Ultra-Orthodox Broadcaster Says Israel Has Become ‘the Most Dictatorial Country in the World’

Ultra-Orthodox radio host Avi Mimran of Radio Kol Chai launched a fierce attack on Israel’s legal system and the media after huge Haredi protests on Wednesday night over the arrest of draft dodgers and the conscription bill. He said the street anger in the Haredi community reflects a legitimate use of democratic power, while accusing the governing coalition of having almost no real authority.

Mimran said, “We have reached a situation where the State of Israel is the most dictatorial in the world,” and argued that the attorney general is effectively running the country. “The attorney general is the one who rules the state. Does the coalition even matter?” he asked, adding, “We are not in control for 20 minutes, it is simply unbelievable.”

He also criticized how the protests and Haredi political moves were covered by the press. “I want to talk about today and tomorrow. We have a democratic state,” he said, insisting that if the override clause had hurt others, they should have understood that the Haredi public was finally making use of its democratic strength.

Mimran ended by comparing the treatment of Haredim to that of the religious-Zionist settler public in Judea and Samaria, saying that settlers are also “persecuted and hated” in Israel and have “shed their blood” for the country.