Massacres, closures, administrative detentions and torture, colonies, land confiscation, checkpoints, home demolitions, a second-class citizenry, and legal discrimination aside, some of Israel's actions make you ask - if these aren't the deeds of a racist state, then what does a racist state look like?
Two recent examples:
Western Galilee kibbutz closes its pool to Israeli Arab swimmers:
Arab families who came to the Kibbutz Kabri Beach Club in the past several days hoping to swim in the community pool were surprised when they learned they could not enter. Following Thursday's summer opening, the pool was turned into a private facility for "club members" only.
Probe: Flights from north to central Israel are 'Jews only'
The Transportation Ministry, acting on instruction from the Shin Bet security service, had decided that Arabs would not be allowed on the flights following a financial dispute that prevented the use of luggage scanning machines in airports in the north. An investigation by Haaretz revealed that there was a Jewish passengers only policy on these flights.
Now all we need to make it official is for Israel's High Court to have it's own Plessy v. Ferguson.
"Massacres, closures, administrative detentions and torture, colonies, land confiscation, checkpoints, home demolitions, a second-class citizenry, and legal discrimination aside"
You mean, like the Jenin "massacare"?
And need I remind the event where the Israel took down one of it's road blocks as a gesture, and received a terrorist attack the next day in return?
Second class citizenship my ass. Israel has Arab members in the knesset that openly advocate terrorism (See: Ahmed Tibi). I'd like to see one other country that allows that.
The Kibutz pool thing is indeed racist, but just one pool doesn't mean a thing.
We have pools where I live and there are probably more Israeli Arabs there than Jews, same as in the rest of Israel.
As for the airline - say what you want, but security comes first. And until we don't come up with a solution, I don't see why we should risk our lives.
All the things that you have mentioned aren't racist. What's racist is that Palestinians have great jobs in Israel, they walk around freely where they want. But should a Jew walk into a Palestinian territory, make no mistake - he'll be lynched in no time.
That's racist.
Posted by: Opeth | June 21, 2006 at 05:23 AM
Not quite a Plessy v Ferguson, but the Israeli courts did recently uphold that blatantly racist and discriminatory marriage law.
Posted by: Yaman | June 21, 2006 at 05:25 AM
Opeth, "But should a Jew walk into a Palestinian territory, make no mistake - he'll be lynched in no time."
Amira Hass might beg to differ with you. But I don't suppose you read her book "Drinking the Sea at Gaza".
As to the point of this forum, Groucho Marx said "I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT ME AS A MEMBER."
Posted by: bernarda | June 21, 2006 at 11:02 AM
"Amira Hass might beg to differ with you. But I don't suppose you read her book "Drinking the Sea at Gaza"."
Nope, but I did read the news, and there are a few people apperantly that would beg to differ with Amira Hass.
http://www.geocities.com/stop_abuse.geo/Peace_3.htm
Posted by: Opeth | June 21, 2006 at 11:22 AM
Opeth:
"You mean, like the Jenin "massacare"?"
No, I mean like the massacres in Gaza that have been taking place these past few weeks and the continuous killing of children - yet more today.
"Second class citizenship my ass."
Israel still applies over 20 laws that privilege Jews over Palestinian Arabs. Having a Palestinian in the Knesset is not the same as every human being having equal rights.
"But should a Jew walk into a Palestinian territory, make no mistake - he'll be lynched in no time."
That's completely false. I personally know more than a dozen Jews who have been to the Occupied Territories and enjoyed their time there. Loads of Israelis go their every day. Haven't you noticed the protests against the wall in Bil'in - there are Israelis there every time. Have you ever even been to the territories - not as an occupier but as a human being?
Opeth, from my understanding of your descriptions of yourself in earlier comments, I believe you are a recent high school graduate in Israel. My guess is you've been fed the lies that any gov't school teaches its children - whether in the US, UK, or Israel.
I know you have rebuttals that justify racism and the killing of children, but think for a second beyond the force-fed messages you've received from the army, the schools, and the media.
Posted by: scott | June 21, 2006 at 01:47 PM
"No, I mean like the massacres in Gaza that have been taking place these past few weeks and the continuous killing of children - yet more today."
So when a Palestinian suicide bomber kills 40 teenagers in a club it's freedom fighting, but when Israel undeliberately kills people used as human shields by terrorist, or for the very least people who hang out with terrorists, it's a massacare?
Even the Human Rights Watch guy in the link on my previous message admits that Israel does it's best not to harm civillians.
"Israel still applies over 20 laws that privilege Jews over Palestinian Arabs. Having a Palestinian in the Knesset is not the same as every human being having equal rights."
I can't contradict you here. All I can say is that the great majority of Israeli arabs enjoy the same rights as the Jews.
I have arab neighbours and friends, so I know.
Israel is in a state of war, but with a twist: The enemy is within. And unfair as it seems, there are consequences to this type of war.
In a state of peace, things would without a doubt look different.
"That's completely false. I personally know more than a dozen Jews who have been to the Occupied Territories and enjoyed their time there."
Of course it's different when people go there to protest in the Palestinian's favor.
But if you're so much as even neutral in your stance on the conflict, the odds are very much against you.
While in Israel towns, Palestinians can walk around freely even if they gloat every time an Israeli dies.
"I know you have rebuttals that justify racism and the killing of children"
No I don't. I'm 100% against it.
There's no excuse for the killing of innocents, but in many cases the Terrorists are to blame. Palestinians need to stand up to the Terrorists and then reach out to Israel for peace. That's how this whole thing will end - not by returning them all the land that they have lost in wars that they have started, as a thank you for terrorirsm.
Once there is peace, talks should be engaged and land shall be returned.
"think for a second beyond the force-fed messages you've received from the army, the schools, and the media."
Our media is not that biased. Notice that you often link to articles from Ha'aretz.
Just so you know, our schools and are very tolerant and teach us exactly the opposite of what you might believe - the opposite of what the Palestinian media and schools teach their children.
They teach us tolerance and peace, and Arab students at our schools fit in just fine (better than me in fact, but that's another issue :P).
And I have thought about it, Scott.
For a long while I was sitting on the fence, alternating from left to right all the time.
But then some event occured (I can't remember what it was though), and at that very moment I just knew I was right. I just felt right inside, and since then I've lost any doubt about my position.
Posted by: Opeth | June 21, 2006 at 03:31 PM
The kibbutz pool story is a classic case of crying "racism" where there is no racism. Just read the last paragraphs rather than dwell on an inflammatory headline. The article clearly states two things: that not the Arabs were not the only ones turned down, and that the kibbutz members have no problem allowing Arabs and Druze into the pool- provided these Arabs and Druze are working for or in the community:
"There are a significant number of Arabs and Druze from the surrounding communities who work at the kibbutz, and even families who live on kibbutz, who are very welcome here, and there is no problem with them coming to the pool," Kabri's director of services Ophir Kozlov said."
I can see how the second case can be construed as racist, and it is outrageous indeed. I doubt that racism was the intent here though, rather, it seems like the moron-in-charge got too eager in his attempt to have his cake and eat it too. It's wrong in more ways than one; they are also taking totally unacceptable risks. If the company can't provide adequate security they shouldn't do this kind of blind, paper-reliant selection, they should simply ground the whole damned fleet of planes before some suicide bomber with a fake ID does it for them.
Posted by: Womble | June 21, 2006 at 04:56 PM
"There are a significant number of Arabs and Druze from the surrounding communities who work at the kibbutz, and even families who live on kibbutz, who are very welcome here, and there is no problem with them coming to the pool," Kabri's director of services Ophir Kozlov said."
In the United States, it would translate as "some of my best friends are black".
Posted by: adwred | June 21, 2006 at 07:01 PM
Nope, awdred, it would translate into "Club members only".
Do notice that residents of the Jewish city of Nahariyah were turned down as well. So, they allow some Arabs, but not others; some Jews, but not others. Are they racist against BOTH, or NEITHER, or is it only racism when there's an Arab on the receiving end?
Posted by: Womble | June 22, 2006 at 10:40 AM
"Jewish residents"?!?!? You mean illegal fucking "settlers."
Posted by: Anti-LGF | June 27, 2006 at 02:56 PM
Nahariyah isn't in the West Bank, Anti-LGF, so unless you consider every single Israeli an "illegal fucking settler"...
Besides, don't know about your part of the world, but fucking isn't illegal over here:P
Posted by: Womble | June 27, 2006 at 04:41 PM
Wait- are these Arabs Israeli citizens? I doubt it. A fact Palestinian propogandists love to ignore. Secondly, Plessy applies only to state action. Nice try. The recent decission by Jews to wean themselves off Palestinian labor and re-think their abilty to live side by side in a community with pepople who voted to anihilate them is private action, not covered by the constitution. But, I don't think that will resonate with you. If every Israeli is a settler, then you will have no trouble agreeing that every Palestinian is a terrorist/freedom fighter/suicide bomber. Would you swim with a terrorist? No. I don't think YOU would swim with a settler. I know a "settler" AKA JEW could not swim anywhere in any one of many Arab states and the same goes for the future "Palestine" re-dux state. PLEASE- this whole thing is ridiculous. Keep your bullshit limited to fabricated war crimes not fabricated hypothetical constitutional violations. GO BUILD YOUR OWN FUCKING POOLS AND OWN FUCKING AIRPORT. Just like Jefferson Starship- "WE BUILT THIS CITY." Your Imams think they can get a piece of Tel Aviv! Hey, we aren't going after Jordan.
Posted by: J | July 04, 2006 at 10:50 PM
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4703546/site/newsweek/
What happened to the Jews of Iraq?
Lets be honest.
Bathists , Khomeni lovers , Bin Laden followers and all the similar types are all fascist bigots who can't be trusted to protect their minorties or govern.
shame on them and their apologists world wide
Posted by: jonathan | July 16, 2006 at 12:02 PM