Draft:Deborahjay/Draft:UnXeptable

UnXeptable (full name:“UnXeptable - Saving the Israeli Democracy”) is a worldwide grassroots movement led by Israelis living abroad, active in non-violent protest...

UnXeptable was established in July 2020 by a group of Israelis living in the San Francisco area of ​​California, to oppose Binyamin Netanyahu, who is currently indicted on bribery and fraud charges, as Prime Minister. This is where the name comes from: The founders of the organization felt that having a person under indictment for bribery and fraud is unacceptable - hence the name UnXeptable.

The founding team included Ofir Gotelzon, Racheli Betish-Levkovitz, Neri Leif Choma, Gershon Diner, Itai Beck and Guy Horowitz. Since the establishment of the 37th Israeli government, UnXeptable has focused actions on protesting against the changes in the Israeli legal system.

As of the beginning of June 2023, the movement has approximately ten thousand members, who take part in the movement's various actions - demonstrations, WhatsApp groups, and in online events (via Zoom), holding information sessions for both Jews and Israeli's abroad, and more.

The organization is composed of both Jews and others who define themselves as supporters of a democratic Israel, from Australia and Japan, through Europe, to North America. The largest concentrations are in New York City, San Francisco and Toronto.

Name and Logo

The name "UnXeptable" was coined by Neri Leif-Huma and the logo was designed by Roni Dunewitz. The "X" represents the Hebrew letter “Alef” - the initial letter of the phrase Ain Matsav, an expression in Hebrew corresponding to the American English idiom "No way!" (literally: "there is no situation"). "Ain Matzav" was the name of an Israeli protest group from 2020 founded by Brigadier General (res.) Amir Haskel, opposing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu continuing to lead Israel's government while on trial for corruption charges..

Methods of Activity

• Weekly solidarity demonstrations around the world, from Australia and Japan, through Europe, to North America. Demonstrations were held in front of the Israeli embassies (for example in Washington, London, Paris and Berlin), in front of the European Parliament, in front of the White House and in main sites in the big cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, Miami, Boston, Toronto, Vancouver, Basel, Sofia, Madrid, Copenhagen, London and more - over fifty cities in the world.
• Organizing protest actions against politicians from Israel who are partners in promoting the changes in the justice system. At the beginning of June 2023, about 400 people demonstrated in New Jersey against Simcha Rothman who spoke to the ultra-Orthodox community.
• Edited videos that are distributed on social networks and projected on the giant screen at the main demonstrations in Kaplan. Already in the first months of its operation, videos from protest groups around the world were projected on the side of a building in Paris Square in Jerusalem, in support of the demonstrators during a demonstration in Israel.
• Organizing online lectures in English intended for the Jewish and Israeli public abroad with speakers including former High Court President Dorit Beinisch, Moshe Ya'alon, Guy Rolnik, Prof. Amnon Reichman and others.
• Writing petitions and signing supporters, calling on international institutions such as the European Union and Jewish institutions such as the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) to act or to take a clear position against the legal reform.
• Organizing a protest as part of the special World Zionist Congress, on the occasion of 75 years of Israel's independence held in Israel in April 2023, including a march of hundreds of representatives (out of about five hundred and eighty delegates) to the Supreme Court, in protest against the changes in the judicial system.
• Holding meetings with local Jewish communities to inform and discuss the situation.
• The inclusion of Diaspora Jewry in the protest, young people, adults and even rabbis, even though loyalty to the State of Israel and the government of Israel is embedded in the Jewish communities, and it is very difficult for them to express opposition to Israel. Some say that in this protest the conservative and reformist communities in the United States feel threatened by what is happening in Israel, they feel that Israel as they knew it is being taken from them and in their understanding, the demonstration is not against Israel but in favor of it, it is not political but comes from the love of the country and the desire to preserve democracy. In the article about the presence of Rabbi J. Rosenbaum from Seattle at the front of the protest, it is clarified that it is not about progressive young people who oppose the occupation but about adults, clear supporters of Israel who see the planned moves as an existential danger to the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Rabbi Rosenbaum explained that the Jews of the world must not remain silent, that the danger to Israel's existence requires the extraordinary step of taking to the streets in solidarity with the demonstrators in Israel, all this to protect democracy in Israel.
• Inclusion of religious LGBT people in the protest. Rabbi Amichai Lau-Levi from New York, who helped organize one of the first demonstrations and even spoke at it, shared with the reporter his feeling that, as a proud rabbi, he feels that his Judaism is under attack.

Topics of protests

Balfour Protest (July 2020 – June 2021)

In the beginning, the group focused on solidarity demonstrations and support for the Balfour protest. After a one-time demonstration in San Francisco, following requests from all over the US, demonstrations were organized in dozens of other cities, both in the US and around the world. The demonstrators chanted, among other things: "No to corruption, no to hatred, and no to a prime minister accused of felonies" and "It is good to protest for our country", explaining that they were protesting in support of their families living in Israel and they were "in favor of a protest in the name of democracy, a protest that holds that a person on trial for felonies cannot serve as prime minister".

Working under the restrictions of the COVID-19 outbreak, groups of Israelis flew to Washington DC to support the peace agreements while at the same time protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, indicted on bribery and fraud charges, representing Israel in the historic signing of the Abraham Accords. Gonen Ben Yitzhak, one of the leaders of the Balfour protest, also participated in this protest.

UnXeptable also assisted in the campaign "My vote is going to help make change" to encourage voting for the 2021 elections. Israelis residing abroad can exercise their right to vote in person at an assigned polling station nearest their last registered address in Israel; absentee ballots are available only to diplomatic staff and the merchant marine.

After the Balfour Protests came to an end, and with the establishment of the thirty sixth government of Israel, UnXeptable activities were put on hold.

Protests against the "Levin Reforms" to the Israeli legal system (January 2023 – ongoing)

In January 2023, immediately upon the publication of the coalition agreements for the establishment of the thirty seventh government of Israel, UnXeptable published an open letter on behalf of Israelis abroad. The movement is protesting against organized and structured discrimination, against the attack on the judicial system and the independence of the media, against the transfer of policing powers to extremist politicians and against the intention to change the Law of Return so as to exclude Jews who are not recognized by the Orthodox establishment. The protest in 2023 focuses strictly on messages for protection about the democratic and liberal nature of the State of Israel, while waving Israeli flags and posters criticizing the reform and warning against its legal and economic consequences and international isolation that a change in the regime's system could bring to Israel. The activists in the field expressed a deep fear of the reform being a regime coup, of harming the protesters' families if the legislative changes are passed, and expressed their understanding that the demonstrations are being used as an impetus to support the protest in Israel. The organizers explain their activity with a sense of mission and belonging to Israel and a deep concern about Israel becoming a dictatorship, as well as a desire to serve as ambassadors of the State of Israel and its values. They are also motivated by the fear that turning Israel into an illiberal democracy will lead to an increase in antisemitism as well as to the legitimacy that antisemitism will gain in the world. A few weeks after the publication of the legislative plan, and the beginning of the protests against it in Israel, UnXeptable began with weekly demonstrations against the proposed changes in dozens of cities around the world.

UnXeptable communicates with its activists mainly through social media that are organized into geographically divided sub-groups. The movement synchronizes the messages and activities around the world to transmit a uniform tone that all participants agree on, which is the preservation of democracy.

Funding

All activity is on a voluntary basis and without compensation. The funds for buying audio equipment, signs and other materiel comes from the active participants' contributions and crowdfunding by supporters.

Cooperation

UnXeptable often works in cooperation with a protest group of Israelis from Berlin called “Defend Israeli Democracy”.

Criticism

The main criticism against the group focuses on the question of the legitimacy of the intervention in what is happening in Israel by demonstrators who live outside of it. The opponents criticize demonstrations against the Israeli government on the grounds that they harm Israel's position in the world. Statements were heard that the demonstrators are "a different breed of Jews", that they are "exiles and harmful", whose purpose is to "please the gentiles" and help Israel's enemies, and it is also implied that those who live abroad are generally not allowed to demonstrate against the government in Israel

Additional concerns are that the protest will cause an increase in anti-Semitism, which will be perceived as anti-Israel or will harm Israel by providing "ammunition" to Israel's enemies by "washing the dirty laundry" outside of Israel.. A clear example of this criticism was given in connection with the demonstrations in Washington against Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in which it was stated that the American anti-Zionist activist organization Jewish Voice for Peace sees the demonstrations as an opportunity to encourage a boycott against Israel

See also

• Defensive democracy

External links

• Official website