Israel bars all Israeli-Arab parties from election

[seabhcan]

(mods - I really think this event needs a new thread. None of the existing threads on the Israel/gaza war are related. I'll leave it up to ye whether to merge or move this to the Foreign section)

Israel bars Arab parties from election - ICH
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7825032.stm

The middle east's only democracy has barred all three Israeli-Arab political parties from participating in the upcomming parliamentary elections. These parties currently have 7 MPs and might have held the balance of power in the new parliament.

The official reason for the ban was these parties condemnation of the attack on Gaza.

Hassan Jabareen, the director of the Adalah legal rights group, which represents the Arab parties, noted that the disqualification motion had been introduced by far right-wing parties.

Such parties include Yisrael Beiteinu, which campaigns for the country’s 1.2 million-strong Arab minority to be stripped of citizenship.

“It is absurd that the committee is backing a motion from racist parties in the Knesset to exclude the Arab parties whose platform is that Israel must be made into a proper democracy treating all its citizens equally.”

Can Israel continue to claim to be an inclusive democracy?

[southwestkerry]

How may Israeli's would party in an Islamic country.

[bogtrotter]

How may Israeli's would party in an Islamic country.

What do you mean?.....

[southwestkerry]

What do you mean?.....

HUMOR is in short supply this morning.

[yehbut_nobut]

How may Israeli's would party in an Islamic country.

Dunno - do these 25,000 people count?

news.bbc.co.uk

[dublincelt]

What do you mean?.....

Please don't humour him, he is a halfwit. He has nothing, and I mean nothing meaningful to say on this issue or indeed on any topic related to the Middle East.

[draiocht23]

(mods - I really think this event needs a new thread. None of the existing threads on the Israel/gaza war are related. I'll leave it up to ye whether to merge or move this to the Foreign section)

Israel bars Arab parties from election - ICH
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Israel disqualifies Arab parties

The middle east's only democracy has barred all three Israeli-Arab political parties from participating in the upcomming parliamentary elections. These parties currently have 7 MPs and might have held the balance of power in the new parliament.

The official reason for the ban was these parties condemnation of the attack on Gaza.



Can Israel continue to claim to be an inclusive democracy?

What a shining beacon of democracy.

I note a cease fire is due to be called tomorrow...just as Bush bows out of office. Another mission accomplished. The kiss shared by Condoleezza Rice and Tzipi Livni, after their pr stunt today, was truly sickening.

[L'Chaim]

What a misleading thread title. The central elections committee (not israel) decided that two Arab parties (not all Arab parties) were ineligible to run in the February elections, because these two parties don't recognize Israel and they call for armed conflict against it and it was suspected that these parties in the past colluded with hezbollah against Israel and also colluded with Hamas in the last few months/years. In the past the Israeli high court has overturned decisions to have these two parties banned and it's expected that the Israeli high court will do the same again.

[Seán Mac Stiofán]

What a misleading thread title. The central elections committee (not israel) decided that two Arab parties (not all Arab parties) were ineligible to run in the February elections, because these two parties don't recognize Israel and they call for armed conflict against it and it was suspected that these parties in the past colluded with hezbollah against Israel and also colluded with Hamas in the last few months/years. In the past the Israeli high court has overturned decisions to have these two parties banned and it's expected that the Israeli high court will do the same again.

How many Arab parties are there? These two organisations are the only movements with appreciable support amongst native Palestinians Israeli citizens. So, banning them is equivalent to banning most Arab parties.

Secondly, the charge of collusion with Hizbullah is so laughably ridiculous it's astonishing you would bring it up. The accusation pertains to veteran Palestinian politician, Azmi Bishara, who was accused of collaborating with Hizbullah in the 2006 war. Firstly, Azmi Bishara is a baptist Christian from Nazareth. He would not likely be particularly amenable to Hizbullah as the same organization persecutes Christians in southern Lebanon. Secondly, many of Hizbullah's victims were themselves Palestinians --Christians amongst them --in Northern Galilee, where the Palestinians are a majority. The notion that Bishara collaborated with Hizbullah is as likely as Ronald Reagan spying for the Soviets all along. It's typical Israeli bullsh*t.

[L'Chaim]

Well apparently the Israelis have tapes of conversations he had that implicate him in charges of espionage and treason. He left Israel and the police have said they will arrest him if he returns. He has chosen to stay abroad. Apparently he also expressed support for hezbollah on a visit to Syria some years ago