bud

stop being an anti-semite.

israel is democratic for jews but undemocratic for the arabs

one ironic comment after another. how can one who advocates for israel and israelis, who came to be in the 1940's, have the balls to call the palestinians a made up group? how can one who constantly reminds everyone about the ethnic cleansing of one group of people, again, in the 1940's, now be advocating it against another group by the same people who experienced it?

no matter how much you try to make it sound like it's okay, land theft, human rights violations and the breaking of numerous international law are not okay.

they spend millions in funding campaigns of those who they want to win. this includes smear campaigns against those who they do not want to win. that's the biggest reason why they're successful. it's good to see that more and more americans are not okay with a foreign lobby group having so much control over america's foreign policy.

the reality is that the israeli lobby is a bully and tries to intimidate any politician or journalist who shows or says anything beyond the script. why pretend otherwise?

the "most moral army in the world" and the "only democracy in the middle east" continue to show us who they really are. the human rights violations, systematic land theft and ethnic cleansing continues. remember, this is happening in the west bank: IDF evicts Palestinians from their land, arrests 15, including mother with baby The Israeli army arrested 10 Palestinians and five Israelis in the South Hebron Hills today (Saturday) while they were trying to reach Palestinian-owned land next to the illegal outpost called Mitzpeh Yair, in the southern West Bank. the Awwad family from Umm al Ara’is was accompanied by Palestinians from Susya and Israeli activists to try and reach their land, since in recent months they have been increasingly prevented from doing so by the army. As soon as they got there, the IDF soldiers declared it a “closed military zone” for reasons that are unclear and require no explanation, and before giving the dozens of people there even 5 minutes to evacuate, they simply began making arrests. A Palestinian woman carrying her child who approached her husband while he was getting arrested was immediately arrested as well The settlers who live in this illegal outpost often harass Palestinians in this area while they are trying to cultivate their crops and graze their sheep. It has been going on for years. But it is not just the settlers but the army, who not only doesn’t usually stop them, but closes off the whole area on a regular basis – in direct contradiction of High Court rulings that the army must act to not only allow Palestinians on their land but protect them from settler violence. The IDF’s Civil Administration seems to have targeted this area as a “disputed territory,” systematically issuing “closed military zone” orders which force all the Palestinians to evacuate the area or face arrest.. This, despite the fact that the Civil Administration itself recognizes this area (In Area C of West Bank) as Palestinian-owned land and even though no settlers have provided any evidence otherwise. Without being able to work their land, these Palestinian communities cannot maintain their basic livelihoods, let alone enjoy freedom of movement and their basic human rights. link

a good article from an israeli: Israel’s Fading Democracy By AVRAHAM BURG Israel arose as a secular, social democratic country inspired by Western European democracies. With time, however, its core values have become entirely different. Israel today is a religious, capitalist state. Its religiosity is defined by the most extreme Orthodox interpretations. Its capitalism has erased much of the social solidarity of the past, with the exception of a few remaining vestiges of a welfare state. Israel defines itself as a “Jewish and democratic state.” However, because Israel has never created a system of checks and balances between these two sources of authority, they are closer than ever to a terrible clash. Link

the fact that one group of people receive a different treatment than others puts a tick mark in the undemocratic nation column. look at the immigration rules for example; you have someone who calls themselves jewish, who has never been to israel and who has no family in israel being able to immigrate to israel instantly, because they're 'jewish'. then you have a palestinian living inside israel, who has married someone from outside of israel, like someone from the west bank, and yet they can't bring them into the country. turkey, which has over a 90% muslim population, as opposed to turkey's 80% jewish population would be considered a more democratic country than israel. turkey does not ban non-muslim people from immigrating to it. israel being a model of democracy is just another hallow slogan just like the slogan that its army is 'the most moral army in the world'.

obama says that netanyahu doesn't understand israel's best interests and calls netanyahu a coward. many say that obama, for his second term, is putting together a team that may finally be capable of dealing with the iranian and israeli problems. the team include chuck hagel and john kerry. two well-respected and experienced figures. the rift between obama and netanyahu during obama's first term surfaced a few times and obama's frustration with netanyahu was shown again recently: He (Obama) reportedly said that Netanyahu “doesn’t understand what Israel’s best interests are,” and that his conduct will drive Israel into grave international isolation. Obama’s remarks were published by journalist Jeffrey Goldberg on the Bloomberg news website. Goldberg is considered to be close to the Obama administration and on several occasions during the past four years the White House has channeled public messages through him to Israel and the prime minister – regarding both the Palestinian and Iranian issues. the latest message from obama comes after netanyahu decided to go ahead with the construction of illegal settlements on palestinian land in an area which were understood to be off limits by previous israeli prime ministers. According to Goldberg, in the weeks after the Palestinian move at the United Nations, Obama has said in private conversations that “Israel does not know what its own best interests are.” Moreover, in Obama’s opinion with every announcement of new construction in the settlements, Netanyahu is leading his country towards near-total international isolation. Goldberg writes that Obama believes that “if Israel, a small state in an inhospitable region, becomes more of a pariah – one that alienates even the affections of the U.S., its last steadfast friend – it won’t survive. Iran poses a short-term threat to Israel’s survival; Israel’s own behavior poses a long-term one.” obama takes it even further, by calling netanyahu a coward. this, right before an election in israel. this could be a jab at netanyahu, after netanyau openly campaigned against obama during the recent u.s. elections. On the Palestinian issue, Goldberg notes, Obama believes Netanyahu is “a political coward, an essentially unchallenged leader who nevertheless is unwilling to lead or spend political capital to advance the cause of compromise.” despite calling netanyahu a coward, obama shows his own unwillingness to show some spine against the likud/aipac lobby by threatening the flow of the billions israel receives from the united states. something only one president has done before: In 1991, President George H.W. Bush briefly cut off loan guarantees to the Israeli government over their settlement policies, successfully forcing “Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir…to attend the Madrid Peace Conference.” According to Goldberg, despite his frustration with Netanyahu, Obama does not intend to cut off military aid to Israel or to stop trying to frustrate Iran’s nuclear ambitions. However, with respect to diplomatic aid from the United States – at the UN or in the face of European initiatives – Israel is liable to feel a significant change in the near future. At the next vote in the UN, writes Goldberg, Israel could well find itself even more isolated.

could the palestinians' new status at the UN help them in their legal battles against israel's evictions and expulsions? legal experts to high court: israel could be tried at the hague if it evicts west bank villagers The court then suggested that the petitioners submit a revised petition, which is being submitted Wednesday, via the Association for Civil Rights in Israel. That petition includes a legal opinion by Prof. Eyal Benvenisti, who argues that the Geneva Conventions’ prohibition on the forcible transfer of protected populations from occupied territory has become customary law, meaning it binds even countries that aren’t signatories to the conventions. As such, it supersedes the military commander’s orders. Benvenisti also noted that this prohibition is one over which the ICC’s founding treaty explicitly grants it jurisdiction. “The prohibition is absolute, without exceptions, and isn’t dependent on permanent residency,” he wrote. ”The absoluteness of this prohibition derives from the dark history of World War II, in which deportations were widespread for various reasons.” The Geneva Conventions do allow protected populations to be temporarily evacuated for the sake of urgent and temporary military needs, such as in the midst of battle, he added. But creating a live-fire training zone wouldn’t qualify. Moreover, he argued, this would constitute a prohibited “forcible transfer” even if no physical force were used: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has already ruled that pressure tactics such as searching houses or disconnecting them from water and electricity suffice to make a transfer “forcible.” haaretz

do you ever read what you write?

here is an article written by max blumenthal who, despite not being allowed through israel's borders, managed to go into the palestinian "outpost". he reminds us how israel has no problem being a lawless state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was clearly troubled by the establishment ofBab Al Shams, a Palestinian protest village erected on privately-owned Palestinian land, the planned route of what Israel calls the “E-1” corridor in the occupied West Bank. Despite the government’s vehement objections to the presence of the Palestinian village, the high court issued a temporary injunction preventing its eviction for six days pending further deliberations. As the clock struck midnight on Saturday night, Netanyahu summoned his lawyers to author a statement overriding the high court. Treating the court’s ruling as a mere suggestion, the Israeli justice ministry concocted a justification that was as ludicrous as it was predictable: “There is an urgent security need to evacuate the area of the people and tents,” it claimed, suggesting without evidence that a few hundred unarmed activists presented a grave threat to public safety. as usual, israel does its best to control the flow of information when it comes to its questionable actions. A police commander told me and other journalists that no reporters were allowed inside the area. Though he claimed to hold a formal order from the military, he failed to produce any kind of documentation. many palestinian towns and villages have become cantons due to the israeli barrier, highways, checkpoints and settlements located on palestinian land, which are deemed illegal under international law. In order to enter Bab Al Shams, me and three colleagues had to first navigate the narrow, pothole-scarred roads of al-Zaim, an impoverished Palestinian town severed from the rest of the Jerusalem municipality by Israel’s separation wall and a checkpoint. Though al-Zaim is already an overcrowded, under-serviced ghetto prevented from expanding to meet the needs of a growing population, the construction of the E-1 corridor would enclose it on all sides, consolidating its isolation and forced immiseration. Under pressure from right-wing upstarts amidst a heated election contest, Netanyahu ordered the eviction of Bab Al Shams in flagrant contempt of the country’s high court. And not one of the judges issued a word of protest. In a state guided not by the democratic rule of law, but by the colonial imperatives of the occupation, Netanyahu’s roguery was business as usual.

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i find the comment to be immature and superficial. there are many groups and factions on all sides with different views.

we've disagreed on some things in the past, but it is nice to see that we agree on this. thank you for speaking in support of justice and the truth.

another example of jbg trying to change history. there has been no waiting. there has only been displacing. over 600,000 palestinians were either forced out or they escaped the attacks by the well-armed and funded jewish militias and terrorist groups in what is known as israel, the west bank, gaza and jerusalem. over 500 palestinian villages were destroyed by the jewish militants in the process. there has never been 'waiting'. that is pure fantasy. there has only been taking. from the beginning, the zionist organization has been working to colonize and take over the land. this is why israel has 'never' defined its borders.

? time to move forward. manufacturing plants need less and less human power. we shouldn't try to force to hold onto these plants if they're inefficient and are not working out. not to mention that, back during the great depression, there was no IT industry. things change and we should try to adapt to the times. canadians, both at the provincial level and privately need to start investing more into the IT and renewable energy industries and as long as we're able to, we should use our natural resources responsibly. what's wrong with using oil to bring wealth to our country? i'm not a fan of most of what harper does, including his disregard for the environmental consequences and him selling out to the chinese corporations. at the same time, i think we should take advantage of our oil while it is still relevant. another thing we can do is to build an oil refinery so we can refine our own oil. this would not only create a lot more jobs, but the ROI would multiply.

i sometimes wonder how much nonsense you'd be able to post in one thread: 1. LETTER FROM YASSER ARAFAT TO PRIME MINISTER RABIN: September 9, 1993 Yitzhak Rabin Prime Minister of Israel Mr. Prime Minister, The signing of the Declaration of Principles marks a new era in the history of the Middle East. In firm conviction thereof, I would like to confirm the following PLO commitments: The PLO recognizes the right of the State of Israel to exist in peace and security. The PLO accepts United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/recogn.html

what utter nonsense. stop pretending that it's okay to disregard law. israel, once again, shows its disregard for law. even when its own: The residents of the area E1 were evicted Sunday night but their tents were left standing, in line with the Supreme Court's temporary injunction. here is israel's leader talking about the palestinian settlement, on palestinian land: "When I was informed of this I immediately ordered its eviction which was indeed performed in the best possible way last night." Netanyahu added: "We will not let anyone damage the contiguity between Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim." what's interesting are the comments made by people below the article. here is a taste of some of them: another: but most of the comments are like this: israel and israelis are flushing themselves down the toilet and into a self-admitting fascist state.

jbg.. i would respond to your question, but i don't see how posting about palestinians building a settlement on their own private land has anything to do with israel's existence.

we shouldn't try to manufacture demand when it's not there. it may not be convenient at first, but we need to adapt to the always changing market in a responsible way. there are so many jobs available in the oil industry which only require a 1 or 2 years training in order to be qualified. we're going to be short 20% of the workforce by 2020 due to new opportunities, retirement and lack of replacements. the jobs are in different levels and in different wage brackets. that said, i am not saying we should put profit above all the other consequences of taking advantage of our natural resources. we should make sure that our energy interests are used in a way that will at least, minimize harm to our national environmental interest. i also think that we need to start investing (privately and provincially), to tap into the potential of the IT and renewable energy industry as well.

i know that you like to turn everything about canada vs u.s. but since you mentioned it: canada's healthcare system > u.s. healthcare system statistics don't lie. many americans don't give a damn what happens anywhere, so what? why do you get so sensitive and jumpy whenever someone criticizes the u.s.? calm down. it's not good for your health.

canada has problems. canada's healthcare system is not perfect. these are things most canadians have no problem acknowledging and discussing. watching you and the rest of the 'patriots' try to convince people and themselves that the u.s. healthcare system is not so bad and that the canadian healthcare system is somehow below america's is yet another display of why your culture and society is crumpling from within.

looks like dc2004 and aw are once again going at it against facts and reality. statistics are great. check this out: A 2008 study found that 101,000 people a year die in the U.S. that would not if the health care system were as effective as that of France, Japan, or Australia. more stats? how about some about preventable deaths? In 2009, lack of health insurance was responsible for about 45,000 excess preventable deaths in the U.S. Since then, as the number of uninsured has risen from about 46 million in 2009 to 48.6 million in 2012, the number of preventable deaths due to lack of insurance has grown to about 48,000 per year.