Israeli human rights defender Yehuda Shaul denounced Tuesday Europe's "silence" regarding the policy of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which he said is seeking to annex the occupied West Bank and transform Israel into an "illiberal democracy."
During a press meeting in Paris, Shaul said Europe's silence regarding the Israeli government's policy "is being strongly heard in Israel and Palestine."
Shaul is the co-founder of the Breaking the Silence organization, which includes former Israeli soldiers who denounce the practices of the army that has occupied the West Bank since 1967. He is the founder of the Ofek Center for the peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Shaul told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that his country is witnessing a "double revolution," an internal one that could transform Israel into a "completely illiberal democracy" - a reference to the amendments to the judicial system that Netanyahu proposed.
The second revolution was linked to Israel's policy in the occupied Palestinian territories, "which ultimately aims at one thing: annexation."
He emphasized that tens of thousands of Israelis are protesting against Netanyahu's attempts, especially in Tel Aviv, but everyone is silent regarding the government's policies in the West Bank.
Shaul said Netanyahu believes in the "law of the strongest" and does not believe in "human rights or liberal democracy."
He condemned international silence, noting in particular France's abstention from voting in late December on a UN resolution calling on the International Court of Justice to give opinion on the issue of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Shaul stressed the need for more monitoring by the international community, stressing that he is an "extreme" supporter of the two-state solution and sees no other way for the two peoples to live in dignity and equality.
