Max Blumenthal reporting for Mondoweiss from Jerusalem:
On Wednesday, June 3, I went to the Knesset to speak to two of the deliberative body’s most ideologically opposed members. First, I spoke to Alex Miller, a backbencher in Avigdor Lieberman’s incipient far-right Yisrael Beiteynu party, and at 28-years-old the youngest ever member of Knesset. At behest of his party’s leadership, Miller introduced a now-notorious bill that would criminalize public observance of the Nakbah, and which succeeded in a committee vote. After meeting with Miller, I discussed the growing repression of Israel’s Arab population with MK Ahmad Tibi, leader of the Raam-Tal party and one of the Knesset’s most consistently demonized figures. For years, Lieberman and his far-right allies sought to ban Tibi from the Knesset, accusing him of treasonous rhetoric and crimes against the Jewish state. Their campaign against him and his constituents continues unabated.
Despite Miller and Tibi’s political differences, they agreed on one fundamental point: the Zionist project is in crisis. Miller and his party appear terrified that the Arab minority in Israel, a marginalized and oppressed element, could undo the Jewish state simply by exercising their right to commemorate their history. Thus they seek to ban any expression of sorrow regarding Israel’s founding and, in the words of Tibi, “impose happiness” on already demoralized victims of Zionism. Tibi described the rise of Beiteynu and its stridently anti-Arab platform as a reflection of the weakness of the Zionist narrative and the shambolic state of Israeli democracy.
Miller and Tibi’s personal demeanors presented a study in contrast. When I entered Miller’s office, a small, spartan space, he sat at his desk playing computer games beneath a framed portrait of the Dear Leader, Lieberman. The baby-faced Russian immigrant seemed uncomfortable with my presence, refusing to allow me to videotape the interview and deferring routinely to his aide, Tsah, a young political science graduate fresh out of Tel Aviv University. Throughout the interview, Tsah rushed to Miller’s desk with handwritten notes urging him to harp on the threat of “radical Islam” or to assure me of his belief in the strong bond between the US and Israel. Miller seemed bereft of political independence; he had all the trappings of an Eastern bloc communist cadre eager to impress his party elders with total loyalty. “The Israeli public believes in loyalty,” Miller grumbled towards the end of our talk. “Duties must be equivalent to rights.”
Tibi agreed to an interview after a brief request while he rushed to a plenum vote. He met me and my friends Joseph Dana and Mairav Zonszein (who translated Miller’s comments) in the Knesset cafeteria, ordered an orange juice, and sat down to take our comments. Unlike Miller, Tibi spoke fluent English, engaging us for thirty minutes with cleverly phrased observations on the flawed nature of Israeli democracy. “Right now I would say Israel is a Jewish democracy,” he remarked. “It is democratic towards Jews and Jewish towards the Arabs.” Afterwards, Tibi offered me his card so we could arrange a videotaped interview. To survive in the Knesset as its most vilified, routinely scapegoated member, as Tibi has, requires unique levels of charisma and political resiliency. To rise through Israeli political ranks as Miller apparently intends on doing requires no more skill than amplifying the howls of a gathering mob.
A full transcript Miller and Tibi’s interviews follows:
Alex Miller Interview – June 3, 2009
Why did you propose this law criminalizing public observance of the Nakbah now?
This is not new, we submitted the law last year already following protests against Israel’s independence day in Gaza and by Arab citizens of Israel whose message was rejecting Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.
No country in the world allows large minority groups to protest against their independence day. But a year ago we had a violent protest at Tel Aviv University against our independence day. This law was the response. These violent protests are organized by leaders who have a cynical message of opposition to Israel as a Jewish state.
Imagine that on July 4th people got up and rallied against America’s celebration of independence day.
Actually it is legal to burn flags in the US. Are you not aware of this?
Miller: Israel has a law prohibiting any damage to Israel’s symbols – with a penalty of up to one year.
Why are you targeting Arab citizens of Israel and do you believe you are infringing on their democratic right to free speech?
The law does not differentiate between citizens. All citizens have equal rights. There is a problem of equal opportunities, which should be addressed, but the party believes that just as citizens are granted rights they should also be obligated to fulfill duties.
The law defends democracy, free speech and is meant to forbid cynical attempts to damage state.
Is there significant support for your bill in the Knesset and among your constituents?
The Minister Council representing legislation has come out in support of the bill and it will shortly be put to a vote on the Knesset floor. In democracy there are always those for and against, so the law must go through the normal legislative process and I will do everything I can to get full support for its passing.
[Legislative aide rushes to the desk with a note for Miller; Miller reads from the note]
It is important to note that the [radical] Islamic leadership uses the right to protest to incite hatred. Most participants at these protests are young and being preached hatred that passes on from generation to generation.
You are the leader of Lieberman’s youth division and he has garnered considerable support among young Israelis. Virtually his entire campaign was focused on cracking down on Arab citizens of Israel and taking a strong hand against Palestinians. Isn’t this the same thing you are talking about – inciting young people with division and hatred?
Israel sees Lieberman as a leader who knows how to implement what he believes in. The party believes rights should be given in accordance with obligations, such as serving in the army
Legislative aide pipes up: Or national service.
Miller: We want this law to pertain to all citizens. We support Arab citizens serving country through national service, but their leaders are doing everything possible to discourage Arab citizens from doing national service.
Do you think this law you’ve introduced will damage Israel’s image in the eyes of the international community? Aren’t you concerned about this?
This law only strengthens Israel’s national honor and its desire to develop further. Israeli citizens should contribute to the strengthening of the country and not to negating its existence.
Do you believe in the transfer of Arab citizens of Israel to other countries?
No. We have never advocated or said anything about transfer of Arabs.
What do you think about Barack Obama’s planned speech in Cairo on Thursday? Do you agree with his call for a freeze on settlement construction?
Lets see what Obama says on Thursday. As for the settlements, I speak as an MK, not a Foreign Ministry representative: The settlement resolution should be comprehensive, not partial. That means it should address illegal Bedouin construction as well.
[Legislative assistant whispers to Miller in Hebrew: “Our connection to the US is strong.”]
Our connection to the US is strong.
Many in the international media have called Avigdor Lieberman a fascist. Are you a fascist and is Yisrael Beiteynu a fascist party?
I’m not a media analyst but it is clear from our election campaign that our country must ensure that citizens do not conduct massive protests opposing the existence of the state. The Israeli public believes in loyalty. Duties must be equivalent to rights.
Does Yisrael Beiteynu’s platform, specifically with regard to Arabs, reflect a growing trend in Israeli society? And do you believe your party’s support will grow in the future?
I don’t have to believe it; I can see it. Since the founding of the party we have grown in strength. We have never changed our platform and we are seeing increasing support from the public.
Ahmad Tibi Interview – June 3, 2009:
Alex Miller says his law banning public observance of the Nakbah will strengthen Israeli democracy by preventing attacks on the state. What do you think of his statement?
“The question is Israel a weak democracy? Yes, it is a weak democracy. Yisrael Beitaynu is the Israeli Jewish Fascist Party and it seems that Alex Miller and his party are not confident about the Israeli Jewish narrative of Zionism.”
“We are victims of Zionism and have a different story of events about 1948. How do you expect our people to celebrate their agony and disaster? These are basic human feelings to mourn destruction. I can understand that the Jewish people want to commemorate the Shoah. But to have Jewish victims of Nazi racism impose celebration on another’s tragedy is horrible.
Do these laws reflect a new mood among Jewish Israelis towards Palestinian citizens of Israel or this merely the release of years of pent-up resentment?
“This is an escalation and the flood of new laws (like the loyalty law) is continuing the path of the last Knesset which tried to ban Balad and other Arab parties. The ban on the Arab parties passed in committee but failed [in a full vote]. They are attacking us as not loyal after they tried to ban our parties in the government. What’s loyalty to Lieberman? To be Jewish and Zionist. They are willing to have Arabs in their country only if they are loyal to Zionism but we are victims of Zionism and I can’t accept imposing happiness.”
Are Netanyahu and the Likud leadership contributing to the rising public resentment against Arabs in Israel?
“Because of the mood of parts of the Israeli public and the Israeli media Likud members of Knesset like Benny Begin have been prevented from supporting these laws. But under Netanyahu there have been more laws like these and there will be more laws. Just last week there was a law that gave communities the right to set their own standards of who can live in the said community or not [in order to prevent anyone who isn’t a Jewish Zionist from living in them]. There is not enough rejection of these laws and they will keep coming”
As late as the 1960’s there were laws in towns throughout the United States called “Sundown Laws” which forbade African-Americans from entering towns after dark.
You mean in Mississippi?
No, a wealthy suburb of Washington DC called Montgomery County had these laws too.
We are in a situation similar to African-Americans before the 1950’s and 1960’s and blacks in South Africa before the end of apartheid. In Israel you have three systems of laws. One is democracy for eighty percent of the populations. It is democracy for Jews. I call it an ethnocracy or you could call it a Judocracy. The second is racial discrimination for twenty percent of the population, the Israeli Arabs. The third is apartheid for the population in the West Bank and Gaza. This includes two sets of governments, one for the Palestinians and one for the settlers. Inside Israel there is not yet apartheid but we are being pushed there with these laws.
Do you believe Israel will ultimately fulfill the direction you say it’s going in, by becoming an apartheid state?
There is a deepening of discrimination towards Arabs in Israel that we have not seen in the past. One of the laws in the Knesset would jail anyone for one year who did not recognize Israel as a Jewish state. The problem is that they (the Israeli government and population) are dealing with us (Israeli Arabs) like enemies and not as citizens. So racism is not allowed in the Western world expect when it is Israeli racism towards Arabs. This has a lot to do with history. We have become the victims of the victims.
Do you have hope for coexistence in Israel?
“I want co citizenship. I want to be equal citizens and not just live with coexistence. It is hard to have co-existence when one side is the rider and the other side is the horse. Right now I would say Israel is a Jewish democracy. It is democratic towards Jews and Jewish towards the Arabs.”
Obama has said he will be “honest” with Israel and may apply pressure to exact a peaceful solution to the conflict. When Obama speaks in Cairo on Thursday, what should he say to Israel?
We are in a phase where Israel is no longer the preferred child of the international community. This White House has contributed to this in what it has said but we see no evidence on the ground. It is very important that Obama will mention the absence of equality for Arab citizens to Israel. Why are we so neglected by this [Obama] administration? I know why. Because we are minorities inside Israel, the world is afraid to upset Israel, and we are paying the price.
Related posts:
- Exclusion of Arab Knesset members from coalition-building is reminiscent of Mississippi in ‘64
- This is beginning to look like panic – Israeli Knesset considers bill making it illegal to criticize Israel as a Jewish state
- Israeli election update: Livni and Netanyahu support Israeli loyalty oath to woo Lieberman
- Lieberman changes everything: ‘Washington Jewish Week’ takes on ‘tension’ between Jewish state and democracy
- Why preserving a ‘Jewish state’ should not be an argument to save the two-state solution
{ 64 comments }
I guess Tibi is not too happy with Obama's weak references to Palestinian dispossession and humiliation, which apparently come from out of the blue in Obama's Cairo rendering. Chaney's daughter is spinning even that as an "on the other hand" attempt to create moral equivalency with the Shoah.
Trend is towns are banning arabs: http://www.counterpunch.org/cook06082009.html
Max, you've obviously got balls of brass, but why waste time on pen-pushers like Miller? What you must do is tackle Chabad, head-on. They are the source of all the hypocrisy, mumbo-jumbo, and pseudo-mystical racism that has poisoned the US Jewish university students, and, among other things the White House, for the last two and a half decades. They have a whole town of their own in Israel, called, logically enough, "Kfar Chabad", and they are big on the West Bank, too (but deniably, because they pretend to disown their man there, Dov Wolpe).
Thank goodness for the border checkpoints, they truly save lives. Not only do terrorists (Hamas) use their own children as shields and fodder in Gaza, but they are also animal abusers. Today, terrorists in Gaza attempted to use booby-trapped horses to kill Israeli civilians: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=124437... Under the cover of morning fog, a group of around 10 Palestinian gunmen armed with "huge amounts of explosives" launched a failed Gaza border assault at the Karni Crossing on Monday, in which booby-trapped horses were used, a security source told The Jerusalem Post. IDF soldiers enter the Gaza Strip from Israel on a combat mission. Photo: AP SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region | World At least four terrorists were killed in an ensuing exchange of fire with the IDF. No Israeli soldiers were wounded in the incident. The terror cell belonged to the Janud Ansar Allah (Soldiers Loyal to Allah) organization, a small group which is linked to Iran and Hizbullah, the security source added. Members of the cell, some of whom had suicide bomb belts strapped around their bodies, led the horses from trucks and began planting explosive devices along the fence. They were identified by IDF soldiers on patrol, of Golani's 13th Battalion. The gunmen proceeded to open fire on the troops, while mortar fire from deep within the Gaza Strip was also directed at the soldiers. Soldiers returned fire, and called for backup. At first, tanks were dispatched to the scene, and fired on the terror cell. Air Force combat helicopters then joined the fight, also firing on terrorist targets from above. "A very big terror attack was thwarted," the security source said. "These terrorists were armed with a huge quantity of explosives. They launched a combined attack, using mortars, and attempted to approach the border fence with booby-trapped horses to harm our soldiers, before firing on our force." "Hamas did not carry out this attack but they certainly provide general coverage for these small groups," the source continued, adding that it was too soon to know whether the cell had planned to kidnap soldiers. "The area turned into a war zone," the source said. "Southern Command forces are prepared for these types of attacks, and are aware of the dangers present in the morning fog. There is always the chance terrorists will try to use it for an attack," he added. Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday afternoon praised the army's "effectiveness" in foiling the attack, and said it was quite possible that one of the aims of the assault was to kidnap an IDF soldier, a claim made by Hamas television. "The results speak for themselves, and prove the preparedness and the alertness of our forces along the Gaza border," Barak told a Labor faction meeting. "I hope that all future operations end with the same type of result." Ismail Haniyeh, who heads Gaza's Hamas government, praised the attackers as "martyrs," and said the violence confirmed Israel's "aggressive intentions" toward the Palestinians. Following the attack, Israel closed the Karni crossing, the main commercial terminal between Israel and Gaza, as well as the Nahal Oz fuel depot. However, 30,000 vaccine units against foot-and-mouth disease were transferred to Gaza via the Erez crossing, despite the thwarted attack. The IDF said that 125,000 units had been supplied to the Strip in the last three months in three separate transfers, due to the importance of preventing the outbreak of the disease. In addition, 140 truckloads of humanitarian aid was scheduled to be transferred via the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Interesting article.
Yeah Chabad sucks, but they don't speak for the majority of Jews. not sure about the WH connection either.
The very very vast majority of Chabadniks don't care a wink about politics. My son is a yeshiva student in Chabad in Crown Heights and does NOT hold the views of Wolpe or any other caricature that you could present. They do regard the bibilical Israel as the holy land, the literal promised land (not just metaphorical term), and many desire to live there, which they should have a path to as law-abiding citizens of whatever state is sovereign. There are as many ultra-orthodox in Chabad and other sects (not just Neturei Karta) that regard the promise of "IF you keep my commandments…" as conditional thereby putting the emphasis on keeping the commandments more than fantasizing about glory of empire.
Witty, I assume your comment here is in reference to Craig's post above this one, and not to Max's. If so, I can't help but note how different your tone is when someone on this site posts an article and prefaces it with critical, emotionally-charged statement about the Israeli side. When that happens, you immediately take the person to task for some violation of evenhandedness or "mutual respect." But when the Israeli side dows it, as Craig just did, you simply say "Interesting article."
One problem with Jewish manics is that when granted a leg-up, or succeeding due to their own tenacity, they view their success as divinely ordained and as evidence of their “choseness,” hence license to treat non-Jews however they see fit. This “right” comes not from God, but from their divine ancestry, which routinely interfaced with God Himself; why, even the Muslims say so. Even atheist Jews seem to suffer from this disposition. But Muslims and Arabs are much more grounded and conservative, and hence routinely try to smack-down the troupe of Jewish manics who’ve brought their circus to town with its culture of licentiousness, narcissim and entitlement. But now that the Jewish circus has taken permanent root, it is growing more conservative, only in the typically Jewish-manic way. Ironically, Jewish-manic anti-Zionists have now turned their head buzz onto the Zionists. One answer might be for stable, conservative Jews to unite with stable, conservative Muslims around their common conservatism.
you think that article was even handed by Max? He went in to each interview w/ an agenda and nailed it magnificently.
Diaspora Jews still tend to behave like they’re in the ungrounded Jewish circus, and they bring that reckless ethic to both their Zionism and their anti-Zionism, which is leading to ever-more division and schizophrenia on the issue.
Miller: "The law does not differentiate between citizens. All citizens have equal rights." Miller: "The settlement resolution should be comprehensive, not partial. That means it should address illegal Bedouin construction as well." These quotes remind me of Anatole France's old wisecrack: "The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."
It was even-handed in the sense that he simply asked questions and let the other side reply however they wanted. Miller flunked the test outrageously because he's a shallow young man with nothing going for him but sycophancy. That he is little more than the puppet of his "legislative aide" is obvious.
With all due respect to Max's journalistic efforts, the questions posed to Tibi were of the 'softball' variety. Miller could choke on his McDonald's happy meal for all I care, but evenhandedness (or at least the appearance of evenhandedness) is an integral part of building a reputation as a credible reporter.
One problem with Jewish manics is that when granted a leg-up, or succeeding due to their own tenacity, they view their success as divinely ordained and as evidence of their “choseness,” hence license to treat non-Jews however they see fit. This is not, in principle, any different from the behavior of ethnic or religious supremacists of any stripe. The language may differ, but it doesn't really matter whether you call it Jewish "chosen-ness" or "white man's burden" or whatever excuse gets trotted out when one African tribe slaughters another. The Jews are really no worse than any other violent supremacists in this regard, but also no better.
LOL
Nevertheless, I think he captured both mentalities pretty well.
So Ed, there really aren't any good Jews out there then huh?
I don't think its Max's intent to be anything more than a hack gonzo journalist
I don't think Chabad is anywhere near as powerful a force in the American Jewish community as you claim.
Chabad are the people who glue the entire Jewish illusion together, politically, religiously, and economically even. The fact that you reflexively cover for them shows how powerful they are.
There's a lapse in logic there. That I disagree with you does not demonstrate that I'm covering for anyone, reflexively or otherwise. Are you falling into the trap of thinking that anyone who disputes your claims must be part of the conspiracy?
We should applaud the initiative of Max Blumenthal, Joseph Dana and Mairav Zonstein for interviewing MK's who have opposing views of the nature of "Democracy" in Israel. It is obvious that a serious and considered debate is going on and these young tyros are adding to it. They may not be seasoned journalists but they are to be applauded for presenting their findings to us. I give them more weight than the precious hacks who regurgiate sterile opinion pieces day after day in mainstream media. Let more fresh air into the room I say.Keep up the investigations Max, Joseph and Mairav.
I don't think that is a fair characterization. His video journalism employs a certain style that appeals to a younger audience. But his questioning of Miller and Tibi is pretty standard stuff. If anyone comes off as a hack, it is certainly Miller. He has all the intellectual power of Reagan, but no Alzheimer's defense.
Uh, a good guy that's smart against the stupid bad guy? In any case Tibi isn't overstating his case. The people in the Westbank and Gaza would probably welcome an upgrade to apartheid.
I agree, but the questions weren't even-handed. Miller is a dipshit, just like the law he is trying to pass.
agreed
You know that was an Arab MK he interviewed with the 'opposing view' of democracy. Which I find funny because he was democratically elected in the same country he says isn't democratic.
It's not the border checkpoints that are the biggest problem for the Palestinians, or the most condemned by human rights activists. It's the thousands of checkpoints that are set up inside the borders of the West Bank and East Jerusalem that are the problem and that are most universally condemned by those who support human rights.
"Craig" above seems to be the new name for an Israeli-located hasbara operative here. I'm not referring to CraigII. And I'm not buying the booby-trapped horses story. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Palestinians remade Gaza in the short time since Operation Cast Lead to build stables? They pulled horses from Gazans' transportation carts or fields? 90% of the animals at the zoo were bombed. This smells like another false-flag story to me. Guess where the abundance of horses are? Israel of course. http://www.fund4horses.org/info.php?id=647 http://www.fund4horses.org/info.php?id=647
The idea that the horses were blown to bits when hit with heavy calibre machine-gun fire because they were carrying explosives is just an equine variation on a normal IDF claim regarding people they shoot to pieces. However, yesterday, the IDF did come up with a new claim: they said that they shouldn't be blamed for killing a man at Naalin by firing a live round into his chest, because they fired it from a special, non-lethal low-velocity rifle, called a 'roger rifle'.
Anyone who disputes my claims must be part of the conspiracy? Yeah, that sounds about right. It's a big conspiracy, and not particularly hidden, except by walls of waffle from people like you. Plus, of course, like communism, there are a lot of people who are not exactly part of it but just sympathisers or fellow-travellers, who also defend it reflexively, by claiming that it's harmless, or even funny … even when it spouts openly genocidal rhetoric.
Gosh, here I've been criticizing Israel and Zionism for months, even describing Israel as the last gasp of European colonialism, and it turns out I'm just another cog in the Zionist conspiracy. Your ability to see through my thickly-spun webs of deception is truly astounding.
With all due respect to Max's journalistic efforts, the questions posed to Tibi were of the 'softball' variety. Softball? Bullshit. He was asking specific questions in advance of Obama's speech. No different than what he asked of the revelers in the video. That was Blumenthal’s story. evenhandedness (or at least the appearance of evenhandedness) is an integral part of building a reputation as a credible reporter. Hunh? The hell it is. Evenhandedness according to whose definition of evenhandedness? Yours? The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s? I’m sure the US military did not perceive Sy Hersh’s story about My Lai as evenhanded. Neither did the Nixon admin when NYT’s Neil Sheehan wrote up the Pentagon Papers. You build your “reputation as a credible reporter” by reporting the truth. Evenhandedness has nothing to do with it when you’re dealing with an unbalanced flow of information. Judith Miller was evenhanded in her reporting on Iraq…she published the admin propaganda freely. But it was the Knight-Ridder/McClatchy reporters who did the road work, used their feet to get to places to read documents and talk to people, and reported the truth. The Knight-Ridder/McClatchy reporters were the ONLY REPORTERS IN THE USA who reported the Iraq war run-up accurately, who decimated the WMD lies by following the clues, and they were ignored by the likes of you because the public couldn’t tell the difference between what was the truth and what was bullshit. The public wasn’t informed enough to know the difference. What Max Blumenthal is doing is writing with his feet…and in case you dont know, THAT is the first sign of a credible reporter. Ditto Phil in Gaza, and Adam at AIPAC.
HA HA, I love it. yup false flag, just like 9/11 but w/ horses instead of planes! Guess where the abundance of terrorists are? Gaza of course.
I don't think your sarcasm will get you very far, 'Craig'.
This is the exact reason Israel can't go back to the Auschwitz borders. Hamas will never stop attacking Israel why make it easy for them?
I doubt my sarcasm will do me as much harm as your paranoia is doing you. No need to put my name in quotes, btw; it is actually my first name. And as I have noted in the recent past, I am not the same individual who is currently posting Zionist propaganda as "Craig" (without 11), though I used to post under that name before Mondoweiss added the Intense Debate comment system. (There was already a Craig in Intense Debate, so I had to set up my account under a variation of the name.)
Well, MRW, you are all over the board, and much of what you say is nonsense. For example: Judith Miller was evenhanded in her reporting on Iraq… she published the admin propaganda freely. I really have no idea what meaning that statement is supposed to convey. Judith Miller was not practicing journalism as I would define it, or as any mainstream journalism school would define it for that matter. Having said that, Blumenthal is asking Tibi questions that do not require him to analyze or explain his own positions as a MEK. Do you have hope for coexistence in Israel? Yes, that is a throw away question. I admire Blumenthal's courage. That doesn't mean there isn't (much) room for improvement as a journalist.
Throw Chabad and Hillel—these rotten Nazi hate groups, OFF our campuses. Let them simmer in their own disease. oh…and here's an awesome new piece by Sara Roy: http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=528434
"If there has been a pronounced theme among the many Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals who I have interviewed in the last three years, it was the fear of damage to Gaza’s society and economy so profound that billions of dollars and generations of people would be required to address it—a fear that has now been realized.
To be even-handed is to take the side of the oppressor. Were US media "even-handed" during WWII? Did they give the Nazis equal time? I should hope not. Israel is a racist theocracy, supported by the (largely) unwilling contributions of the American taxpayer, which are authorized by the Zionist-occupied Congress. Some people boycott this so-called state of “Israel,” regarding it as a temporary phenomenon, much like the apartheid regime in South Africa or the French occupation of Algeria. As Israel grows ever more racist and fascist, the comparison to Nazi Germany becomes ever more inevitable.
You forgot the Jewish controlled banking systems and media, you are slipping matter…….
Yeah rigth,not one single jew voted for Tibi.Depraved minds.
Everyone who attempts to kill an IDF coward/child-killer is a terrorist apparently.
Maybe he was reluctant to mention the Jewish controlled banking systems and media because people are so often persecuted for doing so.
It isn't paranoid for Westerners to fear being dragged by their embedded Jewish elites into a Third World War, considering that those same embedded Jewish elites dragged them into the first two.
When they are armed to the teeth, riding booby-trapped horses towards a border with the intent to murder, THEY ARE TERRORISTS!
Actually the Craig you refer to is 100% American, but nice try. Also during the Gaza war Palestinians booby-trapped zoos and schools. Only sadistic fascists would do such things. i.e. Gazan terrorists. Proof of the sick and twisted minds in Gaza: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rl... http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rl...
Blumenthal was certainly a legit journalist when he did his award-winning story on the murders of Mexican women, but when it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict, he's clearly a hack with a one-sided view. More of a propagandist and voice in favor of the Arab terrorism than a journalist.
Yoni, that is YOUR straw man. That is the standard response – a simplification. Jews do run most of the major studios in Hollywood and are in all the important places (agents/directors/actors/everything). That doesn't mean they didn't earn it, but a lot has to do with their own social networking. Also, have you ever understood 'Hollywood' or 'the Mainstream Media' as an institution that can be understood through analysis? Chomsky and Herman went through the MSM and produced a propaganda model from a materialist approach. Now, I don't think JEWS are the only reason things are a certain way – there are tons of collusion. So of course the most powerful and affluent ethnic group is going to function as a social pressure and variable.
There's some truth here, much of it pertaining to the power of money (banking circles), propaganda & its relative censorship. Interestingly, nobody really cared much about Serbian situation, and all original actors in WW1 (which of course spawned WW2 when European victors ignored Wilson) thought they were acting defensively–except Britain.
The test of virtue is power. Hence Truman's derogatory remarks about the Jews he dealt with leading up to his quick official recognition of the state of Israel.
Agreed.
Check out the personal data on those who control the Federal Reserve, for example the principle board's members and check out makeup of Wall St. crowd–don't count the flunkies, essentially clerks.
One answer might be for stable, conservative Jews to unite with stable, conservative Muslims around their common conservatism. What on earth would they all be "conserving"?
Mr. Miller needs to visit an American Indian reservation or meet some anarchists, I'll tell him that much.
'Evenhanded' is synonymous with objective. The best interviewers (still, in my opinion, a shrinking handfull of BBC reporters) treat both sides with equally aggressive questioning, and let their adult audience sort it out. Which is part of my point: the need to propagandize, regardless of whether the propaganda is sympathetic to your position or not, assumes as a starting point that the audience is a herd that needs tending by its superiors. This technique is condescending and not very informative in the end. ( Someone mentioned Chomsky and Hermann above. I would add Walter Lippmann and Edward Bernays, both of whom made a career assisting in the influencing of public opinion.)
These tales are really amazing, and very contageous. I encountered a variation on Pat Lang's blog not long ago, it contained centrally the Queen or the English nobility another very frequent variation. It's interesting that even scholars trying to understand the dynamics sometimes catch a bit of the disease and start creating counter tales, which ultimately feed the myth and make things worse. This is were it starts to get wrong: Max, you've obviously got balls of brass, but why waste time on pen-pushers like Miller? Since Max' portrait of the encounter is in fact really colorful and very amusing. It is interesting to see what Rowan has to offer as more valuable subject to study. He once told us that he was interested in Judaism, wanted to learn, possibly convert. Were it Chabad people that asked him, why he did want to join the Jewish people? Did he somehow feel they sent him away? What did he answer. Did he say: well actually I am perfectly well with just studying Judaism and it's philosophy, maybe I don't need to become part of the Jewish people, maybe its not necessary, maybe I am not really worth it. ;) or what exactly did happen. If he told us, and I think he did once, I forget. Anyway. I see no evidence for "What you must do is tackle Chabad, head-on." It comes out of the blue. So what exactly is the evidential and/or emotional force behind the suspicion based accusation?
That's part of the dynamics. If you can connect dots based on a few facts, you obviously are creatively flexible enough to explain why people may resist your tale.
shallow young man with nothing going for him but sycophancy. That's where it gets interesting. What percentage of people in all normal careers have, maybe have to have these features. How much more in politics? What partly creates this situation is the setting. Miller and his prompter obviously are aware of Max, Josef and Mairav's political outlook. This partly creates the situation. Obviously Miller would appear quite differently, feel differently with someone that he knows shares his outlook. The awareness one is confronting politically opposing forces creates this encounter, including the graduate in the back, who is quite possibly in utter despair that Miller doesn't stick to the normal talking points, that he could back up with much more factual evidence. The observer always changes the setting and groups always pull together trying to help each other under confrontation. Funny, but not unusual.
"and many desire to live there, which they should have a path to as law-abiding citizens of whatever state is sovereign." Richard, I think you've got a great point here. There should be legal avenues for immigration into any future states or state that are established, on the basis of equal rights. If folks feel a religious connection to the land, they should, within reason, be able to apply for legal immigration. Similar avenues need to be set up for Palestinian refugees as well as for Palestinians who have left the country and lost their ID status by doing so (as in the case with many Jerusalem ID holders).
Explain to me how they were going to kill Israeli civilians in Gaza? Last I checked, Israeli civilians can't get into Gaza. It's only the occupying Israeli army that's there. I'm for blanket nonviolence, personally, but I'm not sure a planned attack on an occupying army really constitutes "terrorism." And animal abusers? Wow. If we want to swap animal abuse stories, let's talk about the Gaza and Qalqilya zoos, and what's happened to them under Israeli military siege.
Miller: 'The law does not differentiate between citizens. All citizens have equal rights. There is a problem of equal opportunities, which should be addressed, but the party believes that just as citizens are granted rights they should also be obligated to fulfill duties.' Orwell: All animals are equal…but SOME animals are more equal than others!
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