Israeli leaders – including openly racist Ayelet Shaked – have been discussing strategies to slow Palestinian population growth. The Palestinian birth rate, higher than that of Israeli Jews, is a “threat” to the Jewishness of the state.
Largely ignored by critics have been Israel’s increasing theocratic tendencies – the growth of Israel’s extremist religious population and the emergence of a class of influential rabbis who endorse the killing of non-Jews and preach genocide…
Israeli politicians all seem to share a platform plank of vitriol and threats toward Palestinians. Their campaign ads are full of mocking, insults, and accusations against Palestinians. It’s been like this for years, and it’s worse now than ever. And it’s not good for Israel.
Two right-wing ministers criticize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not “acting like a real right-wing government” by being too soft on Gaza, Hamas, and Khan al-Ahmar; but they vow to stay in power rather than resigning as Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman did last week.
Palestinian rights groups and local governments have challenged an Israeli law that seeks to the annex of parts of the West Bank. The Israeli government responded to the petition, stating that “the Knesset [is permitted] to legislate laws everywhere in the world” and that it is authorized “to violate the sovereignty of foreign countries via legislation that would be applied to events occurring in their territories.”
Facebook continues to violate Palestinian free speech, this time by shutting down – without warning – Safa Palestinian Press Agency, a major news outlet. This in spite of the great amount of anti-Palestinian incitement on Israeli Facebook accounts, including that of justice minister Ayelet Shaked. This bowing to Israeli pressure does not bode well for other social media (or for Palestinian free speech).
Israeli officials welcome Bolton; other supporters have been AIPAC, American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the Orthodox Union, Agudath Israel of America, the Zionist Organization of America, the Republican Jewish Coalition, The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Zionist Organization of America…
Israel Justice Minister Shaked said the truth loud and clear: Zionism contradicts human rights, and thus is indeed an ultranationalist, colonialist and perhaps racist movement.