Eitam: Expel Palestinians, dismiss Arab MKs

[Scurrilous]

During memorial ceremony for officer killed in Lebanon, right-wing MK says, 'we cannot be with all these Arabs, we'll have to expel the overwhelming majority of West Bank Arabs from here and remove Israeli Arabs from political system.' Tibi: In German it would have sounded more authentic

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3302275,00.html

<snip>

"Arab Knesset members responded harshly Monday to the remarks of Knesset Member Effie Eitam (National Union-National Religious Party) both against Israeli Arabs and the Palestinians, saying that "the truth has been revealed."

On Sunday, during a memorial service for First Lieutenant Amihai Merhavia, who was recently killed in Lebanon, Eitam presented the State of Israel 's urgent missions, as he sees them.

"We will have to do three things: Expel most of the Judea and Samaria Arabs from here. We cannot be with all these Arabs and we cannot give up the land, because we have already seen what they do there. Some of them may be able to stay under certain conditions, but most of them will have to go," he said.

"We will have to make another decision, to remove the Israeli Arabs from the political system. Also here things are clear and simple: We have raised a fifth column, a group of traitors of the first degree, and therefore we cannot continue to approve such a hostile and great presence inside Israel's political system.

"The third thing: We will have to act differently than everything we have known so far opposite the Iranian threat. These are three things that will entail a change in our war ethics."

<snip>

"In response to the remarks, which were broadcast on Army Radio, MK Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) said: "If Eitam's remarks would have been said in German, they would have been more authentic."

[Violet_Crumble]

1. Can't Eitam be expelled instead? n/t

[Tom Joad]

2. Rightist MK Eitam: Expel Arabs from West Bank

MK Effi Eitam of the rightist National Union-National Religious Party sparked a political firestorm Monday, by saying the great majority of Palestinians in the West Bank should be expelled, and that Arabs should be ousted from Israeli politics as a fifth column and "a league of traitors."

The remarks, broadcast Monday on Army Radio, were made during a Sunday speech at a memorial service for a soldier killed in Lebanon in the recent war.

It was the first time that Eitam, who heads the Religious Zionism faction within the National Union, has publicly supported deportation of Palestinians, a concept espoused by assassinated National Union founder Rehavam Ze'evi as "transfer."
<snip>
Beilin: Bring Eitam to trial
Leftist Meretz party leader Yossi Beilin Monday urged Attorney General Menachem Mazuz to bring Eitam to trial on charges of incitement to racism.

Beilin's call was based on an amendment to the law which grants lawmakers immunity from prosecution. The amendment lifts the immunity from legislators who incite to racism or ethnic prejudice. Earlier in the day, Meretz MK Avshalom Vilan called on Mazuz to open an investigation against Eitam, on suspicion of incitement and sedition.
__________________________________________________________

Eitam's views may (or may not) be a minority position within the Israeli community, but he does not stand alone, and i think this view is becoming more and more popular. Israel has a law in place to prosecute such speech, it should either be enforced here, or taken off the books entirely.

Meanwhile, there are reports of what Jewish Settlers are doing in Hebron that put in practice the words of this knesset member. http://www.telrumeidaproject.org/

I have no doubt that if netanyahu becomes prime minister, the National Union party will be part of the governing coalition. Rehavam Zeevi, who was tourist minister under Sharon, also advocated transfer.

[Tom Joad]

3. Thanks for moving this.

:hi:

Scurri and i were typing this at the same time, evidently.

[peacetalksforall]

5. Can you explain or translate a little?

Does Arab translate to Moslem in all situations for him? I'm just not sure what I'm raading.

I thought there were Israelis who were European or U.S. or African, plus Arabs.

" ... we cannot be with all these Arabs ..."
: ... we'll have to expel the overwhelming majority of Israeli Arabs ..."

"Expel most of Samaria and Judea Arabs ..."

" ... remove Israeli Arabs from the political system ..."

I would really like to learn. There are too many subtleties and I can't figure out which Arabs are his enemies so that I can get the impact of what he's saying.

[Tom Joad]

4. Statements and (mis)leaders like this will do nothing but help the

sanctions and divestment movement against Israel.

[breakaleg]

6. It's interesting that the extremist point of view, when coming from

Palestinians or Arabs, is what Israel holds as the common view held by all.

But this extremist view from an Israeli, will no doubt be considered a one-off.

Even though the actions of Israel through the occupation, the treatment of Arabs in Jerusalem, Israel and the occupied lands, supports this extremist Israeli view. Israel is pushing Palestinians out of Palestine.

[Tom Joad]

9. Palestinians are being kicked out of large parts of

Jerusalem. so this is being put into practice. Basically, the ruling ideology is:
The maximum amount of Arabs on the least amount of land.
So expect that the Palestinian population numbers will not change much, but the amount of land they are allowed to inhabit will continually shrink. That is the mainstream view of the government now.

If this fellow and his party gains, then they may be kicked out entirely, completing the war of 1948.

[Tom Joad]

7. Israel is at the forefront of the war against Islam, lauded elsewhere.

Though i'm sure this includes Arab Christians and unaffiliated as well. They don't want to miss anyone.

[The Magistrate]

8. This Person, Sir, Needs Badly To Sit Down And Shut Up

Or perhaps be confined in a locked cellwith Nassrallah for a week with a single knife wedged in a low ceiling....

[Tom Joad]

10. He's not fighting the good fight? Isn't this the war against Islam?

[The Magistrate]

11. What He Is Doing, Mr. Joad

Is advocating a variety of actions both reprehensible and criminal. To me, he is as much an enemy as a chief of Hamas, or any other jihadi militant.

[Tom Joad]

12. He will get a cabinet post, not prison.

Same old, same old. Israel doesn't seem to want to change.

[The Magistrate]

13. Perhaps He Will, Sir, Perhaps He Will Not

He seems at present merely towards the top of a minor party list. There are disadvantages to a true multi-party system, after all: not every shade of public opinion really ought to have representation in government. Nor is making a statement like this a crime in and of itself, though actually executing the policy would be in my view a great wrong, and probably include acts of criminality under international law.

[Poll_Blind]

14. More crypto-Kahanists. MK Ahmad Tibi is right, by the way.

  From things I've read the Orthodox didn't really have, or particularly want, a place in Israel until the Six Day War. Once the Orthodox got whiff of the fact that they could settle Eretz Yisrael they started to take a shining to the concept of the nation because they saw it (but particularly the acquisition of territory) in a light that favored their aspirations. If I could mark anything as being the point "Where Israel Went Wrong" it would be the occupation of Palestine by the settlers after '67. People bitch about how some Arab governments are too closely-aligned with religious extremists, and those criticisms are valid, but Israel is little-different.

  The decision to select the Halachic law of the Orthodox for civil matters in Israel on it's creation was a bad-enough idea: It left (and still leaves) the majority of Jews, who do not practice Orthodox Judaism, out in the cold. I've heard it said that the decision to choose Orthodox Judaism over others was partly because of the huge numbers of Orthodox Jewry who perished at the hands of the Nazis in the Shoah leaving just a few hundred left. If anyone else has better/contradictory information on why Orthodox Judaism was selected, I'd love to hear about those sources. Anyway, Halachic law is just as nonsensical to apply to Jews (and others) living in Israel as Sharia is for Arab countries or laws from the Christian Bible in Western ones.

  From my understanding of the Orthodox religio-political institutions in Israel, currently, this affiliation with a particular religious branch, one where the haredim do not recognize other branches of Judaism as even legitimate, is what broke Israel. From that perspective, I think it's arguable to say that the way Israel was founded was the biggest nail in the coffin of the idea of a state where Jews (much less Gentiles) could live unmolested and in some form of prosperity and Freedom.

  Posters here poo-poo the ramblings of Eitam or the Yesha Rabbinical Council or Rabbis like Oviada Yosef as fringe. But while these individuals may represent a minority of the Israeli population the platform from which they speak these un-Jewish, Kahanist, racist things is made of stainless steel, enshrined and paid for by the government, and not only won't go away but as new immigrants to Israel arrive (a sizable number duly-placed in the Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories), they will grow.

  The settlers will have their Eretz Yisrael whether it hare-lips Jews or gentiles- they don't care. They do not consider more moderate opinions among Jews legitimate and the "Jewishness" among Jews who do not follow their Orthodox ideals, ersatz. They will do anything and everything to convince, goad, bully the Israeli government into following this track for greater Israel. Now, along the way, they're going to kill alot of innocent Palestinians to clear that land and it would be unsurprising if Palestinians and/or sympathetic Arabs and others to do some pretty nasty things in retaliation.

  And so the dance will go, back and forth, until the Orthodox reach a true majority in Israel. Then, things are going to get very interesting. Because then those Halachic laws are really going to start coming down hard on Jews who don't toe the line. And then, when it's too late, will much attention be paid by America to what's going on there.

  I think analogy of Israel as White South Africa is appropriate for general discussion. However, even in White South Africa, I am not aware that such an effort was made to homogenize religious thought so thoroughly via preferential funding of that particular religious thought by the government. If someone has cites which can go deeper into the religious aspect of the White South African government, I'd love to hear about it.

  Governmentally-enshrine a very conservative religious group in a nation, keep the most religiously conservative of them on the government dole and give them sole proprietorship over civil matters and who can be surprised when you hear extremist, racist talk coming out of the mouths of MK's like this?

  Diasporic Jews and moderates in Israel are persona-non-grata in this model and it is not easy for Diasporic Jewish organizations to call bullshit on the whole matter. It would be very embarassing and ugly battle if it ever took place and I don't think that the Diasporic Jews really have the heart to fight it or, I should say, to organize in such a way as needed to effectively combat it. What a shame. Because where all this goes, where it has been going and where it will go in the future, is that the Diasporic Jews have to "eat" the backlash from the actions of the ever-more-conservative governments and sentiments of Israel.

  And the cold comfort they'll get from Israel is "Why haven't you made the aliyah? What kind of Jew are you?"

  Maybe the kind of Jew who wants equality, Freedom, and mutual respect for all? They're getting their heads pushed underwater right now by a very organized, well-financed and naturally agressive cum-defensive opponant. No one can save the Jews but the Jews in this case. Historically, I think it's arguable that even the best-intentioned Goyim can only do so much to protect Jews from other Goyim. But they are nearly defenseless to protect moderate Jews from conservative Jews, who have and will, eat them alive.

PB

[Englander]

15. Charming. But, at least he's honest. n/t