ISRAEL: Parliament comes close to blows over flotilla raid

[Recursion]

A discussion in Israel's parliament Wednesday went from heated to a total boil as lawmaker Haneen Zoabi took the stand. Zoabi, an Arab Israeli legislator, took part in the Gaza flotilla and was aboard the Mavi Marmara during the ill-fated takeover that left nine dead and dozens more injured.

Jewish public opinion in Israel was not impressed with her decision to join aid ship. Some dismissed it as a populist, attention-seeking move. Others denounced her participation as siding with the country's enemies conspiring against the state.

By the time Zoabi returned, tens of thousands had signed an online petition to remove her from parliament. The petition states it isn't against freedom of expression but against public officials elected to serve the entire public exploiting democracy and taxpayers' money to serve extremists.

The Knesset discussed the flotilla Wednesday. Words were sharp from the start. "Go to Gaza, you traitor," lawmaker Miri Regev told Zoabi in Arabic, hoping she had learned to say it correctly. When Zoabi took the podium, everyone lost it. Anastassia Michaeli tried to remove her from the podium. She got removed from the plenum, the first of many to be physically removed as the debate turned into part catfight, part bar brawl and part cursing competition.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/06/israel-parliament-close-to-blows-over-flotilla.html

On the plus side, maybe we're about to see the government fall apart.

[Unvanguard]

1. Whenever I hear about the Israeli Knesset, I think, for all our talk of "polarization"

we in the US have it easy...

[mikelgb]

2. not a chance

in the us we would say to her stay off small planes

[demoleft]

3. "Scuffles during Israeli Knesset flotilla debate" - the video

"Heated exchanges took place in the Israeli parliament as Hanin Zuabi, an Arab member who was aboard the flotilla, tried to speak in a debate on the flotilla raid" -

the guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2010/jun/03/scuffles-israeli-knesset-flotilla-debate

[lumpy]

5. Israel will never find peace with those bullies in power.

They are insane in their quest for power, land and water.

[mikelgb]

4. Is Israel Never-Never Land or do they actually grow up?

[proteus_lives]

6. They grew-up a long time ago.

Having to fight for your surivial since day 1 will do that to a people.

[ConsAreLiars]

7. They certainly have learned the values and methods of those who have "grown up,"

as you so quaintly express it of those of a gang which tried to seize all the land of those they regarded as the enemy gang. They did pretty good, getting around 65-75% depending on the mapping.

You're quite right, living a life of always fighting to steal another's territory is very damaging, and we should expect this kind of pathology and deranged judgments to be a natural consequence.

[proteus_lives]

8. Constant self-defense can be tiresome.

It happens when you're surrounded by people who want to destroy you and a world that supports them or just looks away.