The Hour’s Call: Elections Now!

By: Tamim Abu Khait

After the thunder of cannons, the terrifying sounds of rockets, and the rumble of tanks have faded, the cannons of the judicial and governmental revolution have returned to the battlefield — with a series of legislative proposals accompanied by the dismissal of anyone who dares oppose the orders of “King” Netanyahu.

Thus, the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee approved the “Incitement to Terror” bill in its second and third readings. The law expands the definition of “incitement” and grants the police unprecedented powers of investigation and arrest — without oversight by the State Attorney’s Office. This law is clearly directed against the Arab citizens of the state; according to official data, 96% of all “incitement” cases during Minister Ben Gvir’s tenure were opened against Arab citizens. The purpose of this legislation is to transfer the authority to open investigations in “incitement” cases from the Attorney General’s Office to regular police officers — a step that brings Israel closer to becoming a state in which racists, under the protection of the police as the executive arm of government, act against Arab citizens with brutality and excessive force.

The Knesset also approved the Death Penalty Bill for Security Prisoners convicted of terrorist acts. As is well known, the definition of a “terrorist act” can include even stone-throwing children. Meanwhile, settlers who attack Palestinians daily, uproot trees, burn cars and houses, and prevent farmers from harvesting their olives — receive praise for their “patriotism” and for “defending the state.”

In his latest speech, Netanyahu paved the way for promoting a bill that would prevent the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7 and the war that followed.

Alongside these laws, it is becoming increasingly difficult to follow the numerous steps being taken to silence state employees who hold sensitive positions in government offices, judicial institutions, and other bodies. Employees are being forced to resign or are dismissed and replaced by more “compliant” figures — those who obey without resistance the totalitarian regime Netanyahu is imposing on the state.

In the Military Advocate General’s case (הפצ"רית), the focus was deliberately shifted from the central issue — the torture of detainees — to an accusation of “leaking” a video and information about those abuses, as if it were a case of leaking “classified security information”! Some even claimed the footage was “fabricated,” presenting this falsehood as if it were fact-based and legally verified — a complete distortion of reality.

The acceleration of these developments compels us to hasten the effort to replace the current government through new elections — now. Every effort must be made — public, political, legal, media, and parliamentary — to dissolve the current Knesset and hold elections as soon as possible, something that should have already happened yesterday.

Likewise, the President must be urged to use his legal authority to dissolve the Knesset, instead of the desperate pleas directed at him to pardon Netanyahu before his conviction is even finalized!