100 Israeli expats in UK write to envoy over laws that ‘undermine’ democracy

More than 100 Israeli expats living in the UK have written to the new Israeli ambassador in London to voice their concern about the stifling of dissent against Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel.

In an open letter to right-winger politician turned envoy Tzipi Hotovely, who is a member of Netanyahu’s party, they blasted recent Israeli laws “which undermine civil liberties, notably the right to protest”.

They also said it “undermines the values of democracy and tarnishes Israel’s reputation worldwide”.

Two weeks ago, Israeli parliamentarians voted 46 to 38 to drastically limit the long-running weekly protests against the continued rule of the Israeli prime minister, who is on trial for corruption.

They did this by banning Israelis from being more than 0.6 miles from their home and by prohibiting gatherings of more than 20 people outdoors, in a series of domestically unpopular steps that may soon be reversed.

Expats and others of dual nationality in the UK said the laws “unprecedently restricted the right to demonstrate, a fundamental right in any liberal democracy in the world”.

The signatories compared the Israeli action to their adopted home, saying: “In Britain, which experienced a severe first wave of Covid-19 where tens of thousands lost their lives… the right to demonstrate has been upheld and safeguarded.”