Hypocrisy is a type of behavior that purports to outwardly present greater moral conduct, which actually has no basis in reality. It is a form of lying. In recent days, the general public has been witness to full-fledged hypocrisy.
Blue and White, Yesh Atid, and the rest of the "anyone-but-Netanyahu" bloc are using every possible stage to shout about fortifying the rule of law, safeguarding democracy and enhancing the public's trust, along with other easily digestible slogans disseminated via modern technology and social media. They speak of the supremacy of democracy and rule of law.
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But while evoking these values, this cohort is also pointing a loaded gun at the head of the prime minister and threatening to legislate anti-democratic laws of a personalized nature and de-facto alter the Basic Law: The Government as it seeks to secure personal gains for one of its members.
Case in point was the demand to appoint former Histadrut labor federation leader Avi Nissenkorn to be the next Justice Minister; and such was the demand of MKs Yoaz Hendel and Zvika Hauser, those bold defenders of rule of law, to advance a law to allow them to receive party funding now, as a condition for supporting Benny Gantz. And such is Gantz's hope as he negotiates a rotational government while pinning his hopes on the High Court of Justice to grant him a full term by disqualifying Netanyahu.
This type of mafioso-like conduct is widely accepted among the rule-of-law crowd, some members of the media and judiciary milieu. After all, at the end of the day, these "lofty" goals will be replaced by securing Netanyahu's removal.
It would benefit all members of Blue and White, chief among them the duo of Gantz and Gabi Ashkenazi, for whom this is their first year in the legislature, to return to the roots of democracy and read clause 18 of Basic Law: The Government, which stipulates that the prime minister of Israel can continue serving in office even if under indictment.
The law also states that the prime minister can remain in office even if a district court convicts him of a crime carrying moral turpitude because the ruling can be appealed before the Supreme Court. He would only be removed from office if the Supreme Court rejects such an appeal and the ruling becomes final.
In a proper democracy, the presumption of innocence is a cornerstone. The decision by the administrative authority to try someone doesn't make the elected official guilty. The lawmakers rightly believed that a public official, esteemed as he or she may be, should not be empowered with the authority to dismiss a prime minister. In a democratic country, the will of the people is the foundation of democracy. The prime minister is chosen by the public. An attorney general cannot and should not enter the political fray and dismiss an elected official in one fell swoop.
