Mar 20, 2013

Jerusalem: The State Of Civil Liberties In Israel today



From The Economist: A message for American Jews
Quote from article: "the government of Bibi Netanyahu had seen fit to put out a couple of commercials aimed at dissuading young Israelis from romantic liaisons with American Jews, lest they or any potential offspring be seduced away by the free-thinking, pluralistic and mostly non-Jewish melting pot that is America. One depicted Israeli grandparents skypeing with their grandchildren in America and lighting a Hanukkah menorah; there's some interchangeable reference on the American side to whether the season is Hanukkah or Christmas, which pains the grandparents. This ad seemed to me to be a weird take on American Jewish culture." 

In other words, this is what is going on...

"Israel debates restrictions on civil liberties"

"Ultra-Orthodox Jews comprise 10 per cent of the Israeli population, but in Jerusalem there is a growing divide between the secular and the conservative. Conservative Jews have been accused of trying to impose their beliefs on the wider community and some members of the ultra-orthodox sect have been defacing advertising billboards showing pictures of women. Now the holy city where three religions meet finds itself amid a growing religious division among Jews - those who want a society more respective of their modest beliefs and those who say they want to maintain their personal rights." Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from Jerusalem. (Later, such stories came out in western media. I'm using my original bookmarks)

 ALSO...

 Jerusalem's religious divide

Ultra-Orthodox Jews comprise 10 per cent of the Israeli population, but in Jerusalem there is a growing divide between the secular and the conservative. Conservative Jews have been accused of trying to impose their beliefs on the wider community and some members of the ultra-orthodox sect have been defacing advertising billboards showing pictures of women. Now the holy city where three religions meet finds itself amid a growing religious division among Jews - those who want a society more respective of their modest beliefs and those who say they want to maintain their personal rights. 

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from Jerusalem.

BTW, Note that...

In Matthew 24:14, the Bible says that the Gospel (the news about Jesus and his offer of salvation and eternal life) will be preached throughout the world. The Bible also says that sometime after this happens, the end will come. The Bible has been preached throughout the world for a long time. But now, with the increasing worldwide availability of television and the Internet, there is greater potential for the Gospel to be preached to everyone, everywhere. - Matthew 24:14: And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. -  .

The first Republican candidate to get talked about was Rick Perry, like a warmonger, this is what he promoted...

From The Economist:

"Apparently Mr Perry considers the Palestinian people's efforts to achieve self-determination via a vote at the UN to be equivalent to a war of conquest by a totalitarian state. Mr Perry said that "as a Christian", he has "a clear directive to support Israel", suggesting his position is rooted in Biblical prophecy and providing clarification for those Muslims wondering whether Western support for zionism is really related to the Crusades. " (please note that the part left out is that fundamentalist Christians blame the Jews for the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, quite angrily {I lived in Oklahoma}.


Now, Compare this....


In pictures: When a non-violent protest ends in death
 
Palestinian villager killed after being shot in the face with a tear gas canister by an Israeli soldier at close range.
Nabi Saleh, a small village of about 550 people, 20 km northwest of Ramallah in the West Bank, has been organising non-violent protests against land theft since 2009.

On December 9, 2011, the Friday demonstration began as it always did: villagers, international and Israeli activists gathered in the centre of the village and marched towards land usurped by the Israeli settlement of Halamish. Soon after, the Israeli military drove to the entrance of the village in jeeps and began firing teargas at the protesters.

Mustafa Tamimi, 28, was protesting with other young men from the village. As the jeeps stopped to let a bulldozer clear rocks that had been placed in the road to prevent their entrance, Tamimi and a few others moved closer to throw stones in a symbolic gesture against occupation.

An Israeli soldier opened his door, aimed his gun and shot Tamimi directly in the face with an "extended range" teargas canister; he was shot from a distance of less than 10 metres, according to witnesses.

Tamimi died from his injuries.

... to this...

Scott Olsen: "I Swore to Defend the Constitution and I'm Continuing to Do That"



Related to Interview above 




Moment Of Zen
("Show me the money!") 




The Matzorian Candidate

At the Republican Jewish Coalition forum, Jews commemorate the miracle of incredibly religious Christian presidential candidates fighting over who loves Jews more.








News Report:

Mr. Romney Stumps in Israel

Mitt Romney made a point of insisting that he would adhere to an unwritten rule and often violated rule about candidates not criticizing each other or contradicting American foreign policy on foreign soil. About the only effort he made to keep that promise during his stop in Israel was to avoid mentioning President Obama by name.

Beyond that, with some of the biggest investors in Republican politics in tow, Mr. Romney made no effort to disguise the target and intent of rhetoric that was certainly inflammatory but largely free of any sense of how we would carry out policies he was championing.

The message — on Iran, Jerusalem, the Palestinians — was all anti-Obama: Mr. Romney would be a much better friend to Israel than Mr. Obama ever could be. He would be much tougher on Iran. He would recognize Jerusalem as the capital. For good measure, he insulted the Palestinians by declaring that cultural differences — not decades under Israeli occupation — are the reason Israelis are more successful economically. It’s hard to say how this could affect policy if he were president, but it is not encouraging.

The real audience for Mr. Romney’s tough talk was American Jews and evangelical Christians, some of whom accompanied him on his trip. He is courting votes and making an aggressive pitch to donors, including Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino magnate with the hard-line pro-Israel views who is spending more money than any other American — $100 million — to defeat Mr. Obama.
Despite what Mr. Romney says, all American presidents have been pro-Israel, including Mr. Obama. But that doesn’t mean subcontracting American policy to Israeli leaders or donors. Mr. Romney hit an applause line by calling Jerusalem Israel’s capital and agreeing to consider moving the United States Embassy there from Tel Aviv. But those policies would complicate America’s ability to act as a broker in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

Mr. Romney did American interests no favors when he praised Israeli economic growth while ignoring the challenges Palestinians face living under Israeli rule in the West Bank and Gaza. He showed troubling ignorance by understating the income disparity between Israel and those areas. Israel, in 2009, had a per capita gross domestic product of roughly $29,800, while, in 2008, the West Bank and Gaza had a per capita gross domestic product of $2,900, according to the Central Intelligence Agency.

On Iran’s nuclear weapons program, both Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney support trying to halt it with sanctions and negotiations but say military action is an option. It is unclear if Mr. Romney, as president, might structure sanctions differently and how committed he is to negotiations.



Related Blog Posts:

US claims Jewish settlements are an obstacle to peace, but continues to give Israel generous foreign aid http://www.culturesocietyblog.com/2013/03/us-claims-jewish-settlements-are.html

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