Israel stops children's puppet theatre show over PA link

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Israel has ordered the cancellation of a children's puppet festival at a Palestinian theatre in East Jerusalem, claiming the eight-day event has been unlawfully sponsored by the Palestinian Authority. East Jerusalem is outside the PA's jurisdiction.

The el-Hakawati theatre, known as the Palestinian national theatre, has been running an annual festival for children for the past 18 years. This year's event was due to begin last Saturday, with performances from Israeli-Arab theatre groups and visitors from France, Norway and Turkey.

But last week staff found a notice plastered to the premises, ordering the cancellation of the festival at the theatre or any other venue in Israel.

Signed by Israel's public security minister, Yitzhak Aharonovich, it read: "It has come to my attention that between the dates of 22 June and 30 June the theatre is scheduled to hold events within 'Palestinian Children's Week' at el-Hakawati Theatre in Jerusalem, and these events will be held with the Palestinian Authority's sponsorship or on its behalf, without having received written authorisation for this as required. Therefore, by the power invested in me by law, I hereby instruct not to hold the events here or in any other location within the state of Israel."

A spokeswoman for the public security ministry told the Guardian that legal permission was required under the 1994 Oslo Accords for the PA to hold any event within Israel. "We don't have any objection to artistic or cultural activities for children, but it has to be within the law," she said."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/24/israel-cancels-puppet-show-jerusalem


Good to see the Israeli authorities doing everything they can to uphold the law in East Jerusalem.

'Price tag' vandals hit east Jerusalem neighborhood

<snip>

"Authorities on Monday said that unidentified vandals spray-painted and slashed the tires of nearly two dozen vehicles in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, Army Radio reported.

The incident is the latest in a series of so-called "price tag" incidents against property belonging to Palestinians."

<snip>

"Police announced that they have launched an investigation into the incident.

"We can not accept this lawlessness in our midst. We are acting against it with a strong hand and we will continue to do so," Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said as he spoke out against the attack during a visit to a school in the Barkan settlement.

Opposition leader Shelly Yacimovich said after the attack that the increasing frequency of price tag actions is "not only damaging the fragile nature of relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel, and hurting Israel's image in the world, it also represents a blatant disregard and trampling of the rule of law in Israel."

Yacimovich argued that it was inconceivable that Israel, which is among the most skilled nations in the world at intelligence gathering, has been unable to find the "extremist fringe group" perpetrating price tag attacks."

http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Price-tag-vandals-hit-east-Jerusalem-neighborhood-317525

[King_David]

1. Bee Circus Cancelled

Siorry, folks, we can’t put on the Bee Circus. Here’s a link to explain why:

http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/ID/2330321406/


http://matherjcan.wordpress.com/2013/03/17/bee-circus-cancelled/

[delrem]

8. Somehow k_d got knocked off my ignore list.

Not that it matters, at the time k_d asked to be "ignored". But back on k_d goes.

I figure the above response pretty much sums up k_d.

It pretty much sums up the problem, too.

[King_David]

13. Thats devestating,I will miss the intelectual to and fro nt

[azurnoir]

2. so Israel is enforcing Israeli law in occupied territory

interesting and no one will bat an eye

[Scootaloo]

3. But not extending Israeli rights, of course

What is the term when millions of people are subject to your law, but have no representation and no rights under that law, meaning they have no say in how they are ruled? I know there's a word for it, it's on the tip of my tongue...

[Shaktimaan]

4. well that reall depends, doesn't it...

on what you're referring to. I have no idea since nothing you mentioned has anything to do with anything mentioned in this article.

The OP discusses east Jerusalem; an area that (at last count) has around 300,000 Palestinians living there, (not millions), all of whom have either Residency status or are full citizens of Israel, deprending on what THEY perfer to do. As residents of Jerusalem with residency status, one gets to voye in municipal elections and has full access to social security and socilaized healthcare. Of course, by renouncing any other citizenship one could apply to get regular Israeli citizenship but thus far only 5% of the EJ Palestinian population has chosen to do so. Regardless, the option remains open to them.

Just another example of someone making an assumption about Israeli policy, expecting the absolute worst and not hesitating to post their assumption as absolute fact, regardless of whatever the truth might really be.

[Scootaloo]

5. Oh, so there's no occupation

Good to know.

[Shaktimaan]

6. not really the point, is it?

You made a specific accusation. One that happened to be untrue. Whether or not EJ is occupied is besides the point. The people living there do have representation and rights and all that good stuff but for some reason you don't know about it or seem to care much about their ACTUAL situation beyond using it as a means to bash Israel. You don't care about the actual well being of the people in question. You're just using them to score cheap political points.

[Scootaloo]

7. Yes, I did

The accusation is that millions of people live under Israeli occupation, are subject to Israeli law - I did not mention that the laws are often different and harsher for them for Israelis - but do not have access to the same rights and privileges of other people living under Israeli law. East Jerusalem is one part of these millions.

These people have representation and rights, you say. Apparently this does not include the right to accept funding for a puppet show from the Palestine Authority. I think you might want to take your microscope and fine-tune it a little bit; the people of East Jerusalem have some rights and some representation... and both exist only at the whim of the people conducting the occupation, and can be stripped at a moment's notice by the same whim.

But no, go on whimpering and sniveling about what a naughty boy I am for pointing out that occupation inherently creates inequality and truncation of rights. Just so long as you realize your own constant, incessant riding to the defense of a military occupation just makes you look ever-more disgusting in the eyes of people who actually have a sense of ethics.

[delrem]

9. ouch!!!!!

I can feel the effect of that from afar.

I have to say, Scootaloo, that rhetorically you have a total advantage vis a vis a reality where physics and ethics merge. You're a fricken inspiration!

[Shaktimaan]

10. But you're wrong.

They do have access to the exact same rights as other Israelis. They can become citizens. I'm not sure what other kind of special rights you expect beyond that.

Edit: This act was totally ridiculous as the dep mayor said:

The deputy mayor of Jerusalem, Yosef Alalu, wrote to the minister to say his action was "wrong and irresponsible".

That said you're right... They do not have the right to put on puppet shows. That's not really a human rights violation. It's stupid and cruel. But ultimately minor.

[Scootaloo]

11. Your post brings an image to mind...

Nobody was claiming a puppet show is a "human right." Once again, you're inventing things and wheeling that goalpost over to the side.

It's cute that someone with a pink triangle avatar is calling full equality "special rights" on DU. And with the same argument, too! The same fallacious argument.

Beyond this, the point is that the puppet show is a microcosm. Even in the smallest things, there is intrusion and suppression. If the law of Israel rides in to shut down a fucking puppet show - and fuck you, freedom of speech is a human right, now that I think about it - then the notion that Israel keeps a lid on bigger things certainly does not boggle the mind. It's a demonstration of the scrutiny these people live under, and the whimsical use of power by occupational authorities.

That this is a nation that can't - won't - halt acts of terrorism by its citizens, but can and does carefully monitor and police marionettes in a corner of East Jerusalem speaks loud volumes.

[Shaktimaan]

12. Help me understand.

Israel offers EJ residents citizenship if they want it. How is that somehow less than equal to the citizenship Jewish Israelis have?

Shutting down the puppet show was mean and ridiculous. Which is why it was criticized by other officials. As the price tag attacks are themselves roundly condemned by just about everyone on all sides of the government, right and left.

On that subject, lets refrain from hyperbole yes? It's not terrorism. It's vandism and intimidation.

[Shaktimaan]

14. That's funny

You see. To me, your inflated sense of ethical progressiveness seems entirely reliant on the nationality of the group being discussed.

For example. You're against ethnic cleansing, right? Is that a value without exceptions kinda thing? Like, did you protest the cleansing of gaza of all Jewish people in 06? I certainly did not. I supported that action because I believed it would further peace. Now you can argue against calling it EC, based on the reasons behind it. Or try saying that they were cleansed for being Israelis living on Palestinian land. Both are true. It just happened that 100% percent of them were Jewish and comprised 100% of Gaza's entire Jewish population. They were also settlers, sure. But as every Gazan Jew was cleansed decades earlier they would have to be.

So I'm curious. Is EC sometimes OK, even for you?