Next week, Bibi Netanyahu will be celebrating his first (and may it be the last) anniversary of his February 10 election victory.
After one year in office, Bibi's got reasons to be fairly pleased with himself. Security-wise, 2009 was the quietest year in the past decade.
Diplomacy-wise, he's staved off pressure from a once-adored President Barack Obama to permanently freeze settlements (instead, he "gave" Obama only 10 months - and yet still, while the clock ticks, the building goes on), and he's managed to stall the peace process long enough for Republicans (his ole' buddies in Congress) to get back into business in D.C.
Even economy-wise, things are looking up; the Governor of the Bank of Israel, Stanley Fischer, is getting tonnes of kudos worldwide - even from the IMF itself - for getting Israel through the financial crisis practically unscathed.
In addition, a recent poll shows that although Netanyahu himself has lost some altitude among the public, his Likud party has gotten even stronger and would win a few more seats in the Knesset if elections were held today. Something he can definitely live with.
Meanwhile, Israel's critics overseas have continued, and rightfully so, to denounce it's continuing occupation of the territories, particularly the siege on Gaza. But what seems to have slipped under the radar overseas is a siege of a totally different kind: the siege on Israeli democracy itself.
Last year it began with full-blown Liebermanism (after Israel's Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman) - most notably with the "Loyalty Law." Mr Lieberman of the Yisrael Beitenu party has done much damage to Israel on so many fronts, especially the diplomatic one, but if this law passes, MKs, who take an oath at the beginning of each Knesset term, will have to pledge allegiance to the State of Israel as "a Jewish democratic state", instead of the usual "State of Israel and its laws." That could pose a bit of a problem for, hmmm, let me think... MKs who aren't Jewish?
But if January and the beginning of February 2010 are any indication, Israeli democracy will have taken a much more dangerous turn for the worse.
It is now official: Israel 2010 is a place where it's dangerous to be a leftist, because you'll probably be arrested for voicing your opinion in public; it's a place where reporters and editors apply self-censorship at unprecendented levels; a place where government funding for culture is cut off if it doesn't fit the government's agenda; and last - but not least - a place where the second biggest (on its way to being THE biggest) newspaper is basically an extension of the ruling party.
Here are just a few examples of what has taken place in Israel in one month alone, January 2010. All of them are worth a blog post in themselves, but since events are happening so fast on the ground (as they usually do in Israel), I've decided to give you a quick wrap-up:
Growing Self Censorship
In early January, two major newspapers inexplicably shelved two stories.
* Ma'ariv wihtheld an interview with Mohamad Bakhri, the director of the controversial movie "Jenin, Jenin". Bakhri made the movie after the bloody battle in Jenin during Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, where dozens of Palestinians and Israeli soldiers were killed. He was later sued for libel for how he portrayed the IDF, and has since been practically ostracized by Israeli Jewish society. Apparently Ma'ariv decided it would be better not to allow Bakhri to speak in its pages.
* Yedioth Ahronot completed an investigation into procedures of opening fire on Palestinians during Operation Cast Lead, and apparently found evidence that these procedures were considerably lax. But Yedioth never published the story, and eventually the British Independent got hold of it and did it for them...
Sheikh Jarrah Protests
Over the past few weeks, left-wing protesters have demonstrated in this East Jerusalem neighborhood against the outrageous, insensitive eviction of Palestinian families from their homes and replacing them with Jewish settlers.
Police showed a strong reaction to these protests, some say much stronger than they normally show during settler or Haredi protests. Also, police arrested dozens of peace activists claiming the protests were illegal to begin with, although the courts have decided (twice!) that this is incorrect.
The police handling of the protests is widely viewed as a severe infringement on freedom of speech in Israel, and the debate that ensued was reported extensively in Israeli media - especially on the net. Unfortunately, the debate over freedom of speech has recently overshadowed the real reason for the protests - the Jewish takeover of East Jerusalem.
Yisrael Hayom and Sara Netanyahu
The free daily newspaper, Yisrael Hayom, has long been considered by most in the Israeli media as a "Bibi-ton" (a mash-up of Bibi Netanyahu's name and the word "iton", which means "newspaper" in Hebrew). Founded by Jewish billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who has had a long and close relationship with Netanyahu, the paper is no less than Israel's version of Fox News. "Fair and Balanced"? Yeah, right...
Since its foundation, the founder and staff have constantly dodged claims of favoring Netanyahu, but when word about the Prime Minister's wife being sued by her maid was published in the main rival, Yedioth Ahronot, well, Yisrael Hayom didn't even try to hide it. There was no question about who's side they were on anymore. Anyone who still had doubts - especially after reading the headlines and analyses of reporters, going out of their way to protect the First Lady - had to be blind. Did I hear "Pravda"?
Cultural Boycott
In Israel 2010, if you don't make movies like the ones the government wants you to make, forget about any kind of funding. In his excellent blog "Promised Land", Noam Sheizaf wrote last week about the sad story of an Israeli film called "Lipstikka":
Lipstikka was originally planned to deal with director Jonathan Segal's mother's experience in the Holocaust. Later on Segal decided to move the plot to Ramallah, and to tell the story of two girls struggling to end the Israeli occupation. Like almost all Israeli films, Segal received financial support for his film from the Israeli Film Fund (IFF).Last Friday, Israel's most popular columnist - and Channel 2 News anchorman - Yair Lapid quoted in his weekly column in Yedioth a passage from a pre-production brochure advertising Lipstikka, which compared Israeli occupation to the Nazism. As a result, Minister of Culture and Sports Limor Livnat (Likud) contacted the IFF, which immediately decided to freeze all support for Lipstikka. Director Segal claimed later that the brochure was written by a British PR woman who was sacked from the production two years ago - and that Lapid never contacted him to get his comment on the issue - but at this point, nobody really cared to listen.
Basically, what the IFF and the Minister for Culture did was little more than censorship. It is important to understand that it's almost impossible to produce a film in Israel without the IFF's help. Allocating funds according to the political message of films means that from now on only certain views will be allowed to be shown.
Deportations
* Jared Malsin, a Jewish reporter who was the English Editor of the Palestinian news agency Ma'an, was deported on January 20 after 8 days in police custody. He was arrested at Ben Gurion Airport for allegedly not cooperating with immigration officers' questioning. But reports have since surfaced that Malsin was questioned about his critical reporting of Israeli policies in the West Bank.
* The notorious Oz unit of the immigration police, used on a daily basis to round up and deport foreign workers, went all the way to Ramallah on January 11 to grab Czech pro-Palestinian activist Eva Novakova and deport her to Prague.
The New Israel Fund
This is the biggest story in Israel for the past week or so. Israeli newspapers have run huge ads paid for by Im Tirzu, a right wing movement, claiming that NIF and its Chairman, Prof. Naomi Chazan, support Israeli NGO's responsible for feeding Judge Goldstone false information and, basically, making us look bad abroad.
The caricatures in the ads of Chazan remind most people of dark times in Europe, and have really brought down the level of debate over Goldstone's report to the UN. As a result, left-wingers have stooped down to their level and are now calling Im Tirzu activists "fascists". What leftists should really be asking their opponents is: "Why is it OK for Americans to fund settlements, but not Israeli NGOs that do a lot of good for the country"?
Meanwhile, on Thursday Chazan was notified by Jerusalem Post editor, David Horovitz, that she will no longer be writing her weekly column in the paper, after 14 years. Which leaves Larry Derfner and Gershon Baskin as the last voices of the left in that publication.
American media has over the years shown interest in violations of human rights in China, in North Korea, in Putin's Russia and more. There are enough foreign journalists in Israel to cover any story they want - it's time they started reporting on the other, just as dangerous, siege taking place in the MidEast.
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Most of my Jewish friends and family do not consider Israel their "homeland"
No one denies a homeland for Israel, however, we all reject one at the expense of an entire Palestinia
"Raise crows and they will pluck out your eyes"
This is only the second time I've posted on the Huff, and it's been quite a ride.
Never thought I'd get over 250 comments on anything!
Thanks again, and see you on my next post!
:-)
Fanned!
The importance of a story or blog has little to do with how many comments there are.
Cast Lead occurred because Livni knew that the Israeli people would never vote for a government that did not keep them safe. Having rockets land in your town is an extremely glaring example.
"Lax procedures
Lax procedures in a vicious urban warfare environmen
This is nonsense. You take out the enemy and preserve the life of your troops. You improvise and adopt. This is how you win against an enemy in well defented positions who violates all rules of warfare; refuses to wear uniforms; hides in hospitals and uses their own children as human shields.
Well done IDF.
Maybe next time IDF should just fax hamas a copy of their battle orders and engagement procedures
Oleg, the only thing I can suggest in reaction to your post is that you take up your elaborate defense of the IDF in Gaza with the families of the 300 children killed by the IDF.
Are you even aware that two senior IDF officers have admitted what has been well known now by many?
Namely that the IDF has shown reckless disregard for the lives of innocent Palestinia
This is basically admitting to the serious war crimes as stated in the Goldstone Report.
but they won't, they love to ignore...i already miss the 'quote' news by AP regarding IDF...whil
the article proves the fact once again most of the media act as an enabler rather than honest reporter..
It is very hard to hear the country of one's birth criticised
It is a very emotional issue, but if Israel is to continue to flourish, the human rights of all will need to be addressed.
Thank you for this post.
The argument that giving up the West Bank will bring peace to the region is not supported by the facts on the ground or the history of the region. If Arab control of the West Bank was the key to peace why did over 100,000 Arab soldiers mass on the Israeli border in 1967? Why did the Egyptian military attack Israel in order to close the Straits of Tiran? The fact is Arabs demanding the return of the West Bank ignore the history, ignore the fact that the Palestinia
More important, without the West Bank and the Golan Israel would have been cut in half and defeated in 1973. Without the strategic heigth provided by the West Bank Israel does not have the ability to effectivel
Bottom line time. Giving up the West Bank will serve only one purpose. It will ddecrease the security of Israel. Which will invite more Arab adventuris
The idea of a connecting a state to a tribe, a people or a religion is about as primitive as it gets. It is not even the purpose of the construct of a state.
Why do all the Sheeple fall for it???
- 2 major newspapers 'inexplica
- Israeli police reacted to some protests 'some say much stronger' than to other protests;
- there is a free daily newspaper that 'is no less than Israel's version of Fox News';
- the State of Israel refuses to allocate public funds to a film 'which compared Israeli occupation to the Nazism';
- Israel's immigratio
- Jerusalem Post has sacked an extreme left activist, leaving only two others 'as the last voices of the left in that publicatio
Wow, these are serious allegation
Let me make a statement of opinion, Ami: Israel's democracy isn't perfect. No democracy is. In fact, some democracie
I will also mention the fact that Israel's democracy, however 'imperfect
You are entitled to your opinion, of course. But it's a pity that so many 'well-inte
i think it was genuinely 'fair and balanced'.
You should be concerned NTT,
This is just the latest in a series of disturbing trends.
We have had reported (on this website) the arrest of Palestinia
We also have the party planks of what has become Israel's third largest party --Yisrael Beiteinu. Their platform called for ALL Arab Israeli citizens to swear a loyalty oath to Israel AS A JEWISH STATE -- or race the loss of their citizenshi
Party leaders know that most Israeli Arabs would refuse BOTH requiremen
Another proposed bill would have made commemorat
Now these bills weren't enacted-- but the fact they would even be proposed is disturbing -- to say the least.
We also have the fact that the Arab Parties were almost not allowed to participat
The Occupation is causing harm to both the occupied, AND the occupier, It is corroding the pillars of Israeli democracy.
When one person's liberties are threatened --
Party electoral platforms are NOT official state documents – and they certainly aren't laws. Trust me, the British National Party has a much worse platform. Are we now to judge Israel on the INTENTIONS of one political party or another?
What do you mean "the Arab Parties were ALMOST not allowed to participat
You want a lakmus test of Israel's democracy? Ami Kaufman is the best example: an Israeli citizen publishing openly a very critical blog, including derogatory remarks against the country's Prime Minister. What do you suppose will happen to Ami? Right, nothing – it's a free country and he's entitled to his opinion. Now what d'you suppose would happen to a Syrian (or Egyptian, Iranian, Saudi, etc.) citizen who wrote such a blog?
So how come you are not concerned about their rights and liberties? To quote you: "When one person's liberties are threatened --"
And your point is???
There certainly are a lot of "almosts" in your post.
What is occurring here is the state abusing its power to SILENCE any voice of dissent -- and it would appear that now it is not just Palestinia
Of course this should come as no surprise: for when the rights of ONE person is threatende
there is even less of a right for anyone to demand that the government of that country aid and finance those treasonous actions.
This is an oxymoron. How can a state be democratic if they exclude other nationalit
To me this is tantamount to the bigotry we once had here in America, where only white people could vote or eat at luncheon counters but we still refereed to ourselves as a democracy? It was like saying we are a democratic country if you ignore that we exclude some of people from exercising their rights. A true Democracy must include all members of its society.
Thank you Mr Kaufman for your humanitari
I often wonder if people are deliberate
Some facts.
ALL RELIGIONS ... ALL non-religi
ALL citizens of Israel have a guaranteed right to vote in any and all Israeli elections.
ALL citizens of Israel exercise the right to vote as they please without impediment
Period...
End of story.
Anyone claims otherwise is selling Enron stock.
what you fail to realize is that the THIRD largest party actively pursues as its goal the STRIPPING of Israelis Arabs of their citizenshi
Once that process begins-- do you really think it wil end there?
South Africa had the same sort of 'democracy
-95% of the democracie
When people think of democracy, they tend to think America. But America is the big exception in this world of ours: Most countries are like Ireland, Italy and Israel.
"where only white people could vote or eat at luncheon counters but we still refereed to ourselves as a democracy?
-But Israel isn't forbidding anyone from eating at luncheon counters. All members of Israeli society are included in the democratic process. Period. Not even the above articles claims otherwise.
Ireland doesn't DEFINE itself as an "Irish state"-- it is not defined i ethnic terms.
If you look at the Irish flag -- you will note that a third of it is Orange-- the founders of the Republic were making a clear statement that Ireland was for ALL peoples living there --includin
With today's EU, nationalit
This is an extremely unusual sentence.
Only Bibi got reasons to be pleased about it?! How about common Israelis of all faith and creeds? Shouldn't THEY be also pleased with the Palestinia
Can one infer that they are Israelis who a re displeased with the peaceful situation?
It certainly seems so.
Addendum:
Israel used to have a grand tradition of socialism and decisive and bold socialists
Alas,. now the liberals are trying to claim the mantle. To the detriment of all.
Since the defeat of the peace process by Arafat, terrorst war on Israeli people and election of Hamas, Israeli decided that people who brought about this situation should not be allowed to govern the country. to date,
The centrist right government
And this will continue for foreseeabl
When Palestinia
What brought this about is still bringing it about and if you think you can stop protest or anger by further brutalizin
But it is the small parties (often marginal in their beliefs and desires) that dictate the formation of government
This is very dsyfuntion
And it is growing worse. With each election cycle, the major parties lose more and more ground to the small parties.
What Israel REALLY needs is a Constituti
And, as this post clearly demonstrat