DEMOCRACY, human, and civil rights
Extremism Is No Virtue The Bedouin of the Galilee village of Tuba-
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Zangariya have long served in the Israeli army. But that didn’t save their mosque from
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arson and desecration in a “price-tag” attack last October. These vigilante attacks by extremist settlers, retaliating for government shutdowns of illegal outposts, are now happening inside Israel. Violence is only a small part of Israel’s new ultra-nationalism. More Several thousand rallied in front of the Knesset protesting legislation to prevent property from being sold or rented to Ethiopian-Israelis.
frequent are attempts by right-wing politicians and their allies to throttle free speech, shut down dissent, and vilify Israel’s democratic institutions. The Knesset passed laws restricting freedom of expression. One law penalizes those calling for boycotts of goods from West Bank settlements. Another reduces government funding to any town or organization that commemorates the Nakba, what Arab Israelis call their trauma of 1948. Still another new law allows small towns to exclude minorities on the grounds of “social unsuitability.” More than 20 other laws repressing minority rights, politicizing the High Court, or blocking funding for human rights organizations remain under legislative consideration. The good news is that the new ultra-nationalism has its counterpart — an awakening of support for democratic values and social justice throughout Israel.
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Moments of Change | New Israel Fund