Will this increase or decrease the likelihood of terrorist actions in America, Europe and the rest of the world?

If you were a member of a family murdered in this conflict, would you be seeking revenge?

Should Tzipi Livni and Ehud Olmert, be tried for war crimes if or when this conflict comes to an end?

What will the price of oil be in 4 weeks time?

Alarming Racism In Israel
By Stephen Lendman
4-12-10



Mossawa means equality, the Mossawa Advocacy Center promoting it for Israel's Arab citizens - about 1.5 million, comprising 20% of the population. Established in 1997, it "strives to improve the social, economic and political status of (Israeli Arabs), while preserving their national and cultural rights as Palestinians." It also promotes gender equality "in all spheres of society."

Its September 29, 2009 press release headlined the "High Follow-up Committee for Arab citizens (an organization representing Israeli Arabs) call for a general" October 1 one-day work stoppage to protest deteriorating conditions they face, and Israel's failure "to bring justice to the families of the 13 Arab victims that were killed by security forces during the events of October 2000," the start of the second Intifada.

The Committee asked all Arab institutions, organizations and businesses to honor it in opposition to Triangle and Negev area home demolitions; Galilee and Triangle area settlement building; discrimination in allocating resources; police violence, intimidation, racial, and political incitement; and the right of Arab citizens "to exist and live in dignity in their historic homeland."

Mossawa Center Calls the Current Knesset the Most Racist in History

A March 21 Jack Khoury/Dana Weiler-Polark Haaretz article headlined the above accusation, saying Mossawa's report shows "that in 2008 there were (12) bills (not 11 Haaretz reported) defined as racist," followed by 12 more in 2009, specifically against Israeli Arabs. Report authors Lizi Sagi and Nidal Othman said:

"There has never been a Knesset as active in proposing discriminating and racist legislation against the country's Arab citizens."

They accused right-wing MKs of being "unhindered via proposed legislation," many in violation of Supreme Court rulings, including cosmetically altering illegal bills to get them passed. Others trying to harm Arab citizens, segregate them from Jews, and "even call for the expulsion of the (entire) Arab population."

Further discriminatory measures target services, benefits, and imposing a year's imprisonment for anyone publishing or saying something that would "bring contempt upon or discomfort to the country."

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz wants road signs traditionally in Hebrew, Arabic and English changed solely to Hebrew to erase their historic identity. But doing so violates the Supreme Court's recognition of Arabic as an official Israeli language.

Other measures target those who can buy land and the so-called Nakba law, watered down from its original version to exclude imprisonment, but including a provision to withhold public funding for any state-supported body holding Nakba commemorations. Arab school curricula exclude its mention, and outright banning it denies Israeli Arabs their collective identity, memory, and right to freely express opinions, especially about something this important.

The Incitement Law threatens prison for anyone denying Israel's existence as a Jewish, democratic state, and the proposed Loyalty to Israel Law rescinds citizenship for anyone unwilling to pledge it. Still another measure bans demonstrations near public officials and service provider homes as well as others responsible for public welfare. It's one step short of prohibiting all demonstrations critical of government policies.

The Prevention of Inflation Law includes provisions denying protections and care for asylum seekers, and long prison terms for convicted "infiltrators" and human rights activists helping them. Other measures affect free expression, housing, political involvement, and Bedouin rights in so-called unrecognized villages, the home for tens of thousands living under appalling conditions, compounded by involuntary dispossessions to Judaize the Negev and Galilee.

Mossawa Center's 2009 Racism Report

It began saying "almost every day" another Israeli Arab is victimized by racist actions. Mossawa documented 271 cases in various categories, confirmed by media and police reports. "Most documentation refers to events," not individuals, but their total number far exceeds the events mentioned.

Mossawa was alarmed that Occupied Territory (OPT) abuses have incrementally crossed the Green Line. Since the second Intifada's onset (after Ariel Sharon's provocative September 28 Al-Aqsa Mosque visit), few Israeli - Arab citizen confrontations occurred until Acre, Galilee's October 2008 violence. Incidents now "create separation between communities that used to" coexist peacefully. As a result, Israeli Arab citizens face disruptive social, economic and cultural futures.

Besides Acre, organized groups attacked Arab civilians in Jerusalem, Tiberias, Nazareth Illit, Carmiel and other cities - suggesting more to come unless measures are taken to curb it.

Specific Mossawa Findings

From 2000 through 2008, 42 Arab Israelis were killed. Only once was a police officer indicted and convicted, sentenced only to six months in prison for murder. Another accused officer still serves, "receiving support" from his commander.

Since trials of two officers began in 2006, judges have delayed ruling, six months after proceedings ended. As a result, 13 families of initial Intifada killings await justice despite clear Or Commission recommendations (established to investigate them) not implemented by the Attorney General.

Two Jews who killed Arabs were admitted to mental hospitals and declared unfit to stand trial. Four years after Natan Zadah killed four Arabs, investigations continue. After his death, 15 Shefaram residents were arrested on suspicion of their involvement. Four East Jerusalem Palestinians were killed after being repeatedly shot "even after they were clearly paralyzed." No investigation was conducted.

Police attacked and injured 17 Israeli Arabs, a 300% increase since 2008. During the Gaza war, police intensified violence and arrested 700 Arab citizens. Yet a small number of them were indicted.

Jewish civilians were involved in most racist incidents (about 70), up tenfold from the previous year. Most targeted Arabs and involved attacks and property destruction. The October 2008 Acre incidents resulted in over 80 people evacuated from their homes, most after being "repeatedly injured." Despite making arrests, police "failed to prevent massive confrontations" and didn't arrest youths involved in Acre and Carmiel attacks.

Knesset members, other public figures, and rabbis were involved in 29 racist incidents, especially during the Gaza war, and in the run-up to elections through mass media reports. The Central Elections Committee (CEC) took no action.

The New Israel Fund and Football Union reported 39 racist incidents during contests, not against Arabs but dark skinned targets - compared to 32 recorded 2008 cases. Another 15 incidents of "racial profiling and discrimination in services" were reported, showing a drop because courts now fine business discrimination on the basis of race.

The Supreme Court, however, hasn't addressed airport profiling.

Ten cases of religious discrimination were reported, included cemetery destruction and holy book burnings.

The 2008 Knesset introduced 12 discriminatory bills, and the Supreme Court failed to disqualify the 2003 temporary Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, renewed every six months. It makes West Bank and Gaza Palestinians ineligible for residency permits if they marry an Israeli citizen, a measure harmful to thousands of families yearly.

Israeli Arab leaders have been systematically delegitimized. "Israeli political leaders, the government, the police and government legal advisors use the demographic threat to force their political positions on Arab minority leaders," including prohibiting their visits to regional states that don't diplomatically recognize Israel. Also forcing them to accept Israel as a Jewish state to qualify as MKs, or in other words, renounce their own heritage.

Arab leaders violating these terms are investigated to persecute and delegitimize them. During the Gaza war, police and security services made numerous arrests as a warning to local Arab leaders. In addition, for the third time since the early 1990s, the Central Elections Committee (CEC) disqualified two Arab political parties from participating in national elections. Though the Supreme Court overruled the decision, the Arab community got a chilling message, suggesting harsher measures to come.

Jews as well experienced racism, specifically Russian and Ethiopian immigrants as well as gays.

Summary of Mossawa's 2008 and 2009 Racist Incidents

-- police violence since October 2000 killing Arab Israelis: in 2008, 41; in 2009, 42;

-- other police violence against Arab Israelis: in 2008, 6; in 2009, 17;

-- Jewish civilian attacks against Arab Israelis: in 2008, 7; in 2009, 70;

-- racial incitement: in 2008, 27; in 2009, 29;

-- religious discrimination: in 2008, 8; in 2009, 10;

-- discrimination in public services: in 2008, 26; in 2009, 15;

-- football related racism: in 2008, 32; in 2009, 39 through March;

-- delegitimizations of Israeli Arab political leaders: in 2008, 15; in 2009, 23;

-- racist Knesset bills: in 2008, 12; in 2009, 12; and

-- discrimination against Russian and Ethiopian immigrants as well as gays: in 2008, 6; in 2009, 14.

Totals: in 2008, 180; in 2009, 271.

Mossawa was alarmed that Israeli Arabs are increasingly being persecuted like Occupied Palestinians - perhaps one step short of facing targeted killings, much greater dispossession rates, mass incarcerations, and torture. They're already denied rights afforded solely to Jews.

Civilized societies accept all citizens as equals, or are supposed to. Israel rejects that standard, including for disfavored Jews, shunned for more privileged ones the way America treats minorities, the poor, disadvantaged, undocumented Latino immigrants called illegal, and Muslims persecuted as terrorists.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://prognewshour.progressiveradionetwork.org/



http://lendmennews.progressiveradionetwork.org/

Fahel.

Thank you.

It is an informative posting.

Fred1new,Haystack,

I thank you both for your previous postings and your understanding, I know that you will be blamed by others and even using bad names who has the opposite views they always uses this strategy. keep and defend your right writing your own belief and views.

I received the following email,showing letter sent to the President Obama.

Quote
Mr. Barack Obama

President

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, D.C.



Subject: Mr. President: I Need My Money Back!



As an American Tax payer who part of his hard labor is deducted annually since over 45 years to give for free as a grant, as annual donations, to the largest recipient of American Foreign Aid, to Israel, I need my money back along with the compounded interest going back 45 years.



On February 23 and March 7th, 2010, I was, as an American Tax payer, whose country gives most generously and unconditionally to Israel, I was denied entry to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, my place of birth, by the Israeli Occupying authorities. As I frequently visit the Occupied Territories to assist duly registered business enterprises, specifically Financial Banks, in the development of their businesses, I was denied entry for the sole excuse of frequent visits that duly stamped by the Israeli immigration authorities.



Somehow, Mr. Obama, I feel you would, as an Afro-American most relate to me in my plight of discrimination and denial of basic human rights. However, my plight, Mr. President, remains a miniscule in comparison with the enduring plight of the average Palestinian in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.



Mr. President, my plight is further accentuated by a wrenching sense of a sad irony; of the travesty of the position of our Government that while professes strict adherence to human rights, I am denied entry to my place of birth, the place where I had grown up until the age of adulthood, until the age of 18, as hordes of American Jewish settlers, mostly recent immigrants, move in droves to occupy illegal settlements right next to my hometown, Nablus, in the West Bank, Nablus. As known to you, Mr. President, these new American Jewish immigrants enjoy full right of entry, residency, and, according to the Israeli Apartheid Law of Return, as immigrants of the Jewish faith, granted automatic right of Israeli citizenship with all the attendant equal social benefits accorded long-time Jewish Israeli residents. Thats the kind of Apartheid Israel where my tax money is going. Thats the discriminatory Israel, Mr. President, that your government elects to look the other side when it violates the very basic principles of human rights that our great American constitution stands steadfast in defending.



Mr. President, it all started on December 15, 1966, nearly 44 years ago, when I first left my home town, Nablus, in the West Bank, to pursue my University Education in the U.S.A. It never occurred to me, then, six months before the start of the Six-day June 5, 1967 war that my home town, then part of the Sovereign Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, would be occupied by the Israeli forces. Even then, I thought, to my great naivety, Mr. President, that the Geneva Conventions would be observed and that it would be totally inconceivable that I would be denied the right to return to my home town, my place of birth, for the simple technical problem that when the Israelis moved to occupy my city I was not there to be counted in the Israeli arbitrary and ad hoc system of deciding right of residence and the Right of Return of absentee students.



A few years ago, Mr. President, while made to wait at the Israeli immigration booth at the Allenby Bridge Crossing of the Jordan Valley, I jotted on November 6, 2006, the following down deep-heartedly felt musings:



Upon arrival at the booths of the Israeli immigration at King Hussein/Allenby Bridge at the Jordan Valley, the first challenge to one's sanity and self-composure pops unattended and most defiantly. Teen age, near 18 years of age, Israeli officers scattered over six to seven booths, command over the process of determining the eligibility of a visitor for admission into Historic Palestine and the occupied territories.



As I was questioned by a Russian-born of these teen-age officers, and as she intermittently reached to her other Ethiopian (Flasha) companion teen-age officer sharing the same booth for clarification inquiries over some details, my mind wandered, took a long trip to a recent past. Mind over body maintained full control over this most defying anomaly.



Here two recent teen-age immigrants from far away lands to my homeland, place of birth, question and determine my eligibility, a sixty years old native, for a short visit of my homeland.



As the teen-ager Russian born officer continued the cross examining of the purpose of my visit, the place, persons and addresses of my destination, I did a little fast calculation as to how far back I belong to the place of birth these two alien teen-agers grilling me with absurd questions to determine if they should allow me entry. I fast-tracked part, a small part, of my genealogy as committed to ready memory. I began: Rajai - Rafiq - Ali - Munib - Darwish - Hussein - Yaseen - El-Masri. That fast-tracked recollection amounted to over 300 years of ancestry that I knew and at times visited their graves in my hometown in Nablus. Compounding my irking the realization that according to an official documented Family Tree of the Masris, my family goes back to at least 600 years of uninterrupted existence in Palestine. This, mindful of the fact that during the rule of 1400 years of Islamic Caliphate, residents of the empire were never hindered in their movements and selection of residence in the expanded realm of the Caliphate. Here I am before two teen-age recent immigrant Jewish officers screened for eligibility to enter my birthplace as a visitor.



Dear Mr. President, for two months now, I tried every possible legal channel to relate my case to and request their intervention to solving this problem. Most disappointedly, the office of the American Consul General in Jerusalem brushed the case aside as thats a Sovereign Israeli matter they can not do anything about it. When I faced him, on the phone, with the fact that Israel enjoys a unique and exceptionally privileged treatment of the U.S. Government, and that Israel applies selectivity and discriminatory rules favoring Jewish Americans, the U.S. Consul General never responded.



Mr. President, I know that you could do nothing about my plight as a Palestinian American, and to that effect nothing to alleviate the plight and the enduring suffering of the hundreds of thousands, rather millions, of other Palestinians as a result of the U.S.A.s UN-Evenhanded policies as amply highlighted in a recent report by General David Petraes, however, it is my rightful claim, Mr. President, that as a tax payer whose part of his hard labor goes in aid to Israel, and as an American who is discriminated against by the Israeli authorities, I need that part of my money back with a compounded interest stating since over 40 years.



Respectfully,



Rajai Masri
Unquote.

what a load of tosh

Camelot.

Brilliant response.

You must need a lie down after that effort.

Suggest you reread it, think and then consider why there is such a problem between many Arabs and some Israelis.

Three reasons come to mind

1948
1967
1973

Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb would have been ashamed of you

Fahel-give us a break will you with your incessant cut and paste articles from renowned anti Zionists.

Remember-there is only one person in this world that wil stand and support a Jew-that is another Jew.

Reading all the racist filth whether direct or indirect you post-including that nonsense that arabs are not allowed to change a lightbulb!-one can understand why.

This argument/discussion will never end as long as bigots are allowed to spread their biased nonsense on the internet.

Well said, yuff !

Maybe when the Palestinian extremists stop sending women with explosive vests and bombs in Red Crescent ambulances the Israelis won't have to be so cautious.
Since the wall was built far fewer of the murderous slime get into Israel to slaughter innocents. Yes it has created difficulties for local people, but the first duty of the state is to protect its own citizens.
The ignorance on this thread is incredible. Do you anti-semites have any idea how Palestinians are treated in Israeli hospitals in exactly the same way as Jewish Isrealis and Israeli Arabs.
You morons are living in a fantasy world of propaganda and hatred.

I see no anti-semites on this thread. I see anti-Israelis. Why is it that only Israeli supporters bring anti-semitism into the the argument? It has no bearing on it. Israel is a rogue state similar to many others.

"Since the wall was built far fewer of the murderous slime.."

I notice that no one is suggesting that you are anti-muslim because you are anti-Palistian.

Haystack - get yourself over to specsavers then reread some of Fred and Fahel's posts.

Yuff,

I would suggest you look at your reflection in a mirror, when you make some, or many of your statements.

You are wearing out your anti-Jewish/anti-Semite cards.

I think, by the continuation of the issuing of the sentiments in the vein you are presently doing, is losing more and more of the international support you once had.

"In 1947 the Jews accepted the U.N. partition plan but the Arabs rejected it without discussion; it would have given them their Palestinian state including the West Bank. There was and still is an Arab unwillingness to negotiate. They need to find other means of communicating with the Israelis than lobbing rockets at them. And they need to re-draft their racist and genocidal charter that calls for the annihilation of Israel."

Precisely.
What do you anti-semites expect the Israelis to do?
Roll over and be slaughtered.
You'd love that wouldn't you...........
I'll tell you just one reason why haymaker and fred are anti-semites...........you don't condemn all the states which torture and imprision their own subjects......no you are strangely silent..........all of them states UNTHREATENED by destruction by their neighbours........no you scream your anti-semitism and are obsessed by it........maybe you've got Obsessive Compulsion Disorder or maybe you don't simply disagree with a particular government's policies but are rabid anti-semites trying as most do to hide behind a cloak of "reason".

There it is again

"What do you anti-semites expect the Israelis to do?"

Being anti-Israel has nothing to do with being anti-semitic.

I do condemn other states as well as Israel. They are a rogue state just as much as Iran, North Korea, China etc.

Anti-Israel comments are always countered by the cry "antI-semetic". It doesn't wash any more. I have no complaint if you want to falsely accuse me of anti-semitism. I have seen that used time and time again to supress comment about Israel There are plenty of Jews who also dislike that attitude. I know Jews, who don't associate themselves with Israel at all and wished it didn't exist.

There are prominent Jews, who condemn Israel for its behaviour Are they anti-semitic?

As I've already said if you had taken off your dark glasses and actually bothered to read what I've said, it is perfectly legitimate to criticise the policies of the government of Israel. That does NOT make someone anti-semitic.
So China is a "rogue" state is it? Don't be ludicrous. What underlies that statement of yours is that you don't like the policies of the govt of China - that I would agree with you about as far as some things are concerned.
I'll tell you how I define a "rogue" state (even though you are so small minded you lap up the latest fashionable word "rogue"), that's a state which constantly threatens to slaughter and wipe out its neighbours.
So, yes, North Korea and Iran, and also Hamas, Hizbollah and the putative Palestinian state. But you don't condemn them, do you. No, just Israel.....that's a sign of your nazi Jew hating mind set. You and fred. Armchair pundits who have never lived or had their children live under the constant threat of destruction and suicide bombers.
Do you say other countries should not exist.no, only Israel............you are plain and simple a anti-semite......as is fred.

I do condemn the Palestinians and some of their behavior. But, you must remember that their land has been taken by Israel and now built on illegally by Israel. They have no recourse in this matter. The UN has declared such building as illegal and has made numerous resolutions against Israel, which have all been ignored. I chose the words rogue state as I thought it might resonate with you. Do I condemn firing rockets into Israel? Probably not, as their alternative is to be ignored.

Any negotiations have to be done on Israel's terms. These terms are influenced by the ultra religious right wing of Israel's coalition government. The terms need to be a stop to building illegally, dismantling settlements, returning illegally taken land, giving back areas of Jerusalem etc. Unless those things are done then I have no sympathy for Israel.

"Do you say other countries should not exist.no, only Israel............you are plain and simple a anti-semite......as is fred."

First of all, I have never said that Israel should not exist. I think it should not have existed, which is different. It does now exist and that is not going to change. However, even if I or someone else were to say that it should not exist then it would not make us anti-semites. It would be anti-Israel or possibly anti-Zionist. The anti-semitism aspect is just in your tortured paranoid mind.

Anti semitism' is not a very useful term, especially as Arabs are also Semitic people.

Anti-semitism is variously defined as a prejudice against or hostility towards Jews, often rooted in hatred of their ethnic background, culture, and/or religion.

On that basis, I am certainly not anti-semitic. Perhaps you need a new phrase. When you come up with one, I will tell you if I think I fit the description.

"But, you must remember that their land has been taken by Israel "

that's what happens when you wage aggressive war and lose

again and again

wanna try again ?

lol

If Israel view it that way then it will never stop.

Anyway, the land was taken before the war.