 Cleveland WEWS

An extremely unpleasant experience for those on the receiving end, verbal abuse and physical violence against local and regional elected representatives is on the rise throughout Europe. As well as being traumatic and damaging, such violence can also have a demotivating effect on elected representatives and deter citizens from engaging in politics, noted the Congress in a debate on the subject on Thursday 26 October.

Vincent Jeanbrun, mayor of Ha-les-Roses, a town south of Paris, will never forget the night of 1 July 2023. As rioting broke out in towns and cities across France, the home where his wife and children were sleeping was ram-raided by rioters who tried to set it alight, while much of the town was ransacked. The mayor believes the attack was prompted by his refusal to tolerate drug dealing and disorderly conduct.

Kristoffer Tamsons (R, Sweden, EPP/CCE), co-rapporteur in October 2022 of a Congress report on the impact of hate speech and fake news on the working conditions of local and regional elected representatives, pointed out that elected representatives are often the last line of defence for democracy and human rights when it comes to tackling violence, which has become a European challenge that concerns us all. In Sweden, local and regional elected representatives can receive training to help them deal with any threats they might receive, and these threats are regularly studied and measured in order to counter them more effectively.

A former Dutch vice-president of the Congress had to have bodyguards because of his efforts to combat the local mafia. The mayor of Gdansk, Pawe Adamowicz, was killed by a local man with a history of violence while attending a charity event in January 2019.

During the debate, several members of the Congress talked about the threats or verbal abuse to which they had at times been personally subjected; several said that these phenomena affected women local elected representatives more often than men, and that elected representatives from minority groups were also more likely to be targeted than others.

Pauline Sterrer (L, Austria, EPP/CCE) recalled how an attempt had been made on the life of an Austrian local councillor and that one mayor had committed suicide after receiving threats; a third of members of the Austrian town councillors association had already received threats, women more often than men. As a result, many elected representatives decline to run for re-election, and those who suffer abuse feel increasingly isolated.

At the end of the debate, Congress President Marc Cools (Belgium, ILDG) also returned to the subject of verbal abuse in politics: We too must never resort to insults, and must always remember that democracy means showing respect for others.

More information

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Violence against local and regional elected representatives: a threat ... - Council of Europe

By Amy Goodman & Denis Moynihan

United Nations Secretary-General Antnio Guterres addressed the UN Security Council on Tuesday, saying, To ease epic suffering, make the delivery of aid easier and safer, and facilitate the release of hostages, I reiterate my appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. He went on to criticize Israels siege and bombardment of Gaza in retaliation for the October 7th attack by Hamas, which killed over 1,300 Israelis:

It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation. They have seen their lands steadily devoured by settlements and plagued by violence, their economy stifled, their people displaced and their homes demolished. Their hopes for a political solution to their plight have been vanishing. But the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas, and those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

Israels UN ambassador demanded Guterres resignation, adding, we will refuse to issue visas to UN representativesto teach them a lesson. The U.S. presented a Security Council resolution for a humanitarian pause in Gaza, which Russia and China vetoed saying it did not go far enough. Russia countered with a full ceasefire resolution that the US and UK vetoed.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza continues to climb, with at least 7,000 Palestinians killed since October 7th, including nearly 3,000 children, according to Gazas Health Ministry. The Israeli military and armed settlers have also killed more than 100 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since October 7th, adding to the record number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank this year.

Israel has held the Gaza Strip under a devastating blockade since 2006, trapping its 2.4 million residents in what is arguably the worlds largest open air prison. Israel limits the delivery of food, fuel, water and medicine and imposes apartheid controls on who can enter and leave. The current complete shutoff of life-sustaining supplies that Israel imposed on October 7th, compounded by the relentless airstrikes, has created what Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, the United Nations Palestinian relief agency, describes as hell on Earth. He writes, Entire neighborhoods are being flattened over the heads of civilians.

Among those killed were the wife, daughter and son of Al Jazeera Arabics Gaza bureau chief Wael Al-Dahdouh, called by many the Voice of Gaza. They were killed in the south of Gaza, in an Israeli airstrike. Wael, like many of us, like thousands of Palestinians who got the order to evacuate from the north and from Gaza City to the south, heeded that order and moved his family to the south, to Nuseirat refugee camp, Al Jazeera correspondent Youmna ElSayed said on the Democracy Now! news hour, the day after the airstrike. When we say there is no safe place in Gaza, were not lyingWhy did they ask us to go to the south?

Oxfams Middle East Regional Director Sally Abi Khalil said in a statement, The situation is nothing short of horrificwhere is humanity? Millions of civilians are being collectively punished in full view of the world, there can be no justification for using starvation as a weapon of war.

Gazas healthcare infrastructure is on the brink of collapse. Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the head of pediatrics at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza told Al Jazeera, We are overwhelmed with dozens of wounded, dying and dead children coming inThe pace of strikes is escalating, and our supplies are near depletion. When the fuel runs out tomorrow, this hospital will rapidly become a mass grave. Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya, the director of Al Shifa Hospital, Gazas largest hospital, likened expected deaths of patients dependent on electricity for respirators or dialysis machines to premeditated murder.

On Wednesday, in a White House Rose Garden speech, President Joe Biden questioned the reported numbers of Palestinians killed in Gaza. I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed. Im sure innocents have been killed, and its the price of waging a war, he said.

Last February, months before the October 7th Hamas attack, Haaretz, one of Israels most influential newspapers, published an editorial, referring to the collective punishment that followed sporadic attacks on Israeli citizens by Palestinans: Laws that permit Israel to violate international law and the laws of occupation will not only fail to thwart terrorism, but will drag Israel to the defendants dock of the international community.

Israels collective punishment of Palestinians is nothing new. But this latest siege of Gaza, described by Israeli Holocaust historian Raz Segal as a textbook case of genocide, must stop now.

Originally posted here:
Israel's Collective Punishment of Gaza Must End - Democracy Now!