The Only Democracy? » Entries tagged with "democracy"
Audrey Farber, intern, from Mada Al-Carmel on New Israel Fund and Democracy
By Audrey Farber Speculation has run wild on the as-yet-unreleased updated New Israel Fund funding guidelines. Here’s Richard Silverstein, “My source tells me the proposed guidelines will include a provision acknowledging Israel as a Jewish homeland. But the language will also affirm that Israel is: ‘…A democracy dedicated to the full equality of all its citizens and communities.’” Silverstein argues that “full equality” juxtaposed with the “provision acknowledging… a Jewish homeland” sustains a system of inequality. His explanation: “If…you’ve … Read entire article »
Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs
Happy 4th of July Weekend from the Only Democracy?
By Jesse Bacon As a rural-raised revolutionary, I love the 4th of July. It is a great time for community gathering, it celebrates a successful uprising against the largest empire in the world, and it involves staring up into the sky with wonder. Though I used to need hearing protectors as a fraidy-cat kid, and as an adolescent had to endure my aunt labelling the squiggly fireworks “Sperm!” I have remained a critically patriotic fan of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured
The Only Democracy Wishes You Knowledge and Power This Shavuot
By Jesse Bacon The Jewish Holiday Shavuot, which begins tonight, commemorates the giving of Torah at Mt. Sinai. It is the very epitome of revelation from on high. But this holiday, revelation is not from a mountaintop. It is cumulative, from a thousand different places.. It is cumulative, dare I say it, open source. And what have we learned? We have learned that Israeli Democracy is being withdrawn bit by bit, even from its Jewish citizens. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured
No Such Thing As Israeli Nationality
There are currently over 130 different nationalities that have been recognized by the State of Israel for use in registering for an ID card. “Arab” and “Unknown” are, uniquely in the world, recognized as a form of nationality — but “Israeli” is not. On the other hand, if you are Jewish it matters not what nationality you are –Israel recognizes you as belonging to ”the Jewish nation”. Now Jonathan Cook reports on a group of Jews and Arabs who are petitioning the Israeli Supreme Court to be recognized as “Israelis,” in a case that officials fear may threaten the country’s self-declared status as a Jewish state. Israel refused to recognize an Israeli nationality at the country’s establishment in 1948, making an unusual distinction between “citizenship” and “nationality.” Although all Israelis qualify as “citizens of Israel,” the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Shedding Light on Discrimination Against Arab Citizens of Israel
Some of you may remember the relentless attacks on Jimmy Carter after publication of his book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. To deflect some of the criticism, Carter was at pains to distinguish the situation between Arabs in the Occupied Territories and Arab-Israeli citizens. Regarding the latter, he assured his audiences that within Israel proper “democracy prevails and citizens live together and are guaranteed equal status.” Like Carter, many of us are ill-informed or confused about … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
First Day of Bil’in and Na’alin Closure–Follow It Live!
This week, the Israeli Army declared the villages of Bil’in and Na’alin closed military zones from 8am-8pm on Fridays for the next six months. It was announced that any Israeli activist in the villages during those hours would be arrested, foreigners would be deported, and Palestinians from other villages would be jailed. For over five years now, Fridays have been demonstration days, when Israeli and international activists join Palestinian protesters in their efforts to stop the … Read entire article »
Filed under: On The Ground Reports
Levy: Palestinian Citizens of Israel “Misbehaving”
By Jesse Bacon In a tongue in cheek article, Gideon Levy accuses the Palestinian Citizens of Israel of such “misbehaviors” as stating they do not feel they belong in Israel (Ajami director Tony Copti) or asking if Israeli Jews who killed civilians were terrorists (Member of the Israeli Parliament Ahmed Tibi, who is one of the reasons Israel can brag about its Palestinian legislators.) He then fakes outrage over these affronts before getting down to the point, of what will be truly required to build democracy inside Israel. If the so-called demographic problem can’t be solved by driving Arabs out, we’ll try to get rid of them another way: destroy their identity, cloud their national memory and turn them into Israelis, not to mention Zionists. It won’t work. We … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Ms. and Mr. Israeli New Right
By Eitan Isaacson After the alarming poll among high school students, where 56% of Jewish students said Arabs should be denied the right to run for office in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, it is only fitting to highlight some of the figureheads of this popular racism, and get a small peek into their way of thought. Anastacia Michaeli is a Knesset member who belongs to the Yisrael Beitenu party. Her … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination
Secular, Religious Israeli Students Hold Different Views on Equal Rights and Military Service
Last month we posted an article about Israel’s increasing rejection of democracy as a preferred form of government. On the question of equal rights for Arab citizens, about half of those surveyed opposed such equality. A new poll of Israeli high-school students reveals that nearly half of them also do not believe that Arabs citizens are entitled to the same rights as Jews in Israel. That view was held by 82 percent of religious students, and 39 percent of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination, Featured
Fear makes us hypocrites: Israel’s new conversion law
By Jesse Bacon Israel’s new proposed conversion law provides a nice insight into the state of Israeli politics, 2010. It has drawn outrage, even among my right wing friends who would not ordinarily criticize the Israeli government, or support others right to do so. “The bill proposes that the Law of Return only be applicable to Jews or their offspring, and not to non-Jews who opted to convert – even if the conversion follows Orthodox … Read entire article »
Filed under: Discrimination