Israeli Arabs "should be expelled"
Matt | 09.05.2004 20:57
Arab Israelis constitute one fifth of Israel's population
An Israeli cabinet minister has called for the expulsion of some 1.3 million Palestinian citizens of Israel who constitute nearly one fifth of the state’s population.
Transportation Minister Avigdor Lieberman said during an interview with the Israeli army radio (Gali Tzahal) on Sunday that the "Arabs of Israel" should be expelled in case a Palestinian state was established and Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip were dismantled.
Lieberman, a former Moldovan immigrant who arrived in Israel in 1978, suggested that the existence of a large non-Jewish minority in Israel threatened the "Jewish identity" and "ethnic purity" of Israel.
But his explicitly racist remarks raised no ire in the Israeli political establishment.
Israeli officials, from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon downward, refused to condemn the remarks, suggesting a sympathy with Lieberman’s ideas.
'Free man'
Amira Dotan, a spokeswoman for the Israeli foreign ministry, told Aljazeera.net that ethnic cleansing was not "the policy of the government".
"I do not know what made him say these things. He is a free man; he has the right to express his views."
When reminded that it was not the first time Lieberman made such racist statements, Dotan said even government ministers had the right to voice nonconformist views.
Asked why such provocative statements go unchallenged in a country that claims to be the only democracy in the Middle East, Dotan evaded the subject, arguing that Sharon had promised to allocate additional funds for Israel's Arab sector.
'Fascism'
Lieberman's remarks drew angry reactions from some of the leaders of Israel's Arab community. Arab Knesset member Ahmad Tibi called Lieberman a "full fledged fascist".
"He is not the only fascist. The entire political atmosphere in Israel provides a most suitable environment for the growth and prosperity of fascism. This is why sickening statements as such go unchallenged."
Tibi blamed the international community, especially the United States and Europe, for their "obscene double-standards toward Israeli fascism".
"A few years ago, Europe moved swiftly to silence and isolate [Austrian nationalist leader Jorg] Haidar for his alleged anti-Jewish remarks.
"Here in Israel we have government ministers who routinely make brazenly racist and fascist remarks about the Palestinians ... and the EU is saying nothing and doing nothing," he said.
Growing trend
On why Israeli civil society does not condemn such anti-democratic attitudes, Tibi said that a sizeable segment of the Israeli Jewish society had already drifted to jingoistic and religious fascism.
"He is not the only fascist. The entire political atmosphere in Israel provides a most suitable environment for the growth and prosperity of fascism. This is why sickening statements as such go unchallenged"
"Many Israeli Jews are already inured to Lieberman's way of thinking. I expect that these fascist trends will continue to grow." Tibi's views are corroborated by a number of peace-oriented Israelis.
Yossi Sarid, a leader of the centre-Left Meretz Party, accused Lieberman of "emulating fascists in other lands and other times".
"His (Lieberman's) remarks are reminiscent of other people and other lands which ultimately led to the annihilation of millions of Jews," said Sarid.
Another Arab member of the Israeli parliament reminded the international community, "Arabs of Israel are probably the most persecuted minority in the world."
"It is this fascist mentality that makes the Israeli government destroy our homes, confiscate our land and spray our fields with pesticides … and then they unashamedly tell the world that they are the only democracy in the Middle East," said Talab al-Sanai.
He described Lieberman's remarks as "the epitome [of] the iceberg of fascism in this country".
"Lieberman came from Moldova in 1978 and he is telling the Palestinians who have been living her from antiquity that they don't have the right to be here. Can you think of a more brazen obscenity?"
Notorious
Lieberman's racism has been well known for many years. A few years ago, he called for the bombing of the Aswan Dam in Egypt, the Presidential palace in Damascus and Iran’s nuclear facilities.
He also called for executing Arab Knesset members Tibi and Muhammad Baraka by a firing squad for supporting Palestinian rights and calling for ending the Israeli occupation.
In 2002, he urged the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to carry out "wholesale killings" of Palestinian civilians in order to force them to flee to Jordan and other neighbouring Arab countries.
"At 8:00 am, we'll bomb the commercial centers; at noon, we'll bomb their gas stations and at two o'clock we'll bomb the banks … Then we keep the border crossing open," Lieberman was quoted as saying during a cabinet session.
Upset by his remarks, Israeli opposition leader and then Foreign Minister Shimon Peres reportedly looked at Lieberman, telling him … "and at 6:00 pm, you'll receive an invitation to the international Tribunal in the Hague".
Lieberman now lives at the settlement of Nikodem in the northern West Bank, built on a piece of land, which he and other immigrants from the former Soviet Union had seized from Palestinian villagers.
An Israeli cabinet minister has called for the expulsion of some 1.3 million Palestinian citizens of Israel who constitute nearly one fifth of the state’s population.
Transportation Minister Avigdor Lieberman said during an interview with the Israeli army radio (Gali Tzahal) on Sunday that the "Arabs of Israel" should be expelled in case a Palestinian state was established and Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip were dismantled.
Lieberman, a former Moldovan immigrant who arrived in Israel in 1978, suggested that the existence of a large non-Jewish minority in Israel threatened the "Jewish identity" and "ethnic purity" of Israel.
But his explicitly racist remarks raised no ire in the Israeli political establishment.
Israeli officials, from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon downward, refused to condemn the remarks, suggesting a sympathy with Lieberman’s ideas.
'Free man'
Amira Dotan, a spokeswoman for the Israeli foreign ministry, told Aljazeera.net that ethnic cleansing was not "the policy of the government".
"I do not know what made him say these things. He is a free man; he has the right to express his views."
When reminded that it was not the first time Lieberman made such racist statements, Dotan said even government ministers had the right to voice nonconformist views.
Asked why such provocative statements go unchallenged in a country that claims to be the only democracy in the Middle East, Dotan evaded the subject, arguing that Sharon had promised to allocate additional funds for Israel's Arab sector.
'Fascism'
Lieberman's remarks drew angry reactions from some of the leaders of Israel's Arab community. Arab Knesset member Ahmad Tibi called Lieberman a "full fledged fascist".
"He is not the only fascist. The entire political atmosphere in Israel provides a most suitable environment for the growth and prosperity of fascism. This is why sickening statements as such go unchallenged."
Tibi blamed the international community, especially the United States and Europe, for their "obscene double-standards toward Israeli fascism".
"A few years ago, Europe moved swiftly to silence and isolate [Austrian nationalist leader Jorg] Haidar for his alleged anti-Jewish remarks.
"Here in Israel we have government ministers who routinely make brazenly racist and fascist remarks about the Palestinians ... and the EU is saying nothing and doing nothing," he said.
Growing trend
On why Israeli civil society does not condemn such anti-democratic attitudes, Tibi said that a sizeable segment of the Israeli Jewish society had already drifted to jingoistic and religious fascism.
"He is not the only fascist. The entire political atmosphere in Israel provides a most suitable environment for the growth and prosperity of fascism. This is why sickening statements as such go unchallenged"
"Many Israeli Jews are already inured to Lieberman's way of thinking. I expect that these fascist trends will continue to grow." Tibi's views are corroborated by a number of peace-oriented Israelis.
Yossi Sarid, a leader of the centre-Left Meretz Party, accused Lieberman of "emulating fascists in other lands and other times".
"His (Lieberman's) remarks are reminiscent of other people and other lands which ultimately led to the annihilation of millions of Jews," said Sarid.
Another Arab member of the Israeli parliament reminded the international community, "Arabs of Israel are probably the most persecuted minority in the world."
"It is this fascist mentality that makes the Israeli government destroy our homes, confiscate our land and spray our fields with pesticides … and then they unashamedly tell the world that they are the only democracy in the Middle East," said Talab al-Sanai.
He described Lieberman's remarks as "the epitome [of] the iceberg of fascism in this country".
"Lieberman came from Moldova in 1978 and he is telling the Palestinians who have been living her from antiquity that they don't have the right to be here. Can you think of a more brazen obscenity?"
Notorious
Lieberman's racism has been well known for many years. A few years ago, he called for the bombing of the Aswan Dam in Egypt, the Presidential palace in Damascus and Iran’s nuclear facilities.
He also called for executing Arab Knesset members Tibi and Muhammad Baraka by a firing squad for supporting Palestinian rights and calling for ending the Israeli occupation.
In 2002, he urged the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to carry out "wholesale killings" of Palestinian civilians in order to force them to flee to Jordan and other neighbouring Arab countries.
"At 8:00 am, we'll bomb the commercial centers; at noon, we'll bomb their gas stations and at two o'clock we'll bomb the banks … Then we keep the border crossing open," Lieberman was quoted as saying during a cabinet session.
Upset by his remarks, Israeli opposition leader and then Foreign Minister Shimon Peres reportedly looked at Lieberman, telling him … "and at 6:00 pm, you'll receive an invitation to the international Tribunal in the Hague".
Lieberman now lives at the settlement of Nikodem in the northern West Bank, built on a piece of land, which he and other immigrants from the former Soviet Union had seized from Palestinian villagers.
Matt
Comments
Hide the following 8 comments
THAT is the point!
10.05.2004 01:29
Because it IS a democracy.
Apparently the questioner here just doesn't get it. It is PRECISELY because Israel is a democracy that an MK can say whatever they damn well please with impunity (other than political repurcusions, other than other representatives making them look like asses, etc.). But "legally", no. Here in the US a Representative in Congress has absolute immunity speaking on the floor -- cannot, for example, be sued for libel regardless of how outrageous what he or she said. Sorry, but that is just the proce we pay for democracy -- and so sometimes that can be a "Tail Gunner Joe" (Joseph McCarthy) with his lists of Communists and "Fellow Travellers" he would wave around. That is a NECESSARY feature in any working representative democracy -- that you CANNOT be told "you can't say that" no matter what it is.
Mike
e-mail:
stepbystepfarm ,a> mtdata.com
The rest of the point
10.05.2004 09:14
Yes, Joe McCarthy had a right to say the things he did in the US. But the reason he got as far as he did with his accompanying actions was that most Congressmen were too afraid to oppose him out loud. Learning form this, MKs in Israel and genuine democrats the world over should voice their disgust and outrage at these obscene remarks, and not hide behind "patriotism" and "support for the war on terror".
The longer Lieberman's remarks go unchallenged, the more likely it is that they will be put into action.
David
Why do you think they don't?
10.05.2004 12:16
I'm afraid this is a beautiful example of "propoganda by selective omission". By and large speech between Israeli MKs is often far from "civil" and you should hear what names they call each other. Keep in mind that this is a VERY divided society, and because they use ultra low threshold proportional representation just about every fringe faction is in there. Except for the times of "national unity" governments, no Israeli "government" can be formed without including some of the fringe nut parties.
See, the implication of the article is that this was passing quietly, that nobody in Israel was objecting to what was said. You believe that? You believe that the Palestinian MKs, the Communist Party Mks, etc. were keeping silent about this? You think that single reference to an objection form a "mainstream" MK (implying "I would consider you a 'war criminal' and would favor turning you over") was the only objection or even the harshest?
Mike
e-mail:
stepbystepfarm mtdata.com
Thats funny mike
10.05.2004 14:32
The real point, and you may try hard to avoid it, is that such sentiments are shared by enough of the people enough of the time to make it acceptable to say them in the guise of exercising [their] political and democratic rights - by any measure an indicator of the sickly slide into fascism.
Democracy and fascism have always made [almost] as good bedfellows as totalitarianism and fascism
Ignore fascism at your peril - it bites.
Stuff fascist racist israel.
jackslucid
e-mail:
jackslucid@hotmail.com
Fine
10.05.2004 14:36
Yossi Sarid felt able to condemn them. Peres has done so for similar remarks from Lieberman in the past, and I would imagine will do so now if he hasn't already. But from Likud, Israel Beytenu and the other right-wing parties we hear only silence. Why? Fear? Acquiescence? Sympathy?
David
whatever
10.05.2004 19:37
Oh and btw it is not racist to advocate the expulsion of Palestinian Arabs, no matter how vile a view it may be. The idea of expulsion is based in the fact that most Arabs, despite decades of existence alongisde Jews, are still anti-semitic and unwilling to accept the existence of Jews. Therefore extremists advocate that Israel simply expel them to deal with the problem of terrorism etc once and for all. Also, Jews are a distinct cultural and historical group and have a right to preserve their identity. He, allegedly, feels that having such a huge minority of people from a different culture (Islamic, more repressive, less freedomish, etc) is threatening the Jewish identity and the Jewish state.
Oh and remember people, the Arabs in the parliament regularly denounce Israel and support the Palestinians, and some Arabs in Israel have been used by the PLO, and yet they are totally free to elect their members to parliament! You know what thats called? MULTI-ETHNIC, MULTI-RACIAL DEMOCRACY, something the left used to, and I for one still do, support.
hmm
Hypocricy
10.05.2004 21:18
"most Arabs, despite decades of existence alongisde Jews, are still anti-semitic and unwilling to accept the existence of Jews"
So you are saying that Arabs think that all Jews are alike, and are therefore ignorant. But you argue that 'most' Arabs are anti-semitic...right...
And you are not biased I suppose?
Matt
let the arabs stay
12.05.2004 11:11
the voice of common sense