Category: Israel

 

My good friend Bridget (who is a Friend, that is, a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)) sent me this (unprovoked) in Meta Messenger today:

 

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Okay. lots of quotes from Amnesty International, which has in the past few years come under attack itself for being, well, wrong about so many things. I  countered with this:

MOI:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Amnesty_International#:~:text=Criticism%20of%20Amnesty%20International%20includes,countries%20or%20Western%2Dsupported%20countries

Bridge: “Given the criticism, who criticized it, and on what basis, I stand with Amnesty International”

MOI: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/20/amnesty-international-has-culture-of-white-privilege-report-finds

Her point though, or I should say her theory, is that I used to be a “born again Xtian” (circa Autumn 1970 until about late 1981, but that is for another post).  Xtians in the United States are very supportive of Israel for all the wrong reasons (like, they think Jesus is coming back very soon).  What she did not know (well, did I ever tell her? Did the subject ever come up) was this:

MOI: You do know that my mother was Jewish don’t you? I know that’s not something that was talked about when we first became acquainted. Did you not wonder why I always (and still do) wore a Mogan David? If you were ever to glance at the pictures of my wedding to Lynne, you would see a service at a Catholic Church, but one where the groom and his best man wore kippahs, and where the traditional crushing of the wedding wine glass was performed. When I was growing up, we attended Mass on Sunday and Temple on Saturday. During the winter holidays, we lit the Menorah, but we also had (what my maternal grandparents were told) was a Hanukkah Bush, bedecked in blue and white. We spun dreidals and ate gold wrapped chocolate coins. Gelt.
But then I met Lynne, and frankly, and at the time began to embrace messianic Judaism. But happily, my Saturn return occurred (1981 or so), and for a short time I became an atheist, then an agnostic . Then I left Lynne. Since then my spirituality has evolved quite a bit. Ceridwen and I are the founders of the Reformed Druids of Gaia.
Into that mix a little Hinduism and Buddhism and even aspects of Quakerism have been added. OTOH, I am very much a cultural Jew, as are a good 10% of our members.
Lately, I have been thinking about  Aliyah.

BRIDGE: I didn’t know that, Ellis. I think, though, that one’s ethnicity or origins should not make one defensive of the ills or sins (in the humanitarian sense) committed by said ethnicity/origin. I am 3/8 Irish and 5/8 English, and would never defend the atrocities visited upon the Irish (or any of the multiplicity of other peoples) by the English. And I abhor the genocide and slavery brought upon native and black peoples by our own nation.

I SHOULD THEN HAVE SAID: Except that there is neither genocide, nor slavery being perpetrated against the Arab population in Israel. Arabs who accept Israeli citizenship are afforded the same rights and privileges that any Jewish citizen of Israel enjoys. Arab citizens can practice medicine, be teachers and many serve int the Israeli Parliament – the Knesset. Yes, there are those who have chosen to be citizens of Palestine and not Israel. They don’t enjoy the same privileges. Should they?  They have chosen to be exiles but live within the borders of Israel.  Their leaders encourage them to  make terrorist attacks on Israeli citizens, and even hospitals and schools. Because of that Israel has built the security fence in Judea/Samaria

In Gaza, which has enjoyed sovereignty since the Oslo Accords (1993 and 1995), when Israel totally withdrew from the region,  thousands of Jews were displaced, but Israel was hoping for some semblance of Peace.  The people of Gaza chose Hamas, a terrorist group, to govern them, and the result is years of continued poverty and regular rocket attacks from Gaza to nearby Israeli cities.  When the attacks get especially brutal the IDF intervenes so what we have is a continual state of war.  In the meantime, the government of Gaza perpetrates human rights violations against their own citizens (Islamic misogyny being the rule. We also see LGBTQ Gazans, when discovered, being beheaded and/or thrown from the tops of buildings.
 Well, I can’t very well make Aliyah if there is no Israel to make Aliyah to.

BRIDGE: Do read about Netanyahu’s recent remarks about the Middle East. I have no computer, only my phone, and have difficulty finding it. But the current right wing in Israeli abides by no loving and hopeful relationships with those it deems others.

MOI: Netanyahu. Netanyahu is a schmuck. 1st class, grade A number 1 putz. This is something that all of my Jewish friends agree on. He makes Trump look like a Bodhisattva. Don’t get me started.

MOI: If you believe the mythology, Arabs and Jews are both descended from Abraham. In truth they live together in many places in Israel. They share businesses and serve in the Govt together. In some cases they even inter-marry. So the acusation of Apartheid is a false one. But, there are bad apples on both sides. The Palestinian Authority maintains a “pay for slay” policy – a bounty on Jews. So teenagers hang out on street corners to wait for an elderly Jew to come along so they can stab them. The security wall in Judah/Samaria, and the security measures instituted there became a thing because terrorism is a thing. Those kinds of things have diminished significantly since the security wall was built. But people point at that and call it Apartheid. <sigh>

MOI: The cause of the trouble is, I believe, fundamentalism. Islamic, Jewish , Xtian, it’s all the same wrong headed, mean-spirited, BS. That’s my two cents on the matter. Where ever fundamentalists gather you’re going to see a nest of hate and soon, violence.

MOI: You’ve obviously thought a lot about this whole meshuganah mess. What would you propose be done about it?

My last remark, of course, went unanswered.  This is what always happens when critics of Israel are confronted with this question. It’s because they don’t really have an answer or because their answer would involve the destruction of Israel, which, although probably thinking it, they can never say it.

I consider myself a Progressive. A Progressive Zionist.  Many Progressives say that that is an oxymoron.  Well, I say that they are just plain morons. They cannot, or will not think for themselves. If a well known Progressive makes an accusation, then they all jump on the bandwagon like lemmings over the cliff.

On thing though: Quakers have the reputation for standing for the truth, and historically they have, against all others. Why do they insist of believing in these egregious lies about Israel?

 

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I‘ve been noticing something lately.  Among atheists they no longer refer to the state of Israel as Israel. It’s “Palestine.”  This is among people, scholars even, who know better.

Now, it may be that they being atheists, they perceive Israel as being a country with an official religion.  That I guess is understandable. Jewish law does prevail in that country. On the other hand numerous declarations from the Knesset proclaim the secular nature of Israel.

Most atheists are liberal/progressive. On the other hand, there are a good number of atheists who are Libertarian/Republican.  There is a tendency for Xtian Nationalists to shoe-horn atheists into the liberal/progressive category, even though there are an equal amount who agree with them on at least some economic and social issues.

Why support “Palestine?”   Allegedly, Israel has stolen all their land; is a European “Colony;”  is practicing “apartheid;” is committing “genocide” against “Palestinians.”  Let’s take these issues one at a time.

1. The name Palestine was given to the region by the Roman Empire which imposed the name on what was then Judea after Rome defeated the Jews in 70 CE.
2. The name Palestinian was not adopted by the Arab peoples living in Israel until after the Six Day War of 1967. Prior to that they called themselves Arabs. This was a propaganda move and nothing else.
3. All of the land of Israel settled by Jews was purchased (at exorbitant prices) from wealthy Arabic land owners.  In fact, not one square centimeter of land was acquired militarily until after the Six Day War of 1967 (those lands being the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula.  Of those, only the Golan Heights remains in Israeli hands. The Sinai was returned to Egypt, and the Gaza Strip was gifted to the “Palestinians,” with all Jews being expelled.  Judea/Samaria (aka, The West Bank) had been a paid for part of Israel prior to the War of Independence in 1948, when Jordan annexed it. In 1967 those lands were liberated from Jordan and returned to their rightful owners, namely, Israel.
4. Jews an indigenous to Israel.  So to accuse Israel of being a European Colony is an absurd falsehood.  There have always been Jews living in Israel, even though at times there were very few.  Furthermore, the vast majority of Jews now living in Israel migrated there from countries in the Middle East.
5. Apartheid. This is the stupidest accusation of all of them. In fact it a revised definition of that word to fit this narrative.  In countries where apartheid is in force, the persecuted population must live in certain segregated areas; they are forbidden from inter marriage with the dominant population; they are forbidden from taking part in certain careers, such as doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers etc.; they are not allowed to hold office in government; they are not allowed to vote.  None of these things apply to Arabic people identifying as “Palestinian.”  “Palestinians” can marry Jews. They can live where ever they wish (subject to the same restrictions as anyone else), they can work as doctors, nurses, lawyers. They have the right to vote. Many serve in government, including the Knesset. There are even “Palestinian” Judges serving on the Supreme Court. In fact, unless they have denied themselves Israeli citizenship, the only things on the list they are denied is the right to vote or to serve in government.
6. Genocide. If this is true, the Israelis are doing a terrible job with it. The “Palestinian” population has been growing by leaps and bounds, practically doubling every five years.  The “Palestinian” birth rate is rivaled only by the birth rate of Mizrahi Jews, who like the former, multiply like rabbits.  If Genocide were a fact, pregnant Arab women would not have access to needed health care, yet no Israeli hospital has ever turned an Arab woman away.  Never.

These lies have been repeated so often now that no one bothers to investigate the truth.  On the other hand, the Israelis have not exactly done all that much to discourage these conclusions.  The presence of security check points and the confusing and, frankly, retarded governance of Judea/Samaria makes it look like apartheid at least, is alive and well.  On another hand, I don’t know what else Israel can do to quell terrorism in Judea/Samaria.  They are kind of between the rock and the hard place. Damn if they do and damn if they don’t.

We can see first hand, what a “Palestinian” controlled government looks like when we look a Gaza.  Women have few, if any rights. They cannot not obtain birth control, they cannot obtain an abortion, they have little to no opportunities for an education (even as young girls). LGBTQ “Palestinians” are out right murdered; usually thrown from the tops of buildings; when found out. Children as young as five or six are drafted into the Hamas militia. Women and children (even infants) are used as human shields by Hamas terrorists.  Military installations are located very close to, or sometimes within, hospitals, Mosques and schools. How can anyone, especially self-identified progressives, support that?

So why do atheists, so-called progressives, white supremacists, and right wing authoritarians engage in this subtle (or maybe not so much) anti-Semitism?

It is either A: They are totally deceived; or B: they just hate Jews.

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I’m on the Facebook group,  Humboldt Progressives.  This not the same as Humboldt Progressive Democrats.  Both groups are for people living in Humboldt County CA who identify as Progressive,  The former group has 1.1k members, while the later only has 410. I’ve been a member of the former for about a year.  The later I was a member until I was kicked out several months ago because I am an unabashed Zionist.

So, it looks like I’ve done it again.  I posted this recent article  about Congress person Rashida Tlaib‘s nonsensical litmus test that a Progressive cannot support Israel and still be a Progressive.  Three people raised objections, all of which agreed with Tlaib.

To these idiots Israel is a colonialist, apartheid, theocracy which is committing systematic genocide on the “indigenous “Palestinian” population.”   A pack of pure lies, largely made up by the KGB.  Israel is not apartheid (Arabs serve in government, in the IDF, as Doctors, as lawyers, etc. If Israel was apartheid they could not). Israel is not a colony – Jews have lived in the area for 4000 +/- years. There is a huge Jewish cemetery in Jerusalem that has been used for 2500 years. Israel is not committing “genocide” (the Arab birth rate has tripled, and the Arab population has quadrupled since 1948). Israel is not a “theocracy,” despite it’s identity as the Jewish State,  is not governed by Rabbis but by  essentially democrats.  On the other hand, LBGTQ persons are routinely thrown from the tops of buildings in Gaza. Women are 3rd class citizens, having few if any rights in PA governed areas. Meanwhile the Govts of Syria and Lebanon have murdered 1,000s of “Palestinians,” barred them from any of the professions etc., yet it is Israel that is accused of wrongdoing. That’s antisemitism. That is not a Progressive value.

Rashida did come up with a label for those of us who are Progressives and support Israel: “PEP” – “progressive except for Palestine.”   I like it! I’ll proudly wear that label.  Except I believe that supporting Israel IS a Progressive value. After all, Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East.  Israel respects the rights of women, of LGBTQ people, all Israelis (whether Jewish, Moslem, Christian, Pagan or whatever), enjoy freedom of religion, freedom of speech, the right to vote in fact all of the rights outlined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. The same cannot be said of hardly any Islamic country or in Gaza or in the PA controlled areas of Samaria/Judea (aka “the West bank”).

Is there a label for the glaringly anti-Semitic views of these so called “Progressives.?”  Not yet. But I would propose “PEJ” – “progressive except for Jews.”

 

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I’m going to tear this piece of anal excrement to shreds:

But first, notice the masthead. Pretty impressive don’t you think? It’s a fraking Facebook Group. The total membership is 382. The total number of members who actually post is about 12. There are three Admins and 1 moderator. They say they are an official Democratic Party Club, chartered by the Humboldt County Central Committee. It’s a Facebook Group. Give me a break.

 

First off, Exhibit 1:

It amazes me that so called Progressives, who allegedly believe that women are human beings, that they have the right to healthcare that includes the right to choose an abortion, that members of the LGBTQ community should have equal rights, that trans-children should be given the opportunity to become their true selves ….. that they will attack and vilify Israel, where all these things are true and practiced, yet defend the “Palestinian state,” where NONE of these things are true and practiced. But, moving on …….

Exhibit 2:

Let’s find out exactly what the definition of “Apartheid” is according to International Law:  “Apartheid refers to the implementation and maintenance of a system of legalized racial segregation in which one racial group is deprived of political and civil rights. Apartheid is a crime against humanity punishable under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.” (Source: https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/apartheid)

What’s the problem here?  Arabs and Jews are of the same race. They are both Semitic peoples.  But, according to International Law, Apartheid is a system of legalized RACIAL segregation. So, Amnesty International gets it wrong. Or, they are using their very own special “customized” definition of apartheid, designed to paint Israel with a very broad brush.

Exhibit 3:

 

This is true, but there are good reasons. The Palestinians in question built houses, business properties and created farms on land that did not belong to them. Some of them, like those in East Jerusalem, stopped paying rent to their Jewish land lords. What happens here in the US when you stop paying your rent? You get evicted.  The same is true in Israel. If you don’t pay your rent you get evicted.  Israel is, after all, a Social Democracy built on Capitalistic principles, just like Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Exhibit 4:

 

 This sounds like Israel is “occupying” Judea/Samaria. But that is not true. Judea/Samaria is a part of Israel.  1st, Judea/Samaria was a part of Israel prior to the May 1948 war, when five Arab nations attacked Israel to “drive the Jews into the sea.”  Jordan was able to capture Judea/Samaria and a good part of Jerusalem in that war. Jordan occupied it until June of 1967. when Israel was attacked again, only this time Israel better defended itself and liberated Judea/Samaria and all of Jerusalem. Israel does not occupy Judea/Samaria because it belonged to Israel in the first place.

Therefore there is absolutely nothing illegal about what Israel is doing on it’s own land.  They have even given considerable concessions to the so called “Palestinians,” allowing them to self govern parts of Judea/Samaria.

There are a couple of amazing conclusions in the resolution here. First, there is no US law governing Israel, which is  a sovereign state of it’s own. 2nd, the United Nations is not a one world government (which, by the way, if you look further in my blog, you will find that I am an advocate of just that).  What Israel does is it’s own business. Does Israel deny the “Palestinian” right to “self-determination?  They have their own government, really, their own little country in Gaza. But, they also have “chosen” terrorists for their leadership, so things might not be working out so well. “They threaten the very existence of the Palestinian people….” This sounds like an accusation of genocide to me.  If true, the Israelis have failed miserably at this. The Arab population of Israel has sky rocketed since 1948.

 

Exhibit 5:

 

Yes the seven, er, 382 members of a Facebook group urges Democratic members of the House of Representatives to do something. Yeah, that will happen. Of course here we have another repeat of lies authored by the propagandists of the “Palestinian” people.

It just isn’t going to happen. Israel is the only democracy in the middle east. And, thanks to Jared Kushner (Trumps son in law) lots of Arab nations (outside of the Palestinians) are making treaties with Israel, and reaping the benefits of Israel’s prosperity and technological advancement.

It’s weird. Trump did exactly two things right while he was President. He moved our embassy from Tel Aviv to the Israeli capital – Jerusalem, and he recognized Israel’s control over the Golan Heights. Of course, he also committed a boat load of felonies, was impeached twice, and attempted a coup d’etat, but no ones perfect, right?

Anyroad, as I was saying the noble and glorious resolution of the Facebook group, Humboldt Progressive Democrats, isn’t fit to be used to wipe my ass with after a healthy crap.

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I live in Humboldt County California. I am a Progressive, and I am a lifelong Democrat. So, I thought it a natural fit for me to join the Humboldt Progressive Democrats on Facebook.

Boy, was I wrong.

You see, according the the experts at HPD, I’m not really a Progressive. Oh, it’s true that I believe in everything that Bernie Sanders and “The Squad” believe in. So that should qualify me as a Progressive.  If you read through my blog, you’ll note that I am, on some issues, to the Left of even Sanders and “The Squad,”  But there is one thing, and only one thing, that I disagree with Sanders and “The Squad” about: Israel.

I am an unabashed, maybe even radical, Zionist. I believe that the State of Israel has a right to exist, and a right to protect itself against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

I do not believe that Israel is a Colonialist state (how could it be? Jews not only have a historical claim to the land, but there has never been a time when Jews did not live there (witness the Cemetery in the Kidron Valley, on the eastern wall of Jerusalem, which has been in continuous use for over three thousand years. ALL of the grave markings are in Hebrew)).

I do not believe that Israel is an Apartheid state. Given that under apartheid in South African, Black people could not vote, could not work anywhere in the health care profession, could not serve as lawyers, could not marry outside their race, could not work for the government, could not vote. — Arabs can do all of those things in Israel. There are even Arab representatives in the Knesset. So how is that Apartheid? It’s because some human rights organizations have redefined what apartheid means, and it means that Israel is practicing it.

I do not believe that Israel is practicing genocide against the Arabs living within it’s borders. How can that be true when since 1948 the Arab population of Israel has increased ten fold? If they are practicing genocide, they sure aren’t very adept at it.

I do not believe that Israel occupies Judea/Samaria (aka, “The West Bank”) or Gaza. 1st, Judea/Samaria was a part of Israel prior to the May 1948 war, when five Arab nations attacked Israel to “drive the Jews into the sea.”  Jordan was able to capture Judea/Samaria and a good part of Jerusalem in that war. Jordan occupied it until June of 1967. when Israel was attacked again, only this time Israel better defended itself and liberated Judea/Samaria and all of Jerusalem. Israel does not occupy Judea/Samaria because it belonged to Israel in the first place.

Gaza was given independence by Israel, to rule itself as it wishes. After this, the citizens of Gaza allowed a terrorist group, Hamas, to take over. As a result, travel from Gaza into Israel is severely restricted.  For that matter, Gaza also borders Egypt, which also severely restricts travel. One wonders what Egypt’s justification is? (One also wonders why no one mentions this fact?)

Many Democrats believe in a “two state solution.” I agree with this, only I believe that the two states, one for the Jews and one for the Arabs already exists in “Palestine”.  You see, the area of land we call Jordan today, and the area of land on which Israel lives, used to be called the “British Mandate of Palestine.” It was this entire land that was promised to be a homeland for the Jewish people by the Balfour Declaration. But, Britain, as they always do, partially reneged and gave two thirds of that land to the Arabs, forming the Kingdom of Jordan.  Jordan and Israel are “Palestine”. There is an Arab “Palestine” (Jordan) and a Jewish “Palestine” (Israel).  Let the Arabs live in Jordan and leave the Jews alone.

But back to Humboldt Progressive Democrats. Because, on these pages, I declare myself a proud and unabashed Zionist, I automatically am not Progressive. I am told I am regressive. So, it’s kind of like a religion, or maybe a cult. If you don’t drink all of the Kool Aid – every last drop, you can’t play in their sandbox. I’m not too worried.  They only represent about 383  members. There is another group, Humboldt Progressives, that I also belong to, that has 1.5 thousand members. Probably a mixture of Democrats and Green Party members. So far I’ve survived there, but, no one has posted any Palestinian propaganda for me to refute as yet.

Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that I quit the HPD group when one of the people I was arguing with 1)told me I wasn’t Progressive, 2) Used “Palestinian” news sources (so, very, very biased) to refute my arguments. 3)Used Jewish anti-Israel sources also to refute me (yes, there really are such folks. It boggles the mind). The straw that broke the camels back was when, in the thread I was working in, an Admin posted this little gem:

Why did I quit? Look at the date: this was voted on while I was making my arguments, meaning, that at least part of the group had turned against me on principle.  How many voted for this? I have no idea and that fact isn’t revealed, If HPD is really a democracy, then we have to assume that a minimum of 192 voted for it.  Do any of the other 191 support, or at least. sympathize with me? Well, no one has contacted me. In reviewing the participation of the group, fewer than twelve actually ever post. So my guess is that a majority consisted of maybe seven people.

There are a number of troubling allegations, and stretches of the truth in the above document. I will pick them apart in my next blog.

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