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News :: Israel / Palestine |
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APN Middle East Peace Report |
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by APN via gehrig
Email: zemblan (nospam) earthlink.net (verified) |
01 Mar 2004
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Two stories from Americans for Peace Now, one about how Likud is losing public support in Israel, and the second one displaying the sort of Likudnik thinking the Israeli public is fleeing. |
Israelis Step To The Left: The latest Hagal Hehadash/Ma'ariv survey shows that if Knesset elections were held today, the Yahad-Meretz party would increase to nine seats, an impressive 50% rise in the power of a party that suffered a painful and searing blow in the last elections. In general, the Ma'ariv poll found a slow and temperate recovery for the left-wing bloc: although the Labor Party remains at 19 seats, Yahad-Meretz did not take its seats from the Likud, but rather from the Labor Party voters and perhaps Shinui. The significance is that the seats are being transferred from the party in government (which declines to 36 seats) to Labor, and from there, the left-wing voters are sliding over to Yahad-Meretz. Here are the overall numbers (with the current number of Knesset seats in parentheses): Likud 36 (40); Labor 19 (19); Shinui 13 (15); Shas 11 (11); National Union 8 (7); National Religious Party 5 (6); Yahad-Meretz 9 (6); United Torah Judaism 6 (5); One Nation 2 (3); Hadash 3 (3); Balad 4 (3); and United Arab List 4 (2). (Ma'ariv, 3/1/04)Â
A New High In Lows: Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Ze'ev Boim reaped a whirlwind of protest last week when he said during a memorial service to mark a 1978 terrorist attack, "What is it about Islam as a whole and the Palestinians in particular? Is it some form of cultural deprivation? Is it some genetic defect? There is something that defies explanation in this continued murderousness." Meretz Knesset Member Avshalom Vilan condemned Boim's remarks, saying, "What is this, a Mein Kampf?" Vilan noted that Boim was a high school principal before becoming a Likud politician, and said he worried about the school system if that kind of racism was prevalent in school administrations. Meimad leader MK Rabbi Michael Melchior slammed the statements as racist and contrary to the tenets of Judaism. He likened them to claims of genetic flaws linked to Jews by the Nazis and others throughout history. Balad MK Jamal Zahalka said, "Boim gives racism a bad name, and is returning to the same primitive, sickening and dangerous racism from which the Jews themselves suffered for many generations." Likud MK Ronni Bar On openly criticized Boim, saying "His comments are not worthy of anyone from the movement of Ze'ev Jabotinsky, and certainly not of Jews, who in the past were labeled as genetically defective. As soon as genetics is mentioned, murder and other horrible things become allowed." Bar On called on Boim to apologize and retract his statement. Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin (Likud) responded to Boim's remarks, saying, "Some things should never be said, and some things should never even be thought." However, Yehiel Hazan, another Likud MK and head of the settlements lobby, didn't see what all the fuss was about. "He is one hundred percent right," remarked Hazan, "For decades the Arabs have been massacring and slaughtering Jews. This only proves they have something genetic in their blood. That's why it's said one should never turn one's back on an Arab because he will stick a knife in it, and that one should never believe an Arab who has been 40 years in the grave." After first saying that his comments were taken out of context, Boim finally apologized for his remarks and insisted he has never been a racist. (Ha'aretz, 2/24-25/04 & Ma'ariv, 2/25/04)Â
Follow the link for more stories.
(c) 2004, Americans for Peace Now
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See also:
http://www.peacenow.org/nia/peace/v5i31.html
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