The great Amira Hass was arrested on leaving Gaza, Haaretz reports, having spent several months residing in what Israel considers "an enemy state," per Haaretz. (Do the Palestinians have a state?) She thus violated an Israeli army ban imposed after the abduction of Gilad Shalit in 2006. The last paragraph of the story is particularly disturbing:
Israel Press Council chairwoman Dalia Dorner, a former Supreme Court
justice, commented then that even journalists are subject to the law
and the council cannot defend a reporter who breaks the law. Instead,
she said, local journalists ought to petition the High Court of Justice
against the army's order.
Dalia–Haaretz is standing up for Hass, why can't you? And yes, my headline is provocative. The cases are not strictly analogous. But this is not a sign of openness, or democracy.
The Iranian government actually did have a case against Saberi. She had secretly taken some classified material that she obtained while doing freelance translation work for the Iranian government (and she also visited Israel, which is apparently against the law for Iranian citizens). So the cases are somewhat analogous because of the "visiting an enemy country" part, but because she took classified documents, Saberi's crime was certainly the more serious one.
It is not Illegal for Iranian Jews to visit Israel. They do so freely and frequently. I don't understand why Amira Hass stays in Israel, long after it has become obvious that she can never hope to alter the mindset of a thoroughly Nazified country. She should get out of there. Eventually a fellow Israeli will kill her if she stays, as they have so often threatened.
RE: "American press…will it pick up Amira Hass's arrest in Israel?" MY COMMENT: Surely you jest! I'm willing to bet big money that only Amy Goodman of 'Democracy Now!' will cover this.
Where did you read that Saberi visited Israel? I only read that she was convicted of espionage.
Hass was arrested and released under restriction. She wasn't detained for that long. Saberi was sentenced to 8 years in jail but the authorities decided to free her for whatever reason.
Amira Hass being detained for 15 minutes should be the lead story in every American newscast and newspaper. People would be riveted to find out how she spent that 15 minutes. Did she write a book about each second of confinement or organize a hunger strike? Once again, Phil and Adam nailed a very important story.
The press will not pick up the story of Amira Hass, nor will it give any notice to the story of Lori Berenson, a US citizen serving 20 years in a Peru prison for aiding leftist guerrillas.
She stays in Israel because people like you live elsewhere.
Berenson story has been in the news several times.
She didn't just take classified documents, she made a copy of one. "In her court appearance on Sunday, Ms Saberi admitted that she possessed the document. She had said that she copied it out of curiosity, but had not passed it to American officials, Mr Nikbakht said." http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middl...
What about Mordecai Vanunau(sp)? I mean, Israel regularly kidnaps Palestinian minors and Palestinians in general without any paperwork. They regularly torture/etc. Is this topic of restraining freedom of speech and blah blah even important within the context of the comparison? No. Israel is a pariah State. Jewish Zionists are fascists in fashion. Who cares about Iran then. Israelis and Jews in general hold themselves to a higher standard obviously by deluding themselves into thinking they are inherently better than the goyim and yet when they are faced with the disgusting reality of their shitty country, they compare themselves to "the Arabs."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/world/2009/05/090513... amira's detaining is covered by bbc persian.
They constantly brag how moral they are, how democratic, to retain their "special relationship" by selling Americans on they are the same as we are, but when a brave soul points out the details of Israeli activities, and its long pattern of abuses, they switch to the lower standard summed up in "Why's everybody picking on little Israel?" Whatever it takes to keep milking the USA cash cow and US UN Veto power.
You can read it here: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-...
I've noticed that there are now Jews who are against the occupation who are moving to Israel because they think they can do more good there than if they live in other places. Maybe Amira Hass feels as they do – that she can do more good as a resident of Israel than if she lived elsewhere.
Of course it is. As far as the Iranians are concerned, 15 minutes detention by a Jewish policeman is the equivilant of an execution by the Iranians.
Sarah Thanks for your post. As I steer clear of the Jewish community, generally speaking, maybe I'm missing the developments you speak of. My impression is certainly the opposite, that Jews of character (like Ilan Pappe and so many others) are fleeing Israel (or being driven out) in droves. I WISH Amira Hass would leave. She's a brilliant, courageous person who deserves better than to wake up surrounded by Israelis every day of her life. I don't know really how she can bear it. I've seen a couple recent interviews with her. There is an air of resignation about her now. She will continue to bear witness as that is her character, but I think she has abandoned the illusion that Israeli society could even in principle be rehabilitated. Just listen to them. Their minds are blown out.
If I moved to Israel, it wouldn't be because I thought I could be a more effective "anti-zionist' there than elsewhere. Quite the contrary: I would only do it in the context of (a) becoming a Jew, (b) marrying a Jewess (love that word); and (c) concocting some sort of vanilla "peace zionism," possibly on Magnes' principles. This is just a little fantasy, though. You know what a soft spot I have for Jewesses.
amira hass should be escorted out of israel where she could organize a group of 'judenrats' preferably to Berkeley,Calf. where she would blend in immediately.
amira hass should be escorted out of israel where she could organize a group of 'judenrats' preferably to Berkeley,Calf. where she would blend in immediately.
Sarah, Rykart has learned all he needs to know from StormFront and Zundelsite.