Opposition warns gov’t's High Court defiance part of effort to ‘steal or rig' upcoming elections

Opposition leader Yair Lapid has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of a deliberate strategy to "steal or rig" upcoming elections, stemming from its unanimous decision to disregard a High Court of Justice ruling. The ruling concerned the composition of the Second Authority Council, and the government's defiance marks a potential constitutional crisis.

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We, as academics, are kind of the last bastion of independent critical thinking in Israel, and these boycotts are defunding us, demoralizing us, silencing us.

Speaking at a press conference for the Together Party, Lapid argued that the government's actions are not solely focused on the Second Authority but are a broader effort to undermine the electoral process. He stated that the government has long promoted the narrative that the court is not the ultimate arbiter of law, aiming to normalize the idea of judicial non-compliance. Lapid warned that this narrative is a "poison machine" pushing towards "madness."

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They picked up on me, and they published this open letter to the president of the university with a very detailed resume of what I did. My involvement with Israeli intelligence and so on. But my hosts were very resolved on hosting me.

Lapid further elaborated on his concerns, suggesting that without judicial oversight, the government could manipulate election outcomes. He posited that the government might fabricate or exploit a security event to postpone elections, knowing there would be no court to appeal to. Additionally, he warned that the government could simply refuse to accept election results, declaring itself the winner even in defeat, with no legal recourse for challenges.

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So, if you can have an American scholar write the chapter on Israeli intelligence, and not invite them to a workshop or a conference when writing a book together, then it’s less of a headache. Just to not get in trouble, not with students, not with faculty, colleagues, protest movements, security risks, and so on. Avoid stones being thrown at the classroom, and conference panels being disrupted by protesters - you just don’t invite the Israelis.

Other opposition leaders echoed Lapid's concerns. Yair Golan of the Democrats party described the government's defiance of the High Court as a "dress rehearsal for something even more dangerous: a government refusing to obey the will of the people." Golan also cautioned against the emergence of new right-wing parties, suggesting they serve to protect Netanyahu rather than the country.

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Invitations not being extended, talks being canceled, allegedly for some kind of a bureaucratic reason like security concerns.