Hardened Racism in Israel sabbah.biz /mt/archives/2014/03/02/hardened-racism-israel/
By Stephen Lendman – Sabbah Report § Israeli already is institutionalized. On February 24, it got meaner. Fascist members approved legislation distinguishing between Muslim and Christian Arab citizens. At issue is separate and less equal than bef ore. It’s divide and conquer policy. Critics slammed the law. T hey did so justif iably. It institutes what at f irst glance seems minor. It changes the number of public advisory council members appointed under the 1988 Equal Employment Opportunities Law. Five members increase to 10. Currently , Muslims, and Circassian representatives are included. New legislation gives Muslim and Christian Arab citizens separate representation. New ones are added f or ultra-Orthodox Jews, reserve duty soldiers, women, immigrants (virtually all Jews) and the elderly. PLO executive committee member Hanan
PLO executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi said:
“This law aims to create a new reality among our people based on religion and not national identity.”
Hardline Likudnik sponsor Yariv Levin is unapologetically . “We and the Christians have a lot in common,” he said.
“They’re our natural allies, a counterweight to the Muslims who want to destroy the country from within.”
Racist legislation passed overwhelmingly. Equal Employment Opportunity commissioner T ziona Koenig-Yair opposed it. She does so “in the same way (she) wouldn’t be interested in separate representation f or Lithuanian and (Sephardi) ,” she said.
“Furthermore, there are no groups promoting employment for different sectors in the Arab population per se, only for the Arab population as a whole.”
T he law came up f or debate weeks earlier. Heated committee discussion f ollowed. On February 24, Knesset Labor, Welf are and Health Committee chairman Haim Katz introduced the law in the plenum. He lied saying:
“The aim is to look after populations that have a hard time in the labor market and to give them a representation on the advisory committee.”
Israel’s Knesset is its most hardline in history. Racist f ascist dominate it. Opposition members are f ew.
Haim Katz
T hey’re way outnumbered. T hey have no power. T he f ew Arab MKs have no say whatever. T hey’re little more than potted plants. T hey’re shouted down when expressing justif iable criticism of unf air legislation. Some Knesset hardliners want them banned altogether. Perhaps they’ll try excluding all MKs opposing their views. chairwoman Z ahava Gal-On is one. She opposes racist legislation. “Perhaps we should also
She opposes racist legislation. “Perhaps we should also divide the Jewish population into Poles, Yemenites and Moroccans,” she said.
“We are essentially in a situation where an effort is being made to try to define the state according to religions.” “Here they are trying to say that there’s a difference between Muslim Arabs and Christian Arabs.”
chairman Jamal Z ahalka criticized Levin. “Arab rights don’t interest him,” he said.
Zahava G al-O n
“There’s no specific Christian or Druze employment problem, only (one for) the general Arab population.” “Levin is interested in cruelly dividing the Arab public, which is oppressed as is. We will not be his lackeys.”
Levin is overtly racist. Weeks earlier, he said:
“My legislation will provide separate representation and separate attention to the Christian public, separate from the Muslim Arabs.” “This is a historic and important move that could help balance the State of Israel, and connect us and the Christians, and I’m being careful about not calling them Arabs because they aren’t Arabs.” “Christians can be directors of Yariv Levin government companies. They will get separate representation in the local authorities. They will get equal employment opportunities.” Sponsor Ads:
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“The first law I will pass will give Christians representation on the advisory council of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.”
“We and the Christians have a lot in common.”
He wants Jews allied with them against Muslims. “On the other hand,” he said, “there’s a message here. We will use an iron hand and demonstrate zero tolerance of Arabs who are liable to identif y with the terror of the Palestinian state.” Nominally, the law aims to increase employment opportunities among Israeli minorities. Implementing it will do nothing of the sort. It’ll do much more harm than good. It’s marginalize Muslim citizens more than already. Levin said similar bills will f ollow this one. T hey’ll benef it Christian Arabs at the expense of Muslim majority ones. T hey’ll harden Israeli racism more than already. Reserve Lt. Shadi Halul heads the Christian IDF Of f icers Forum. He was present during weeks earlier debate. He disgracef ully called Arab MKs “racists.” “I’m proud to be Christian,” he said.
“We have a right to self-definition as well. We are entitled to recognition.” “We are supporting this bill. It makes justice for Christian needs and solves against them with the Arab community that the state has falsely put them for 65 years.” “Christians have their own historical identity and heritage with a destiny different from Arabs and Muslims.” “If something happened to our beloved country Israel, we as Christians will have a harmful destiny, as we see now in Syria, with massacres, rape, church destruction, like what happened in Lebanon and Iraq before.” “We deserve the right to self-representation and identity with legal Christian representatives that understand our needs, to stop discrimination.”
Over 160,000 Christians are Israeli citizens. Nearly 80% are Arabs. Others largely emigrated f rom f ormer Soviet states. Most live in majority Muslim towns and villages. Israeli Christian Arabs increasingly called f or recognizing their separate identity. Last July, some f ormed the Sons of the New Testament political party. It encourages IDF enlistment. It wants f ull integration into Israeli society. Around 1.6 million Muslim citizens deserve no less. All Israeli citizens deserve equal rights. Favoring some over others is discriminatory. Israel f avors Jews alone. Arab rights are consistently denied. Levin’s bill delivers another body blow. If he f ollows through with more racist legislation, Muslim citizens will experience greater hardships. Racist laws pass f or that purpose. T hey punish unwanted Arabs. T hey represent back door . T hey want Muslims discouraged enough to leave. On February 26, Haaretz editors headlined “Israel’s distinguishing between Christian and Muslim Arabs is racism,” saying: Levin’s “bill threatens to erode even f urther the concept of citizenship in Israel.” Its nominal purpose belies its real one. Levin wants Christian Arabs benef itting at the expense of Muslim ones. According to Haaretz editors: “T he widespread support f or the bill in the Knesset shows that crazy ideas like these aren’t the province of an extremist, borderline-loony MK.
“T hey’re part of the national consensus.” It reveals Israel’s true character. It does so more than ever. It’s no f it place to live in. For Arabs, it’s dangerous. Palestinians are ruthlessly persecuted. Muslim citizens are considered f if th column threats. Israel wants them gone. Granting f ewer rights it hopes will encourage growing numbers to leave. Levin’s bill distinguishes between good (Christian) and bad (Muslim) Arabs. Racists think this way. Doing so does “great injustice to members of both religions,” said Haaretz editors. “(A)s minorities, (they’re) not treated properly by the state.” Def ining citizenship by “religion, color or gender,” def iles it altogether. Doing so “pushes Israel into the ranks of the darkest states.” What if racist MKs distinguished between good and bad Jews. Haaretz editors urged Knesset members to reverse what no legitimate state should tolerate. Racist legislation “does not ref lect love of one’s country,” they said. It more than ever reveals Israel’s true f ace. With or without this legislation, its dark side is plain to see. Read more from Stephen Lendman – Sabbah Report – http://sabbah.biz/mt/?p=19278