Image care of Ma'an News Agency
Binyamin Netanyahu garnered much attention during the height of the Arab Spring for calling Israel “the only real democracy in the Middle East.”
On Tuesday, as Israelis celebrated the country’s 65th birthday, Jerusalem police demonstrated just how measured one should be when applying the word democracy to Israel.
According to Ma’an News Agency:
Israel on Tuesday detained and interrogated five Palestinians for raising Palestinian flags on their cars in Jerusalem.
Two of those detained were released on bail of 5,000 shekels ($1,378) and on condition that they do not raise Palestinian flags as Israel celebrates Independence Day.
[…]
Eight others were pulled over by traffic police and fined 250 shekels for having Palestinian flags on their cars.The erosion of Israel’s democratic standing – as well as the inherent contradictions present in trying to maintain a “Jewish” and “democratic” state – are well documented. Tuesday just happened to be a moment in which these contradictions became as clear as the flags being flown on Independence Day.
Follow David Harris-Gershon on Twitter @David_EHG
what a wonderful democracy is this illegal state called israel…
Illegal state? What is wrong with you?
What TF is wrong with YOU! Not only is it illegal, it’s stolen.
Oh my! Where do yo get your narrative from. When was it “stolen”?
90,000 dead in Syria. That is the reality of the Arab world. 9-0-0-0-0
Never mind the Arab world and its western imposed reality for the last hundred years or so. What is going on in Syria is more than wrong. What went on and still is going on in Iraq, Libya, Yemen and other parts of the ME is in no way an excuse for any country or State(Israel) to hide behind, as an excuse for the crimes it commits against the Palestinians. That is in spite of the knowlege of who is behind all this unrest in the region for the larger colonilist /Capitalist new world order. Responding in the way you do, brings to question the intention of people like that, including yourself. Unless you claim, that you really were misinforemed. Please read the first and second Edition of Shlomo Sands book; The invention of the Jewish people, or Noam Chomsky’s ; The faitfull triangle. Honesty is still a valued thing to use in giving ones opinion. The Palestinians have a right that have been taken away from them, the day Israel was created, and they still are subjected to more persecution and injustice on daily bases. Till this is acknowledged and corrected, Israel will never be a Democracy, nor a ligitimate State. One can’t follow one law to ligitimize a State while ignores other laws that stand in the heart of that ligitmacy.
Interpretation of Monir,
What is going on in Syria is worng but what Us and Israel are committing is pure genocide. For Monir, Arabs killing Arabs is quite normal and should be acceptable.
1948 dumbass. next time you want to ask a rhetorical question choose one that doesn’t have a clear, obvious answer.
And you call me a dumb ass? Read your history. You know the UN portion thing? You know, the one Palestinians rejected? This was acknowledged by President Abbas. Now go and wash the egg off your stupid face.
I live in Tel Aviv. For years I have been asking this question and no one has answered it. Perhaps among your readership someone has the answer:’
According to law 25% the university classes are set aside for minorities in Israel…like affirmative action; that would mean that there are a sizeable number of arab lawyers in the state of Israel by now, since the country is now 65 years old
My question is: why hasn’t the above case, the Palestinian flags, been brought to Court. It seems to me that every night when I turn on the TV, I should see a case of discrimination before the Supreme Court and i never do. What I recall is cases brought by BtSelem, etc. Rabbis for Human rights, etc., that regard the West Bank, which is the above case; occasionally I see Arab lawyers names for the West Bank. Why doesn’t Civil Rights interest the Arabs practically?… why only articles in the newspaper? Why don’t they have a Civil rights Movement? They have enough college graduates and
They do have 14 members staff at Knessett to do the research necessary
Because, if the Courts do not function properly for them, as a citizen of israel, I do want to know. It appears to me, that the interest of the Palestinians does not extend to Syria, at all, for example, I see them on campus, no discussions, no reactions, no marches, and that their focus is very narrow and selfish and undemocratic But only when they go to Court will we know more
I’m in the U.S. and so have to rely on information that is available here, but I do hear about court cases–particularly regarding settlement seizures of Palestinian land–that eventually get settled in favor of Palestinians. Trouble is, the olive groves are already razed and the settlement constructed. Not much of a victory when the damage is already done. Like you, I’d love to hear more from a legal expert, however. Are the laws, as written, skewed in favor of discrimination, or are they being violated? Anyone?
The topic of Syria is totally ignored by the Tikkunistas You will only read about it if Israel responds to a Syrian act of aggression. 90000 dead and total silence. 90000