Tel Aviv Mayor Issues Warning about Country Heading to a Fascist Theocracy

On Friday, Ron Huldai, the Mayor of Tel Aviv, warned that the country could very well end up becoming a fascist theocracy.

This is primarily because the incoming government is putting key education programs in the hands of extremists and is planning on neutering the Supreme Court.

Speaking to Channel 12, the Mayor said that they were transforming the country into a theocracy from a democracy. He added that the minority should not be suppressed by the views of the majority.

The problem

It was not just Huldai, but a number of other Mayors are also unhappy with what they see is happening after the election.

This response came after Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister designate, decided to hand over the authority of overseeing the curriculum in Israeli schools to Avi Maoz.

The far-right member of the Knesset is known for his misogynistic and anti-LGBT views, which did not sit well with many.

Huldai stated that the country would turn into a theocracy and they would become a Halachic state, which is a reference to the Jewish religious law.

Netanyahu had made the deal with Maoz last week to give him a new department that would be responsible for the ‘national Jewish identity’.

The agreement

As per the agreement between the two, Maoz would also be granted a budget of NIS 100 million and he would have a dozen employees working for him.

He would also have control of the Education Ministry unit that is responsible for overseeing the external partnerships and teaching that take place in schools.

This agreement has received a great deal of criticism, which includes from Yair Lapid, with the outgoing prime minister urging local authorities to push back against the extremist stance that Maoz supports.

A number of local authorities have stated that they are going to allow Maoz to make changes to the education curriculum.

More details

Meanwhile, media reports also quoted some unnamed members of the Likud party of Benjamin Netanyahu who said that they believed handing the portfolio during coalition negotiations to Maoz was a big blunder.

According to the sources, the negotiators did not understand the scope, or the importance, of the education division that Maoz had asked for.

A source said that they did not realize they had handed over the keys to Maoz and it had now become a double catastrophe.

However, Huldai was not just unhappy about the education issue, but was also concerned about the plans of the incoming government of overriding law that would permit the Knesset to impose legislation, which the Supreme Court may strike down.

The Tel Aviv Mayor said that the country would not be a democracy because the majority would impose whatever they want on the minority and the High Court would not be able to prevent it.

Huldai was told that the people had voted for Likud in the elections, but he responded that people had chosen the leaders in all fascist states. He gave the example of Iran, which he said could not be considered a democracy.