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The occupation.That’s one word that’s been missing from American media coverage of the hundreds of thousands of Israelis protesting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s naked attempt to consolidate power by overhauling the judiciary.These strikes and protests are both welcomed and encouraging, especially as fragile democracies are under attack and fascism gains headway in America and Europe. However, if Israel, and its allies, truly care about preserving and restoring its democracy, then they must use this opportunity to rise up and challenge the country’s ongoing, illegal occupation of Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.Netanyahu, the herpes of Israel, is currently serving his sixth term thanks to a right-wing coalition of hardline extremists who share his maximalist vision of an Israel that exists from “the river to the sea” while occupying millions of Palestinians who live under military law, without citizenship, and endure daily human rights violations. For those who don’t follow Israeli politics, Netanyahu has a lot in common with Donald Trump. Netanyahu has been beleaguered with numerous corruption allegations that threaten his political future and could potentially land him in jail. Like Trump, he’s also enamored by authoritarians and is currently borrowing a play from Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who helped establish one-party rule by weakening the judiciary and neutering his opposition. The Netanyahus also love their conspiracy theories. Netanyahu’s son promoted a baseless conspiracy theory that blamed the U.S. State Department for the protests with the overall goal of overthrowing Netanyahu to create an agreement with Iran.Thankfully, a diverse coalition of Israelis isn’t taking the bait. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis shut down the country on Monday after Netanyahu fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, for publicly opposing his dangerous judicial overhaul plan. Israelis are out in the streets protesting for a robust democracy that has checks and balances and holds abusive power accountable. And yet this inspiring story exists side by side with 4.5 million Palestinians, who continue living under Israeli occupation under an unequal and different standard of law. Meanwhile, illegal settlements on these occupied territories continue to expand, fortified by Israeli military presence, funded by the Israeli government, and subsidized and rubber-stamped, in part, by American diplomatic, political, and economic support. To remove all subtlety about who reigns supreme in Israel, the country passed a controversial nation-state bill in 2018 that states, “the right to national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish People.” Basically, that’s democracy for Jews and inshallah for everyone else, which translates to second-class status and occupation for Palestinians.I’ve traveled to Israel and Palestine three times in the past decade. I’ve seen Israeli settlements continue expanding, eating away at an increasingly delusional two-state solution, in which Palestinian land resembles Swiss cheese barely held together with tattered duct tape. I’ve seen the country veer to the right, and much like America, normalize its once-fringe militant right-wing and religious extremists who now have power and influence thanks to Netanyahu’s ruling coalition. Speaking of religious nationalists, Netanyahu’s base in America is largely composed of right-wing Evangelical Christians who need Jews to control Jerusalem as a mandatory step to fulfill their fatalistic end-times narrative. They care a lot about Israel, but not so much about Jews. This includes people like Pastor John Hagee who runs one of the largest pro-Israel groups in America, Christians United For Israel, and has a history of saying troubling anti-semitic sentiments. But, hey, why let some anti-Jewish hate get in the way of building a cynical and mutually beneficial political relationship?Over in Israel, Netanyahu has similarly courted relationships with the most extreme figures to help strengthen his coalition. This includes anti-Palestinian zealots like Itamar Ben Gvir, who has been convicted of supporting a terrorist organization, and is now Israel’s National Security Minister. Netanyahu has rewarded and maintained his loyalty by recently giving him authority over a new national guard. (What could go wrong?)Unfortunately, the occupation has its costs and keeps score. The reality is that Netanyahu is the inevitable symptom and consequence of the ongoing occupation, one which chokes the occupied but also corrupts the occupier. On one hand, Israel champions women’s rights, the rule of law, and free and fair elections, while it uses the other hand to systematically demolish Palestinian homes, occupy their territories, and deny them basic rights. The tragic irony is that Netanyahu’s actions, and the ongoing occupation, are making Israel’s critics’ case that the country is not a democracy but instead a far-right religious nationalist state cosplaying as a democracy in the Middle East.However, this latest conflict, which potentially threatens a “civil war,” provides a valuable reset and rumination moment both for the Israeli majority and its allies abroad. Specifically, the United States of America remains Israel’s most robust and loyal ally, providing the country with massive military and economic aid. Perhaps the best way to be a friend is not by enabling and subsidizing terrible behavior, but by using that leverage to inspire better actions and conduct. Earlier this week, writer David Rothkopf suggested President Biden should consider withholding aid if Netanyahu continues to attack Israel’s democracy. Elected officials from both parties also have a role to play and use their voices to encourage Netanyahu to moderate his path, while also ceasing settlements and treating Palestinians as equals. Earlier in the month, a majority of Jewish members of Congress wrote an open letter sharing their concern about Netanyahu’s dangerous decision to overhaul the judiciary.Ultimately, it’s up to Israelis to decide their future and whether or not they want to have a democracy that accommodates its Zionist ideals and wants to be a shining “beacon” for all. That democracy must include Palestinians, and regardless of what hardliners on both sides say, the future of all peoples on that land and region remain intertwined and connected.One hopes this encouraging mass protest can inspire enough people in Israel to wake up to the root cause of the destructive right-wing militancy and religious fascism that will destroy the country from within.It’s called occupation.