Democracy and security - intertwined

This week ends with the first ever indictment of a former US president. It started with Israel’s workers, university leaders and students, and military reservists erupting in state-stopping protests over judicial overhaul legislation; the firing of Israel’s defense minister for stating that Israel’s security was at risk because of the legislation; and a prime minister who seemed intent on jamming the judicial overhaul package forward precisely because it offered a detour from the criminal proceedings against him.?

I spoke about these challenges on NBC-LX and with the Washington Post’s Toluse Olorunnipa .?The preceding week, China announced the deal it had brokered between Saudi Arabia and Iran.? Peter Baker in the New York Times offered a trenchant analysis of the stakes, to which I was honored to contribute.??As Baker’s piece underscores, the threat Iran poses to Israel was only heightened by this deal. The refusal to serve by growing numbers of Israel’s military reservists, particularly air force pilots, and the firing of the defense minister is that much more striking, given the regional context.??The courage of those protesting, and of the defense minister for speaking out, illustrate that preserving democracy and accountability provides the ultimate security.?