From a Haaretz editorial criticizing Israeli police for false arrest of Sheikh Jarrah protesters:
During Operation Cast Lead, around 800 left-wing protesters were arrested and criminal proceedings were opened against 700 of them.
My critics here like to boast about Israel’s democratic values. But what truly democratic society criminalizes dissent to such an extent?? Why should an Israeli peace activist need to have a good criminal defense attorney on retainer in order to exercise his or her rights? Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to hold unpopular views. These are the hallmarks of a true democracy. Israel, you aren’t there yet.
I’m wondering why the editorial focuses on the Israeli Police as the source of this abuse of civil rights, when it is obvious to me that this kind of thing starts at the top. Do the police operate autonomously, or are they given their marching orders from higher up on the food chain? Is the right wing government of Israel using the police as one of its means by which it stifles dissent and maintains power?
Another instance of the collective insanity of Israel, or in this case perhaps it is better described as amnesia. They should remember how Hitler’s regime took hold of German society. It began with the stifling of dissent.
Not that it excuses Israel’s actions in any way here, but we have our own issues with respecting the right to peaceful assembly. For example sake:
link to youtube.com
heh.
Rabbi Ken Spiro on the AISH website says “Israel is the moral leader of the world.”
Guess Iran was following Moral Leader Israel in squelching dissent.
Difference is: Iranians by the tens of thousands rose up to oppose the government’s actions; Israelis? not so much.