Last update - 19:07 12/01/2009 Israel bans Arab parties from running in upcoming elections By The Associated Press Tags: Arab, elections, Israel news Israel on Monday banned Arab political parties from running in next month's parliamentary elections, drawing accusations of racism by an Arab lawmaker who said he would challenge the decision in the country's Supreme Court. The ruling by parliament's Central Election Committee reflected the heightened tensions between Israel's Jewish majority and Arab minority caused by Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Arabs have held a series of demonstrations against the offensive. Parliament spokesman Giora Pordes said the election committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of the motion, accusing the country's Arab parties of incitement, supporting terrorist groups and refusing to recognize Israel's right to exist. Arab lawmakers have traveled to countries listed among Israel's staunchest enemies, including Lebanon and Syria. The 37-member committee is composed of representatives from Israel's major political parties. The measure was proposed by two ultranationalist parties but received widespread support. The decision does not affect Arab lawmakers in predominantly Jewish parties or the country's communist party, which has a mixed list of Arab and Jewish candidates. Roughly one-fifth of Israel's 7 million citizens are Arabs. Israeli Arabs enjoy full citizenship rights, but have suffered from discrimination and poverty for decades. Arab lawmakers Ahmed Tibi and Jamal Zahalka, political rivals who head the two Arab blocs in parliament, joined together in condemning Monday's decision. "It was a political trial led by a group of Fascists and racists who are willing to see the Knesset without Arabs and want to see the country without Arabs," said Tibi. Together, the Arab lists hold seven of the 120 seats in the Knesset, or parliament. Tibi said he would appeal to the high court, while Zahalka said his party was still deciding how to proceed. Pordes remarked that the last time a party was banned it was the late Rabbi Meir Kahane's Kach Party, a list from the 1980s that advocated the expulsion of Arabs from Israel. haaretz
how many muslim states today took over a jewish state and have 15-20% of their citizens that are jewish? secondly, sure arab and muslim states by in large are much more restrictive in freedoms and obvoiusly democracy than western industrial nations. your point?
I remember reading that Bahrain's ambassador to the US is Jewish. There is a seat reserved in Iran's parliament for the Jewish community. I understand what you are alluding to but there isn't really any significant (like 1/7th) population of Jews in any Muslim countries now days.
Israel is our greatest ally in the region, and we're Israel's greatest ally in the world. What they do, both domestically and in their dealings with their neighbors, reflects directly on us.
Hopefully this trash will be swiftly overturned in the Supreme Court. If not, then it's a sad day for democracy. Arab Israelis are not a cause behind rockets coming in from Gaza.
Were Jews treated better in Europe or Middle east before 1948? I do not really know the answer, but I seem to recall someone said they were treated better in the middle east before the forming of Isreal.
The policy in Muslim nations is that if you are not Muslim you have no rights politically or in a court of law, this policy is derived from the Koran from what I understand. Excluding Arab parties from running is wrong but exactly what Muslim countries would do if in the same position. Jews wouldn't have any right to vote at all.
I agree with you that it is wrong, but what happens in Muslim nations, most of which aren't democracies isn't really relevant to what happens in Israel which is touted as a democracy.
"Parliament spokesman Giora Pordes said the election committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of the motion, accusing the country's Arab parties of incitement, supporting terrorist groups and refusing to recognize Israel's right to exist. Arab lawmakers have traveled to countries listed among Israel's staunchest enemies, including Lebanon and Syria." Hmm, if this is true, then they should be booted out of the country, not simply banned from elections. Why would you let someone run for a leadership post in a country they don't think should exist? Also: "Israeli Arabs enjoy full citizenship rights."
lol what? pull out some solid proof that a solid majority of Arab lawmakers, running for elections within the country itself, are actively seeking the destruction of Israel? Oh yeah, some of them TRAVELED to Lebanon and Syria. Family, vacation, business? hmm
You have a very strange idea of what it means to have a democracy. You would let someone run, because that is part of what makes a nation a democracy. Also lawmakers traveling to other nations that are seen as enemies of Israel isn't really clear. Was it to betray Israel? Was it to work on conditions and attitudes in those nations to help establish conditions that could lead to peace? I think your qualifier is an all important one, "if true..." is huge.
That was probably me. My understanding is that Jews have historically been treated much better by Muslims than they have by Christians. During the Inquisition many Spanish Jews fled to Moorish lands and during the Crusades Salahuiden treated the Jews in the Holy Land much better than the Crusaders.
I very much doubt a significant amount of Arab politicians within Israel are advocating the destruction of the state. You need solid proof that there is something at work here to do something this drastic (which evidently isn't there, I mean the only thing tangible they could come up with is travel to Lebanon and Syria). What if America were to ban Arab politicians based on a scant, vague notion that all Arabs support the destruction of Israel? This s*** shouldn't be happening. I'm very disappointed in Israel.
Talk about hearsay undermining the political process. In other news, Barack Obama is also a Muslim. Not sure what the relevance here is. The base academic definition of 'democracy' is the presence of free and fair elections. Nothing else.
