Commenter Profile

Total number of comments: 66 (since 2009-11-22 23:43:48)

Ofer Neiman

Israeli citizen

Website: http://www.kibush.co.il/

Showing comments 66 - 1
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  • Double standard for the neighbor-- Paul Auster and Turkey
  • Israeli settlers attack Israeli activists & journalists; 19 injured, 3 hospitalized
    • Ofer Neiman October 1, 2011 at 4:29 pm with 3 replies

      Sweet eee,here's the whole story: The lords of the land saw a Palestinian with a Palestinian flag, on his private land, inside the area they have (illegally) annexed. This was upsetting, especially the flag. Hutzpah.

    • Ofer Neiman October 1, 2011 at 4:27 pm

      Hi seafoid, yes. These people have a house with a garden in Anatot, something they cannot afford in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.

    • Ofer Neiman October 1, 2011 at 1:49 am

      Annie, thanks, but I wasn't there yesterday.

      As for your question, the other video seems to be from an action in Mt. Hebron (unrelated).

    • Ofer Neiman October 1, 2011 at 12:47 am with 33 replies

      "Well I guess when you have the backing of the police force and full support of the state you don’t need any."

      Worse than that, (we're being told that) Anatot is where many border policemen and policemen reside (career officers, if you can dignify what they do for a living with the word "career").

      They don't need the backing of the police, they ARE the police...

      In addition, it's notable that these thugs are not ultra-Orthodox. They are (just) a narrow-minded tribal mob. This doesn't mean they are secular or liberal :) You can hear them calling the activists "Mityavnim", a very strong word which translates into something like "Hellenistic Jews", the enemies of the "real Jews", the enemies whom the fanatic Judas Maccabeus and his buddies were eager to kill.

  • Although attention is focused on New York, the real struggle for Palestinian rights is playing out on the ground
  • Derfner's next assignment
  • IDF cites int'l law against use of white phosphorus in 'inhabited areas'--then removes the tweet
  • Curb your racism
  • The great Renee Fleming, brought to you by the Jewish Agency and its West Bank colonization project
    • Ofer Neiman July 22, 2011 at 4:01 pm

      1. I've never seen so much time, money and effort invested by Hasbara against a campaign that would hurt Palestinians more than it would hurt Israelis ;)

      2. Israel and the US are record holders in the field of double standards, with so many UN resolutions against Israeli acts of aggression having been vetoed.
      If you support Israeli policies, and do not condemn (or rather, acknowledge the existence of) systematic Israeli war crimes, why not say that, instead of opting for a rather lame 'double-standards' argument?

      3. As for your warnings, please tell that to Ehud Barak:
      link to 972mag.com

    • Ofer Neiman July 22, 2011 at 3:54 pm

      No eee,

      If a country oppresses 100% of the population, it means that a dictatorial, non-elected *government* is pretty much the only culprit.

      In that case, sanctions of a *different* type are required. You may wish to go over a list of sanctions imposed on the governments of Syria and Lybia.

    • Ofer Neiman July 22, 2011 at 3:51 pm

      My dear Hophmi.

      The Tamimi brothers from Nabi Saleh and the AbuRahma brothers from Bilin end up in prison after expressing their views through non-violent demonstrations against Israeli apartheid.

      The government of Egypt does not persecute the Copts. Small terrorist groups target them, and the majority of Egyptians has expressed their indignation at this. Some of Egypt's most prominent leaders, like Boutros Boutros Ghali, have been Copts.

      To be continued.

    • Ofer Neiman July 22, 2011 at 12:13 pm with 36 replies

      Dan, We seem to have entered the age of "Israel singled out" Hasbara. Before that, Hasbara focused on "Israel is a democracy". It's pretty much gone now.
      This should be regarded as progress, from our perspective.

      Hophmi, there's a big difference between Israel on the one hand and China and Syria on the other. In Israel, an ethnic majority enjoys tremendous privileges, including the right to voice dissident views and resist what their government is doing to another ethnic group. Most members of the majority group choose to participate in the oppression or stand idly by. In China and Syria, by contrast, it's the majority (in fact, all the citizens)) who are being oppressed by their own government (including Alawis and Han Chinese).

  • 2 pictures of children
    • Ofer Neiman July 22, 2011 at 1:27 pm

      Hamishe_Sabz, in Silwan young children often throw stones at the armed thugs who enforce the occupation there. Adults are not needed.

      Israel regards this as terrorism, of course. And Israel refuses to abide by international treaties on the rights of children.

      Now, anything you wish to add about, say, Upper Volta?

  • 'New Israel Fund' explains why it opposes BDS
  • Samah Sabawi: a Palestinian woman’s response to Naomi Chazan on BDS
  • Encountering Leonard Cohen in an L.A. pizzeria
    • Ofer Neiman June 7, 2011 at 4:29 pm with 3 replies

      es1982, as an Israeli citizen living in Israel, I can tell you that we don't need you.

      The Israeli public will be moved into action by the loss of comfort, not by endless pandering of the "this is good for Israel" type (it is good for Israel BTW).

      האדישות של התל-אביבים תיגמר כשאי אפשר יהיה להדחיק את מציאות הכיבוש והאפרטהייד

      cheers

  • Juliano Mer-Khamis is killed in West Bank
    • Ofer Neiman April 4, 2011 at 11:48 am

      Golem, nice to have you here with your venom.

      Israelis (Zionist Jews, more precisely) murder *Palestinians* (women and children and the elderly included) to get even with other Jews (those damn lefties), or just to achieve political targets.

      From the 1st Lebanon war , through Asher Weisgan (2005) , to the current "Price Tag" policy.

      And Juliano was both Jewish and Palestinian, but you are not expected to fathom such complexities.

  • Israeli diplomat who resigned in protest shows up at Sheikh Jarrah demo
    • Ofer Neiman March 6, 2011 at 2:25 pm

      Baruch is important as a representative of a sector. This is not about settling scores with him for the past, since the phosphorus and cluster doctrines (etc.) are still on the table. A Labor/Kadima government will be likely to resort to these doctrines, due to its need to prove its "patriotism" and thanks to Western tolerance towards its "pursuit of peace".

      Baruch did a right thing (*the* right thing may be exaggerated) in the face of right wing zealots running the Israeli FM, but his act (gutsy to a certain extent, even though he is not far from retirement) must be viewed in the context of dark clouds on the horizon. Will he and his friends side with us when we need them the most?

    • Ofer Neiman March 6, 2011 at 11:40 am with 1 replies

      oops, I didn't forget to mention :)

    • Ofer Neiman March 6, 2011 at 11:26 am with 2 replies

      I did forget to mention that it is nice to see him attending the demo at Sheikh Jarah.
      (+excuse some typos in the comment)

  • Israeli activists charge Ian McEwan with supporting apartheid
  • BDS promises a just peace, unlike current US strategy
    • Ofer Neiman February 9, 2011 at 7:19 pm

      "BDS is nothing new. It is the continuation of the Arab boycotts of Israel of the past. "

      No, it's not. BDS is a **grassroots** campaign promoted by individuals all over the world.

  • Macy Gray shuns boycott, will play Tel Aviv
    • Ofer Neiman January 22, 2011 at 5:13 pm

      Jon S,

      It's not so complicated to understand the distinctions. You are capable of it.

      - Yes, do boycott El-Al as a customer, but refusing to grant El-Al landing rights is an embargo, and a violation of the right to freedom of movement.

      - A university's president represents the institution (fund-raising, advocacy etc.)

      - There are Palestinian athletes who participate in international events. Big deal. Anything that fails to challenge the Israeli sense of "business as usual" is almost meaningless.

      As long as Israelis enjoy prosperity and can isolate themselves from the apartheid systems, it's rock the boat, or stay at home and read books (friendly advice to you, not to waste your time).

    • Ofer Neiman January 22, 2011 at 11:29 am

      hi Jon

      Let me be more precise.

      -According to the guidelines as I know them, only representatives of Israeli universities who are above the level of head of department will be boycotted (rectors, presidents etc.)

      -According to my understanding of the BDS guidelines, The Schlesinger incident was *NOT* something called for by the BDS coalition.

      - Boycotting official Israeli teams? again, this is an institutional boycott. I felt comfortable with it when it was applied to South Africa.

      - El-Al: We need to distinguish between a boycott and an EMBARGO (certainly an embargo against individuals). The boycott is about not buying Israeli products, and refusing to cooperate with cultural and academic institutions. It is not about imposing a siege on Israel, through flight bans. For a combination of (violent!) sanctions and a (violent!) embargo, look at what the Israeli government is doing to the inhabitants of the Gaza strip.

      - The BDS campaign cannot ignore the other two problems: Israel's refusal to accept responsibility for the ethnic cleansing of 1948, and its Jim Crow treatment of Israel's Palestinian citizens. I (still...) support a two-state solution, and I don't think this view of mine is incompatible with the BDS principles.

      - I may have a better opinion of the Israeli public than you do...See, I also think Israelis care about their standard of living and about their ties with the outside world. In other words, I attribute some rationality to their thinking.

      Thanks
      Ofer

    • Ofer Neiman January 21, 2011 at 1:18 pm

      Jon S

      Israelis are exempt from practicing BDS. I kid you not. They are not exempt from supporting it.

      It's good that you boycott settlement products, but most, if not all Israeli companies profit from the occupation, and are therefore boycottable (even if you cannot do that, living here).

      As for the BDS guidelines, you can find them on PACBI's site, or on ours: boycottisrael.info
      (contact us if you have questions)

      Individuals are NOT targeted by the boycott. Israeli scientists can publish articles. And no ban on landing or restriction of the right to travel as well!
      And Natalie Portman can surely go on with her life as a talented, clueless-liberal thespian.

      There are calls for banning *national* Israeli teams from the Olympics etc. I think this is within the scope of the BDS, and there was a sports boycott of South African national teams as well. Have to check, since this is a fairly new item on the BDS agenda.

      In a nutshell, The cultural-academic boycott is institutional.

      Thanks
      o.

    • Ofer Neiman January 20, 2011 at 7:53 pm with 1 replies

      Sumud,

      The view from here: Neither PACBI nor USACBI not BRICUP nor BFW have accepted this as a loss (yet).

      And it seems all their representatives have so far been graceful.

      Thanks
      o.

    • Ofer Neiman January 20, 2011 at 5:19 pm

      Dear eee, time to dig deeper in the BDS debate. For an intelligent argument, see Jon S.

    • Ofer Neiman January 20, 2011 at 5:16 pm

      Hi Jon S

      As an Israeli citizen, I beg to differ, and here are some reasons why joining the BDS call is justified.

      - It's simply there. Palestinian civil society, representing millions of people living under occupation, has started a campaign, and they are asking for our solidarity. Crossing the picket line means taking sides (abetting Israel in continuing its policies)

      - Israel is extremely privileged in its international dealings.

      - A BDS campaign against some of the "standard" dictatorships you mentioned would NOT be justified, since over there, it's about small elites oppressing their own, miserable people, the vast majority. Here, we have an apartheid situation with one privileged population/people, prospering at the expense of another population/people. The people of Zimbabwe are victims. The people in Tel-Aviv are free, while their government, with their support, oppresses others.

      In a nuthshell...

    • Ofer Neiman January 20, 2011 at 4:18 pm

      Lydda Four Eight , again:

      ---
      "If she comes to perform here and asks Israeli activists to take her out on a tour, will that be better than nothing? yes, but just that."
      ---

      Facilitating is not the issue (yes , we would facilitate). The issue is seeing this tour as a big deal, after her performance here in violation of the boycott, when it is quite insignificant

      If you support the BDS campaign, you should realize that Israelis will be happy with this easy solution: "come sing for us, and then take a bus to Bilin".

    • Ofer Neiman January 20, 2011 at 4:14 pm

      Your suggestion has been forwarded to the group

    • Ofer Neiman January 20, 2011 at 3:46 pm with 4 replies

      Away from her PC, Eleanor says:

      The asshole tweet- which was written and kept on
      Macy Gray's twitter- is only referred in order to make a point about how unpopular Boycott supporters are thought to be cos we spoil all the fun, and that is is irrelevant to the piece as a whole, which is about daring to say NO I'M NOT going to Israel and daring to disappoint fans who seem not to care about the graver issues of occupation and apartheid.

      Eleanor K

    • Ofer Neiman January 20, 2011 at 3:43 pm with 1 replies

      On the contrary, someone reading anti-BDS releases may come to that conclusion.

      Look, she called some boycotters "assholes". She simply did.

    • Ofer Neiman January 20, 2011 at 3:40 pm

      bahebekyagaza

      You can find me on Facebook and send me your contact info. I will forward it to Eleanor, in case she wants to talk to you.

      Is there anything truly relevant in what you wrote here?
      What exactly is your problem with the factual claims posted here?

    • Ofer Neiman January 20, 2011 at 2:55 pm with 3 replies

      Lydda Four Eight

      I'm with the Israeli BDS group, and I think Eleanor K got it RIGHT.

      MG can easily educate herself about Israel's racism and apartheid, without even coming here. Of course, a visit will be much more illuminating, but this she can do as a tourist/activist, instead of performing here.

      If she comes to perform here and asks Israeli activists to take her out on a tour, will that be better than nothing? yes, but just that.

    • Ofer Neiman January 20, 2011 at 2:09 pm with 3 replies

      Sumud,

      Even if there are some factual errors here (made in good faith, by a well-meaning activist), MG's chirpy message about performing in Israel + "peace" deserves to be condemned.

      Condemnation does not necessarily burn bridges.

  • Lo, Uri Avnery said to carry 'Murders in Uniform' poster
    • Ofer Neiman January 3, 2011 at 12:51 am

      Just a small correction: it's "murderers in uniform".

      Clenchner, Gush Shalom warned officers about war crimes, but have not been active on the issue of pursuing indictments abroad.

  • Notice the volk vibe in this racist Tel Aviv rally against miscegenation and integration
    • Ofer Neiman December 23, 2010 at 9:38 pm

      Seriously, some of them are Sephardic Jews, whose parents (or, more likely, grandparents) were born and raised in Arab states.

      The following song, by Jewish-Egyptian musician (turned Israeli citizen) Joe Amar illustrates the difference between his generation and the current generation.

      link to youtube.com

    • Ofer Neiman December 23, 2010 at 9:33 pm with 2 replies

      0:19: The red T-shirts : "Jewish Bat-Yam" and "Jewish Pisgat-Zeev"
      ( Note: The latter is a Jerusalem neighborhood where two Palestinian youths were almost beaten to death in 2008 ( Summary: link to haaretz.com
      ,
      Full report, cached: link to cafemom.com
      )

      Last week in Pisgat-Zeev, a Kahanist neighborhood council member was elected on a platform of racial purity.

      0:21: Both sign and banner : Jewish girls [belong] to the Jews" {literally "People of Israel", not to be confused with "people of Israel" with a
      small 'p')

      Note (reported by Dimi Reider): Members of "Hanoar Haoved Ve-halomed", an Israeli youth movement, who attended the counter-demonstration held banners saying "Keep Bat-Yam Jewish and Democratic".
      Now, could there be a more hideous slogan than that (for the counter-demo)?...

  • Thoughts on a Jewish freedom-fighter, Masha Bruskina
    • Ofer Neiman December 16, 2010 at 12:29 pm

      But look who's talking on behalf of Holocaust victims...
      we all know that these millions wanted Israel to exist, THIS type of Israel. Ask Netanyahu.

    • Ofer Neiman December 16, 2010 at 12:27 pm

      Disagree. The Nazi ideology was INHERENTLY abominable. Not true for Marxist ideology. On the contrary.

      It may not be appealing to the American public, but give this public a few more years of imperial collapse, energy sources scarcity, and rising poverty, and "Socialism" may become much more palatable a word. Think Sweden.

      Bruskina was a humanist, a hero, not a Nazi activist.

  • The bubble: NPR devotes 9 minutes to Israeli miracle company 'Better Place'
    • Ofer Neiman December 14, 2010 at 2:56 pm with 2 replies

      You stand corrected. Should be :
      "If someone in South Africa in the 1980’s had an innovation to share with the world, and this innovation involved the exploitation of occupied land, should NPR have reported this?"

      Now the debate can continue.

  • Is 'Peace Now' friending settlers?
  • A kid throws a stone in East Jerusalem, and a village is locked down
  • Arizona State University students protest IDF speaker
    • Ofer Neiman November 12, 2010 at 7:52 pm

      "These things happen on the campus mostly because there are a few Jewish kids and many more Muslim and secular kids who outnumber them."

      So the "secular" kids are not on the side of Hasbara. non-trivial. I like that.

      As for "Zionist kids are just as capable of doing exactly the same thing", I think "bring it on" would be the best reply.

      BTW, when we (Israeli activists) encourage people abroad to get involved, we tell them something which should be obvious, and is obvious, to many of us: Palestine is the place where the American world order can be/will be rolled back. Very important.

      Feel free to digress to a monologue about a Chinese world order, or human rights in Saudi Arabia. Much good it will do to your cause.

  • Port Townsend co-op rejects boycott on a technicality
  • Celebrity support for cultural boycott is getting attention
  • BDS and one state as an alternative to the peace process
  • 'Beinart, your brutal honesty makes you my political foe'
    • Ofer Neiman May 21, 2010 at 2:24 pm

      Sir,

      Please note that the main problem about Israeli immigration laws is that (in several cases) people can become Israeli citizens based on their kinship to Jewish citizens but not on their kinship to non-Jewish Israeli citizens.

      This is discrimination **against Israeli citizens**, and it should not be tolerated.

      Please note that this issue is different from the issue of Israel preferring Jews (rather than Italians or Canadians) as immigrants. Here we are talking about (potential) discrimination against people who are **not** Israeli citizens. This is a much milder form of discrimination.

      And is this only about immigration laws?
      Anyone knows what Peter Beinart has to say about the national project called "the Judeaziation of the Galilee"?

      Ofer Neiman

    • Ofer Neiman May 21, 2010 at 2:17 pm with 1 replies

      No sir,

      I prefer a two state solution.

      Ofer Neiman

      p.s

      Like Avi says, your talkback seems to be more about Hasbara than about an honest debate.

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