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The Only Democracy? » Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs » When and where will Israel’s Tucson be?

When and where will Israel’s Tucson be?

By Jesse Bacon

By rights it should have been in 1995, when Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. But the man who took over for him as Prime Minister after appearing at a rally where he was depicted as a Nazi is Prime Minister again. And Rabin’s party was just split into its final tiny segments. And the current mania doesn’t just target politicians, it targets human rights activists, as in this U.S.  comic comparing Palestinians and their allies to vermin. I got this email from Anarchists Against the Wall,

Right-wing demonstration today outside the home of Rav. Arik Ascherman, director of Rabbis for Human Rights. The demonstration has been licenced by police. There is a call also now for a solidarity presence of left-wing activists to support Arik”

. In this country, Rabbi Michael Lerner’s house was vandalized. I am glad AATW will be there to counter the protest and hopefully prevent such acts from occurring.

Assaf Sharon blogged here about Israel already being Arizona, meaning with discriminatory laws like Arizonan’s anti-immigrant law.  How long before bills like one calling for the expulsion of anyone who “harm’s Israel’s image”  encourage an Arizona-style shooter to take the lives of Israel’s last defenders into his or her hands?

Rabbi

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JESSE BACON (Philadelphia) is a freelance activist and father. He has a Masters in teaching from Roosevelt University in Chicago. He is an observant progressive Jew, and is trying to be a good ally for Palestinians and all dispossessed peoples, while staying true to the best traditions in Judaism. He visited Israel and Palestine in 1996, 2001, and 2002. He served for three years on the local steering committee of Jewish Voice for Peace-Chicago, and one year on the board of Pursue the Peace in Seattle. Read his posts here.

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