Israel Criminalizes Throwing Snowballs: When Ordinary People Deserve Better, The Worst Of Times Loom
09 January 2013
By Stephen Lendman
Police states operate that way. Israel is one of the
worst. It spurns rule of law principles. It turns
democratic values on their head. It targets
Palestinians for praying to the wrong God.
On January 20, Haaretz headlined "Nine Palestinians
arrested for pummeling ultra-Orthodox with snowballs,"
saying:
Two ultra-Orthodox men were struck. Ten days ago, six
Palestinians were apprehended. "Three others were
arrested over the incident last week."
According to the old saying, "Sticks and stones will
break my bones, but names will never harm me." Nor
will snowballs.
Kids throw them at each other often. It's ritualistic.
It's part of fun and games. Anyone growing up in
northern climes remembers them fondly. Arrests never
followed.
Alleged attacks and cursing occurred "near the Nablus
Gate leading to the Old City of Jerusalem."
An investigation was ordered. Hasidic extremists
"refused to lodge a complaint." The alleged incident
appeared blown out of proportion.
Palestinians in Israel are in the wrong place at the
wrong time. Racist persecution targets them. Daily
attacks occur. Deaths, injuries and arrests follow.
Haaretz stresses what it calls "Israel's slide
into….fascism and apartheid." It calls Judaization
"racism." It discussed "Judaizing the Galilee."
It's the same throughout Israel and Occupied
Palestine. Upper Nazareth Mayor Shimon Gapso calls his
job a mandate "to make the Galilee Jewish."
"The city's residents and I, as their leader,
overwhelmingly support the principle that Upper
Nazareth must fulfill this mission," he said.
He blocked opening an Arab school for 1,900 students.
Not on his watch, he said.
Nazareth is predominantly Arab. It's called the Arab
capital of Israel.
Upper Nazareth (Nazareth Illit) is mainly Jewish. It
lies within Nazareth. Arabs comprise 20% of the
population.
Children have to travel outside the community for
school or choose expensive private ones. Few families
can afford them.
Gapso asked Israel's Interior Ministry to declare Arab
Nazareth "hostile to the state of Israel." He wants
non-Jews denied legitimate rights.
He wants Upper Nazareth ethnically cleansed. He wants
the entire Galilee Judaized. He's not alone.
Haaretz said he wants "legitimate cover for every
benighted racist position that sees the presence of
Arabs in the Galilee or anywhere else a national
threat."
Prominent Israeli leaders support him. They include
Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar and ultra-Orthodox
extremist Interior Minister Eli Yishai.
Yishai represents the worst of Israeli governance. He
menaces Jews and Arabs alike. He wants Gaza "sen(t)
back to the Middle Ages." He wants its infrastructure
destroyed. He's mindless of how many die or suffer.
Haaretz said "Israelis who oppose racism and
discrimination - Arabs and Jews alike - have no choice
but to vote for parties that will fight both
phenomena." Don't expect them to make the right
choice. So few exist.
Polls suggest ideological extremists retaining power.
Coalition partners represent the worst of right-wing
government.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI)
responded to Gaspo's racism. ACRI attorney Auni Banna
said:
His "angry response reflects a dangerous approach,
which not only objects to the existence of Arab
schools in Nazareth Illit but also denies the
legitimate existence of Arabs in the city."
"The parents' demand to enable their children to go to
school in the city they live in is a basic right, and
no city or mayor may deny it."
"Upper Nazareth's mayor and every Israeli mayor would
do well to advance justice and equality among his
city's residents."
ACRI's helping Upper Nazareth Arabs. It supports their
"protracted struggle to establish an official
educational institution in the city."
ACRI Attorney Ashraf Elias told Gapso and Sa'ar that
failure to allow it "constitutes a serious breach" of
their "duty to act equally for all of the city's
residents and that this infringes on the Arab
residents' right to education."
Israeli law and courts affirm it. It doesn't matter
when prominent officials spurn what they're obligated
to uphold.
On January 22, Israelis vote. A "silenc(ed)
Palestinian voice" won't join them, said Gideon Levy.
His age (16) notwithstanding, "he won't be voting in
Tuesday's election." Israeli soldiers killed him. They
shot him four or more times in his head, back and
thigh.
"The soldiers who (killed) him will vote on Tuesday,
because (Israeli-style) democracy is like that."
The "elephant in the room" goes unnoticed. "The
monster at the door, who we try to ignore by saying,
'If we won't look at it, it won't exist.' "
"This is the worst deception of this election, the
sickest lie of Israeli democracy…." Israelis and
candidates alike promote it.
In real democratic societies, demands for justice
would have followed Samir's death. It would have
become a major campaign issue.
In the past week alone, four other Palestinian youths
were killed. In November, Israel soldiers murdered
Rushdie Tamimi.
Without cause, they shot him multiple times at close
range. Their commander ordered live fire. Soldiers
prevented administering aid. Help finally arrived.
Tamimi was evacuated and hospitalized. Two days later
he died.
What if Israelis were shot and killed, asked Levy?
Imagine the public outrage. Palestinian deaths go
unnoticed.
"How on earth can Israel be considered a democracy,"
he asked? "How can it not be called an apartheid
state? Why is nobody even discussing the issue?"
"Samir was murdered in cold blood." So are many other
Palestinians. "There's no other way to describe" what
occurs regularly.
Justice is always denied. Investigations are
whitewashed. Killing Palestinians is officially
sanctioned. So is enforcing brutalizing occupation
harshness and calling Israeli Arabs fifth column
threats.
Samir and others like him symbolize what's wrong with
Israel. Palestinians and Israeli Arabs are fair game.
Lies and coverup suppress official policy.
Enough is enough, said Haaretz columnist Amir Oren.
"Seven years with Netanyahu is enough bad luck."
Israelis once trusted him. No longer. Polls suggest
Likud has less than 25% support. Extremist coalition
partners will keep Netanyahu prime minister.
He "promises four more years of the very same futile
path." What's good for him harms most others. Israelis
aren't wise enough to know. They're mindless, out of
touch, or don't care.
They'll have themselves to blame for doing the wrong
thing. They support what demands condemnation.
"Seven bad years with (Netanyahu) were definitely
enough." Polls suggest another four.
Rehabilitating trust Israel lost awaits "a new
direction." The current one is self-destructive. Who
knows if it'll ever come. Nothing in prospect suggests
it.
A Final Comment
Micah Peltz is an American rabbi. He serves Temple
Beth Sholom Cherry Hill, NJ's congregation. He's also
a regular Haaretz contributor. On January 20, he
headlined "Are the leaders of today the leaders we
deserve?"
On January 22, Israelis vote. On January 20, Obama's
sworn in. "In both countries, there seems to be a
feeling of dissatisfaction with the choice of
leaders," said Peltz.
"Rarely have I encountered someone - American or
Israeli - who spoke enthusiastically about who they
planned on supporting…"
They're more concerned about who they dislike than
prefer. Leadership worth supporting is sorely lacking.
It's true in Israel and America.
"How do our leaders influence our generation," asked
Peltz? "Do we have the leaders that we deserve?" Not
in Israel or America, he laments.
Too few others understand today's grim reality. Fewer
still responsibly confront it. It's true in Israel,
America and elsewhere.
When ordinary people deserve better, the worst of
times loom.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be
reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book
is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized
Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"
http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html 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://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour.
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