Netanyahu’s crimes signal the deeper malaise he has created

Binyamin Netanyahu’s attempts to discredit the police investigations into his alleged crimes are already well known. Perhaps worse, however, are his and his cronies’ unprincipled manoeuvring to neuter the media, and their continual attempts to discredit the judiciary. They are slowly attempting to erode the checks and balances essential to a democratic society, and replace them with the idea that, having been elected, the leader is legitimised to do almost as he wishes. Parallels with the right-wing governments of Eastern Europe are clear. (Dahlia Scheindlin, writing in +972, and Akiva Eldar, writing in Al Monitor).