Israel in No Mood to Brook Dissent

[tekisui]

Source: IPS

JERUSALEM, Jan 13 (IPS) - The war on Gaza is widening. Not so much on the battleground inside Gaza as inside Israeli society. The Israeli army continues the battering of Hamas, but on another front Israelis are firing on their own democracy -- and from within the very halls of democracy itself.

Three weeks into the war, and just four weeks before they are due to exercise their right to choose the direction in which they want their country to go, the Jewish majority is demonstrating bluntly it believes this is no time to brook any dissent.

In the Israeli parliament, the Central Election Committee voted Monday to ban two of the three main Arab political parties from running in the Feb. 10 general elections. In the last elections, the two parties won seven seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Arab Israelis make up about a fifth of Israel's population.

The committee voted overwhelmingly to ban the United Arab List – the Ta'al and Balad parties, accusing them of supporting Hamas. "Go and join Haniyeh (Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader in Gaza) in his bunker -- that's where you belong," a Jewish legislator yelled at Ahmed Tibi of the UAL.

Representatives from all the major political parties supported the measure initiated by two ultra-nationalist Jewish parties. They argued that the Arab parties "support terrorism" and "do not recognise Israel's existence as a democratic Jewish state."

"A democracy," said Avigdor Liberman, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, "sometimes needs to protect itself against an irredentist minority." Tibi retorted angrily, "this vote exposes Israel as a state of all its racists."

Ta'al and Balad said they would appeal the ruling to the High Court of Justice. The court, which has until Friday to rule on the decision -- the deadline for submitting Knesset lists -- is expected to overturn the decision for lack of concrete evidence.

But, the 'no dissent' atmosphere goes beyond any hostility towards Arab citizens who have generally opposed the war.

Israel is in a peculiar single-minded mood. Used to priding themselves on their broad array of views, apart from the Arab minority, Israelis now appear 98 percent lined up behind the war, and demanding 100 percent commitment to the war effort.

more: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=45390

[LeftishBrit]

1. Although a majority support the war, it's hardly 98%

According to an Israeli poll quoted in 'The Independent' about a week ago, 71% supported the bombing, and 21% supported a ceasefire.

Interestingly, at that time, only 21% supported ground operations. This means that as the war increasingly does involve such ground operations, it's likely to become increasingly unpopular - even apart from the general tendency of people in most countries to support a war 'loyally' at the beginning, and then become disillusioned as it continues long-term.

[Vegasaurus]

3. I think there are many more people behind the war than 71%

"It is very frustrating for us not to be understood," remarked Yoel Esteron, editor of a daily business newspaper called Calcalist. "Almost 100 percent of Israelis feel that the world is hypocritical. Where was the world when our cities were rocketed for eight years and our soldier was kidnapped? Why should we care about the world's view now?"

Even those in the former peace camp, are in favor of the war.

[bunnies]

2. Whats next?

Evict all Arabs from Israel all together?

[madrchsod]

4. it`s the first step

limiting the right to vote for only "state approved parties" in a "democracy" is the first step...