Monday, January 12, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Arab Parties Banned in Israel
For decades, the Israeli government has boasted of being an oasis of democracy and pluralism in a region noted for authoritarian regimes. On the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs website you will find this description:
In several Arab countries and Iran, minorities are suppressed. In stark contrast, minorities in Israel are entitled to equal rights under the law and have judicial recourse to addressing their grievances when problems arise. These same minorities are represented in the Israeli Knesset.
The Associated Press is reporting that today Israel's Central Elections Committee decided to ban "Arab political parties from running in next month's parliamentary elections." From the article:
Knesset spokesman Giora Pordes said the election committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of the motion, accusing the country's Arab parties of incitement, supporting terrorist groups and refusing to recognize Israel's right to exist. Arab lawmakers have traveled to countries listed among Israel's staunchest enemies, including Lebanon and Syria.
Roughly one-fifth of Israel's 7 million citizens are Arab. The decision does not affect Arab lawmakers in predominantly Jewish parties or in the nation's communist party. The decision will be challenged before Israel's Supreme Court.
UPDATE: The generally right-leaning Jerusalem Post has more details on the rhetorical fisticuffs that lead to Monday's decision. A leader of Balad, one of the Arab parties, is reported to have said, "All we demand is democracy! What are you afraid of when we ask for equality? We are the sons of this country, we were born here and we are willing to treat you with equality, so why don't you? We offer to live together." A leader of the other banned Arab party, UAL, explained himself this way:
"We say, any vote given to Kadima is a bullet in the chest of a Palestinian child in Gaza," [Ahmed] Tibi told the committee prior to the vote. "Israel's problem is not Balad, not UAL, but the Kadima Party and [Defense Minister and Labor chairman Ehud] Barak. These people started a war as an election campaign. The State of Israel is democratic for Jews and Jewish for its Arab citizens. We never said that we don't recognize the State of Israel. We are part of it, but we will never accept Zionism, which is an ideology that aspires to banish us from our homes."
At roughly the same time, a leader of Kadima called the Balad official an unemployed bum and told him to "go back to Syria." The Jerusalem Post also notes that "in 2003, the committee approved a similar request to disqualify [the Arab party] Balad from Knesset elections, a decision that the High Court of Justice later reversed."
MORE: In the comments, jresponds adds more context, noting the other parties that have been banned in the past and the fact that few expect the courts to uphold the ban. Another Israel watcher suggests that the real concern for Israel is the increasing divisions in the Knesset, which if continued could lead to Arab parties voluntarily pulling out in opposition to the government, an outcome that would not help efforts for a solution to the regional conflict.
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Monday, January 12, 2009 at 6:12 pm
What's next: the Arabs have to wear Crescents on their clothing?
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As a Jew I am outraged by this.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 6:18 pm
So...racial purity laws next?
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Well, that's two out of three. The Arabs are largely (though not completely) confined to ghettos in Gaza and the West Bank. Now they're banned from forming political parties. As Andy notes above, only the Golden Crescent on all clothing is missing.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Hey dude, thanks for reporting on this, I mean it.
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Thank you Mike.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 6:28 pm
MS -- You are taught in Hebrew school to "never forget" the holocaust and the terror of the Nazis. It looks like a bunch Jews in Israel forgot. If any of the neo-cons call you out for being anti semetic they'll have to deal with me.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 6:29 pm
I love these guys. I'm so glad we send them $3 billion a year. What a great investment. What do we get for our investment?
Why, right now we're permenantly reclaiming large portions of Gaza! Money well spent.
Oh, also we get lots of respect for our investment. Today, Olmert publically stated that he "shamed" Condi Rice, and then pretty much called the President of the U.S. his b*tch.
Awesome. Our unconditional support for these guys is completely defensible. Now I hope they load up their American-made planes and tanks and go kill some more kids! We Americans know how to pick winners! Hurray for us!!!
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Waddles like a Nazi, quacks like a Nazi, flies like a Nazi, poops like a Nazi . . . yep, it's a Nazi. Somebody call Auntie Broder!
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Wow! "Nazi" doesn't put you in moderation purgatory but "p00p" does.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Waddles like a Nazi, quacks like a Nazi, flies like a Nazi, p00ps like a Nazi . . . yep, it's a Nazi. Somebody call Auntie Broder!
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 6:47 pm
"They're supposed to bring the news to you unbiased. They're supposed to actually report it and then let you make your opinion...not giving it any kind of slants. That's how news is supposed to be reported. Somewhere along the line they forgot that. As opposed to a commentary from them. "
- Joe the War Correspondent(formerly Joe the Welfare Recipient, formerly Joe the Plumber)
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JOE: The story here is people are being killed and the media's slanting it and trying to make it Hamas is, uh, as far as, that Israel's being bad. Do you believe Israel is bad?
REPORTER: Do I believe it?
JOE: Yeah, do you?!
REPORTER: I'm Israeli, so…
JOE: So answer the question!
REPORTER: No, I don't think Israel is bad.
JOE: Do you think Israel has every right to protect itself?
REPORTER: Yeah.
[pause]
JOE: You do?!
REPORTER: Yeah.
JOE: Have you said that on air?
REPORTER: I'm just a reporter.
http://firedoglake.com/2009/01/12/joe-the-plumber-exposes-blatantly-pro-hamas-israeli-reporter/
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I'm just glad we don't live in a culture w/ a media that fetishizes the idea of the inherent real world intelligence of 'the regular guy'. Oh wait!
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 6:48 pm
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With this post, I figure that proving Godwin's Law was inevitable.
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Andy from MA: It looks like a bunch of Jews in Israel forgot.
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People remember easily enough, but learning? Not so much.
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Monday, January 12, 2009 at 6:50 pm
"US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was left shame-faced after President George W. Bush ordered her to abstain in a key UN vote on the Gaza war, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday.
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"She was left shamed. A resolution that she prepared and arranged, and in the end she did not vote in favour," Olmert said in a speech in the southern town of Ashkelon.
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"I said 'get me President Bush on the phone'. They said he was in the middle of giving a speech in Philadelphia. I said I didn't care. 'I need to talk to him now'. He got off the podium and spoke to me.
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"I told him the United States could not vote in favour. It cannot vote in favour of such a resolution. He immediately called the secretary of state and told her not to vote in favour."
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http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gD-QcI_C-CrcqfSZBh6A5_e514Zw
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 6:52 pm
In spite of the earlier go-round on related topics, I can't support this, and it's not in keeping with the Israel I'd read about.
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Are we sure this is the _entire_ story? Is the MSM leaving out something intentionally to provoke a negative response? Wouldn't be the first time...
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:01 pm
"Are we sure this is the _entire_ story?"
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Mr. Nice Guy: "It CAN'T be true, because Israel is beyond reproach! Must be the MSM!"
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:06 pm
They really don;'t care about world opinion, do they? To do this in the middle what's going on in Gaza is almost too much.
http://www.political-buzz.com/
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:11 pm
bbpdx: "It _has_ to be true, because it's Israel doing it!"
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Oh, and you might want to grab a napkin to wipe the slobber off your chin...
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:20 pm
In spite of the earlier go-round on related topics, I can't support this, and it's not in keeping with the Israel I'd read about.
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What Israel did you read about? The one that effectively bars Arabs from owning property or even access to certain public beaches?
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This current situation that had upset yourself is actually nothing new either. There's long been laws banning political parties in Israel should they "deny the existence of the State of Israel". This verbiage, of course, is also used to ban parties that simply want equal rights for all of Israel's citizens.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Mr. Nice Guy reads about the Israel he wants to read about.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:23 pm
When does our investment in blood and treasure to bring democracy to the middle east start to pay dividends?
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Mr Nice Guy is engaging and we should answer his questions with information, not put downs. It is not difficult to support Israel's aspirations and those of the Palestinians. It is not difficult to ask pointed questions of each party. If we want to get some consensus then let's hold the leaders at the other end of the Mediterranean accountable. And our own, too. If Olmert's put down of Condi is correct (and the reporting points that way) then I hope Olmert heads of to prison once he leaves office. On the face of it he looks two faced. His public posture is one thing, his private concession that Palestine has a right to co-exist is a source of confusion.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Just so yall know, Mr Nice Guy is a racist so there is no use in engaging him on this topic.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:26 pm
"Are we sure this is the _entire_ story? Is the MSM leaving out something intentionally to provoke a negative response? Wouldn't be the first time..."
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Well, I will complement you, MNG, for at least considering this possibility.
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However, the Israel you read about?
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It doesn't exist.
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I've stated many times in my posts relating to how Arab Israelis are treated, and well, it's up to you to believe it or not. However, the single biggest caveat:
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Racism is not a rare phenomona in Israel!
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:28 pm
sevenoaks07
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You might want to go back a few threads and see where MJG said if given a chance every single Arab would kill a Jew. No use in engaging that kind of jack ass.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:29 pm
I'll also remind you, MNG, of your comments yesterday referring to all Palestinians as 'pigs' and 'animals'.
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Of course, I'm gonna bet that the individuals who passed this law feel the same way:
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Pigs and other animals don't have poltical rights.
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The sweet irony...
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:30 pm
> There's long been laws banning political parties in Israel should they "deny the existence of the State of Israel".
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Wouldn't that, in fact, border on treasonous? Would our own government tolerate an anti-American political party dedicated to the destruction of the country?
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I sense the rabble is roused, again - the waters have been chummed - and rational discussion is out the window. I'll leave you folks to your echo chamber. Have a good one!
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:31 pm
53_3: no, I said _you guys_ were pigs. As in, "Don't bother trying to teach a pig to sing," etc.
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Sorry - this one caught my eye on the way out.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:31 pm
sg:
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You might be right, but consider this:
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"In spite of the earlier go-round on related topics, I can't support this, and it's not in keeping with the Israel I'd read about."
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That, my freind, is an inside-the-park home run!
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:32 pm
"Sorry - this one caught my eye on the way out."
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That leaves you with 'animals'.
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Still gone, MNG. You are without a doubt, a racist.
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Conclusion stands...
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:35 pm
sgw: like you I am appalled at the double standard in play; and I have watched MNG's posts. Did not reply because others did. Unfortunately, Israel is looking like being the 39'-40 German Army in Warsaw. In that ghetto Jews were in the situation Gazans are now. Don't Israelis see the connection? Funny things about historical memory. But we have a jackass in the White House for another week. Deo Volente.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Oh, here.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7825032.stm
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This is from BBC. Confirmation from three sources now. Two plus the horse at the source.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:39 pm
sevenoaks07:
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Have you read Leon Uris's Mila 18?
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It's a very interesting story about how the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto, faced with starvation and certain death by being shipped to concentration camps, held off Germany's crack SS troops for 44 days.
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It's a story of a people who had nothing to lose by fighting.
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There is a message in this bottle...
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Let me hop back in here, for just a sec...
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A. If I'm racist, so are you guys; you just think your "side" is in the right. If it were up to the Palestinians / Arabs, Israel, and all of its people, wouldn't exist.
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B. If I'm wrong about the Palestinian / Arab behavior, show me. Calling me racist says nothing about whether or not history has shown the Palestinians / Arabs have refused to engage in peaceful behavior. In fact, it says you don't have a rebuttal for it.
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C. I hope 53_3 and sg don't suffocate, giving each other hummers. Take a break, now and then, guys. I think there's a market for that kind of thing on certain porn sites, though. Tape it and upload it - you might make a few bucks.
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Ok, now I'm out.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:47 pm
sevenoaks: Israel is now an assertive power, confident of its American patron and ready to push its luck. I guess Condi must feel like Powell. Back when I was at university in the UK I read a lot about the Warsaw Ghetto. It is a story of extraordinary courage, imagination and sacrifice. The oppressed are now the oppressors. Yeah, yeah I know, they have rockets fired at them. They only have F-16s, predators, Apache helicopters and tanks to help with the response. The IDF is really poorly equipped to deal with Hamas's rockets.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:58 pm
What sort of "peace" can we expect in Israel if 1/5 of its citizens do not enjoy the rights of the 4/5ths majority? Isn't it the sort of "peace" that Sadaam Hussein enforced in Iraq? Is this what we mean by "bringing freedom & democracy to the Middle East"? The Holy Land is looking rather unholy to me.
The Constant Weader at http://www.RealityChex.com
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Congratulations, MS. This is the biggest firecracker I have seen on the Swamp in a while.
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Remember the expression, I have become my father? Some Jews have become their persecutors, the fascists.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Was brought with a pro-Israel bias - God's own people, holocaust etc but Israel's actions makes it really hard for its 'friends'. London has seen days of anti-Israel protests and most people are not supporting Israel.
If the Arab party ban is correct, that may just be last straw
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Let's be clear about what these Arab parties stand for:
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Their position is that everyone within Israel and the Palestinian territories should be included in one democracy - the so-called "One State" solution.
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This would make Arabs the majority and Jews a large minority. It would no longer be a "Jewish state". When Israelis say that these Arab parties "don't recognize Israel's right to exist" this is what they're talking about.
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Israel makes it sound as if these parties are calling for genocide of the Jews. They aren't. They're calling for all Palestinians to be included in one state with Jews and Arabs.
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I don't claim the one state solution is plausible, just that these parties are being misrepresented.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 8:11 pm
shaded: "If the Arab party ban is correct, that may just be last straw"
I'm wary of ever identifying a "last straw" in this conflict. But if America's current leftward political shift coincides with a big Israeli shift to the right, it could definitely get interesting....
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 8:14 pm
bbpdx - the straw is personal i.e. I will stop making excuses for Israel's behaviour.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 8:16 pm
updated above with a better explanation of what is going on, from the Jerusalem Post.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 8:17 pm
bbpdx, the one state solution is the only possible one to resolve the hatred and violence. If that does not happen eventually, Isreal will cease to exist. I belive that. The "Jewish state" is a fraud. The romance of it was established by Leon Uris novel "Exodis" and the subsequent movie. Stirring music and all. But the situation now is not fiction.
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Ahhhh, I am just disgusted and will stop now. Humans are crazy.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 8:26 pm
"At roughly the same time, a leader of Kadima called the Balad official an unemployed bum and told him to "go back to Syria."
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Stay classy, Israel.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Shaded, sorry I misunderstood. I understand personal last straws in this conflect very well.
bbpdx, ironically Israel is moving steadily towards a one state solution through colonization of the West Bank. They're going to wake up with a choice between commiting genocide, or accepting the Palestinians. We'll seehow that goes....
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 8:30 pm
That should say:
FORMERLYJAMES, ironically Israel is moving steadily towards a one state solution through colonization of the West Bank. They're going to wake up with a choice between commiting genocide, or accepting the Palestinians. We'll seehow that goes....
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Colonization of the West Bank? Settlement on Palestinian land not already stolen? Massive assault of Gaza? Good luck with world acceptance.
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 8:51 pm
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bbpdx: Let's be clear about what these Arab parties stand for...
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Yes, let's be clear about what Israeli political parties stand for, shall we? We'll start with who requested the ban in the first place...From the AP article:
Yisrael Beiteinu's platform appears to be based on the idea that there is:
The party's founder, Avigdor Lieberman, who is quoted as saying:
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 8:52 pm
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Last two paras are mine, and shouldn't be blockquoted. Having a preview function would be so helpful.
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Monday, January 12, 2009 at 8:53 pm
There are two things Michael didn't mention - one he may not know, the other he should, and should have mentioned in the post. That he didn't is at least tendentious - especially given his update.
1)There are currently two banned parties (banned by the committee and upheld by the Supreme Court) - the first was Kahane Le'Keneset which was a fringe group advocating the forced relocation of all Palestinians to other countries. It was banned from running in 1988. In 1992, Kahane Chai an offshoot group was also banned from running. Both groups were declared illegal in 1994.
2) Hadash is the "Jewish-Arab" party - the top of its list (and therefore its representation in parliament) is Arab. It was not included in the ban, largely because none of its elected members violated Israeli law by visiting Syria (there still exists a state of war between Israel and Syria), as Azmi Bishara (who is still the listed head of Balad - one of the two banned parties) did with two other members of Balad, while members of the Israeli parliament.
2)There is no expectation (except maybe NRP-NU nutjobs) that the Israeli High Court of justice will uphold the ban. From a labor MP who voted for the ban (in contravention of labor's stated position):
"It's true we said we wouldn't ban, but [Balad leader MK Jamal] Zahalka's statement that he was in touch with Bishara led me to think that we must draw the line somewhere," he said. "I'm making no apologies because I fight more than most in the Knesset for equal rights for Arabs. I know it won't stand up in the Supreme Court, and rightly so, because there is no evidentiary basis for the [committee's] decision
Monday, January 12, 2009 at 8:55 pm
sorry - three, not two - I waffled on the last one, whether it mattered. One could argue, that regardless of whether the ban will *actually* stand, and whether it is even intended to stand, the fact that the committee voted for it is sufficiently undemocratic to claim hypocrisy.