As I was navigating the Haaretz news site for news on the Mideast peace process, I came across an article stating that the Knesset had voted on Wednesday to inevitably silence the voice of human rights activists that are making public the unadulterated and imperfect image of the Israel state and it's consistent violations of human rights.
"to establish a parliamentary panel of inquiry to investigate left-wing Israeli organizations that allegedly participate in delegitimization campaigns against Israel Defense Forces soldiers"
Another article from the same site quotes the response of "leftists" groups to this bit of news by calling it a "witch hunt" and i would have to agree with that assessment. The ultra-nationalist elements of the Israeli government have become increasingly frustrated with the fact that more and more foreign nations and nationals are beginning to change their high-held opinion of Israel as the bastion of democracy surrounded by nations and people that want to see it, the state of Israel, "driven in to the sea". granted that this is the kind of talk that does come out of the Arab world, one should bare in mind the differences of expressing emotions between different cultures and languages, hearing this "drive them in to the sea" phrase is more of an expression of outrage than an actual threat of really accomplishing such an unproductive and ludicrous feat. but that is worth another blog in itself. to get back on point with this post, this proposed "inquiry" is in itself a violation of the human rights of every Israeli citizen, Arab and Jew alike. it is a violation because it is aimed to silence the voice of decent, the same voice that is painstakingly trying to let the world be aware of the un-photoshoped, and un-embellished, reality of the situation in the region. These "leftists", as they are referred to, are more or less being accused, or so it is implied, of nothing short of collaborating with external enemy forces; which can be anyone starting from the Palestinians all the way to the UN and various international human-rights groups and organisation.
furthermore, it has been reveled that Ben-Gurion Airport internet services actually block "dangerous" political websites including:
in addition to a couple of extreme right websites (but only the ones at the fringe)
this news from Israel is frightening. it is frightening because of the area is a powder keg and the Israeli ultra nationalists are starting to make their own fuse that will eventually inadvertently ignite the region. all because of some misguided sense of bigoted exceptionalism that is slowly beginning to look and feel like Aryan supremacy, apartheid, WASPs, you name it.
take for example the story of the immigrant children who where born in Israel but do not have Israeli citizenship. they are the children of labourers mostly, from Asia, who have come to work in Israel as replacement for cheep Palestinian workers (who are now being kept behind a fence in the Palestinian territories). some of these migrant workers had children or they brought their children with them. apparently there where maneuvers to deport hundreds of children from Israel because they are "illegal". never mind that their parents came legally to find work. The running joke is if the Messiah finally decides to show up, he will bedeported.
back to the main point of this post. if israel wants long lasting peace with its neighbors, one of the first things Israel needs to do is learn to accept the facts of its humanitarian mistakes. that objective can not be achieved if the state is suppressing the voice and opinion and even factual reportsof Israeli human rights activists and stop trying to coerce other nations in to turning a blind eye and even blindly defending the Israeli state that is now running amok with ultra-nationalists who have no interest in peace if a setellment does not give them a more than unbalanced advantage over everyone who is "not of them".
slowly but surly, the celebrated democracy of the state of Israel is loosing its luster and become more and more uncannily slightly familiar when compared to oppressive regimes of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Burma, China, North Korea etc... and then people ask why some of us activists keep saying that as far as the nuclear issue is concerned Israel should be treated in the same manner as Iran. both have extremist elements leading and setting policies. the world can not sit idly back while one extremist is punished and the other is encouraged... it is mistakes like that which produced the likes of Bin Laden, Saddam Husein, Pinochet and many more.
Good luck to all human-rights activists in Israel. I hope that the actions of the Israel government will not diminish your resolve to raise the issues that need to be raised and to campaign for peace and liberty for all inhabitants of that region. and i hope that you will all remember that the path to peace may not be easy, but it is one that needs to be taken. we follow in the footsteps of those who walked this path before us, we will carry the torch and never let its light die even in the face of the strongest hurricane, we shall continue to stand.
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