Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by boeingUH60 1062 days ago
Coup d'état - an illegal and overt attempt by the military or other government elites to unseat the incumbent leader.

How about not exaggerating first. I had to run to Google to see if Israel was actually having a coup, lol. A coup is not something I'll even wish on my worst enemy.

2 comments

Not all coups are violent/military.

Today Israel's extreme government passed the first laws of the judicial overhaul bringing Israel closer to an autocracy, where there is only one power, the government, with unbalanced and unchecked power.

The definition of a coup would include either a show of force or an illegal action. Neither of those is happening here.

[1]https://www.google.com/search?q=define+coup+d%27etat [2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d%27%C3%A9tat [3]https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coup%20d%27etat

Yes, that is a good definition of a coup. Notice that it does not require bloodshed or boots on the ground.

In a self-determining society or democracy all institutions are largely independent; this includes both the institutions of government such as the Executive, Judiciary, and Legislature, as well as the institutions of civil society including the press, academia, industry, education, religion sport, etc. In an autocracy, these institutions are bent to the will of the executive.

When a group in a democracy takes actions to corrupt or co-opt the independence of the institutions, it doesn't matter whether or not violence is involved; it is legitimately a coup, especially as far as practical results are concerned for those newly under autocratic rule.

You are quibbling about dictionary minutiae and ignoring the very real threat posed to OP, and his request for help.