Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Reuters
When you get on a plane and the pilot has a kamikaze headband tied around his head, get off the plane. This is one of two important political lessons offered by developments in Israel and the U.S. this past weekend.
The other is that just because a corrupt demagogue is willing to use mob violence to advance his agenda, that doesn’t mean all public demonstrations are bad. In fact, when fundamental rights are at stake in a democracy—and other institutions of society have been co-opted by craven politicians—peacefully taking to the streets is sometimes the only way to stop kamikaze politicians.
Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump have made it clear they will use any available tool to protect themselves from prosecution and (even if it means bringing down their country’s democratic institutions) the rule of law and the country’s global standing. They have, for years, displayed their willingness to embrace kamikaze tactics for all to see, as both have sought to obstruct justice and attack prosecutors, judges, and laws simply because they threatened them personally.