From Begin to Benjamin Netanyahu: The transformation of Likud and Israel’s Right

The article contrasts the constitutional vision of former Likud leader Menachem Begin with the current direction of the party under Benjamin Netanyahu. Begin, along with figures like Dan Meridor, championed a constitutional revolution in Israel, advocating for the protection of fundamental human rights, the supremacy of law, and the independence of the judiciary. Resolutions adopted at the Likud conference on May 18, 1993, under Netanyahu's chairmanship, explicitly called for the completion of Basic Law: Fundamental Human Rights and Basic Law: Legislation, aiming to establish a constitution for Israel and strengthen the rule of law. Begin also worked to ensure the attorney general's independence, stating, "The government does not interfere in the attorney general's considerations."

"The attorney general of the State of Israel has a special status ... Because of that status, the government does not interfere in the attorney general's considerations, neither a government ministry nor the government as such. The attorney general has reached certain conclusions, and the government will not overturn them."

However, the article argues that Netanyahu has since reversed these principles, aligning with "Israel's most extreme radicals" and embracing Kahanist ideology. This shift is attributed to his personal legal challenges and efforts to avoid a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre. The author contends that the current government, including Justice Minister Yariv Levin, exhibits "absolute Kahanism, rooted in the principle of racial separation," and engages in a "campaign of destruction, vilification, and the complete delegitimization of Supreme Court justices and every institution charged with upholding the rule of law." The article concludes by calling for the dismantling of this "abominable Kahanist fusion" within Likud.