New racist Israeli law passed (mixed couples)

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2003-07-31 11:27pm

By GAVIN RABINOWITZ, Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM - Israel's parliament passed a measure Thursday that would force Palestinians who marry Israelis to live separate lives or move out of Israel. The government said the law was necessary to prevent terror attacks, but critics called it racist.

The law, to be in effect for one year, would prevent Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip (news - web sites) who marry Israeli Arabs from obtaining residency permits in Israel.

In pushing the measure, Israel's government cited instances in which Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza have exploited their residency permits — which grant them freedom of movement in Israel — to carry out terror attacks.

"This law comes to address a security issue," Cabinet Minister Gideon Ezra told Israel Radio. "Since September 2000 we have seen a significant connection, in terror attacks, between Arabs from the West Bank and Gaza and Israeli Arabs."

The vote was 53 in favor, 25 against and one abstention.

Israeli Arabs were outraged.

"We see this law as the implementation of the 'transfer' policy by the state of Israel," said Jafar Savah from Mossawa, an advocacy center for Israeli Arabs. He was referring to a plan by ultranationalist Jewish groups to persuade or force Israeli Arabs and Palestinians to leave for Arab countries.

Savah said the law was an attempt to legalize unofficial policy that has been in effect since September 2000, when Israeli-Palestinian violence broke out. He warned that the law would damage relations between Israel and its Arab minority.

Local and international human rights groups have condemned the law as racist.

"This is a racist law that decides who can live here according to racist criteria," said Yael Stein from the Israeli rights group B'tselem.

Two New York-based rights groups, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, sent letters to the parliament protesting the law and urging lawmakers not to pass it, a statement from Human Rights Watch said.

Israel and the Palestinians have been locked in a bloody conflict for 33 months, though a limited cease-fire declared by the Palestinians on June 29 has significantly reduced attacks against Israelis.

Arabs make up about 20 percent of Israel's population of 6 million. About 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Many families were divided by cease-fire lines after Mideast wars, and over the years, marriage between the two groups has been common.

Some Israelis see this as a security threat. Ezra told the radio that since 1993, more than 100,000 Palestinians have obtained Israeli permits in this manner. "It has grown out of control," he said.

However, Stein from B'tselem said there have been only 20 cases from these 100,000 people who have been involved in terror.

"I am not taking these attacks lightly, but this is an extreme solution to a marginal phenomenon," Stein said.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2003-07-31 11:31pm

Israel demonstrates its almost supernatural mastery of public relations once again.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-07-31 11:33pm

Jesus, how fucking dense are these people? Even if they intended to oppress the Palestinians into the ground shit like this isn't going to score you any brownie points abroad.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2003-07-31 11:35pm

Durran Korr wrote:Jesus, how fucking dense are these people?

They're racist scum. You expected better?

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2003-07-31 11:41pm

Illuminatus Primus wrote:
Durran Korr wrote:Jesus, how fucking dense are these people?
They're racist scum. You expected better?

When it's a racial war things tend to get messy. It doesn't make it right but fifty five years of war and death have that sort of affect. Both sides have a nasty racist mentality built up.

The law itself is appalling. There's no reasonable basis for it at all. As far as I know there's no such case ever to have happened and it just seems like hard line assholes trying to make trouble.

Does Israel have judicial review that might overturn this?

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-07-31 11:42pm

Thats impressively fascist, even for Israel.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-07-31 11:53pm

Stormbringer wrote:The law itself is appalling. There's no reasonable basis for it at all. As far as I know there's no such case ever to have happened and it just seems like hard line assholes trying to make trouble.

Does Israel have judicial review that might overturn this?

I don't believe so, though in the unlikely event that the current cease-fire holds it probably wouldn't be renewed a year down the line. Israeli Arabs make up 20% of the country and there votes will matter a whole lot more without an active war.

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2003-07-31 11:58pm

JERUSALEM - Israel's parliament passed a measure Thursday that would force Palestinians who marry Israelis to live separate lives or move out of Israel.

This statement is false.

See:

The law, to be in effect for one year, would prevent Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip (news - web sites) who marry Israeli Arabs from obtaining residency permits in Israel.

It only applies to foreign Arabs and Israeli Arabs. It is not a law aimed at preventing intermarriage between Arabs and Jews; it is a law aimed at preventing intermarriage between foreign and Israeli national members of the same ethnic group.

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2003-08-01 12:08am

Deuuutschland is on the riiise agaaain...

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-08-01 12:36am

The Duchess of Zeon wrote: It only applies to foreign Arabs and Israeli Arabs. It is not a law aimed at preventing intermarriage between Arabs and Jews; it is a law aimed at preventing intermarriage between foreign and Israeli national members of the same ethnic group.

I might actually find that more offensive.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2003-08-01 01:20am

The Duchess of Zeon wrote: It only applies to foreign Arabs and Israeli Arabs.

Ooh, so it only applies to foreign and domestic Arabs. Gotcha. That would be what, 100% of all Arabs?

Post by **Coyote** » 2003-08-01 01:20am

That's pretty darn fucked up, even as it is explained by Marina.

Another PR disaster for Israel. This will play poorly elsewhere...

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2003-08-01 01:22am

Coyote wrote:That's pretty darn fucked up, even as it is explained by Marina.

Another PR disaster for Israel. This will play poorly elsewhere...

There's no such thing as an Israeli PR disaster.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-08-01 01:49am

Remember the First Law of CNN: Israel is always right, even when it's wrong.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2003-08-01 01:52am

Durandal wrote:
The Duchess of Zeon wrote: It only applies to foreign Arabs and Israeli Arabs.
Ooh, so it only applies to foreign and domestic Arabs. Gotcha. That would be what, 100% of all Arabs?

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-08-01 01:54am

[Baghdad Bob]
There are no racist laws in Israel. The racist laws are committing suicide by the hundreds at the gates of Israel.
[/Baghdad Bob]

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2003-08-01 02:22am

Hmm it is almost like they are trying to provoke the Palestinians, not that it really matters because in the US they are invulnerable to criticism and in Europe they have already expended all of their good will long ago.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-08-01 02:34am

Is it just me, or are certain Israeli politicians getting really paranoid??

Post by **Coyote** » 2003-08-01 03:00am

I think what they want to to is just ratchet up pressure on the Palestinians-- this also gives them something to throw away later if an accord is reached. It is playing dirty poker.

To be honest, I think a lot of media coverage these days is anti-Israeli. Western media outlets that played in Israel showed endless streams of Palestinians mothers wailing in despair for their boys that blew themselves up as 'martyrs', and lots of Arab funerals, but rarely ever showed the trauma of Israeli families when their children were killed as a result of terrorism. And the Western media lambasted Israel for the Mohommed al-Duri incident, even though it was inconclusive who really shot him.

Again, I don't say that everything Israeli is wonderful or shit-free, but I also don't want to swing to the other extreme and say that the Palestinians are nothing but innocent victims in all this. They are fighting just as bloody, and bear in mind that long before Israel passed this law, things were advocated by the Palestinians such as:

"Kill a Settler every day.. shoot at settlers everywhere....woe to you if you let them reach their homes safely or travel safely on their roads..."
--Yasser Arafat at a public speech, July 2001

"All spears should be directed at the Jews, at the enemies of Allah... Allah has described them as apes and pigs... we blow them up in Hadera, we blow them up in Tel Aviv and Netanya, and in this way Allah establishes us as rulers over these gangs of vagabonds... In several years. Allah willing, we will enter Jerusalem as conquerors, to Jaffa as conquerors... blessings for whoever has assaulted a soldier... blessings to whoever has raised his sons on the education of Jihad and Martyrdom; blessings for whoever has saved a bullet in order to stick it in a Jew's head."
--Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi, in sermon at Sheikh Adjin Mosque in Gaza, June 8, 2001.

"The Muslim loves death, just as you [Jews] love life. There is a great differrence between he who loves the Hereafter and he who loves the world. The Muslim loves death and seeks Martyrdom."
--Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, Mufti of the PA, sermon broadcast on the Voice of Palestine Radio, May 25, 2001.

I remember, personally, hearing a translation of that radio speech as it happened.

I do not defend racist actions, but let's bear in mind that this is also a reaction to other racist rhetoric that is equally offensive. To exclude from public view this kind of racist rehtoric that infests the Palestinain repertoire it should be easy to see why so many Israelis or Jews scoff at the idea that the Western media is overly sympathetic to Israeli povs. The Israeli fence gets reported; but does this type of race-baiting portratyed by the Palestinians get the same coverage?

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2003-08-01 03:26am

Durandal wrote:
Ooh, so it only applies to foreign and domestic Arabs. Gotcha. That would be what, 100% of all Arabs?

No, I mean the law prevents citizens from marry non-citizens who are of the same ethnicity, not different ones. It's obviously discriminatory, but it's not racist.

Post by **Edi** » 2003-08-01 05:04am

Nice nitpick, Duchess, but discrimination based on ethnicity is racist by definition, especially when a single ethnicity is targeted by the measure. It doesn't have to cross from one ethnicity to another, and here it's even more blatantly obvious because the ruling class (Jews) pass a law that targets an ethnic minority (Arabs) in their own country and subjects them to restrictions that don't exist for anyone else. It's a textbook example of racism.

Edi

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2003-08-01 05:17am

Edi wrote:Nice nitpick, Duchess, but discrimination based on ethnicity is racist by definition, especially when a single ethnicity is targeted by the measure. It doesn't have to cross from one ethnicity to another, and here it's even more blatantly obvious because the ruling class (Jews) pass a law that targets an ethnic minority (Arabs) in their own country and subjects them to restrictions that don't exist for anyone else. It's a textbook example of racism.

Edi

HRW Report

Despite the header, HRW's report says the bill would affect all marriages with Palestinians (IE., including Jews), which would suggest your stipulation would not apply--it would be no different then than the old laws of Greek city-states demanding that citizens marry other citizens.

Post by **Edi** » 2003-08-01 05:25am

Okay, I'll concede that technically it's not, but according to the HRW article, the vast majority of the cases is exactly Israeli Palestinians marrying Palestinians, so in practice this law is blatantly racist, ethically at least. The minority of Jews it affects would be rather negligible, and isn't therefore a real consideration unless we really want to nitpick legalese, and I'm not inclined to do that.

Edi

Dahak · Post by **Dahak** » 2003-08-01 06:51am

Hitler would be proud...

Shouldn't we all have learned *something* from the Holocaust?

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2003-08-01 06:52am

yep. we need to keep away from all those crazy people who werent born in the same country as us.

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

New racist Israeli law passed (mixed couples)

New racist Israeli law passed (mixed couples)

This law is not racist.

Re: This law is not racist.

Re: This law is not racist.

Re: This law is not racist.

Re: This law is not racist.