The far right Yisrael Beiteinu party accomplished one of their key post-election goals today, passing the controversial new Citizenship Act through the Israeli Knesset in a vote that sparked angry condemnation from Arab MPs, many of whom may lose their citizenship if the act is interpreted broadly.
Though the bill was sold primarily as allowing the government to revoke citizenship from “terrorists” it also allowed revocation for acts of espionage or “acts harming Israel’s sovereignty,” a catchall phrase which has many concerned.
This is because the act was being touted by Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman as part of a “no citizenship without loyalty” agenda. The party has openly advocated demanding loyalty oaths of all Arabs to Israel’s “Zionist character” with the threat of revoking citizenship from all those who refuse. The Loyalty Oath bill passed in October, and if combined with the Citizenship Act could be used to revoke citizenship from much of he nation’s Arab minority.
The act is just the latest in a series of draconian acts imposed by the right-far-right coalition government, and comes just a week after the law criminalizing the commemoration of “Nakba,” when many Israeli Arabs remember the mass expulsion of Arabs during the founding of Israel.
There are two things antiwar editors need to understand:
1. Labeling this Israeli law “controversial,” points to antiwar’s acquiescence to Zionist pressure. If you can’t write freely on topics involving Israel without being accused of anti-Semitism, then you might as well not do so at all. Such euphemisms are better fit for the mainstream media, so try to keep them there.
2. Arabic speakers in Israel are not “Israeli Arabs”. They identify themselves as “Palestinian citizens of Israel”. That you continue to make this mistake suggests that you take your cues from Israeli Hasbara.
And I do hope that this time at least, editors or moderators will not respond to my comment with a juvenile, “chill, will you?”
P.S. — Keep up the good work Jason.
[moderator’s note: All citizens of Israel are “Palestinians,” because Israel is in Palestine. If your primary language is Arabic, you are an Arab. If you are a citizens of Israel, you are an Israeli. So yes, chill! -TLK]
To TLK: It's not language which determines ethnicity. If it did, Jews who spoke German or Polish would have been considered ethnic Germans and Poles and therefore spared. Also, Israelis would take issue with being referred to as Palestinians, because the Romans that massacred and expelled their ancestors used that word to rename the land as a poke in the eye to surviving Jews. No credible map would designate the area in which Israel is situated as Palestine. Palestine doesn't really exist, but the closest thing to it would be the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (and even THAT isn't universally agreed upon). Although Jordan is a de facto Palestinian state, it's still a stretch to refer to it too as Palestine.
But of course, Avi is completely wrong. Arab citizens of Israel are "Israeli Arabs", not because of their primary language, but because Israel is a nation (whereas Palestine most definitely isn't, at least not yet) which happens to be their country of citizenship. It's not rocket science, Avi: Arab citizens of Israel are logically referred to as "Israeli Arabs". Avi shows just how mentally unhinged he is by objecting to such an obvious, innocuous designation.
What a load of rubbish! How neatly you dance around the issue of religion – like a true Zionist Zealot. And so Palestine is not a nation because it doesn't have the blessing of the Zionist Zealot's interpretation of the Bible like Israel, which has not existed for more than a millenia before 1948 does! Those ignorant Palestinians! If only they had called their country Sumaria, they would have had claim to the land and could have made the Jews non-citizens and occupied them instead!!!!
because the Romans that massacred and expelled their ancestors '
You lack of real information is amazing. The romans defeated the people who presently lived in the area which today is called Israel. The romans had in every country defeated set up a local government which included the existing locals. Why is it your facts do not meet any events that occurred in any other land? The Romans ruled by setting up local people which is the reason why Christ was tried first by local jewish authorities and sent to Pilot because they wanted the death penalty which the romans did not give to the locals. The revolt of 70 ad was met with the usual harsh roman response and the few at Herord old temple killed themself.
The problem you have is the facts never agree with the zionist fairy tales. I will provide you with the remards recorded in Moshe Sharett diary which pretty mush shows that Israel is not Jewish but set up for the European Jews who according to Sharet had something that made them different. How they be different than the Jews of Northern Africa who actually once lived in northern africa? Could it be you just post fairy tailes? Say it aint so.
While speaking to the Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Vishinsky in the early 1950s , Moshe Sharett expressed interests in receiving Eastern European Jewish immigrants over Moroccan Arab Jews. In his opinion "the Jews of Eastern Europe are the salt of the earth" who should take precedence over other Jews in immigrating to the "Jewish state", he said:
"There are countries—and I was referring to North Africa— from which not all Jews need to emigrate. It is not so much of quantity as of quality. Our role in Israel is a pioneering one, and we need people with certain strength of fibe
No doubt you're too thick to see the irony in being lectured about history by someone who doesn't even know there's no proof Christ ever lived. And you accuse ME of posting "fairy tales"???
You crawl out of the woodwork to bash Israel EVERY SINGLE TIME THERE'S AN ARTICLE ABOUT IT. You're as obsessed with bashing Israel as Giraldi. You're mentally unhinged.
Normally I just ignore your posts. I should have done so now.
"They identify themselves as "Palestinian citizens of Israel""
The moderator is wrong on this issue.
"They identify themselves as "Palestinian citizens of Israel""
The moderator unusual interjection is wrong and completely inappropriate in my opinion.
And this is the great example of 'democracy'. "the only demcoracy in the middle east" What a f*cking joke!
Definitely in the "Weimar Shutdown Phase" now.
sure am glad zionism does not equal racism
Israel uber alles Let me see your papers please
This act basically states that Israel is a religion. As a religions the United States should avoid getting involved in matters of religion. I totally understand that it really is not a religion issue but a few who want to insure that a select group are treated better than others. Below is an extract from the Diary of Moshe Sharett who was the second prime minister of Israel. It clearly shows that Israel is not the homeland of the jews but the homeland of those considered worthy:
While speaking to the Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Vishinsky in the early 1950s , Moshe Sharett expressed interests in receiving Eastern European Jewish immigrants over Moroccan Arab Jews. In his opinion "the Jews of Eastern Europe are the salt of the earth" who should take precedence over other Jews in immigrating to the "Jewish state", he said:
"There are countries—and I was referring to North Africa— from which not all Jews need to emigrate. It is not so much of quantity as of quality. Our role in Israel is a pioneering one, and we need people with certain strength of fiber. We are very anxious to bring the Jews of Morocco over and we are doing all we can to achieve this. But we cannot count on the Jews of Morocco alone to build the country, because they have not been educated for this.
Ah, yes, another step toward the extinction of the Zionist state. Many thanks to Avigdor Lieberman!
Pumpkin face is a mean guy.
Israel is NO 'democracy' – it is quickly becoming a Nazi state!
What the reactionary hotheads who post here don't understand is that there are some Israeli Arabs who devote their lives to undermining the state. It's sadly predictable that the brainwashed ignoramuses here would rush to condemn Israel as racist, without even the slightest consideration of what could be provoking suspicion and hostility from Israel's Jewish majority.
During the war with Hezbollah in 2006, there were Israeli Arabs who, despite being citizens of Israel, openly cheered for Hezbollah, even when some of the rockets fired from Lebanon killed Arabs in Israel.
Lumping all Israeli Arabs together is wrong. My point is simply that it's UNDERSTANDABLE why there's widespread concern that many Israeli Arabs are disloyal or even hostile.
A great irony is that many of the fools here who condemn Israel as fascist are quick to support the hanging or expulsion of American Jews (like Dershowitz) whose political opinions they don't like. If you drooling idiots want to see an ugly fascist face, look in the mirror.
I think the term Krankesvolk fits quite nicely – a sick nation ill with fear
Lumping all Israeli Arabs together is wrong.
Oh really then why do you do it all the time. BTW Dershowitz is about as close to a rabid dog a person can become. The man is educated in the law but changes the "law" to fits hit rabid opinions on other people. To try to use a person of such low life character as Dershowitz to improve the image of Israel is about as smart as trying to show a snake will not bite.
Bodkin,
It is UNDERSTANDABLE that the Nazi starved the Jews in concentration camps in 1945 when they were desparate and losing the war. Thats when most of the provable atrocities (dead skinny bodies of victims, many of them Jews), were produced. After all Nazis were short of food themselves. Those who lived through the war even in the US were deprived of meat (except chicken). We had stamps to ration it. But here I can't interchange the word "understandable" with "justified" or even "reasonable" . As you see Avigdor as something better than the rabid animal who can be understood, but abhorred, that is what you are doing.
Vomitous nonsense. The Jewish inmates in the camps were innocent people, mostly from foreign countries. They weren't trying to bring down Germany. Many were children and elderly.
There are Arabs in Israel who openly agitate against the state. Comparing a purely non-violent, political backlash against seditious agitators with the extermination of children is just about as worthless and morally repugnant as an argument can get.
And how is Avigdor a "rabid animal"? Because he's not bending to the will of monsters who demand the destruction of his country and his people? I suppose a Jew with a spine is considered "rabid". Well, he certainly couldn't be any more rabid than you or your foaming-at-the-mouth cohorts here.
israel is just another dictatorial regime that has been in power for more than 50 years.
These laws are just a way to "gerrymander" the thought processes of people…
“no citizenship without loyalty”. We need something like that here in the US and Europeans in Europe. Followed by an expulsion of all israeli firsters residing in the US who claim US citizenship. That would pretty much empty half the White House and most of Congress, and State and City Halls/Legislatures. But that would be a good thing.
if we had a law like that you know who would be the first group to lobby against it!
Ismerica– love it or leave it.
Krankesvolk describes this quite aptly
a sick nation, ill with fear
The only democracy in the "Near East" … or the only NAZI regime in the world….
Why would anyone criticize anything that has to do with Israel ? God's chosen people can not do anything wrong. They deserve all and everything. And they will get it.
Oh, Lieberman. Such a lovely and peaceful face.