Will Israel escape civil war? Even if it does, it will surely lose its soul

The new law suffocating judicial independence will bring autocratic rule to Israeli citizens as well as Palestinians

Last Sunday, trains from Tel Aviv were stuffed with people standing all the way to Jerusalem, practically stuck together by sweat. On arrival, mass chants of De!Mo!Cra!Cy!" rang out through the train station. We were among the hundreds of thousands of giddy Israelis who swarmed the country with protests last weekend against legislation designed to suffocate judicial independence in Israel before a key vote last Monday.

But the return to Tel Aviv that Sunday night was different. It had been a long, hot day; the protesters were weary and a bit testy. Our train arrived at the tail end of a massive rightwing demonstration in Tel Aviv, with people who also flooded in from around the country and the West Bank, to support the government's plans.