Israeli Influence on the Bush Administration (Was why...)

[barbara100 at jps.net]

It's just absurd to me that you'd talk about Israel as some bastion of freedom and democracy when it's only good for half the population. I might regret saying this, but better a Kurd in totalitarian Iraq than a Palestinian in democratic Israel.

http://daily.stanford.edu/tempo?page=content&id=10364&repository=0001_article

[  ]

Americans should not fall for the claim that Israel is a democracy like the United States. To begin with, Israel is a Jewish state where state preference goes to Jews over all others. Often, it is claimed that Israel gives voting rights to its Arab  minority. This is only nominally true.

The Jerusalem Post, an Israeli newspaper, reported on Jan. 3 that the Israeli government attempted to prevent two Arab-Israeli citizens from running in the  most recent elections. This is nothing new, as the government limited the political participation of Arabs during the military rule of 1949 to 1966. In the United States, even when we disagree with the perspectives of others, we allow those perspectives to be heard. That is the essence of democracy.

Not only is Israel not a true democracy, it is neither a bastion of freedom nor a  promoter of peace. It illegally occupies the Golan Heights, Chebaa Farms, East   Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip — all in violation of countless U.N. resolutions. Under the Israeli occupation — which is currently in its 35th year — Palestinians are denied access to certain roads that may only be used by Jews. Moreover, in 1983, the Israeli government’s Kahan Commission found current Prime Minister Ariel Sharon indirectly responsible for the massacre of hundreds (possibly thousands) of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon’s  Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in 1982. 

[  ]

Israeli Arabs face job discrimination that is perfectly legal under Israeli law. For example, Israeli employers are allowed to require military service of prospective  employees. Most Israeli Arabs, however, cannot serve in the Israeli military, making them ineligible for many jobs. Arabs have faced discrimination in obtaining state services such as education grants for the same reason. In Israel  today, Arabs are poorer and have less access to health services, education and state support than their fellow citizens who are Jewish.



Mutualcode at aol.com
> > > Perhaps the question should be- Why have successive U.S.
> > > administrations failed to recognize their duty and obligations
> > > toward the one flicker of Democracy in the middle east for so
> > > long? What were the fears of being called "too supportive" of 
> > > Israel based on?

barbara100 at jps.net
> > This is satire, right? Please tell me you're not serious...
> > 
> > 
Mutualcode at aol.com
> It's straight up. Let's hear your position.
> 
> respectfully
> 
> 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://waste.org/pipermail/pynchon-l/attachments/20030227/f98cef2e/attachment.html>