The Iranian Threat

The Iranian threat is very real. Can one afford to be skeptical about the Iranian threat or even indifferent? Wars begin with threats.

The unrest in the Arab countries has given rise to instability in the Middle East as well as uncertainty. In Tunisia, the moderate Islamist Ennahda Party was elected. It seems to be pragmatic. In Egypt, the situation is more complex and the military still seem to be at the helm despite the elections. The Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist coalition partners - the Salafis - have majority support. It seems that the revolution in Egypt has not achieved the desired goals of human rights and democracy as intended. People who opposed the corrupt Mubarak regime and were in the forefront of the revolution are under threat.

Libya is in turmoil despite the end of the cruel Qaddafi era with warring militias making Libya ungovernable.

Syria is still being ruled by the cruel dictatorship of Bashar al Assad whose loyal soldiers are massacring thousands of Syrians without mercy. The Syrian opposition to Assad the tyrant is prepared to sacrifice their lives. The Assad regime is getting support from Iran who is also supporting Hamas in Gaza as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon. It is still not known how widespread the Iranian influence is in the occupied West Bank.

Despite the boycott of Iran because of its disregard of UN resolutions to halt its nuclear programs, the evil President Ahmadinajad continues to disregard these resolutions.

The instability in the Middle East seems to create an environment for possible Iranian domination. A paradoxical situation may occur whereby Israel, Palestine and the Arab nations are under the threat of the megalomaniac Ahmadinajad. The common danger to Israel and her neighbors needs reassessment and new alliances must be formed to oppose this threat as effectively as possible.

Ahmadinajad's Iran does not have Palestinian interests at heart. It has formed alliances with the evil Assad regime of Syria and its various proxies such as Hezbollah to dominate the Middle East by suppressing Iranian opposition brutally. The majority of Iranians oppose their brutal leadership and attempts were made two years ago to overthrow the Ahmadinajad regime. The brutal oppression of the Iranian people continues unabated

Ahmadinajad is taking advantage of the instability in the Arab world in order to create a situation of "divide and rule" in the Middle East and is using Syria's evil regime, Hezbollah in Lebanon and probably even Hamas in Gaza. The latter is Sunni and it seems odd that Hamas is accepting Iranian aid in order to destroy Israel.

This further proves that Ahmadinajad continues to provoke tensions and take advantage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to achieve his goal of domination of the Middle East. It is not in the interests of the Palestinians to kow-tow to Ahmadinajad's whims. He has often stated his desire to annihilate Israel and his nuclear programme is intended for that purpose as well as dominating the Middle East.

One can assume that all the people of the Middle East are under threat of Ahmadinajad's megalomania. Nobody is immune from the common danger to which we are all exposed. Nuclear bombs and the resulting fallout will destroy Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and neighbouring Arab states. Regarding Ahmadinajad as an ally of the Palestinians is naïve and the consequences of annihilation of Israelis and Palestinians is not as remote as many Palestinian pundits hope to believe.

Whether Israel or the US should attack Iran is a contentious issue and there does not seem to be any straight answer apart from "all options remaining on the table".

If a decision is taken to carry out pin-point accurate attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, the safety of the Iranian people must be guaranteed. After all, the evil Ahmadinajad regime was thrust on them by force and electoral fraud.

However one views an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, it is fraught with many risks and could only be achieved by a well coordinated attack on all the nuclear sites at the same time. Surprise is an important element here.

The success of such an operation is dependent on the support of the Arab world, including Israel and the Palestinians.

The danger of Iran with the nuclear bomb capability is obvious. It would be prudent for all the nations of the Middle East to lay down their differences and unite to prevent Ahmadinajad creating a nuclear disaster.

Sanctions against Iranian interests all over the world are important but it is unlikely that it will succeed. There will always be countries such as Russia and China that oppose sanctions. They will remain Ahmadinajad’s supporters.

The Israeli occupation of Palestine must not be used as a distraction in the neutralization of Iran's potential to develop a nuclear device.

There are signs that Hamas is having second thoughts about Ahmadinajad and his ally Bashar el Assad of Syria. The magnitude of the atrocities committed by Syria against its people is horrendous. While not belittling the Israeli occupation, the tyranny of Iran and Syria is not comparable. The attitude of the European Union and for that matter the US is not decisive enough to prevent the blood bath occurring in Syria.

A terrible human tragedy is occurring in Syria and Israel's attitude towards this cannot be one of indifference. The murder of innocent Syrians by the evil Assad regime must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. Both tyrants need to be removed from power and tried at the International Court of Justice in The Hague for atrocities against humanity.

Related articles

• Hamas ditches Assad, backs Syria revolt (blogginghounds.wordpress.com)
• Syrian Conflict Poses the Risk of Wider Strife - New York Times (nytimes.com)
• Fall of Assad will Break Syria-Iran Axis: Meridor (incaunipocrit.wordpress.com)
• Hamas ditches Assad, backs Syrian revolt (the5150report.wordpress.com)
• International Positions on Syria Reflect Conflicting Interests in the Middle East - New York Times (nytimes.com)
• Iran Hosts Lebanese Defense Minister - ABC News (abcnews.go.com)

The Art of Obfuscation

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The Arab world is in the midst of great turmoil because of radical changes. The Arab people, after generations of suffering under megalomanic, cruel dictatorships, have decided to revolt, ushering changes that will create a different Arab world. It remains to be seen the direction that it will go.




The buds of new Arab governments in Tunisia, and Egypt are starting to show after their first democratic elections in generations. There are signs that religious Muslim party coalitions will be taking over post-revolution Tunisia and Egypt in the midst of severe turmoil. The direction of Libya is still unclear. The secularists, who were the initiators of the revolutions, will be forced off the scene. These states are in the midst of confusion and the aims of the "Arab Spring" in the direction of democracy and economic stability seems very confused and unclear. In Syria, the uprising has become violent with President Bashar el Assad's forces massacring hundreds of Syrians daily. The attempt to overthrow the Assad regime is bloody and the opposition is being oppressed ruthlessly.


The newly elected governments have many problems to address. If the Arab electorate in the various countries undergoing radical changes does not succeed in creating economic stability, alleviating severe unemployment and the resulting poverty, very little will be achieved in assuring a successful transition towards democracy, human rights and dignity. The challenges are great and a successful outcome is far from being realized at this stage. There is seething dissatisfaction and the road to orderly change will remain evasive for an indefinite period.


The biggest fear by far for the West is whether the emerging new governments in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya will be pragmatic in its dealings with the non-Moslem world. Many questions remain unanswered. The hope of the non-Moslem world is that pragmatism will take preference over religious extremism, and its severe restraints on the citizens under their rule, will not be an obstacle to peace or a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.


In Israel, the attitudes towards the sweeping changes in the Arab world remain unclear. The present government seems to be obsessed with Iran's nuclear ability and its danger to Israel. There is much hype in the media about how long it will take Iran to develop its nuclear ability to threaten Israel. There is debate on whether Israel should attack Iran's nuclear facilities with or without US support. This could be a side issue to take the pressure off Israel in negotiating a peace treaty with the Palestinians. While the Iranian nuclear threat is being debated, Israel continues to build illegal settlements in the occupied territories.


Salaam Fayyad, the PM of the Palestinians, has stated that President Ahmadinajad of Iran is damaging the Palestinian cause by his bluster and rhetoric. He knows that the Iranian nuclear threat is no less dangerous for the Palestinians as it is for Israel. Apart from that Ahmadinajad's vision is clear - domination of the Middle East with Shiite Islam ruling over the Sunnis who are the majority. There is no democracy in Iran and Syria (a cruel massacre is going on there against Syrian protesters of the cruel Assad regime), Iran's close ally.


Israel is keeping a low profile in its attitude towards the sweeping changes taking place in the Arab world. It is consolidating its control over Palestinian lands and building illegal settlements to make the two-state solution to the conflict unattainable. PM Netanyahu speaks about supporting a two-state solution while his right wing coalition is doing everything to torpedo it. The art of Netanyahu Government obfuscation has reached new heights. Netanyahu talks about peace and a two-state solution and blames the Palestinian side for the deadlock.


Obfuscation is not only in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict but also in the way problems in the Israeli workplace are handled. Procrastination and ignoring genuine grievances and injustices is an art well-developed in Israel. While obfuscation in the Arab world is a result of uncertainties because of dramatic changes, in Israel it is directed at its citizens where intentional obfuscation is the name of the game. The purpose - industrial quiet accompanied by crude capitalist greed.


When one does not agree with the right wing coalition who is insensitive to citizen's grievances, the dissatisfaction remains simmering under the surface without any solution being found. Organized strikes are less effective today than in the past.


Inefficient people in senior positions in government departments who have a history of abusing employees and slandering them seem to be immune from being dismissed. This is common practice. It is hardly surprising when the "only democracy in the Middle East" is a democracy for cartels in high places. The government departments are filled with inefficient bureaucratic technocrats whose sensitivity for the treatment of employees in various sectors is almost non-existent. In Israel there is no legal address for employees who have suffered verbal abuse, slander and libel unless it is a newspaper scoop. Good manners are not a well known quality amongst many Israelis who have authority whether it is employer – employee relations or behaviour towards Palestinians when it comes to negotiations. The arrogance seems to seep through. Obfuscation is an art well honed.

Related articles

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• Russian veto threat turns tables on biased American policies (rayhanania.wordpress.com)
• Iranian leader warns US, Israel against strikes - USA TODAY (usatoday.com)
• Calvin College hosts Norman Finkelstein on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (analogmutant.wordpress.com)

Death 0f the Two-State Solution

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The Palestinians and Israelis have jump-started peace negotiations again for the umpteenth time, under the auspices of King Abdullah of Jordan. Dr.Saeb Erakat, the Palestinian negotiator admitted that these negotiations would lead nowhere.

Erakat is right. There will be no solution as the basic ingredients are absent.

One can assume, with reasonable certainty, that the two-state solution is undergoing a rather painful rigor mortis. When Israel's PM Netanyahu supports a two-state solution, he knows that it will never happen. Babbling about the two-state solution in ambiguous speeches does very little to solve anything. It just defers an impending disaster. We all know that procrastination is the thief of time and this is applicable here.

In order to achieve a two-state solution, the occupation must cease and the illegal settlers in the occupied territories must return to Israel within agreed defined borders when a final agreement between the two sides is signed.

The right wing Netanyahu Government coalition will never agree to this. So what is there to talk about - the price of cottage-cheese? The negotiations will consist of polemics, photo opportunities and in the end a total breakdown with an agreement between the two sides remaining illusive.

Prof. Hisham Awartani, Head of Economics, An-Najah University in Nablus, stated that there would never be a two-state solution. He stated that most of the Palestinian people are not interested anyway. Their priorities are economic - simply making ends meet and having jobs that can provide that goal. Other alternative solutions - if there are any - must be put on the table. Awartani claims that more and more people are considering a one-state solution and discussions on this issue are becoming more widespread. When a trend begins that moves away from a two-state solution we, in Israel, must adapt to the final consequences of that trend. Burying our heads in the sand is no solution. "Maintaining the status quo of the occupation" is suicidal. Violence and war between the two sides is not in anybody's interests and must be avoided by facing up to reality as it is, without populist clichés that solve nothing.

Failure of the two-state solution must be laid on the doorstep of both sides with Israel tipping the balance in its boosting of illegal settlements in the occupied territories.

Even the atmosphere within Israel is not conducive to a two-state solution. The Israeli electorate is moving further to the right with many extremist right wing groups going on the rampage in the territories, burning mosques and destroying Palestinian property not to mention the physical abuse of innocent Palestinian women and children. Graffiti by a group called Price Tag is scribbled on Palestinian property including mosques.

Is this a favorable atmosphere for negotiations? Even arrests of the perpetrators, if any, are rare.

It is also significant to note that PM Salaam Fayad of the Palestinian Authority has been emphasizing laying the groundwork for improving economic infrastructure for the Palestinians in order to create new jobs and strengthen Palestinian self-sufficiency. He does not talk about a two-state solution either. He is trying to prepare the groundwork for a change in the Palestinian economy so that they can be more self sufficient.

Both Israelis and Palestinians have to be receptive to new ideas towards a solution to the conflict. It is unproductive harping on the past.

Both sides are aware that we need a new vision towards a solution. The two-state solution is losing its practicality. This can be seen by the increasing establishment of new housing schemes for Israelis in the occupied territories allotted to the establishment of the Palestinian State.

This has made the situation so much more complicated. However, other possible solutions gaining ground are:

1. A Federal Solution
2. A Confederation Solution.
3. Bilateral solution.

All these solutions are in reality one or another form of a one state solution. Perhaps an example of this is the USA which is composed of a number of states under a single president.

In any case, there are no signs in Israel of any desire to reach any solution whether a one-state or two-state solution.

When apartheid South Africa began to crumble, there were signs of goodwill amongst South Africans of all races to make a new beginning. The white minority government became more accommodating to change. Separate amenities for whites and blacks were abolished and Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990 after serving close on 27 years. Practical steps were taken to ease a potentially explosive situation into a situation of reconciliation amongst the various racial groups in South Africa. Naturally it was not easy but the transition to black majority rule was not violent as most white supremacists predicted.

In Israel the basic ingredients for peace and goodwill with the Palestinians are severely lacking. Any possible solution will be greeted with opposition by the majority of Israelis. The only way they can prevent any solution to this tragic conflict is by maintaining the occupation by dominating the Palestinians by encouraging illegal settlements making a two-state solution unattainable. It looks as if this has been achieved.

Other methods employed by the Israeli government are the introduction of draconic laws that are eroding Israel's democracy. I have discussed this in previous articles on my blog.

Israel's supporters are quick to emphasize that Israel is not an apartheid state resembling apartheid South Africa. Unfortunately, the similarity is becoming more difficult to avoid.

On Wednesday, 11th January, 2012, the High Court of Justice made a ruling on the legality of the Citizenship Law that proves the erosion of this institution's role as Israel's guardian of civil rights. The justices of the court somehow were manipulated by the ruling government. Justified unification of Israeli citizens with their Palestinian spouses is rendered illegal in Israel. Compare this to the Immorality Act of apartheid South Africa, not to mention the notorious Group Areas Act which is another example.

The excuse - endangering Israel's security, is not always valid. Potential spouses can always be screened for security reasons rather than having heinous racist legislation passed using the security label as justification.

We even hear statements made by members of the right wing Netanyahu Government coalition emphasizing the importance of maintaining Israel's identity as a Jewish state being more important than a democracy.

Religious fanatic violence is on the rise and with it the intolerance towards those who are different are not conducive to a solution to the conflict. The ingredients for a solution to the conflict are being eroded and we are creating a prescription for a disaster. 

Related articles

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• PLO, Israel to meet for fourth round of talks (altahrir.wordpress.com)

Religious Extremism in Israel

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

What next?


A direct line
Leads from
The anti-democratic legislation
In the Knesset,
Through the violent rampage
Of the settlers
In the West Bank,
To the fanatical hooliganism
In Beit Shemesh.


What next?


Published in “Haaretz” - Gush Shalom, December 30, 2011

The past few weeks we have all witnessed the specter of religious fanaticism in full force in Israel. We are all aware of the return to religion in Israel as the Israeli Electorate move further to the right.

The despicable discrimination against women based on religious grounds, justified in the guise of “modesty” based on Torah teachings on the one hand, as well as desecration of mosques and destruction of IDF property on the other.

In my previous article, I discussed the "Price Tag" violence by religious "hill top" youth - the offspring of the loutish settler movement which became an embarrassment to the Netanyahu Government coalition. The official reaction was that this is not "mainstream settler ideology just a small minority". The point was missed entirely. These religious right wing hooligans got their education from right wing rabbinical indoctrination in Yeshivot in the occupied territories. The teaching of fundamental Judaism and hate for the Arabs became part of their education curriculum in these Yeshivot.

The last few weeks we were witnesses to discrimination against women by Haredim (Ultra-Orthodox) in East Jerusalem and Bet Shemesh. It started getting ugly and violent.

The Mea Shearim Quarter in Jerusalem is the home of various Haredi groups such as Eda Haredit, Toldot Aharon and various other sects that refuse to recognize Israel.

These religious fanatics breed like flies and their numbers burst beyond the confines of the Mea Shearim Quarter. They found a new home in Bet Shemesh - a town that is pluralistic with modern Orthodox, moderate Ultra-Orthodox and secular people. 

These religious fanatics decided to take over and coerce the citizens of Bet Shemesh into adapting their life-style. They started demanding discrimination against women on the sidewalks, buses and public places. They cursed women, who in their eyes, dressed immodestly. They even spat at women who did not abide by Haredi "rules of modesty". The situation in Bet Shemesh became unbearable and even little pre-teen schoolgirls were threatened by Haredi violence and abuse.

The handwriting was on the wall for many years. However, under the Netanyahu Government coalition, hell and brimstone broke loose. It is obvious that the phenomena of right wing "Price-Tag" violence against Palestinians and Haredi violence against women share much in common. It seems a coincidence that both groups created violence more or less at the same time.

Both groups believe that what they are doing has the blessing of the Almighty, they have been given a large leeway over the years for their brand of Judaism which is akin to hooliganism and intolerance intermingled with a despicable racism unknown in Jewish history.

The blame for these negative religious trends must be laid at the door of the Netanyahu Government with its extremist right wing coalition partners. These partners are Torah Judaism, Shas, Yisrael Beitenu, Ichud Leumi, and a host of other splinter parties that are illegal settler- oriented.

They have created a monster that has gone out of control. Even the police do not have the power to bring order to a situation that is becoming unmanageable.

I cannot help thinking of the Pledge of Allegiance Bill initiated by Israel Beitenu demanding an Oath of Loyalty be sworn by Israel's non-Jewish citizens that Israel must be recognized as a Jewish State in order to become citizens. The Haredi religious fanatics and the "hill top youth" are damaging Israel's world image. Why are they are exempt from the Oath and get away with this loutish behaviour? Hardly anyone has been arrested. The Eda Haredit does not even recognize Israel's right to exist! Their ally is President Ahmadinajad of Iran! The reaction of PM Netanyahu over these despicable incidents has been weak in order to maintain his coalition at all costs. It has almost been apologetic. Arrests have been rare in both cases.

This is hardly surprising bearing in mind the many bills being discussed in the Knesset that are threatening Israel's once healthy and vibrant democracy. Maintaining Israel's identity as a Jewish state takes priority over maintaining Israel's democracy.

Israel's citizens are becoming more religious and right wing and this will erode democracy even further. If elections were held tomorrow the elected government with its religious partners will be more right wing and paranoid than the present one.

Israel stands a chance of increased isolation in the world. The "hill top youth" and Haredi violence share a common denominator and that is their hooliganism and the impotence of the present government to come to terms with the religious monsters that they have created.

Lip service against these trends is not enough. Action speaks louder than words!

Related articles

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• Israel will take action against haredi extremists, Netanyahu says (jta.org)
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• Religion and Sex in Israel: Street Clashes Over Defining a Jewish State (globalspin.blogs.time.com)
• "A Tale of Two Cities": Contrasting BBC headlines on Homs and Bet Shemesh (cifwatch.com)
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Israeli Illegal Settler Hooliganism

THE GOLEM

Palestinian demonstrators Are being shot. In face of rampaging settlers, The army did not make Even a single arrest. For 44 years, the IDF Has pampered the settlers And enabled them To mistreat the Palestinians. Now the golem Turns on its creator.

Published in “Haaretz”, December 16, 2011 Gush Shalom

 

The "kippa, peyot and tzitzit" hooligans are at it again! They have attacked Palestinians and destroyed their olive trees without even a single arrest by the Israel police or Security Forces.

They began to destroy mosques and wrote graffiti against the Prophet Mohammed - still hardly a response from the Israeli Establishment.

However, when their vandalism destroyed and damaged IDF property as well as injuring two IDF officers, then words of condemnation and promises to arrest these louts were made by PM Netanyahu.

The religious, extremist louts, who damage mosques by committing arson are seldom arrested if ever. All this violence and hooliganism began when there were rumors of illegal settlements being dismantled by the Security Forces.

Right wing religious hooliganism swept out of control. Religious louts attacked an IDF base. They attacked the very institution that protects them in the occupied territories. Two army officers were injured by stones thrown at them during the attack.

The army hardly responded. It is still unclear as to whether the soldiers were in a state of shock from the attack or just never had the tools to deal with the Jewish louts.

As if this was not enough, these hooligans continued on their journey of hooliganism by burning and destroying mosques as well as stoning Palestinians. The reaction of the police was slow and cumbersome. What would have happened had it been Palestinians on the rampage doing the same thing but instead of mosques they had destroyed synagogues? The IDF would have been merciless in their reaction and it is reasonable to expect a massacre of the perpetrators.

The hill-top youth hooligans are a result and a creation of the illegal settler movement which has gained greater legitimacy by the right wing Netanyahu coalition with its racist ideology. They have encouraged hatred for Arabs, Palestinians and the left wing. They even pass laws threatening human freedom, freedom of the press, and the independence of Israel's Law Courts. The government wishes to interfere with the election of judges, giving preference to judges with right wing views.

The right wing religious louts who attacked the IDF base and destroyed mosques as well as spraying racist slogans on the burnt mosque walls inherited this loutish behaviour from somewhere. They received their idealism from racist rabbis who are heads of bigoted yeshivot in the occupied territories. The louts suck the hate from these racist rabbis like a newborn baby suckles from its mother's breast. The hatred is built in the twisted Halacha of these abominable rabbis. The Ministry of Education ignored this hate and by not doing anything must bear part of the responsibility for this racist violence that ran amuck.

There does not seem any end in sight. The settler movement is in denial by stating that it is a small minority of youth engaged in this racist hooliganism. This is not the case at all! This dangerous violence is on the increase because of the indifference of the government to Jewish violence against Palestinians. If one denies the existence of a reality then that reality boomerangs on the deniers. Nobody is immune to it.
“First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me”.
Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)

The authorities have made some arrests but it is only the tip of the iceberg. These hooligans' faith is Judaism and not Islam and they will be released shortly. They are not Palestinians and for this reason these incidents will soon be forgotten until the next time.

Jewish terrorists are “kosher” but not Palestinian terror. The proof of this will be seen within the coming weeks.

This is not the first time that Jewish religious louts have destroyed mosques. It has happened many times in the past. It would have been another blip on the TV screen soon to be forgotten had they not attacked an IDF base.

There is even doubts expressed by spokesmen of this loutish Netanyahu coalition as to whether these hooligans should be defined as "Jewish terrorists" rather than wayward youth. Present at the scene of terror as usual is the patron of these youth - non other than the honorable Knesset member, Michael Ben Ari of the extremist National Union Party whose platform is close to the late Rabbi Meir Kahane.

These hooligans are a disgrace to the Israeli people and they are legitimizing terror that could cause a knee jerk reaction by Palestinian extremists. This could create a situation that will go out of control.

While the right wing louts of Yisrael Beitenu, Ichud Leumi and a host of other extremist racist parties and their racist rabbinical allies continue in their systematic destruction of democracy, it only adds fuel to the fire of hill top youth violence which has been going on for some years. Nobody until now has ever been arrested. Only when the IDF base was attacked did the authorities do something and made some arrests.

Israel's electorate is becoming more apathetic and right wing. The Avigdor Lieberman and Vladimir Putin ideology is taking root and is becoming more active in delegitimizing Israel's non-Jewish minorities whom they regard as potential terrorists acting against Israel. Their warped ideology must also bear some of the blame.

The emaciated left wing has been conspicuous by its silence because it has been cowered into a corner by the government. The left wing as represented by the Labor Party is a sop to the right. Meretz barely exists. It is left to NGOS like B'tzelem, Gush Shalom and Shalom Ahshav to condemn this Jewish terror.

When this ugly cancer of the offspring of illegal settlers is not halted by existing laws but and not carried out by the appropriate authorities, we are doomed to further isolation and estrangement by the world of nations. This right wing hooliganism is more widespread than the government believes.

We Israelis must go out in the street to condemn this racist settler violence in the strongest possible terms. This violence is a result of the occupation and the deligitimization of the Palestinians and their rights to an independent state. It is an evil ramification of over 45 years of occupation since the June 1967 War.

Related articles

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• Settlers hurl block at IDF colonel and attack base (thejc.com)
• New attack on mosque in West Bank (bbc.co.uk)

Something is Rotten in the State of Israel

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Something is rotten in the State of Israel! Are there raised eyebrows? Yes, maybe among Israel pundits in Israel and maybe in the Diaspora.

The rot is the threat to democracy as the Netanyahu ruling coalition with its undisciplined cartel of right wing extremists are coming out of the cupboard by introducing anti-democratic bills which are far from the spirit of Israel's historic Declaration of Independence.

The excuse for the introduction of these bills is to protect Israel from its enemies who are bent on delegitimizing Israel's right to exist. The definition of Israel’s enemies is becoming wider in its quasi-legal interpretation by right wing Knesset members.

NGOs (non governmental organizations) which are the watch dogs of human rights in many democracies are now under threat. There is talk of curtailing their overseas funding by limiting it to an unrealistic amount that will force them to close down.

There are a lot of new anti democratic bills in the pipeline that are threatening Israel's democracy. Discrimination against Israel's Arab population and non-Jewish citizens has already begun. The settlers in the occupied territories are gaining more and more protection by the government as the illegal settlements encroach increasingly on Palestinian lands. It has become more legitimate to make land grabs for illegal settlers. All is done in the name of maintaining the immoral occupation at all costs.

Essential organizations such as Adalah, B'tzelem, Peace Now, Mahsom Watch and many others involved in human rights activities, safeguarding minorities including Palestinians who have suffered great hardships and human rights abuses, are in danger of having their activities severely curtailed.

Over the years I have tried to avoid saying that Israel is an apartheid state with similarities to white South Africa of the past as the two situations are not the same. Today, however, it is becoming more difficult to avoid that comparison as the similarities are becoming less subtle.

Oh yes, numerous articles have been written refuting that claim. I myself had even written an article on that some years ago. However, I cannot say the same today. The articles always state that Israel's Arab citizens have their own representation of their choice in the Knesset, no segregated public amenities, equal opportunities, medical services, including hospitalization, and the list is almost endless. In white South Africa, racial segregation in public amenities and services was known as "petty apartheid". In reality, this is a misnomer because anything that is degrading racially cannot be viewed as "petty". In Israel, there is growing cancer of racism that is raising its ugly head. It has its origins in the nebulous neo-Kach factions in the Knesset of which Michael Ben Ari, Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beitenu, Danny Danon (He attacks leftist politicians and is responsible for closing down the Radio Station All For Peace), Tzippi Hatovelly, Ofir Akunis of the Likud are representatives. Accompanying these "bastions of virtue", are a growing number of religious extremists who hate Arabs and a large number of right wing Israeli nationalists who spread venom against the left up to the point of death threats and "price tags".

When senior rabbis, who are respected leaders of their communities, make statements against renting apartments to Arab citizens and non-Jews in Tel Aviv, Safed, and other centres what more can we say? We have the ingredients that are the antithesis of Israel's claim to be "the only democracy in the Middle East". The problem is that there are no democracies in the Middle East. The Israel Government has the “chutspa” to criticize the Arab uprisings in their direction when they themselves are introducing anti-democratic and neo fascist legislation. There are even twinges of religious orthodox and ultra nationalist extremism that is a danger to democracy.

It is sad that Israel is slipping into the grips of fascism. It will not take long before anybody who criticizes Israel's treatment of the Palestinians and the exploitation of foreign workers will be accused of anti-Semitism and treason.

If an Arab Israeli family wishes to buy a home in a Jewish settlement within the green line, this is followed by an outcry by the majority of residents against the family and they have to appeal to the law courts to grant them the right to live in the same town with Jewish neighbors. Even one Likud Knesset member praised Senator Joe McCarthy who began a witch hunt for communists - imaginary and otherwise in the US.

Apartheid is alive and kicking in the occupied territories where Palestinians are second class citizens at best and treated as animals at worst by "Gods Chosen People" who believe that they are superior and are the parents of the loutish "hill top" youth who destroy Palestinian property and destroy their olive trees. They believe that they are carrying out God's will by settling the whole of the West Bank calling it “Judea and Samaria”. PM Netanyahu supports a two state solution in theory but he knows that it will never happen as that state is already “Judea and Samaria”.

After all, what is apartheid? It was the domination of a white minority over a black majority in South Africa of the late 1940s to the mid 1990s when Nelson Mandela was released from imprisonment.

All these undemocratic bills with their fascist overtones are isolating Israel and creating a national paranoia within Israel. The move to the right with its dangerous consequences of a growing Zionistic religious extremism will be Israel's deterioration into self righteous totalitarianism for the sake of self-preservation out of fear.

  

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