This week's postings on JfJfP.com

This week, February 8-14, 2016, there is a menacing undertow to several of the postings though no-one has yet written directly about it: that is the growing readiness of the Knesset to pass harsh laws against anything that can be conceived as ‘anti-Israel’. The ‘Transparency Bill’ aka the anti-NGO Bill has passed its first reading and given the bill is presented as protecting Israel from outside left-wing interference, the opposition, led by Labour, is unlikely to pick up more support along the way. The Knesset has also suspended four Balad MKs for various lengths of time for visiting 10 families whose children had been shot dead during stabbing attacks in order to discuss getting their bodies returned:
Knesset suspends Balad MKs for ‘unethical’ action

There are also plans to make the suspension of MKs easier.

The Knesset passed a Stop and Search Act. At the moment, many young Palestinians are stopped and frisked but the police have to (say they) have a reasonable suspicion that the person is carrying a dangerous weapon. The new law has no such limitations:
New stop and search powers – no reason needed

To most Israelis the reason why there is criticism of Israeli policy – much of it written by friends of Israel, but no-one can justify settlements – is that foreign media are biased. And last week a Knesset committee summonsed the Foreign Press Association to a meeting to explain themselves. This was universally seen as an attempt at censorship:
Knesset seeks to censor foreign media

Dimi Reider, of +972 and now Haaretz, writes about Occupation Inc., the report produced by Human Rights Watch. Although it doesn’t name names HRW suggest they could and would if needed. This is the first time a mainstream body such as HRW has ventured into an area usually left to small left-wing groups. Something is changing:
Name and shame the settlement investors

The Israeli government is being advised of its tumbling reputation by its diplomats. A leak of cables shows them warning of the spread of support for boycott beyond the big cities:
Diplomats warn of growing boycott campaign

A new recruit to the ranks of those supporting boycott is Larry Derfner, Israeli citizen and self-described Liberal Zionist. He can see no hope of a revolt from within against the Occupation where the right-wing Zionists are gaining power. He sadly concludes that the international campaign to isolate Israel is the best path:
Aggressive Zionism is not about to give up and die

Amos Schocken, left-wing publisher of Haaretz, not only defines himself as a Zionist but his main charge against Likud is that its current enforcement of apartheid is a betrayal of Zionism. To his distress, most Israelis accept this abhorrent system. To rescue Israel from apartheid outsiders have to intervene:
Israelis accept apartheid – outsiders must act

Not a new argument but one delivered with passion by Jonathan Ofir. Israel was built literally on the mass graves of Palestinians they had slaughtered. Despite the work of the ‘new historians’, and Zochrot, most Israelis live in an effortful state of denial about their sovereignty. Mass killing and mass lying is not a good foundation (though not unique) for a state:
We established a state on the mass graves of others

Although we have stopped posting the week-by-week figures of deaths caused by the ‘knife intifada’ it continues relentlessly. Estimates are that about 142 Palestinians have been shot dead by border police/IDF and 30 Israelis (all but one Jewish) killed by stabbing or car.

For the first time in Israel’s history the IDF is not playing the hallowed role of saviour of the nation. On the plus side this shows the IDF is not all-powerful. On the loss side is the growing belief amongst some that homicidal violence is the only language Israelis understand:
An intifada the IDF can’t defeat

As a measure of the quality of Likud thinking about Palestinians, MK Anat Berko declared in the Knesset last week that there are no authentic Palestinians with a claim to Palestine because there is no ‘p’ in the Arabic alphabet. Laugh or cry? or just read the piece:
The philistine Ms Berko

And topping a week of embarrassing ignorance about Palestinians was PM Netanyahu’s contribution to a Knesset debate on the 2-state solution. Palestinian resistance was nothing to do with occupation and oppression he announced. It was simply an expression of their ‘culture of death’:
The real fact says Bibi is Palestinian ‘culture of death’

As far as Netanyahu is concerned there are no ‘facts on the ground’ showing Israeli state oppression of Palestinians – only facts showing Palestinian = terrorist and all criticism of Israel is antisemitic.  Does he believe that, or does he still think it plays well with his dwindling fan base? James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, reprimands him for his specious argument:
Crushing critics with insults

The right-wing response to criticism was prompted by Ban Ki-Moon’s measured response to Netanyahu’s attack on him for encouraging terrorism by saying it was ‘human nature’ to resist oppression. I am just telling you the facts says the UN secretary general and responding to the resistance with ever more punitive measures will do no good at all:
Ramping up security will not stop the violence