Comments on: Israel’s new laws promote repression

By: Abban Aziz

Abban Aziz — Sat, 14 May 2011 21:03:21 +0000

Let’s turn the tables around. Should Britain be funding groups that mark each day the British Empire exterminated millions in their conquests in the late 1940s? All the people they made homeless in their divide/conquer policies?

No? didn’t think so.

More double standards.

By: Mitchell Cohen

Mitchell Cohen — Sat, 14 May 2011 19:16:15 +0000

To be fair, I would be against Israel fining private individuals who celebrate (non-violently) as this is approaching the undemocratic and Orwellian atmosphere. However, I think the rest of the law makes PERFECT sense. For example, schools that are actively teaching their schools that Israel’s existence is a “catastrophe” should have their funding cut off, whether they are an Arab school or an anti-zionist Haredi school. Politics aside, not every institution that wants public funding gets it (for example, there are special schools, like technical schools or theater schools that have to fight for it as well). Just because a country is a democratic nation does not mean they have to publicly fund any organization that demands it (regardless of politics). How much more so when it comes to institutions against the country’s existence?

By: directrob

directrob — Sat, 14 May 2011 18:17:04 +0000

Mitchel,
the state wants to stop funds for or give fines to organizations that commemorate Nakba Day. (according to Haaretz the law also allows fines for individuals)
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This comes close to the state going door to door to check whether an organization or individual commemorates (few will celebrate it) Nakba Day. To cite your words that is undemocratic and Orwellian.
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Nobody asks the state to fund Nakba day!
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http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/human-rights-groups-petition-high-court-to-overthrow-nakba-law-1.359802

By: Mitchell Cohen

Mitchell Cohen — Sat, 14 May 2011 18:00:38 +0000

“@And if the Middle East is so dangerous that you must commit war crimes, acts against humanity and uncontrolled child abuse maybe the Israeli’s would like to go back to eastern Europe so you may save your souls before its too late.”
Tariq, except that millions of Israeli Jews have absolutely NO connection to Europe (family or otherwise), so telling them to “go back to there” is an exercise in futility.

By: Mitchell Cohen

Mitchell Cohen — Sat, 14 May 2011 17:54:55 +0000

“@mitchel, though it would help the state does not need to fund a Nakba day. This law however smells as coming from minitrue. It denies people the right to remember their past. This law on its own defines Israel as an undemocratic state.”

DirectRob: If Israel went house to house to see who was celebrating what, that would be undemocratic and Orwellian. The fact that Israel refuses to publicly fund a day that considers it’s founding a “catastrophe” is not only NOT undemocratic, but quite normal.

By: directrob

directrob — Sat, 14 May 2011 16:00:38 +0000

Abban,
Remembering the Nakba is something all Israeli could do.

By: Tariq Masad

Tariq Masad — Sat, 14 May 2011 12:28:30 +0000

@Abban Aziz “If Israel is such a terrible nation for Arabs they have 23 other states to choose from”. And if the Middle East is so dangerous that you must commit war crimes, acts against humanity and uncontrolled child abuse maybe the Israeli’s would like to go back to eastern Europe so you may save your souls before its too late.

By: Abban Aziz

Abban Aziz — Sat, 14 May 2011 00:57:47 +0000

“This law however smells as coming from minitrue. It denies people the right to remember their past.”

Rhetoric. Israel’s university system is one of the most self-critical and self-loathing in the developed world. No other Western country has government-employed academics that participate in boycotts of said government.

The Arab-Israeli founder of the BDS movement is currently enrolled in…an Israeli university.

This needs to stop.

The Israeli Arabs behave like a fifth column. They don’t have to serve in the military, they go straight to university, they get special subsidies not afforded to Jews, and they breed like rabbits.

The only demographic worse is the extreme orthodox who get the same privileges as Arabs but even more money and tax credits.

Arab Christians and Jews hold the state together.

As far as this law goes, why the heck should the government be financing movements that condemn its existence? If Israel is such a terrible nation for Arabs they have 23 other states to choose from. Feel free to move.

By: directrob

directrob — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:55:21 +0000

@mitchel, though it would help the state does not need to fund a Nakba day. This law however smells as coming from minitrue. It denies people the right to remember their past. This law on its own defines Israel as an undemocratic state.

By: Mitchell Cohen

Mitchell Cohen — Fri, 13 May 2011 08:57:41 +0000

“The Knesset approved a new law stating that organisations and institutions that commemorate Nakba Day, “deny the Jewish and democratic character of the State”, and shall not receive public funds. Thus, even in the Arab schools within Israel, the Nakba must be erased. So much for democratic contestation and multiculturalism.”

Why in the world would a sovereign country publicly fund a day that considers it’s founding a “catastrophe”? Haredi schools that don’t follow certain criteria also don’t get funded by the government. That is why there are private schools.
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• The Knesset has approved a bill that pardons most of the protesters who demonstrated against Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. Although legislation easing punitive measures against persons who exercise their right to political protest is, in principle, positive, this particular bill blatantly favours activists with a certain political ideology. This does not bode well for the basic notion of equality before the law.

Hogwash, there are plenty of far-left/Arab demonstrations going on all the time against the security fence, amongst other causes (the demonstrations at Sheikh Jarrah take place every Friday, for example).