Israel: Fantasy versus Reality

Yesterday the NY Times tried to shame Ilhan Omar by lecturing her about the admirable traits of the state of Israel.

Like many self-described progressives, Omar does not like Israel. That’s a shame, not least because Israel is the only country in its region that embraces the sorts of values the Democratic Party claims to champion.

That's a bold claim. It become a very dubious claim the very next day.

A decision by Israel’s electoral committee to ban two Arab parties and a candidate from a third Arab-led slate from running in elections, while allowing a far-right-wing candidate despite recommendations from the attorney general to ban him, was sharply criticized Thursday by leaders of Israel’s Arab community.

The ruling was called unreasonable and racist, and it sparked fears among Israeli Arabs that the country’s 1.8 million Arab citizens could be further politically marginalized ahead of April 9 parliamentary elections.
...Hadash party leader Ayman Odeh said it was ironic that “Kahanists, who believe Israel should be only for the Jews and that the Arab population should be forcibly transferred, are now seen as legitimate, while those who advocate for peace are not allowed to run for the Knesset.”

Oops! I doubt the sorts of values the Democratic Party claims to champion include ethnic cleansing and disenfranchising your arab population.
That's some very bad optics, but not out of character for the Netanyahu government because last year they passed an official apartheid bill.

Israel is in the throes of political upheaval as the country’s ruling party seeks to pass legislation that could allow for Jewish-only communities, which critics have condemned as the end of a democratic state.
The proposed legislation would allow the state to “authorise a community composed of people having the same faith and nationality to maintain the exclusive character of that community”.

In its current state, the draft would also permit Jewish religious law to be implemented in certain cases and remove Arabic as an official language.

“In the Israeli democracy, we will continue to protect the rights of both the individual and the group, this is guaranteed. But the majority have rights too, and the majority rules,” the Israeli prime minister said this week.

A vote on the bill is expected next week, although a final draft has yet to be agreed on. The legislation has been compared to South African apartheid by Israeli parliamentarians, and several thousand Israelis protested in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

Every time someone criticizes Israel there is the chorus of "only democracy in the Middle East" defense.
That defense needs to be updated to "only democracy in the Middle East for Jews."

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Following improved polling for Blue and White (the combined Gantz-Lapid party), a potent threat, the prime minister ratcheted up his rhetoric into the danger zone with incitement against the political representatives of Arab citizens, claiming that the Arab parties are intent on destroying Israel.

This outrageous lie and its dangerous message poses a real physical danger to leaders of the Arab parties. Some passionate partisan from the ultra-right could decide to take action to prevent those Knesset members from "destroying Israel."

His election day talk of "Arab voters turning out in droves" is old news now, when Netanyahu is leading entire election campaign which is steeped in incitement against Arab citizens and their political representation.

Not to be outdone, Minister of Culture and Sport Miri Regev began her primary campaign with a venomous video offering no details of her accomplishments in culture or sport. Instead, she vilifies Arab members of the Knesset one after another.

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Outsourcing Is Treason's picture

justifies Omar proclaiming one filthy anti-Semitic slander after another, as she has done.

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"Please clap." -- Jeb Bush

@Outsourcing Is Treason
Anyone who equates Israel with Jews is the real anti-semite.

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Outsourcing Is Treason's picture

@gjohnsit
the old double-allegiance smear, she’s talking about Jews not Israel.

And “Look over there! Israel bad!” does not make that shit smell better.

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"Please clap." -- Jeb Bush

Lookout's picture

@Outsourcing Is Treason

Are they anti-Semitic too?

An independent UN report into last year’s protests along Gaza’s border fence involving Israeli security forces, that resulted in the shooting deaths of more than 180 Palestinians, concluded on Thursday that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Israel violated international humanitarian law.

There was “no justification” for Israeli forces to use live rounds, according to a press release issued by the UN Commission of Inquiry into the 2018 Gaza protests.

“The Commission has found reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli security forces committed serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law,” Chairperson Santiago Canton told journalists in Geneva.

https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2019/03/01/un-report-israel-violated-internat...

I'm not anti-Jewish, but anti-Israel...as are many Jews. I'm not anti-Christian, but I'm anti-American empire. A country is not a religion....no matter how loudly they scream they are.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Outsourcing Is Treason

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"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin

Deja's picture

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@Outsourcing Is Treason
But it isn't Rep. Omar doing it.

There are real Jew-killing NeoNazis in Ukraine's government, and anti-semitism in Poland's government.
But for some reason no one talks about that.

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Raggedy Ann's picture

@Outsourcing Is Treason
justifies the hate toward Ilan Omar for speaking truth about Israel.

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Centaurea's picture

@Raggedy Ann about the fact that our elected so-called "representatives" in D.C. are on the take. They don't work for We the People. They work for the oligarchy and the imperialist military-industrial complex. They are corrupt as hell.

I believe that's what this is primarily about, and why the Dem establishment is so eager to go along with the Repubs to shut Omar up.

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"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

Raggedy Ann's picture

@Centaurea
with the shenanigans of Israel far too long. I couldn't be happier that Rep. Omar is speaking truth to power on Israel. It's about time. Many congresscritters need to be primaried and replaced.

For all the nonsense spewed by Herr Drumpf on "America first," he forgets to add the caveat "...behind Israel," for that seems to be the standard our government holds.

I applaud Rep. Omar! Clapping

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Centaurea's picture

@Raggedy Ann I just made a donation ($27, as usual so they know where I'm coming from), to help her retain her congressional seat in 2020. A side benefit is, I'm now on her email list, so I can keep track of what she's doing.

If anyone else feels similarly inclined, here's the link. If you don't want to go through ActBlue, there's a mailing address for sending checks.

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ilhan-for-congress

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"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

Just like it did here. I don't see how there can be any disentanglement, just more blind acceptance orchestrated by lobbyists.

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QMS's picture

anti-semite = negative feedback towards those who question the Israel apartheid.
anti BDS laws = unconstitutional lobbying efforts paid for by foreign interests

Kudos to Ilhan Omar for cutting thru the doublespeak and bringing focus on what the real issues are.

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The Aspie Corner's picture

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Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.

Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.