Israel’s Charade of Democracy ( B'Tselem )

[Jefferson23]

Op-ed by Hagai El-Ad, B'Tselem's executive director, originaly published in the New York Times

JERUSALEM — Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories is nearing the half-century mark, and Israel’s new right-wing government offers little hope of ending it. Nevertheless, the new government promises something else of value: clarity. And with that clarity, the opportunity to challenge the prolonged lie of the occupation’s “temporary” status. For if the occupation has become permanent in all but its name, what about the voting rights of Palestinians?

Two months ago, on election day in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel’s Arab citizens were flocking to the polls “in droves”— a clear effort to cast the voting of one-fifth of Israel’s citizens as a danger to be counteracted. That undermined basic democratic principles, but it paled in contrast to the status of the Palestinian population living next door in territories under direct or indirect Israeli rule. They have no say at all in choosing the government of the occupying power that is in ultimate command of their fate.

If you look at all the land Israel controls between the Jordan and the Mediterranean, that area contains some 8.3 million Israelis and Palestinians of voting age. Roughly 30 percent — about 2.5 million — are Palestinians living outside Israel under varying degrees of Israeli control — in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. They have some ability to elect Palestinian bodies with limited functions. But they are powerless to choose Israeli officials, who make the weightiest decisions affecting them.

International humanitarian law does not grant a people living under temporary military occupation the right to vote for the institutions of the occupying power. But “temporary” is the operative word. Military occupations are meant to have an end. And common sense says half a century is not “temporary.”

remainder in full: http://www.btselem.org/20150601_israels_charade_of_democracy

[DetlefK]

1. The occupation is temporary: It will only last until Israel has been racially cleansed.

This is the long play of Israel: Make life for Palestinians as terrible as possible and wait until they leave the Westbank all by themselves.

You think this is coincidence that Israel routinely destroys palestinian villages for building-code violations?
You think this is coincidence that Israel cuts palestinian villages off from irrigation water?
You think this is coincidence that Israel ignores the routine destruction of palestinian property by israeli extremists?
You think this is coincidence that Israel protects israeli extremists that steal palestinian parcels of land?
You think this is coincidence that Israel founds National Parks exactly where they prevent the growth of palestinian communities?

[Jefferson23]

2. Israeli policy, for those that take the time to follow it, says it all..always has. n/t

[shira]

3. Hmm. The same B'tselem that still employs a Holocaust denier after he was outed...

B'tselem tried as long as they could to deny the allegations.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-rights-group-admits-employee-denied-holocaust/

[Jefferson23]

4. Well, there ya go..don't believe a word from this human rights group. Don't post what

B'tselem has done since the discovery, either. It is what you do best, shira.

[shira]

5. The right thing for this "human rights" NGO to do is fire the shoah denier....

He's still employed there, still doing "research".

[azurnoir]

7. so nothing coming from B'tselem is reliable, it is a Holocaust Denying organization?

Been saving that gem up have you? it was trumpeted last August

[Jefferson23]

10. What are you talking about? His last published piece through B'Tselem was Sept 2014.

Your OP is dated October 2014

I am not aware of any other work.

[shira]

11. B'tselem should retract all his "research", all his reports...

If his "research" leads to denying the holocaust, then his "research" on I/P with B'tselem should be thrown out.

But you're right, it does seem B'tselem canned him.

[Jefferson23]

12. There is no reason to do so, reports do not get released without review. n/t

[azurnoir]

13. Most of his 'research' from I've found was pictures and video

very little was actually 'research' and none of that, I found 1 instance was recent

[Jefferson23]

14. Is that right? The work I have seen has him credited to photos and includes a report

of the event. They may be separate but I did not see another name associated/credited
with it. Thank you.

[azurnoir]

15. No the only thing B'tselem seems to credit is photo's and in at least some of the articles

there is more than one photographer or at least the times I've seen his name was in small print below individual photo's

[Jefferson23]

16. That is a good point, the photos are credited but not necessarily the report..not hand in hand.n/t

[Israeli]

6. Jefferson.....

...what did I tell you ....its only going to get worse .....cough cough ....

Israel slams Swiss funding for exhibit by Israeli NGO

Bern angers Jerusalem by donating to exhibit by rights group made of veterans who are critical of the army's conduct.
AFP

Israel has lodged a formal protest with Bern over Swiss funding for an exhibit by an Israeli NGO critical of the army's conduct in the Palestinian territories, officials said Wednesday.

The exhibit, which will open in Zurich later this week, is being staged by Breaking the Silence, a rights group whose members are veteran combatants who testify about the abuses they have seen or taken part in during their military service in the territories.

But Israel's newly appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely is determined to prevent the exhibit from taking place, ordering both the ministry and Israel's embassy in Bern to examine ways of preventing it, ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon told AFP.

"We cannot accept the actions of an organization whose aim is to smear soldiers in the Israeli army in the international arena and to cause serious harm to Israel's image," he said.

Israel's ambassador had already voiced his "indignation" to the Swiss foreign ministry, Nahshon said.

Since the NGO was founded in 2004 by soldiers who served in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, it has regularly locked horns with the political and military brass which regularly denounce its activities as harming Israel's image abroad.

Last month, the group angered the military establishment by publishing a report accusing the army of having caused an unprecedented number of civilian casualties through indiscriminate force during the 2014 Gaza war.

The 50-day conflict claimed the lives of about 2,200 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and 73 on the Israeli side, mostly soldiers.

The exhibit sheds light on the day-to-day reality of life in the West Bank, and has received funding from both the Swiss foreign ministry and the city of Zurich, officials told AFP.

A foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed Bern made a contribution of 15,000 Swiss francs ($16,000/14,300 euros) to the exhibit.

A spokesman for Zurich's finance department confirmed donating 10,000 Swiss francs from a fund which can be used for various non-profit organizations.

"We thought long and hard before giving this money," said spokesman Patrick Pons, calling the exhibit "very balanced" and saying it opened the way for dialogue.

"We understand that there has been criticism," he told AFP.

"But we think that people in Zurich who come to visit the exhibit understand this and can make up their own opinion."

The exhibit opens in Zurich Thursday.

Source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4664614,00.html

[Jefferson23]

9. Up is down when it comes to Israeli policy..war is peace or pieces of land..take your pick.

Thank you for the link.

[azurnoir]

8. well FWiW here is the denial from the link above

Tuvia Tennenbaum, the Israeli expat journalist behind the investigative report, had presented himself as a German reporter and participated in various tours in the West Bank, including those guided by B’Tselem researchers. In the course of his travels, he sat down with Abu Rub, who accused him — as a German — of supporting the Jews financially. Shortly after, Tennenbaum turned to a translator, not seen on camera, and said: “But ask him if he remembers that we also killed them.” Then Abu Rub laughed and said: “It’s a lie, I don’t believe it.”

Abu Rub went on to accuse Israel of killing Palestinians under the guise that those slain were part of the “resistance.” “What resistance?” Abu Rub said, adding that there is a “strong media and they are lying.”

B’Tselem is often outspoken in its criticism of the Israeli government’s policies toward Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as the Israeli military’s alleged human rights abuses.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-rights-group-admits-employee-denied-holocaust/