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The Jewish Diaspora Must Stand with Israeli Leftists
Currently, Israeli leftists are under assault from all corners of Israeli society. These attacks are coming both from government leaders and from individuals in Israeli society. It appears that the assault against leftists in Israel is at the very worst since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin.
The difference, however, between the time of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and now is that when Rabin was murdered the people who incited such violence were not in the governing coalition. Right now the group of people who incited such violence through their hateful rhetoric are in power. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a key critic of the Oslo accords whose hateful rhetoric led to the poisonous environment in Israel leading up to Rabin’s death, is now the prime minister. Even worse, the far right wing MK Ayelet Shaked, infamous for her call to genocide against Palestinians during the 2014 Gaza war, is now the justice minister of Israel.
Now Shaked, who is arguably a fascist, seeks to pass legislation which would persecute left-wing NGOs. It would do this by requiring NGO’s with 50% or more funding from foreign governments to disclose their donations, say they are funded by foreign entities in their documents, wear special badges while at the Knesset,etc. This is unacceptable, for its exemption of donations from private entities means that it largely exempts right wing organizations and thus is attacking the left. Making people where special identification simply because they are different is eerily reminiscent of when Jewish individuals were forced to wear Yellow Stars of David in Nazi Germany simply because they were Jews. While it isn’t as egregious–for this is just in the Knesset–it is still an unacceptable breach of democratic values.
The difference, however, between the time of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and now is that when Rabin was murdered the people who incited such violence were not in the governing coalition. Right now the group of people who incited such violence through their hateful rhetoric are in power. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a key critic of the Oslo accords whose hateful rhetoric led to the poisonous environment in Israel leading up to Rabin’s death, is now the prime minister. Even worse, the far right wing MK Ayelet Shaked, infamous for her call to genocide against Palestinians during the 2014 Gaza war, is now the justice minister of Israel.
Now Shaked, who is arguably a fascist, seeks to pass legislation which would persecute left-wing NGOs. It would do this by requiring NGO’s with 50% or more funding from foreign governments to disclose their donations, say they are funded by foreign entities in their documents, wear special badges while at the Knesset,etc. This is unacceptable, for its exemption of donations from private entities means that it largely exempts right wing organizations and thus is attacking the left. Making people where special identification simply because they are different is eerily reminiscent of when Jewish individuals were forced to wear Yellow Stars of David in Nazi Germany simply because they were Jews. While it isn’t as egregious–for this is just in the Knesset–it is still an unacceptable breach of democratic values.
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-jewish-diaspora-must-stand-with-israeli-leftists/
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