A committee of the Israeli Knesset has passed anti-Nakba legislation. The law would not criminalize commemorations of the Nakba–the original legislation, loudly condemned–but, Haaretz reports, end public funding for activities that "reject the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish state or deny the democratic character of the state." The bill was submitted by precocious dimwit Alex Miller.
A Labor Party minister warns that the legislation would "harm the fragile fabric of Jewish-Arab relations in Israel and also defame Israel in the world." And here is Noam Sheizaf, at Promised Land:
One has to understand the political reality in Israel to fully
appreciate why this new law is no less than a direct attack on the core
principles of the democratic system, and most notably, on the rights of
the large Israeli-Palestinian minority.
Basically, to outlaw funds equals to outlaw an activity altogether.
From now on, if an Arab city or village conducts for example a
remembrance ceremony for the members of their community who died 1948,
it will stand the risk of losing all public support for the
municipality – something no one, especially the poor Arab population,
can afford….
It seems that when it comes to the Arabs, Israelis have totally
forgotten the meaning of freedom of speech. It is almost embarrassing
to remind that this idea involves the freedom to express opinions that
we don’t agree with, by people we don’t necessarily like.
Update: Ha'aretz is reporting that 230 lecturers from Israeli
universities and academic institutions intend to "publicly violate" the proposed Nakba legislation if it becomes law. One telling quote from Professor Bill Freedman of Haifa University:
"I can not sit on the sidelines while Israel descends into anti-democratic fascism," Freedman said.
"I saw the bills proposed to the Knesset. I am American originally,
and the subject of freedom of speech is ingrained deep inside of me."
Ultimately, the Israelis MUST build gas chambers. They have no choice. Anything that falls short of a complete recapitulation of the Nazi era is leaves them unsatisfied.
The 230 lecturers were right to sign the declaration. It's important to note, though, that they did so back in June, when the Nakba Law was still in its original form. I don't see how they can violate the new version unless they run publicly funded institutions.
Its a violation of equal due process under the law, especially if applied to some loyalty test for professors (on the rationale that it is public money that pays state university salaries). It is eight steps backwards for Israel, even as it parallels some of the sentiment expressed here when addressed to Israel or Jewish officials in US government.
From what I understand, the law in its current form doesn't apply to universities, which are funded under a different law from the one this bill amends.
This is sick and runs counter to what Israelis try to tell the world about their democracy, and about being the only democracy in the mid-east. How do you pretend to be democratic and yet be afraid of defending your own legitimacy by your own people. Things will get worse if those who created this law can't see the path they're on will lead to what they accuse other mid-east countries of. Fear to face their past will never allow them to move into a future of peace with their neighbours. Yet another bad sign that this state has lost its moral and historical legitimacy.
Not to mention from the POV of Palestinian arabs (of which Americans remain ignorant), it never had any moral and/or historical legitimacy.
Ban sedition!
RE: "Nakba denial may soon become Israeli law" MY COMMENT: To paraphrase Netanyahu (slightly altered): It is 1938 and Israel (not Iran) is Germany.
And, if the Kahanist references that you employ are regarded as seditious?
Disgusting comment
Kahana didn't invent the love of the Land of Israel or Zionism. I'm not sure what references you are referring to in this posting so it's hard for me to respond.
Did you read the content of the post or just respond to the title? The bill in its current form is equivalent to US laws prohibiting government funding for organizations that provide abortion services. It's a far cry from being analagous to Nazi laws.
What about banning a free press? After all, sedition is in the eye of the beholder. You are quite the fascist aren't you Eitan?
Everything is in the eye of the beholder.
ROFL. I love it. In most Arab countries, if they catch you criticizing the current government, they lock you up or kill you. In Israel, if you attack, not the current party in power, but the right of the country itself to exist, the Israeli government insists that you do it on your own dime, not paid for by the government of the country whose right to exist you attack. Just to be clear: 1) Kill or imprison people for criticizing the current ruling party. 2) Insist that groups that attack the right of the country to exist not do so with the country's money. Guess which "suppression of speech" the people here are howling about? The only explanation for attacking Israel for cutting off funding, but not the Arabs for cutting off heads, are incredible ignorance, incredible stupidity, or anti-Semitism. And quoting some hysterical idiot (Noam Sheizaf) who thinks that banning funding for activities attacking Israel means that all support for the municipality will be cut off if that municipality holds a Naqba ceremony. Uh, no, it means you pay for your own Naqba ceremony, not that you lose every public service if you hold a ceremony. What a moron.
If you don't like the Nazi comparison, how about the comparison to apartheid South Africa? This legislation sounds about as broad in what it prohibits as the old South African Suppression of Communism Act (under which they nailed, among other people, Nelson Mandela.)
Also not really appropriate. The Jewish people are the aboriginal natives to the land of Israel and predate Islam.
Jews have no history of supporting freedom of expression: Obama and the Freedom Riders.
The ones in your video. That is Kahane speaking. Did you know that? He's a Torah reviser, in claiming that Jews have an unconditional right to the land. They have a CONDITIONAL right, and that is predicated on "keeping the commandments", including the ones prohibiting theft, false witness, coveting neighbors' possessions. I get that it is a paradox. But, that is what it is to actually be a Jew. You want to be a Jew in fact, then abandon the land-lust, and accept the rule of law.
I'm not sure what video you are referring to. I wouldn't call it land-lust I would call it land-love. The law is on our side.
The term Jewish people comes from 19th century organic nationalism. No such term exists in any Jewish scripture. From Jewish Financial Aggression, Worldwide Economic Nakba:
ROFLMAO. Other than the vast number of Jews in the ACLU, and pretty much every Jew to some extent or another. Some would ban hate speech. Personally I wouldn't. Let me sum up your link to save others the wasted time of reading it: It's by you. Text goes: Blah, blah, blah, Jewish conspiracy, blah, blah, blah, bunch of bullshit about slavery, blah, blah, blah Judonia, blah, blah, blah.
Look at what they do and not at what they say. What has happened whenever anyone tries to write about the role of Jews in Soviet mass murder, genocide and ethnic cleansing or about the Jewish predelection for targeted assassinations in late 19th century Russia. What about all the accusations of extremism or anti-Semitism whenever someone correctly points out that racist murderous genocidal Eastern Europeans stole Palestine and genocided the native population — a process that still continues. And let's be real explicit about the issue. It is not extremism but Nuremberg Law to state that Palestinians have an unqualified right to kill every single Zionist interloper anywhere in Stolen or Occupied Palestine. Further under the International Convention for Prevention and Punishment of Genocide to which the USA is a signatory the USA is obligated to provide relief to the native population and certainly is not permitted to subsidize the criminal Zionist conglomeration, which should probably be obliterated under International Law.
"Everything is in the eye of the beholder" Aren't Zionists wonderful? They go from Orthodox Jew to post-modern existentialist in the space of three comments!! What a transformation!! In reality, Zionists are trapped on an endless Mobius strip between schlemiel and schlamazel.
And there goes Thors again! He posits as Thors, and then supports his contentions as "Joachim" It's called using a sockpuppet, folks. And it's getnerally frowned upon. "ThorsProvoni" and "Joachim Martillo" are the same person, trying to make it look like somebody agrees with him. Or do you deny that Thors-Martillo?
I may never become another Jimmy Smith or Joey Defrancesco, but I will always be grateful to the Hammond organ for one thing- it took my attentio away from Mondoweiss and its comment section.