Democracy for criminals, and criminal democracies

There is no dispute that the best system of governance mankind had invented is democracy. But democracy does not lead automatically to a benevolent civilized state that coexists in peace and harmony with its neighbors – even if the neighbors are also democratic states.

The claim that more democracies will lead to more peaceful and humane world is a lie, mostly used to justify horrendous policies with typical mundane and materialistic goals under the guise of spreading democracy.

Most of Europe was democratic when it colonized, enslaved and tortured its non-European subjects in Africa and Asia. France, Great Britain and Israel were democracies when they occupied Sinai and the Suez Canal in the 1956 war until the US forced them out. The US itself and the UK were democracies when they toppled Mossadaq's democratically elected government in Iran in 1953 out of desire to keep control over oil-rich Iran.

The US was a democracy when lynching of blacks was neither uncommon nor prosecuted. And when systematic discrimination against blacks was enshrined in everyday life by no less than the US supreme court itself in 1896 And it took the Supreme Court 'only' 50 more years to correct that mistake in 1954.

South Africa was a democracy for its criminal and racist white minority that claimed a divine right to control and enslave the natives of the land.

In modern days, Israel is probably the epitome of a democracy that unabashedly and systematically exercise policies a ‘civilized democracy’ should be ashamed of.

At present, Israel still occupies parts of three neighboring states, controls the lives of millions of Palestinians, and denies that the land it occupies in Syria and Palestine is actually occupied at all. It is a democracy that feels free to use other countries air space (Lebanon and Palestine) for routine air force activities, for threats or for exercise.

It is a democracy that feels unbound by any international rules when it wants to destroy a building here, or a suspected reactor there, or to kidnap and assassinate whomever it deems the threat de jour. No showing of evidence required, we just take Israel's word for it.

And if the rest of the world sees it otherwise, they are all anti-Semitic Israel-bashers. It also has democratic political structure, and security agencies that scream existential threats all the time and kowtows Israeli voters into living in a paranoid mind set that makes all the atrocities seem necessary for the state's survival.

The latest round of Israeli soldiers statements published tell a lot about what they were ordered to do while on a mission to destroy Gaza in January, and how their commanders and their rabbis set the scene for guilt-free destruction of property and life in the poor enclave. That speaks a lot to how evil a democracy can be and yet exploits the democracy claim to garner support for its immoral deeds.

The fight of Israel’s true moral minority against the a ‘democratic’ political system that brought to power fascists like Avigdor Lieberman and extortionists like Netanyahu is a difficult but admirable fight. The success of the such moral minority is unfortunately in doubt.

But setting the IDF or Israeli politicians morality aside (very few would trust them anyway) it is the Israeli justice system that gives the illustrative example today.

Few months ago, a pious Israeli citizen by the name of Ze'ev Braude [see photo above], an Osama bin Laden look-alike in appearance and in morality, felt that his religious annd zionist values obliged him to claim back a house from a Palestinian family – a house that Braude knows belong to his own people, on the land 'granted' to his people by God. And like any decent settler in under the Israeli democracy, he does not go any where without his rifle or machine gun.

An unenlightened Palestinian family could not possibly understand the historic and religious depth of the settler's commitment to fulfill the commands of his God by getting the impure ones out of the house and out of the land of Israel -- and a scuffle arose.

The good settler opened fire at close range at the enemies of God injuring 2 Palestinians, one of them was shot in the chest. After a very brief arrest, the representative of God on earth was freed from jail (!!!) to house arrest pending trial.

Just for your info, that settler assault was part of a larger scale rampage by settlers in Hebron against Palestinians, during which several other Palestinians where shot by settlers bullets. No news though about any arrest there either!!

Now the ordeal is over for the good patriotic citizen of Israel – really. Charges have been dropped and he is free and with clear conscience. Viva la Democracie.

And this is how that democracy works for its own people.

Charges dropped against settler filmed shooting Palestinians

Haaretz, July 14 2009

The State Prosecution said Tuesday that it was dropping charges against a resident of Kiryat Arba who was caught on film shooting at two Palestinians in the West Bank last December.

The prosecution said it made the decision not to try Ze'ev Braude because such a move could expose classified information that might harm the security of the state.

Braude, 51, was filmed by the human rights group B'Tselem opening fire on the Palestinians at close range during the evacuation of a disputed house in Hebron. He was initially charged with intending to cause grievous bodily harm.
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Following the indictment, Defense Minister Ehud Barak signed off on a document guaranteeing immunity concerning sources of information for the Shin Bet, its modus operandi and the units and personnel operating within the framework of the organization.

Braude's attorney Ariel Atari requested that the court instruct the State Prosecution to reveal the secret evidence in order to help Braude's defense.

The prosecution argued that revealing the information would harm state security and added that if obligated to reveal the information, it would drop the charges against Braude.

[... end of Haaretz report]

If your jaws did not drop by now, re-read the last paragraph.

That is why Israeli democracy is such great a wonderful thing [for Israelis only, of course].
A criminal is armed and lives on stolen land. He shoots 2 people of the real land owners and the crime is recorded on film. He cannot be convicted (despite the filming of the shooting and the material evidence of 2 injured people, and bullets in their bodies from his gun) without jeopardizing the state security. So, like any decent democracy, they let the fanatic criminal go free.

After all, it is not as if he shoot real human beings -- just 2 Palestinians.

The light sentences, if any, that Israelis (settlers and IDF personnel) receive after criminal assaults on Palestinians are not new. The justice system in that oasis of democracy is a multi-tier system: some get justice, others do not even count.

Israel will eventually go where apartheid South Africa and segregated America went. And it would not be the imaginary Iranian nukes or toy Hamas rockets that would do it.

What is founded on falsehoods and injustice shall never last.

Khaled

Related Links:

• Charges dropped against settler filmed shooting Palestinians - Haaretz - Israel News
• Israeli troops killed Gaza children carrying white flag, witnesses say | McClatchy
• Gideon Levy / Man responsible for Israel's cruelest wars only attracts praise - Haaretz - Israel News
• IDF declares Hebron area closed military zone after settler rampage
• Israeli agents to screen judges before appointment
• Israeli soldiers reveal the brutal truth of Gaza attack
  

Self-hating Jews, and the issue of double loyalty

As a country built on immigrants, the USA has a large number of its loyal citizens with some other ‘homeland’ attachments. For the most part, the old homeland attachment is more emotional than material. It may present itself in the excited discussions about politics ‘over there’, in going crazy about how that country ranks in world soccer, or in sending some money for various overseas charities, etc.

For many Jews, born and raised in the United States, the situation is unfortunately more complicated. Israel claims them as citizens that should ‘come back to their ancestral homeland’, helps pay for their visits to establish association with Israel, grants them citizenship on demand, sends Israeli politicians to meet with them on regular basis and, above all, expects them to support Israel no matter what. That leads some to raise the issue of dual loyalty for American Jews; sometimes legitimately and sometimes not.

For example, a Jewish American politician that promotes pro-Israel interests to be totally aligned with the USA interests can be seen as merely expressing a political reality in the eyes of some, but for others -- who may see Israel as the greatest foreign policy liability to the United States -- that politician has ‘loyalty-confusion’ issues.

The subject of conflict between American interests and American foreign policy behavior when it come to Israel is rarely brought up because it could bring about the dreaded charges of anti-Semitism as raising the subject may imply double loyalty for many politicians, governments officials and foreign policy experts who happen to be Jewish.

The assumption made by the anti-Semitism accusers is that whatever is good for Israel is always good for the US, that whatever is not good for Israel is never good for the US. Questioning this divine dictum is not encouraged, to put it politely. Denying it is tantamount, in the eyes of die-hard pro-Israel crowd, to accusing Jewish American policy makers and advisors of double-loyalty – thus justifying for them launching the anti-Semitism screams.

But to be totally honest, the behavior and expectations of Israeli politicians -- and possibly conservative American Jews as well -- sometimes make one confused to the point of suspecting that there is some expectation of loyalty to Israel from Jewish American that goes far beyond what is healthy for our primary homeland, the US.

The most recent example of that kind of burden on some Jewish American is the statements by the Israeli prime minister published this Thursday (online) in Haaretz. Netanyahu had the audacity to accuse David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel of being self-hating Jews. What that implies for Obama is not clear. But for Obama, as the man who relied on these two as presidential campaign strategist, senior policy advisors and highest ranking staff in the White House, employing self-hating Jews may be construed as anti-Semitism.

Strong anti-Obama feeling in some segments of the Israeli society and amongst conservative American Jews is not secret (see here for example). Many conservative American Jews and Republican Jewish groups have been behind some of the dirtiest, most racist and hateful presidential campaign ads and rumors about Obama, and I am sure they would love to see him fail at any cost. Slandering Obama’s Jewish advisors that virulently may be a way to slander Obama, or send him a message.

But to accuse an American Jew of being a self-hating Jew because they do not support what the Israeli government wants, or for not use their influence to sway things in Israel’s favor, goes to show what Israel has come to expect from American Jews: blind loyalty even at the expense of what their conscience or policy expertise tells them.

And if we, non-Jewish Americans, grow to believe that blind loyalty to Israel is what to be expected from American Jews in politics, then no one should scream anti-Semitism when Israel’s harmful influence on our foreign policy and the subject of American Jewish double-loyalty are raised.

Israel did that to American Jews.

Khaled

Red Alert: The Arabs Are Spreading. STOP the Arabs!!!

Proper vote-counting is essential for democracy, but NOT sufficient.

Considering the current focus on Iran and the election fraud that may have altered the outcome of its presidential race, the issue of democracy in the Middle East is on the front burner among the talking heads in the media probably only until another disaster, 'existential threat' or a celebrity death fills the air waves.

Democracy is the best system we have for governance, but counting votes does not guarantee that you will get even half-brained people to be in power, nor does it say anything about morality, aptitude, fairness or even plain civility.

In the US, we had our share of disasters brought to the highest office. Eight years of the puppet and puppeteer team are a testimony to that. And it took us 2 or 3 failed of barely successful wars, thousands of dead US soldiers, and a nose-diving economy to get a meager 2-3 % of our voters to finally switch teams and try something different.

But voting outcome reflects the people voting, and that is was it is supposed to do - no guarantees that the outcome will be worth even 2-cents.

That is why the last Israeli parliamentary elections produced the likes of Netanyahu, the fascist Avigdor Lieberman, and a slew of minsters of the religious fanatic Shas and secular nationalistic fanatic Yisrael Beiteinu parties that are, to put it mildly, ...... ! (Well, there is no way to say it nicely, so I will leave it blank. Use your imagination.)

The latest from Haaretz are statements from the joke of a human, Ariel Atias (photo below), the housing minister representing the fanatic ultra orthodox religious party, Shas.

The article excerpts speak for themselves.

Housing Minister: Spread of Arab population must be stopped

Housing Minister Ariel Atias on Thursday warned against the spread of Arab population into various parts of Israel, saying that preventing this phenomenon was no less than a national responsibility.

"I see [it] as a national duty to prevent the spread of a population that, to say the least, does not love the state of Israel," Atias told a conference of the Israel Bar Association, which focused on a reforming Israel's Land Administration.
.....
Atias went on to address the issue of the Galilee, saying that "if we go on like we have until now, we will lose the Galilee. Populations that should not mix are spreading there. I don't think that it is appropriate [for them] to live together."
......
"The mayor of Acre visited me yesterday for three hours and asked me how his town could be saved," Atias said. "He told me 'bring a bunch of Haredis [Ultra Orthodox Jews that reject modern secular culture] and we'll save the city, even if I lose my political standing.' He told me that Arabs are living in Jewish buildings and running them out."
.....
Atias argued that lands should be marketed to each sector separately, in order to create segregation, not just between Jews and Arabs but also between other sectors, such as ultra-Orthodox and secular Jews. "There is a severe housing crisis among the young ultra-Orthodox couples, and in the general population. I, as an ultra-Orthodox Jew, don't think that religious Jews should have to live in the same neighborhood as secular couples, so as to avoid unnecessary friction."

Of course there are dozens of readers' comments following that collection of weird 'Israeli government official' statements. Check the Haaretz article here and enjoy the comments.

On comment (from Tom B, Sarasota, Florida) that is worth noting was this:

I suppose what is shocking is that this conversation is happening in public, therefore it`s not a stretch to imagine their planning more ethnic cleansing in private. As an American, this is not "shared values," this is disgusting example of hate. How could we support this country at the UN or anywhere else, and still have any claim to morality?

Khaled