‘People in Israel are standing up for the legacy of Ben-Gurion’, says Labour shadow minister

Labour shadow minister Alex Sobel has lauded the “unprecedented” protests now taking place on the streets of Israel, adding: “People are standing up for democracy…for the legacy of Ben-Gurion, for the founding fathers and mothers.”

Pointing to the mass opposition to the coalition government’s proposed judicial overhaul, Sobel said that sheer numbers taking to the streets in Israel is evidence of anger “not just by the left, but by a whole cross section of people who believe in the rule of law.”

Sobel’s parents had moved to this country from the home in Israel in 1971, and he remains amongst the most knowledgable UK politicians on the situation in the Middle East.

He told Jewish News:”My father was involved in some very large protests in Israel in the late 1960s.

“But never, never at this scale.”

The MP for Leeds North West said the judicial overhaul proposed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition government had succeeded only in uniting people from across political spectrums in opposition to it.

“Having the airport closed down, having that many people on theAyalon Highway, really is unprecedented,” he said.

“We are not just talking about the left, we’re talking about a whole cross section of people.

“What’s happening now is an all out attack on the rule of law.

“And if you’re in the club of democratic nations you uphold the rule of law, and an independent judiciary – and that’s under threat.

“People are standing up for the democracy of Israel, they are standing up for the legacy of Ben Gurion and the the founding father’s and mothers of Israel.

“That’s why so many people are out on the streets.”

Sobel also stressed the importance of the Supreme Court in Israel, not just for the country’s Jewish citizens, but also for Palestinians.

“We’ve seen in Sheikh Jarrah, for instance, cases have been taken, albleit with Israeli lawyers, on behalf of Palestinians in east Jerusalem,” he said.

“And the Supreme Court has upheld those cases, and those people have not been evicted from their homes.

“If the Supreme Court is stacked with PM Netanyahu’s cronies, then will those people get justice in the way we expect to get justice.

“And that’s one of the big underlying issues. It’s about giving justice to everybody.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’reJewish, whether you’re Palestinian, Druze or from a Christian minority. Everybody in Israel should be given the same justice.”

Sobel said he would not rule out the possibility of Israel heading towards another election of a result of the “fracturing coalition” headed by prime minister Netanyahu.

“There is only so much fracturing you can do to the point where the government won’t be able to operate and that might come quickly or it might take longer,” he reasoned.

“But I don’t see people going back in a week or two from the proests going ‘Oh well, if nothing’s changed, we tried, this is going to carry on’.

“If think if more people from Likud, not from the parties further right, cease to take part in the government and the coalition is fracturing we could easily go back and have another election.”

The MP said he believed yet another election would not take the same route as the previous few in Israel.

He believes the make up of the electorate could be altered with younger voters, and those who previously hadn’t been so politically engaged until the protests began, now turning out at the polls.

“They’ll vote and that might see a different reflection to any future Israeli government, ” said Sobel.

Labour’s shadow minister for nature also noted the impact the protests had been making on the Jewish community in the UK.

He said he was “very pleased” to read in Jewish News that on Sunday the Board of Deputies had overwhelmingly voted to condemn the Israeli government.

“I think that’s the very first time the Israel government has been condemned by the Board,” he said.

“There may have been criticism when things had happened in the past, but not to this level.

“Deputies voted 83 per cent- 17 per cent. I was surprised, it’s very overwhelming.

“Considering some of the things that have happened with the Board in the last few years, this was such a strong vote.

“I think it actually reflects how extreme these measures are.  The Board is a traditional body.It’s not radical.

“But they have taken a strong stand and made a strong statement and I’m really pleased.”

During troubling times for Israel, and for those with a love and connection to the country in the UK, Sobel said he believed we have seen “an awakening about their democracy in their lives.”

He added:”A lot of young Israelis work in the tech sector, in pharmaceuticals, in quite innovative industries.

“They lead comfortable lives to be honest, you know the average income in Israel is pretty good.

“And I think what we’ve seen is a political awakening in our generation. A better appreciation of the value of democracy.

“And I think things are also moving here.”