© Photo by "Delayed Gratification" on FlickrThe wall at Bethlehem
In memory of Jeanne & Joseph Sullivan
It is popular in Israel, the US and western world to claim that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. It is important to discuss to what extent this is true and how this assertion is disconnected from the reality of life in Israel.
Israel is a de facto two-nation state which, for a long time, has included the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Half the state's citizens are Jewish and half are Palestinian; there are around 6.3 million of each. The Jewish half is privileged and enjoys social and civil rights, whereas most of the Palestinian half is under occupation and has few or no rights at all. This is not the way a democracy should behave. This is important because the status quo is supported by US taxes and foreign policies.
Most US citizens are not alone in failing to recognize this; most Jewish Israelis are also blind to it. There is a reason for this blindness: simply put, life for most of them is quite good; they don't want to share their power with the Palestinians; they do not respect Palestinians. What do they respect and cherish? Mr. Netanyahu has told us: "life itself". In a nutshell, this is the hardcore ethics of the Israeli-Jewish collective. I will come back to it.
Comment: An eye-opening report from liberated Aleppo about the massacre (warning: disturbing images):
Ziad Fadel reports:
Update (Dec. 25): The groups behind the massacre have been identified as U.S.-backed Harakat Nouriddeen Al-Zink and Ahrar Al-Sham. One of the victims was videotaped just days before he was executed, being heckled and humiliated by the "rebels".