If not fascism, what is?

[ProgressiveMuslim]

Without censure, a growing current in Israeli politics is calling for the outright killing of Palestinians, writes Khaled Amayreh in occupied East Jerusalem



His name is Avigdor Lieberman and he is widely expected to be the main surprise of the Israeli elections, slated to take place 10 February.

Many Israeli intellectuals dub Lieberman as the secular equivalent of Meir Kahana, the slain founder of the Kach terrorist group who advocated genocidal ethnic cleansing of non-Jews in Israel-Palestine. Kahana was assassinated in Manhattan, New York, in 1990 shortly after giving a speech in which he called for the annihilation and expulsion of Palestinians from "the Land of Israel".

According to most opinion polls, Lieberman's party, Yisrael Beiteinu, or "Israel is our Home", is projected to win 16-17 Knesset seats out of 120 making up the Israeli parliament. This would allow Yisrael Beiteinu to overtake the Labour Party, led by Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak, to become the third largest party in the Israeli political system, after the Likud and Kadima parties. Lieberman's party will likely be a chief coalition partner in the next Israeli government.

Yisrael Beiteinu is not a party of marginal or pariah politicians. A few months ago, several high-profile politicians joined the party, including former Israeli Ambassador to the US Danny Ayalon and Uzi Landau, a former Israeli cabinet minister and prominent Likud figure for many years.

(snip)

Edited to conform to DU's fair use policy for copyrighted material
Lithos
DU Moderator

read on...
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2009/933/re5.htm

[LeftishBrit]

1. Actually for once the term is accurate.

Israel is not a 'fascist country'; but like most countries it has far-right ultra-nationalist parties, which I am quite prepared to call neo-fascist. Just as we have got the BNP and France has LePen's National Front, etc. I hope very much that these RW xenophobes get nowhere!

[leftchick]

2. I can think of another word

and I don't really believe it matters who is elected. The same ideology is held by the majority, they just aren't as blunt as this blood thirsty scum.

[LeftishBrit]

3. The majority are more RW than I care for; but they're not Yisrael Beiteinu-loving fascists

In the UK, according to polls: 50% of people support 'voluntary' repatriation of immigrants. 60% consider that 'there are too many immigrants here'. Behold the influence of our tabloids! Yet that does not meant that the majority here are BNP-loving fascists.

It does matter who is elected. And it does matter whether and how peace negotiations are conducted.

[leftchick]

7. I have not seen their basic philosophy change in the last thirty years

some are a little less violent, but all of the regimes have the same goal. Some would achieve it faster than others, IMO.

[Howardx]

4. "penetrating deeply in the Israeli society"

im shocked, i was told on du he was an anomaly, not representative of israeli society. im anxious to witness the "progressive" israeli supporters defend lieberman, you know they will.

[aranthus]

5. Consider the source.

The one good thing about Lieberman is that he will likely take enough votes from Netanyahu for Kadima and Labor to form a government.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. Another puff piece op-ed from a source equivalent to WND

That is not to say that Lieberman is not a flake, but Al-Ahram is not to be taken seriously.

[question everything]

8. No, it is a democracy, where you have parties across the political spectrum

form right wingers to leftists.

Now, let's see. A similar spectrum exists in, which Arab country, including the Palestinians? Oh, right, the PLO and Hamas are simply killing each other, as well as any suspected "collaborators."

Just once, I would like to find here an-Arab based source criticizing Arab politics and policies, the way so many posts here from Ha'aretz.