Netanyahu Has Made Democracy Selfish, Opaque, and Violent
# Prem Sagar Poudel
The truth is, many have reduced democracy to a “brand.” If aligned with Western interests, your nation is “democratic”—even with human rights violations. If not, you’re swiftly labeled a “dictator” or “authoritarian.” This hypocrisy discredits democracy itself.
In the 21st century, the word “democracy” should symbolize freedom, justice, and people’s rights. But today’s reality is that some leaders have turned this word into a mask—a weapon to conceal their autocracy, ethnic discrimination, and military aggression. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands at the forefront of such leaders. Under the guise of “democracy,” he seeks to justify the ongoing genocide in Gaza. From the perspectives of China and Nepal, this so-called “democracy” no longer guarantees rights; it has become a web of death for innocent civilians.
Israel prefers to call itself the Middle East’s sole democratic nation. Yet Israeli forces’ airstrikes, blockades, and mass killings in Gaza expose this claim as false. The United Nations and international human rights organizations have reported Israel’s excessive military force amounting to war crimes. Netanyahu, however, attempts to legitimize all this as “self-defense of a free democracy.”
This conduct is particularly alarming for nations like China and Nepal. China’s understanding of democracy differs from Western individual liberty—it prioritizes social stability, collectivism, and development. From China’s view, Netanyahu’s “democracy” is a form of authoritarianism: interfering with judicial systems, suppressing dissent, and forcing millions of Palestinians to live without basic human rights under the pretext of “national security.” Such governance isn’t democracy; it’s the pinnacle of power lust.
For Nepal—which abolished monarchy and established democracy after decades of struggle—”democracy” represents a grand dream for its citizens. But when a nation like Israel conducts ethnic cleansing and occupation in democracy’s name, that dream faces scrutiny. Many Nepali youth now question: If this is democracy, is it what we fought for?
Democracy means governance by the people, where the state must protect citizens’ rights. Yet Netanyahu has weaponized democracy as a shield, violating international law and shattering millions of Palestinian lives. This isn’t confined to Israel. Globally, many leaders enforce autocratic rule in democracy’s name: the oppression of Muslim communities and journalists under India’s Modi; assaults on democratic institutions during Trump’s America. These cases reveal “democracy” being abused for power.
The truth is, many have reduced democracy to a “brand.” If aligned with Western interests, your nation is “democratic”—even with human rights violations. If not, you’re swiftly labeled a “dictator” or “authoritarian.” This hypocrisy discredits democracy itself.
To Nepalis, democracy isn’t just elections. It is the people’s voice, protection for the vulnerable, judicial independence, and public oversight of governance. But Netanyahu’s model of “democracy” centralizes power, legitimizes war, and legalizes ethnic oppression. Such acts destroy democracy’s soul.
More troubling is the global community’s complicity with this “fraudulent democracy.” Nations aiding Israel militarily and economically endorse violence as “defending democracy.” Yet who bears responsibility for dead Palestinian children, mothers, and medics? If democracy only protects the powerful and silences the weak, it isn’t democracy—it’s state-sanctioned violence.
Today, democracy faces profound crisis. Leaders like Netanyahu have bloodied it, transforming the word into something people fear. Unless the world resists this trend, history will remember ours as the era where massacres occurred in democracy’s name—and the world stayed silent.
From our core perspective, democracy is no mere governance system. It is a value embodying humanity, tolerance, and justice. Rulers like Netanyahu have deeply wounded this value. To save democracy, we must reject all double standards. We must speak against violence—regardless of its origin, religion, or target.
Netanyahu has made democracy selfish, shadowed, and violent. We must ask: Is this the democracy we desired? Or is it merely a pretext used by the powerful to crush innocents who oppose them?
The author is a senior journalist, political analyst, President of Nepal- China Mutual Cooperation Society and expert on international affairs.
