Antony Loewenstein

One more step in Israel’s seemingly inevitable path towards excluding Arabs entirely; making it illegal for Palestinians to get any state funding to mark the 1948 Nakba.

Key BDS backer Omar Barghouti writes:

One major difference between Israeli apartheid and its South African sibling was that the former shrewdly avoided overt racial discrimination that prevailed in the latter. And, of course, the former has “allowed” the oppressed indigenous population voting rights, albeit within the constraints of the overall apartheid regime, specifically to claim a democratic facade–deemed essential for Israel’s very survival. It seems the first difference is fast disappearing with Israel’s peculiarly excited descent into fascism! I wonder when the right to vote will be further restrained to lose any meaning it may currently claim.

The Knesset passed two controversial bills late Tuesday night, infuriating many MKs from Arab and left-wing parties, who claim the bills are racist and run counter to democratic values. The “Nakba bill”, proposed by Yisrael Beiteinu, requires the state to fine local authorities and other state-funded bodies for holding events marking the Palestinian Nakba Day by supporting armed resistance or racism against Israel, or desecrating the state flag or national symbols.On Nakba Day Palestinians mark the “catastrophe” of Israel’s inception in 1948.

The bill, which was reworked before its final passing, states that the finance minister will be charged with deciding when to withdraw funds from various groups after considering the opinions of the attorney general and a professional team comprised of members of the ministries of finance and justice. Thirty-seven MKs supported the bill in its final form, while 25 opposed it.

MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu) was among the supporters. “I am not ashamed for wanting to protect this state as a Jewish and democratic state,” he said. “You are concerned about democracy, but if your way triumphs there won’t be a state.”

But critique against the bill was harsh. “On this day the thought police is being established in Israel,” said Isaac Herzog (Labor). Herzog added that the bill had been formulated in contrast with the attorney general’s recommendations. “It will exacerbate tension in Israel,” he said.

MK Dov Khenin (Hadash) called it “another dark night”, adding that “this bill will greatly contribute to Israel’s de-legitimization in the world”.

MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad) was also outraged. “You are creating a monstrous state that will enter the thoughts and emotions of citizens. Is accepting my history considered incitement?” she asked. “The Nakba is a historic truth, not a position or freedom of expression.”

The second bill, which passed by a majority of 35 to 20, formalizes the establishment of admission committees to review potential residents of Negev and Galilee communities that have fewer than 400 families. It was passed after 2 am.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel immediately filed a petition against the bill, claiming that it sanctions discrimination against Arabs, haredim, Mizrahi Jews, and even single mothers.

The petition gives a long list of court cases in which plaintiffs were rejected by admissions committees, including a handicapped IDF veteran, Arab and immigrant families, and Jews with Mizrahi roots. The committees turned them down with explanations about “suitability for community life”, according to the petition.

After the passing of the bill the Knesset erupted in riots as MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List-Ta’al), refusing to limit himself to the comparison of the bill to South Africa’s apartheid,mentioned the Wannsee Conference in which the Nazis decided on the Holocaust’s “final solution” – or the gassing of Jews.

Arab and left-wing MKs claim the bill, which was proposed by MKs from Yisrael Beiteinu and Kadima, is aimed at preventing Arabs from residing in the communities that choose to adopt admission committees.But its initiators claim in their explanation of the bill that it is “a balanced bill and not racist, and does not intend to harm the Arabs or the weaker members of society”.

MK Taleb El-Sana (United Arab List-Ta’al) said the bill’s initiators should be ashamed. “How can a country determine for its citizens where to live and die?” he asked.

“The Knesset is broadcasting a message that was received by the rabbis in Safed, who prevent Arab students from residing there. Imagine if Britain or France had made a law preventing Jews from living in certain communities,” El-Sana added. “This is a racist law, a law against Arabs.”

MK Hanna Swaid (Hadash) announced “the clinical death of the State of Israel.” He added that although the law prohibits denying anyone residence based on his race, it was still possible to do so on cultural grounds. “We will make sure the towns, local authorities, and communities that adopt the law are boycotted in the world,” he said.

But the Knesset truly erupted in violence when MK Tibi took the stand. “You must read Jewish history well and learn which laws you suffered from. Do you remember anything about the prohibition of interracial marriage? Do you need an Arab on the stand to remind you of your history?” he asked.

“When 14 representatives gathered in Berlin, they discussed which policy to use against the Jews. It was then they discussed pushing them aside and limiting their living space…”

At this point MKs from other parties interrupted Tibi, yelling at him to leave the podium. MK Uri Ariel (National Union) refused to let him continue, yelling out, “Go back to Ramallah.” Tibi was eventually allowed to continue, and said Arabs felt as though they were being pushed aside. He said he was not comparing the law to the final solution, but that he had brought it up in order to stress the level of hatred.

And there’s more (again largely ignored by the world’s media.) The shift of mainstream Israel towards fascism is too often glossed over. But the Zionist discourse is mainly geared towards demonising Arabs and finding ways to get rid of them.

Max Blumenthal on yet another shocking poll:

The one-two punch of settler “price tag” attacks carried out under the watch of the army and with the encouragement of state-funded religious nationalist rabbis is common all over the West Bank. Most Jewish Israelis view the army with reverence, and are reluctant to criticize its conduct under any circumstance. And though settler violence is considered a matter of controversy in Israeli society, a new poll shows that a staggering number of Israelis support the pogroms meted out by fanatical settlers against defenseless Palestinians.

A new Ynet-Gesher survey of 504 Jewish Israeli adults revealed that 46 percent of Israelis support settler “price tag” terror. Only 33 percent of those polled believed that price tag attacks were “never justified.” A sectoral breakdown shows that  a wide majority of religious nationalist and ultra-Orthodox respondents support the attacks: 56 percent of “traditional” types, 70 percent of those identifying as Orthodox, and 71 percent of the religious nationalists declared price tag violence to be justified. The most remarkable finding, in my opinion, is that 36 percent of secular respondents support settler terror. Even though 56 percent are against the practice, this is a remarkably high number for a population segment that lives primarily inside the Green Line.

This is a good story in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph that outlines the gross waste of Australian aid across the world. Accountability is the least we can expect. What needs to be further examined – something I’m researching – is which private companies here and overseas are scamming the system:

Australia’s $4.5 billion foreign aid program is plagued by record levels of fraud, with millions of dollars being stolen by corrupt officials and overseas agencies.

AusAID has 175 cases of fraud under investigation – stretching across 27 countries and totalling millions of dollars.

Documents released under Freedom of Information expose a criminal trail in some of the world’s poorest countries, with widespread theft of money and forging of receipts.

They also show how food and other supplies are being diverted from dirt-poor communities and sold on the black market at inflated prices.

While AusAID insists it is improving fraud control, the documents also reveal police are often reluctant to intervene and charge local criminals – frustrating the agency’s attempts to recover missing aid money.

In one extraordinary case, the Eritrean Government in 2006 seized food and other supplies from the UN’s World Food Program, saddling Australian taxpayers with a probable loss of $1.25 million.

The revelations will do little to boost public confidence in a foreign aid program that is forecast to nearly double to $8 billion a year by 2015.

PNG [Papua New Guinea] emerged as corruption central with 71 cases of identified fraud – 40 per cent of the AusAID total – involving millions in missing funds.

A refugee activist from Western Australia writes to me:

An Iraqi asylum seeker I visit at a detention centre just got a rejection letter from DIAC [Department of Immigration and Citizenship]. His brother is an Aussie citizen whom I have met while he has been visiting the Iraqi. After waiting 14 months, the government says he is not a refugee. Reason on the letter? “It is now safe in Sri Lanka”. I should think this suggests they are now sending out pro forma rejections and transposed a stack of names. So more then just incompetence.

Very powerful and true letter published in yesterday’s Melbourne Age:

I am a Sri Lankan. In 2009, we had the same issue as Libya: Sri Lankan armed forces killed civilians during the fight against the rebels.

The Australian Tamils wrote to then prime minister Kevin Rudd to help stop the bloodshed and prevent the innocents being killed. Neither the prime minister nor the foreign minister did anything.

The UN and Western leaders did nothing, watching thousands of innocents killed.

Now Kevin Rudd is making noises about the UN resolution on the Libyan crisis. Barack Obama said the Libyan people should be protected. Where was he when the Tamils were massacred by the Sri Lankan government?

The war criminals in Sri Lanka are still free and continue to commit atrocities and the Western world turns a blind eye.

Why this double-standard? Libya has oil wealth. The Tamils do not have any. The UN is supposed to protect the poor and vulnerable. But here oil wealth speaks loud and clear.

N. S. Nathan, Wheelers Hill

Thank you, Wikileaks:

Following a meeting in Tripoli between Libyan leader Colonel Qaddafi, his son Muatassim and a United States Congressional delegation led by Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman on 14 August 2009, the American embassy classified diplomatic cable to Secretary of State Hilary Clinton highlighted the close working relationship both nations enjoy to combat the Global War on Terrorism.

The American embassy classified cable, released by WikiLeaks, quotes Senator Lieberman, the Chairman of the US Senate’s highly important Homeland Security Committee as calling Libya “an important ally in the war on terrorism.”

Lieberman in his discussion with the Libyan leader and his son further noted that “common enemies sometimes make better friends. The Senators recognized Libya’s cooperation on counterterrorism and conveyed that it was in the interest of both countries to make the relationship stronger. They encouraged Libya to sign the Highly Enriched Uranium transfer agreement by August 15 in order to fulfill its obligation to transfer its nuclear spent fuel to Russia for treatment and disposal.”

The embassy in a foot note to the diplomatic cable noted: “The Libyan Government subsequently informed us of its intent to sign the agreement on August 17 and has begun taking good-faith steps to do so.”

The American embassy cable to Secretary Clinton further noted Senator McCain, a leading Republican and former presidential candidate in the November 2008 election, encouraging the Libyan Leader Colonel Qaddafi’s son Muatassim “to keep in mind the long-term perspective of bilateral security engagement and to remember that small obstacles will emerge from time to time that can be overcome.”

The diplomatic cable said McCain described the bilateral military relationship as strong and pointed to Libyan officer training at U.S. Command, Staff, and War colleges as some of the best programs for Libyan military participation.

Whatever happened to best friends forever?

It turns out one of the diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks describes in detail the friendly meeting between McCain and Gadhafi. It was also attended by fellow hawks Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham as well as Gadhafi’s son, Muatassim. (See video of the meeting here.)

…

Senator McCain assured Muatassim that the United States wanted to provide Libya with the equipment it needs…

There is certainly a robust debate over the so-called morality of the US-led bombing campaign against Libya but Seamus Milne in the Guardian says there’s nothing moral about it:

The point isn’t just that western intervention in Libya is grossly hypocritical. It’s that such double standards are an integral part of a mechanism of global power and domination that stifles hopes of any credible international system of human rights protection.

A la carte humanitarian intervention, such as in Libya, is certainly not based on feasibility or the degree of suffering or repression, but on whether the regime carrying it out is a reliable ally or not. That’s why the claim that Arab despots will be less keen to follow Gaddafi’s repressive example as a result of the Nato intervention is entirely unfounded. States such as Saudi Arabia know very well they’re not at the slightest risk of being targeted unless they’re in danger of collapse.

There’s also every chance that, as in Kosovo in 1999, the attack on Libya could actually increase repression and killing, while failing to resolve the underlying conflict.

Wonderful news (via Joseph Dana):

In a major victory for proponents of the academic boycott of Israel, the University of Johannesburg has voted to end its relationship with Ben Gurion University. This decision to boycott Ben Gurion University carries special significance given South Africa’s history of Apartheid and the successful boycott that was launched against the country in the 1980’s. The university’s decision is another confirmation of the efficacy of the global BDS movement which, in a remarkable short time, has had a major impact on Israel’s ability to continue its occupation of West Bank with little international regard. Below is the press release detailing the decision:

Today, setting a worldwide precedent in the academic boycott of Israel, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) has effectively severed ties with Israel’s Ben-Gurion University (BGU).

This was after UJ’s Senate rejected a last ditch motion by pro-Israeli lobbyists to have two separate bilateral agreements – one with a Palestinian University and another with an Israeli University. UJ chose instead to uphold its previous Senate Resolution that required taking leadership from Palestinian universities. Palestinian universities unanimously rejected any collaboration with BGU (in any form) and have come out in full support of the the academic boycott of Israel. UJ chose to respect this.

UJ is the first institution to officially sever relations with an Israeli university – a landmark moment in the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) of Israel campaign. Throughout the campaign, academics and international human rights activists have been anticipating this decision. This boycott decision, coming from a South African institution, is of particular significance. This has set a precedent and must start a domino boycott effect!

The movement to end ties with BGU was boosted by the overwhelming support given to the UJ Petition (www.ujpetition.com) – a statement and campaign in support of UJ academics and students who were calling on their university to end its apartheid-era relationship with BGU. As the UJ senate met today, over 400 South African academics, including nine Vice-Chancellors and Deputy Vice-Chancellors, had signed the UJ Petition.

Included in the list of supporters are some of South Africa’s leading voices: Professors Neville Alexander, Kader Asmal, Allan Boesak, Breyten Breytenbach, John Dugard, Antjie Krog, Barney Pityana and Sampie Terreblanche. South Africa’s popular cartoonist Jonathan “Zapiro” Shapiro, Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu, Bishop Rubin Phillips, former Minister Ronnie Kasrils and leading social activist Zackie Achmat also backed the campaign.

Further, over 100 internationals began to lend their support, including several prominent international scholars: Professors Judith Butler, Vijay Prashad, Michael Burawoy, Wendy Brown, Ernesto Laclau, and acclaimed British author, John Berger.

Today UJ has made history by upholding and advancing academic moral integrity. Palestinians, South Africans and the international academic and solidarity community celebrate this decisive victory in isolating Israeli apartheid and supporting freedom, dignity and justice for the Palestinian people. UJ now continues the anti-apartheid movement – against Apartheid Israel.

ISSUED BY BDS WORKING GROUP (South Africa)

Brilliant (the animation, that is, and I partially agree with the message, too, something I’m contemplating as I’m currently updating my second book, The Blogging Revolution, for an Australian and international publisher. Just how influential is the internet during the current Arab revolutions?):

Inka Stafrace is an Australian film-maker concerned with Israel/Palestine. Her first film, Hope in the Sling Shot, was accepted then refused screening on “our” ABC. Brave souls at the national broadcaster.

She’s currently working on a new project but in the meantime has shot this beautiful short piece on the recent settler murder in Itamar in the West Bank:

The ongoing controversy over Sydney’s Marrickville council backing BDS against Israel is getting the political and media establishment and Zionist lobby worried.

So what to do?

Find a compliant Federal politician who loves Israel to death and will do anything to defend Zionist occupation.

Victorian Liberal Mitch Fifield is your man. He’s been on trips to Israel (alongside Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd late last year) and back in 2009 he talked about the glorious democracy in Israel.

Today he moved the following in the Federal Senate. The Greens voted against it and asked for it to be recorded in Hansard:

Senator Fifield: To move—That the Senate—

(a) notes:

(i) the boycott of Israel instigated by Marrickville Council – part of the Global Boycott Divestments and Sanctions (GBDS) – banning any links with Israeli organisations or organisations that support Israel and prohibiting any academic, government, sporting or cultural exchanges with Israel,

(ii) letters from Marrickville Council to Members of Parliament asking them to support the GBDS, and

(iii) reports of the intention of the Greens Marrickville Mayor, Ms Fiona Byrne, to seek to extend the boycott of Israel to the entire state of New South Wales;

(b) acknowledges that Israel is a legitimate and democratic state and a good friend of Australia; and

(c) denounces the Israeli boycott by Marrickville Council and condemns any expansion of it.

Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak tells a Jewish audience in the US that Zionism is peachy, occupation is lovely (oh, apart from this and this, of course, but he must have mentioned this when the recorders were off) and the Jewish state should be given even more Western backing. Who believes this nonsense (apart from the Zionist lobby and its obedient courtiers)?

Israel is facing an “earthquake” rattling Middle East regimes as well as the threat of an anti-Israeli diplomatic tsunami, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday.

Addressing a convention organized by the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces in New York, Barak said that 2011 has proven fateful for Israel, as it faces “on the one hand an ‘historic earthquake’ in the Middle East, on the other hand a diplomatic ‘Tsunami’ that is rising against Israel.”

“It will culminate in September this year with the intended recognition of a Palestinian state along the ’67 lines, followed by a wide effort aimed at de-legitimization Israel,” the defense minister said.

Referring to the threats he considers Israel to face, Barak cited “Hamas in Gaza, the Hezbollah in Lebanon,” adding that, in the background, Iran, that still presents a major threat to world order.”

“Regarding Iran,” the defense minister said, “it is essential to shift towards crippling and paralyzing sanctions while simultaneously keeping ‘all options on the table.’”

Speaking of the conclusions that should be reached out of Israel’s “fateful” decisions, Barak lauded the “advancement toward more openness in the Arab societies,” while advising caution of any “uncertainties and threats that such a situation brings.

“Israel is clearly an island of stability,” Barak said. “An outpost of the free world values in a tough neighborhood, where there is no mercy for the weak, no second opportunity for those who cannot defend themselves. Thus, we must remain strong.”

The defense minister also spoke of the need to “build a strong Israel that strives for peace from a position of strength and self confidence,” and culminated by saying that “Israel must nurture and develop its close ties with the US, which, for Israel is the major source of securing its Qualitative Military Edge as well as of political backing.”

While Barak admitted that there had been difficulties in peace talks with the Palestinians, “the alternatives have also become much worse.”

“Thus, a stronger sense of purpose and urgency is needed in order for Israel to avoid ending up on a ‘slippery slope’ towards isolation and de-legitimization,” the defense minister added.

“Our utmost responsibility is to ensure that if it can be done – it will. If it cannot – it will be clear to the whole world that the other side is responsible,” he said, adding: “Time is running out. It is a moment for tough decisions. Actions. Not just words.”