On January 22, Israeli parliamentary elections will be
held. Netanyahu/Lieberman's Likud/Yisrael Beiteinu
(Israel Our Home) looks likely to win.
Both men are world class thugs. They represent the
worst of ideological extremism. They're hardcore
racists. They want unchallenged regional dominance.
They believe Israel has a divine right to terrorize
Palestinians with impunity.
Lieberman's a serial felon. Charges against him
included bribery, fraud, money laundering, breach of
trust, and harassing witnesses.
Major accusations were dropped. Fraud and breach of
trust remain. Reports suggest other charges may be
added. Lieberman denies it.
Rogue coalition leadership shows the deplorable state
of Israeli governance. Mafia bosses pale by
comparison.
Respect for democratic values, rule of law
inviolability, and peace demand throwing out the bums.
Victory, not rejection, looks likely. Expect
legitimate governance to take another major body blow.
Likud/Yisrael Beiteinu is a marriage made in hell. On
December 25, Haaretz headlined " Likud's manifesto
isn't worth the paper it wasn't written on," saying:
Weeks ahead of January elections, Likud's platform
remains unpublished. At issue is Netanyahu's 2009
two-state pledge. He rhetoric was hollow.
He, Lieberman, and likeminded hardliners oppose it.
They want all valued Judea/Samaria areas Judaized.
They want Palestinian rights spurned. They prioritize
right wing extremism. Their base demands it.
Netanyahu delivers plenty of red meat. He radicalized
his Christmas day message. He highlighted fake
anti-Islamic existential threats. "Christians are
persecuted in a routine manner, and there is little
tolerance toward them," he claimed.
How so he didn't explain. He said they thrive in
Israel. They "participate fully in the life of our
country."
He and other hardliners spurn anyone not Jewish. Arabs
are considered sub-human. "Judeo-Christian heritage,"
he claims is just a figure of speech.
Jerusalem he calls Israel's exclusive "eternal
capital." The city is religiously important city for
Christians, Muslims and Jews.
It's politically important for Zionists as their
historic capital, national and religious center. It
also symbolizes Judaism's revival and prominence.
For Christians, it's where Jesus lived and died. For
Muslims, it's their third holiest site. The Dome of
the Rock on the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque rank
after Mecca's Sacred Mosque and the Mosque of the
Prophet in Madina.
In 1947, the UN declared Jerusalem an international
city. It remains so under UN trusteeship. It
exclusively belongs to no one. Israel wants it
entirely Judaized. Netanyahu excludes any other way.
Likud/Yisrael Beiteinu may omit saying so in manifesto
principles. They may forgo them entirely. Nowadays,
for most parties, they're "little more than
afterthought," says Haaretz.
Platforms are short on details. They're rarely
available in hardcopy. They're simply posted on party
websites with little fanfare. They have little impact
on voters.
Labor downgraded its own. It called for renewed
Palestinian peace talks. It wants them within three
months. Doing so continues longstanding hypocrisy.
Palestinians can't pursue them without a legitimate
partner. They never had one and don't now.
Labor also issued a separate, hardline document. It
defended tough defense policies. Israel's only enemies
are ones it invents.
Israeli politics don't lend themselves to pre-election
platforms. Rule by coalition is policy. No party on
its own gets enough for majority rule. Compromises
forge alliances. This time won't be different.
Governance will stay hardline.
Netanyahu represents the worst of right wing
extremism. He wants peace avoided at all costs. He
seeks no final status Palestinian agreement. He
prioritizes permanent occupation.
He demands unchallenged settlement construction. He's
not interested in UN opposition. "What the UN says
doesn't interest me," he said.
He wants settlement construction continued
unchallenged. He's heading Israel toward political
isolation and doom. He favors confrontation over
diplomacy. His leadership assures enhanced
colonization, continued conflict, and no peace.
Haaretz said he and likeminded hardliners reflect
"contempt for Israel's laws and norms coupled with
provocative behavior toward the international
community."
Netanyahu's earlier Likud Party platform said the
following about Palestinian self-determination:
Unilaterally establishing a Palestinian state "will
constitute a fundamental and substantive violation of
the agreements with the State of Israel and the
scuttling of the Oslo and Wye accords. The government
will adopt immediate stringent measures in the event
of such a declaration."
Likud's platform discussed settlements as follows:
"The Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza
(all Occupied Palestine) are the realization of
Zionist values. Settlement of the land is a clear
expression of the unassailable right of the Jewish
people to the Land of Israel and constitutes an
important asset in the defense of the vital interests
of the State of Israel."
"The Likud will continue to strengthen and develop
these communities and will prevent their uprooting."
Likud also rejects Israeli/Palestinian Green Line
separation. It proves it by incrementally stealing
Palestinian land. It declares all Jerusalem sovereign
Israeli territory.
Shamasneh family members are Likud's latest victims.
Ten members were ordered to leave their Sheikh Jarrah
home by yearend.
It's a prominent East Jerusalem neighborhood. It's
home to around 2,800 Palestinians. It's known for
distinctive landmarks. It's strategically located.
Settlers want it. They've encroached for years. Dozens
of Palestinian families were dispossessed. Hundreds
more are at risk.
Shamasneh family members lived in Sheikh Jarrah for
decades. Israel lawlessly claims ownership of their
property. Whatever settlers want they get. Land theft
is official policy.
Continued Likud/Yisrael Beiteinu governance assures
hardline business as usual. It means rogue state
policies will continue. So will Palestinian suffering.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached
at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book is
titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized
Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"
http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html Visit his
blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to
cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on
the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive
Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and
Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are
archived for easy listening. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour.
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