Israel urges world to curb criticism of Egypt's Mubarak

[PoliticAverse]

Source: Haaretz.com

Israel called on the United States and a number of European countries over the weekend to curb their criticism of President Hosni Mubarak to preserve stability in the region.

Jerusalem seeks to convince its allies that it is in the West's interest to maintain the stability of the Egyptian regime. The diplomatic measures came after statements in Western capitals implying that the United States and European Union supported Mubarak's ouster.

Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-urges-world-to-curb-criticism-of-egypt-s-mubarak-1.340238

[grahamhgreen]

1. They are making a mistake by siding with a waning power and a dictator.

[kas125]

2. Well, of course they want to "curb criticism." Whatever

happens after this in Egypt, Israel is going to lose their last ally if Mubarak's gone.

[whirlygigspin]

3. 30 years too late for that

Much of Egytian youth is educated and secular; the panacea of religion has worn off there--I wish I could say as much for part of America and it's Talibornagains.

[Kalyke]

25. We're not as young or as educated, either.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Hardrada]

5. But they got their embassy staff out nonetheless.

Not the first time Israel came up out of Egypt with seemly haste!

[Xipe Totec]

6. The first time as slaves, the second as overlords. nt

[SkyDaddy7]

8. I'm not sure the slave part ever happened...

Just a question that I like to ask people...Do you think our (the US) unconditional support of Israel is more due to religion, guilt from the 30's-40's after turning back so many Jews fleeing Europe or because Israel is the only true democracy in the middle east...Or perhaps a combination of two or more of these?

I personally think it started out as guilt & it being a Democracy but has morphed into more of a religious thing.

If you totally disagree PLEASE tell me I just like to here folks opinions.

[Leftist Agitator]

12. I think that Xipe Totec was referring to the biblical story of Exodus...

So yeah, I still don't think the slave part happened, because I don't believe in Jewish Fairy Tales, but still...

Oh, and the word is "hear", not "here".

:hi:

[SkyDaddy7]

14. That was EXACTLY what I was talking about as well...

The Jewish fairy tale recorded in the book of Exodus in the collection of fairy tales called the Bible!

:hi:

[social_critic]

18. Please refrain from attacking others' religion

I think it's better if you use "legend" rather than "fairy tale". As Dr Ze'ev Herzog explains, there's no support for Exodus in the archeological record, but the legend may be based on a different event which, over the years, was attributed to a flight from Egypt.

Also, we know not all of the Bible is fairy tales. For example, the law books are real. People do live by those laws.

I'm not religious, but I do think it's better to be polite and treat people who believe in supernatural beings with respect.

Also, religion seems to be quite effective as a social and political instrument. I don't like the results most of the time, but I got to hand it to them, they sure know how to organize people and get them to build temples, churches, and other impressive buildings.

[SkyDaddy7]

24. You are correct...

I should have used "mythology" instead of "fairy tale".

Not sure what you are talking about when you refer to the "law books being real"? What "law books"?

Yeah, the "polite" thing use to be something I was very conscience of but I am growing tired of it being a ONE WAY STREET!

I honestly feel religion/mythology should be treated in the same manner as politics...If you hold a position that is simply wrong then others should not have to wear kid gloves or walk on egg shells out of fear of hurting one's feelings. Lets be honest not many religious people in America have the slightest respect for those of us who choose to base our view of the world on evidence.

However, I do understand where you are coming from...I used to be the same.

[social_critic]

15. This is a very sensitive subject

I volunteered to fight for Israel in 1967, which in a sense gives me an entitlement many of you lack. But I'm not about to touch the subject in depth here, it's not worth it.

The only thing I can say is that America's unconditional support for Israel seems to be similar to America's war on drugs. I suspect most intelligent folk realize it's not working, but there's too much inertia in the system to try to stand up to it. Politically, it's not a good bet to advocate legalizing drugs or questioning whether we should be funding Israel when it continues to build settlements in the heart of Palestinian territory.

[BlueMTexpat]

21. Thanks for your reasonable comments, especially as you are

indeed uniquely entitled among us to make them.

The worst problem of all, IMO, is that we cannot seem to have any reasonable dialogue about either the war on drugs or our unconditional support for Israel.

[H2O Man]

26. What "entitlement"?

[GeorgeGist]

28. What entitlement?

[JoeyT]

23. I'd say it depends on who's doing the supporting.

It's mostly one and two. The supporters on the right trend #1, the supporters on the left trend #2. The center seems like a combination of the two. The fact that it's a democracy has nothing to do with it. We help overthrow democracies and prop up the nastiest of dictators when it suits our purposes.

[frankieT]

7. PRICELESS

The beacon of democracy in the ME (you know that's how we always describe Israel) is overtly supporting a murderous dictatorial regime along Saudi Arabia, US, UK, France, etc.
Ah i love to see the real nature of the "democratic international community" exposed naked : a cabal of imperialistic thugs.
Long live the EGYPTIAN revolution ! They are heroes !!

[florida08]

9. Israel braces for 'new Middle East'

But interviews revealed something shocking: Some Jewish Israelis, fed up with the stalled peace process and frustrated with the status quo, said that they hope to see an uprising similar to Egypt's sweep through their own country.

Why?

What the interviewee calls Israel's "hidden dictatorships" - political wheeling and dealing that gives the religious right a disproportionate amount of power and allows the Jewish settlers to keep on building illegally.

Rita, a 38-year-old housewife who asked to be identified by a pseudonym, remarked of Egypt's protests: "I wish that we had people that would go out to the streets like that."


http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/01/201113165139647644.html

[xchrom]

10. i don't find rita's sentiment all that surprising -- and reflective

of how many feel in this country.

[social_critic]

16. Yep

That's it.

But what the heck, let's give peace a chance. I'm for peaceful resistance and won't support violence, it's not worth it.

[malaise]

11. Maybe the word should focus on their Western backed

treatment of the Palestinians, which is the source of most of the problems in the Middle East

[Catherina]

13. STFU Israel. Your own people are sick of you.

Ham operators from Israel helped oppressed Arabs get the twitters out and your own citizens marched IN the revolution. Looks like your get the hate out machine is broken.

As pro-democracy protests erupt across Egypt and threaten to end the 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak, two Israeli women are following the news with particularly personal zeal: After all, they participated in this week's demonstrations against the autocrat.

Hagar Sheizaf and Bar Rose were touring Egypt on their way to "see some mummies" at the Egyptian Museum when the first protests broke out. As they joined the ever-growing crowd—and later fled in terror from rubber bullets and water cannons— they felt "envy" for the courage, diversity, and unity they witnessed.

"For me, it was one of the scariest moments of my life," Sheizaf, 20, said in a phone interview from Israel, where she and Rose returned on Thursday. "But I felt very, very proud—if I may feel proud for the Egyptian people….It's so courageous to stand up like this. I can only hope that, in Israel, people will do the same one day." (Sheizaf and Rose are pro-Palestinian human rights activists.)

...

Many Israelis would consequently think Sheizaf and Rose were reckless to go to Egypt in the first place—and especially to share their Israeli nationality with the demonstrators. Yet Sheizaf and Rose dismiss these fears. Rose says, "We just said to people, 'Ok, so we are Israelis. We are from the people and our government is not representing our personal opinions.'"

One conversation about Israeli politics with three Egyptian medical students left a particularly strong impression on Sheizaf. The medical students earned about 300 Egyptian pounds per month ($51), and came to the demonstrations to protest the economic crisis and Mubarak's repressive government. When the students asked about democracy in Israel, Sheizaf told them about the Israeli parliament's decision to investigate the funding sources of Israeli human rights organizations—to which one of the students replied, "'Ah, Lieberman's law!'" (Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister, is the main backer of the legislation.)

...

More http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/01/interview-two-israelis-joining-protests-egypt

[SoCalDem]

19. If you have been in the neighborhood for 64 years and have only managed to make 1 friend

maybe the neighborhood is not the "problem". especially when that one friend is not really all that fond of you, and basically just keeps the rest of the neighborhood from burning your house down.

[Catherina]

20. Well said n/t

[sufrommich]

27. Maybe if the rest of the "neighborhood" wasn't trying to burn

your house down you would be a little more likely to mind your own business.

[blindpig]

17. Of course

Mubarak is their best friend when it comes to oppressing the Palestinians.

Did those fools think that arrangement could last forever?

[Desertrose]

22. Yes, I think they did think it could last forever..

Change is inevitable...they should know that.