Bradley Burston,; 14/7/09; (2 Items)
One of the great strengths of fascism is its ability to persuade a society to simply invite it in. So what sound does fascism make when it tries to get you to open the door? … “Thousands of African immigrants illegally entering Israel,” a banner topping the Jerusalem Post’s front page announced last week. “Our neighborhoods have been conquered by infiltrators,” the subtitle quoted Eilat’s mayor as saying. The piece went on to warn of unspecified crime, violence and alcohol use among Africans who fled Sudan, Somalia and other nations, risking their lives in crossing the Sinai desert and stealing into Israel. What the article did not mention, was that the blast at African refugees coincided not only with the launch of a mass round-up campaign against asylum seekers lacking permits to stay in Israel, but also with the re-emergence of one of the most monstrously worded of bills ever submitted to the Knesset. The Prevention of Infiltration Bill is proof that fascism can be made to sound every bit as dull and dusty and proper and necessary as the law of the land. Fascism can be as quiet, ordinary, and cosmetically democratic as the sound of 59 hands being raised at once.
See: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099848.html
Tensions soar between Israeli UN delegation, Al-Jazeera
Shlomo Shamir, 14/7/09
The ongoing tension between the Israeli delegation to the United Nations and the Al Jazeera bureau at the international organization headquarters has reached new heights recently. The Arab network’s chief UN correspondent, Khaled Dawoud, has accused the Israeli delegation of discriminatory policies and harassment. The Israeli diplomats, for their part, have accused Dawoud of disruptive behavior and of exploiting press conferences and events with Israeli officials as a podium to bash Israel. UN sources have expressed concern that the overt hostility between the network and Israel during January’s Operation Cast Lead might be repeated. The Israeli consulate in New York has since received several complaint letters from Dawoud, whose “pugnacious language raised a few eyebrows,” consulate sources said
See: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099878.html
Tags: Human Rights, Israel, Migrants & Refugees, UN