Be'er Sheva Pub Owner Threatened for Hosting Left-wing Event

[Israeli]

Pub owner who agreed to host lecture by ex-soldiers group Breaking the Silence files police complaint after receiving threats.

Almog Ben Zikri Nov 24, 2015

Be'er Sheva police have arrested a 27-year-old resident of the city on suspicion of threatening the owner of a pub scheduled to host a talk by Breaking the Silence, an organizartion of former soldiers dedicated to raising awareness about the situation in the West Bank.

Tzachi Goldberg, owner of the city's Ashan Hazman pub, filed a police complaint in conjunction with Breaking the Silence after a Facebook post announcing the event evoked hundreds of calls for protests, boycotts of the pub and threats. Many of the oponents of the event are believd to come from the right-wing Al-Yahud organization.

“You’ve ended your career, you apparently aren’t familiar with the residents of Be’er Sheva," was just one of the responses Goldberg received on Facebook. "You aren’t at all aware of the chaos and the agitation you have caused by your activities. Now we also know who the snake inside our city is.”

The police have imposed strict limitations on the scheduled event, insisting that Breaking the Silence prepare a list of only 40 invitees in advance, ensure that there will be no congregating outside the club, and that Goldberg himself be present at the event. The police also demanded that the organizers ensure that two security guards are in attendance during the talk - one inside the pub and one outside.

read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.687882

[Israeli]

1. more.....

The Ashan Hazman pub plays an important cultural role in the city. It regularly hosts young artists and open-stage evenings and serves as a venue for lectures and exchanges of ideas.

Breaking the Silence defined the talk as “a lecture offering an initial introduction to the organization, our goals and why we were established. The talk exposes the participants to the various methods by which the Israel Defense Forces exercises its control over the Palestinian population.”

On Sunday, police arrested a city resident on suspicion of threatening Goldberg over the past two weeks. Goldberg told Haaretz that it was not the first time an organization identified with the left had been hosted at the club, but he had never previously been threatened to such a degree.

Despite the threat, Goldberg is insisting on hosting the event, unless the police decide otherwise. “It’s impossible to give in every time they tell you what to do,” he said.
“In the face of the threats and the scare tactics of the right, we will continue to speak and to tell society about the situation we experienced as soldiers serving in the territories," Breaking the Silence said in response.

"As people who care about Israeli society and its values, we think it important to hold a public discourse about the reality of the military occupation and the domination of millions of human beings. Conducting a public discourse about the occupation is our civic and moral duty and is shared by every citizen in the State of Israel.”

Supt. Doron Aloni, investigations officer at the Be’er Sheva police station, explained that the police respected freedom of expression and would enable anyone to express his protest in a lawful manner. At the same time, he said that none of the parties will be allowed to take the law into their own hands.

Source : http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.687882

[King_David]

2. There's no place for this kind of nonsense in a Democratic country

This kind of threat by thugs is how the BDS movement operates , recently threatening musicians who want to perform in Israel.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1134119936


Good to see Israeli police took the threat seriously and made some arrests , as they should.

On Sunday, police arrested a city resident on suspicion of threatening Goldberg over the past two weeks

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

7. "There's no place for this kind of nonsense in a Democratic country"

The only problem is you overlooked the obvious: Israel ain't no Democracy.

[Israeli]

3. Police target second 'Breaking the Silence' event in a week

Senior police brass hound venue over minor business license violations. Police shut down a similar Breaking the Silence event last week citing right-wing threats against it.

http://972mag.com/police-target-second-breaking-the-silence-event-in-a-week/114322/

[Jefferson23]

4. 70 people signed up and they're threatened by that number? As they said, many don't

show up yet they need to squash any dissent regardless.

I guess Bibi believes that bubble he creates will never burst.

[Israeli]

5. Occupation is the problem, not the people talking about it....

It’s been less than a month since Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely instructed Israeli embassies abroad to explain to the nations of the world that the land of Israel is ours in its entirety. Global hostility toward Israel, she insisted, does not stem from the occupation or settlements.

Now, we have learned that she instructed the Israeli embassy in Switzerland to attempt to cancel a “Breaking the Silence” exhibition in Zurich. The exhibition presents soldiers’ testimonies on their experiences during their military service regarding the daily reality in the occupied territories.

In this fashion, Hotovely compelled the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to conduct a right-wing political campaign, which aims to eliminate any opposition to the ongoing occupation and settlement expansion. Leaders of this campaign, both in the Knesset and elsewhere, seek to perpetuate the occupation indefinitely. They aim to do so through complete integration of the occupied territories into Israel proper, by deepening Israeli military control over the territories, and through expanding settlements.

As such, they repeatedly attack organizations that oppose the occupation, accusing them of “delegitimizing” Israel with their public criticism abroad. This, in turn, condemns soldiers of conscience — who are merely exercising their right and duty to expose a reality that isn’t debated publicly — as enemies of Israel.

Having served in the foreign service for most of my adult life, and as a citizen concerned for the strength of Israel, I cannot remain silent about the severe damage this campaign has on Israel’s standing in the world. Criticism of Israel in Europe, the United Nations and the United States is not about the multiplicity of opinions in Israel. They are not concerned with those Israelis trying to prevent human rights violations and trying to end the occupation. The recurring criticism toward Israel harks back to one topic: the denial of liberty to the Palestinian people in the name of conquest through settlements.

It is important to understand that this criticism will not go away by silencing Israeli human rights organizations. The international community has opposed military control over the West Bank’s civilian Palestinian population for nearly half a century. When Israel acts contrarily to the spirit of democracy and freedom of expression, in silencing opinions that oppose its policy of occupation, it contributes to its own international de-legitimization. Of all the nations of the world, Israel, in particular, is in need of international legitimacy.

Occupation and the deprivation of Palestinians’ liberty endanger Israel’s status as a Jewish and democratic state. Within this reality of profound internal disagreements regarding Israel’s future path and values – and in light of growing external criticism regarding its policy toward the Palestinians – it is the State of Israel’s duty to ensure an open platform for the diverse voices of its civil society.

Thus the role of the Foreign Ministry is not to silence “Breaking the Silence,” but rather to strengthen its activists’ voices along with those of other groups working toward a more tolerant Israeli state, not reliant on the sword alone, alongside a Palestinian state.

Deputy Minister Hotovely, please do not contribute to this campaign of de-legitimization against human rights organizations, which will inevitably result in the deepening de-legitimization of the State of Israel. Do not sow seeds that undermine Israel’s commitment to democracy and freedom of expression. Do not provide other countries with reasons to view our country as one that shamefully hunts its critics. I appeal to the government of Switzerland to please continue supporting and cooperating with human rights organizations, and any other groups that seek to build a better future for the people of the region.

Ilan Baruch is a political adviser to the Meretz party Chairperson, a political activist, and former Israeli Ambassador to South Africa.

Source : http://972mag.com/occupation-is-the-problem-not-the-people-talking-about-it/107897/

[Jefferson23]

6. Fear works, too often. Republicans here are running rampant on it since the Paris attacks.

Last edited Mon Nov 30, 2015, 04:09 PM - Edit history (1)

They don't want to hear any dissent, it gets labeled as anti American, blah blah blah.

The racism in the US is off the charts crazy too.

[Israeli]

9. Breaking the Silence Is Indispensable to Israeli Democracy

Instead of giving in to incitement and violence, police must do their duty to protect the organization.

Haaretz Editorial Dec 02, 2015

Breaking the Silence is a critical NGO for Israeli society because it insists on revealing the occupation’s injustices and the immorality of Israeli soldiers’ actions in the territories. That’s also why it is seen as a headache by many people, even the police, who should protect the group from those threatening it and trying to harm it.

Last week the Be’er Sheva Magistrate’s Court barred a local pub from holding a Breaking the Silence presentation, after the police had already made it hard for the pub’s owners and the group to hold the event. The police made demands including limiting the event to 40 people, keeping a list of attendees, and hiring two security guards at either the pub’s or the group’s expense.

The group complied but refused to take responsibility for events outside the pub, a demand that was illogical and unreasonable in the first place. In any case, even though talks between the parties were still underway, the police went to court to secure a restraining order.

This week the group planned an event at the Bar Kayma restaurant in Tel Aviv. A day before the event, police showed up and sought assurances that the number of participants would not exceed the limit stipulated on the eatery’s license.

According to the owners, this was the first time police had visited the place in the three and a half years since it opened. The owners also said the police took great interest in the license’s details – noting, for example, that the owners section had not been updated and the courtyard served as a smoking area even though this wasn’t noted on the license.

In the end, the Tel Aviv event took place. But despite the presence of policemen, a right-wing activist struck one of the participants. The police’s actions convey that the group doesn’t deserve a platform because giving it one exposes the venue to institutional harassment.

Police concerns about the safety of people at Breaking the Silence events is understandable given that these events are often accompanied by threats and violence. But instead of fulfilling their role of upholding democracy, first and foremost freedom of expression, the police are trying to stymie the organization rather than the people threatening it. They’re boosting the people who seek to terrorize, silence and intimidate.

Breaking the Silence is indispensable to Israeli democracy. Instead of giving in to the atmosphere of incitement and violence that has been fueled in recent months — by elected officials and media people as well — the police must do their duty and protect the organization, its activists and activities.

Source: http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.689699

[Jefferson23]

10. They can if given the respect due them. Good article, thanks. n/t

[Israeli]

8. German MPs Implore Netanyahu to Bury NGO 'Transparency' Bill

Bill restricting left-wing NGOs in Israel would make it difficult for Israel’s friends in Germany to fend off BDS, heads of pro-Israel parliamentary group say.

Barak Ravid Dec 03, 2015

Four leading German legislators who head the German-Israeli Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Bundestag, and who represent Germany’s large parties, sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday expressing their concern about a bill that would restrict the activities of left-wing NGOs in Israel.

The four wrote that if the bill, being promoted by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, is passed, it would make it difficult for Israel’s friends in Germany to help Israel fend off boycotts and attempts at delegitimization, and asked Netanyahu to “rethink” the proposed legislation.

The bill would obligate any group that receives more than half of its funding from “foreign diplomatic entities” to state this in its publications, and force their representatives to wear identifying tags when they come to the Knesset.

Many left-wing groups in Israel get donations from six foundations affiliated with political parties in Germany. These foundations have offices in many countries, including Israel, where they promote principles such as democracy and human rights.

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