The latest in a long line of efforts at barring the nation’s Arab minority from public office came out of Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s party today, with a new bill that would bar anyone who wasn’t conscripted by the military from being in parliament.
MP Moshe Matalon, from Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu Party, defended the move, terming conscription “part of the Israeli ethos,” adding that those who were not conscripted should not be in parliament because they are “supposed to be role models.”
In practice, this would oust the entire Israeli Arab community from parliament, as they are neither conscripted nor in large measure even allowed to serve in the military. It would also bar members of Israel’s Ultra Orthodox Jewish community from parliament, since they are likewise immune from conscription.
There are currently 13 Israeli Arabs in parliament in addition to dozens of MPs from Ultra Orthodox factions, many of them in the ruling coalition. Needless to say this will make the law extremely difficult to pass.
Theatrics. Weird pushes from the Russian Immigrants, and more antidemocratic pushes from the ultra orthodox. As the current scandal involving imposing strict religious edicts on speculars said ""The problem begins with the government … the [politicians] make compromises at our expense."now the battle lines have been drawn broadside on women has been made possible by an increasingly reactionary climate in Israel. Politicians have proposed a slew of anti-democratic legislation, including efforts to muzzle the media, control the judiciary and halt funding to NGOs critical of the state."
A climate of dependency has taken over. The sooner the US gets out of the way and lets it make its own bad decisions and face the consequences the better.
This child molester, he entered a guilty plea and paid a fine, is the true face of the “only democracy.”
One has to love Lieberman. Few people are capable of making himself look like an idiot like he does. It is amazing how much damage that moron does but still the otherwise smart people of Israel do not apparently understand that once the 'victim" image is gone they will lose the support of the christian zionist. Liebeman does more for peace being an idiot than any one else. Lieberman is a picture of what can go wrong when you allow bigots and idiot to run the government. One has to love that a nation created for jews would bar jews from office. Can civil war be far behind?
To play devils advocate, that may not be such a bad idea over here. Gets rid of Bush Jr., Clinton, all of the GOP contenders except Paul, Obama, most of the chickenhawk House and Senate. The only problem would be McCain, but with that many military grunts running the show, they'd throw that bastard to the curb when his whole prisoner of war fairytale was unravelled.
Or maybe a further twist, 500 pushups in full camo get up, back pack and all, BUT while reciting the Constitution and singing the first State's (Israel's) national anthem. And that song's dramatic.
Marks out ten on technical performances on the new reality show, Who Loves Their Countries Most.
Scenes of Idiocracy?
(Pardon the stream of consciousness post!)
Avigdor Leiberman is the spitting image of "Pedo Bear".
His face has always reminded me of a pumpkin.
Just try to imagine any politician in the US saying such a thing. Imagine the media reaction.
Military slavery is a part of the ethos of Israel. Lieberman just uttered one of the most damning criticisms of Israel I ever heard.