Domain: knesset.gov.il
Stories and comments across the archive that link to knesset.gov.il.
Comments · 8
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Re:Small correction
Israel has no single formal written document in the sense Americans would think of as "The Constitution" (with uppercase to remind us how really really important it is). But to say it has no constitution is a notion you'd be disabused of in Law 101.
Israel's constitutional law begins with (Basic Laws of Israel), so there's even more formality than e.g. England+Wales, which has one of the oldest extant formulations of an unwritten constitution. Perhaps you were having trouble finding them, so knock yourself out.
Now, there is a recent bill for a Basic Law which codifies Israel utterly as a racist state, with self-determination reserved for Jewish people. But this hasn't passed.
However, there are a few explicit mentions of Israel as Jewish already within the Basic Laws, from Jewish festivals to the inability to be elected to the Knesset (parliament) if you explicitly or implicitly reject that Israel is both "Jewish and democratic". This'd be like peppering the US Constitution with comments that the USA is "white". However, it's more in the application than the explicit wording of Basic Laws (e.g. on gaining citizenship, military conscription, exceptions to freedom of movement, settlement) that racist policy ends up appearing.
Posting as LIEberal hippie Jew whose family emigrated from Israel a few years ago. I have an incredible respect for the historical struggles faced by Jewish people and their resultant desire to set up their own safe place, and feel sadness at the way the US has used Israel as a military tool, so Arab hatred toward the US for intervention in the Middle East has become Arab hatred for Israel. I'm not sure what the solution is, now, but I'd go with more conciliatory jaw-jaw in the post-WW2 European style, and less fear-and-anger war-war in the American style. War won't end war.
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Re:Small correction
Arabs in the government ? I think Lieberman would be the most virulent opponent to that notion (with Netanyahu and Naftali Benett among many others). Ayoob Kara is an Arab, yes, but check his alliances...
Israelis Jews don't like Arabs in general. Just go in Israel, you'll witness it first hand. If you think USA in the 50's were bad, Israel is a whole another crap hole...
Israel is de facto an apartheid nation (remember that Israel was the last entity working with South Africa when apartheid was in place ?).
A israeli jew, by law (you know about the Torah right ?) cannot sell its property to an non-jew (arab or otherwise), chekpoints for arabs, house destructions, land stealings, separate transportation for each "race", constant humiliation etc.And the most important thing : the whole state of Israel has been taken by force in 1948 !
Why would you defend such a country ?
A for the comparison between Jordan and Israel ? Are you kidding ? Nobody care about Jordan (Sorry jordanians, I don't intend it to be insulting). Jordan doesn't receive billions from the US for its defense (though it receives money from the US to sustain its economy). The king of Jordan don't go to the US congress to insult the president in place. There's no AIPAC equivalent for Jordan, etc.
PS : you're never wise to post anonymously.
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Re:Hamas are Terrorists
Know that I don't think that the concept of "nation state" is dead? That I think that Jews have a right of self-determination in addition to the Palestinians?
And merely because I'm both Jewish and Israeli doesn't mean my explanation is wrong. Well, to most thinking people, at least. If you think it is incorrect, by all means, provide references. I'd have provided references myself, except I'm not sure which part of my description you have issues with. If it's either the focus on "Jewish people", or the acceptance of minority rights, I'd need to point you no further than Israel's declaration of independence. Both are very prominent.
Shachar
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Re:Good lord...
there are more Muslims in the Israeli Parliament than there are in the US Congress
So, two?
More like 10 out of 120 total members. Check out http://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mkindex_current_eng.asp
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Re:Also forgets Jews may criticize Israeli actions
http://genealogy.familyeducation.com/surname-origin/sussman
While I have nothing to prove one way or the other, it’s entirely probable that she is Jewish. The country’s Law of Return grants all Jews and those of Jewish lineage the right to Israeli citizenship. Anonymous Coward’s point was that, as a Jew, with a right even to claim Israeli citizenship if she so desired, she has every right to protest Israel’s actions. It’s no different from you or I, as Americans, having every right to protest America’s actions.
I think she is mislead and terribly uninformed, but she has a right to her opinion.
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Re:Are they genuine or hypocritical?
Since Israel wants to maintain the facade it is a representative democracy it must do everything in its power to prevent Palestinians from becoming the majority, because when they are either Jews surrender power at the polls or for all practical purposes Israel is an apartheid state, which is pretty much already is, with a minority controlling power through non Democratic means and ethnic "cleansing".
This part is so objectively wrong, it has to be motivated by extreme ignorance, extreme bias, or both.
In an apartheid state racial segregation is upheld by law. How can Israel be "an apartheid state... for all practical cases" when it has strict, explicit laws (yes, enforced ones) against such segregation? Please give one example of a segregation act upheld in Israeli court. Until you do, I'd have to call your statements baseless, biased propaganda.
You're in fact contradicting yourself. Since if Israel is "an apartheid state", and of course in such a state minorities don't have real voting rights, why should it worry (as you claim) about Palestinians becoming a political majority?
The simple fact is that Israeli Palestinians have the exact same voting rights as any Israeli. They are well represented in the Israeli parlament, and they have every right that any Israeli citizen has. Again, feel free to provide any facts to the contrary. But I don't think you'll find any. Especially considering such claims like the one about "minority controlling power through non Democratic means". Which minority are you speaking of, exactly? The Jewish population is a majority in Israel itself, and it has a (very Democratic, elected) majority in the Israeli Parliament. I'm sorry, but some of your statments simply don't make any sense.
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Re:Ethnically segregated?In Israel, there are however specific historical reasons that are still valid today. Israel's Declaration of Indepence specifically states that one basic reason for the establishement of the state is to provide shelter from persecution:
The catastrophe which recently befell the Jewish people - the massacre of millions of Jews in Europe - was another clear demonstration of the urgency of solving the problem of its homelessness by re-establishing in Eretz-Israel the Jewish State
.History has proven that such shelter is needed, with Germany/Austria being the biggest offenders, but not at all the only ones. Since violent antisemitism still exists worldwide today, this task of Israel has not stopped, and therefore it is arguable, IMHO. -
Re:It is (was) a free service - KILL PALESTINE!
Help Israel!
Those fucking palestinians done it one to many! HELP LIBERATE ISRAEL FROM PALESTINIANS!
www.knesset.il.gov