20.4.07

Legal Vs. Ethical

Zionists, usually try to defend the discriminatory practices against non-jews living inside Palestine (whether Israeli citizens or not) by claiming that they are following specific laws that serve the public interest. I am not intending to argue that the "public" in this context refers to Jews in particular, for this is an axiom of Israseli politics which needs no proof.
It is interesting however to inspect how Israel creates a legal framework that allows for such practices to pass. One only has to pay a passing look to the fact that Israel applies two sets of laws in the West Bank and Gaza. While these areas are subject to the Israeli Civil Administration which applies martial laws in the territories, settlers, by virtue of being Jewish are excluded from these laws. Inside Israel you will find that a strange leagal framework gives more rights to those who serve in the Israeli army, while miracuoulsly giving these privelages to Orthodox Jews, and somehow, "legally", leaving the Arabs outside this set of privelages.
To be short, Israeli laws are full of "ifs and thens": if the subject is a Jew, then ..., if the subject did not serve in the army, then.... except if he is a Jew.
Now enters the "Bishara Law", the diamond of Israel's sick mentality, which would give the Kinnesset the right to strip another member of his membership! Wow! how wonderfully democratic... of course there are lots of ifs and thens in this law, but somehow, these ifs and thens can only be applied to Arabs.
This law, is tailor made to suit the Bishara case. I am really speechless, but did anyone from around the world hear of a similar law being applied in a democracy. I think even the harshest autocratic regimes would not have a similar provision in their laws. The Knesset will soon become a rubber stamp parliament for the Zionist leadership, and maybe then those blinded Israel supporter can see that. But maybe not, afterall there were people who thought South Africa was always a democratic country!
The issue here is that we can defend some acts by saying they are legal. But laws are set by those who have the power, and if these are corrupt (ethically I mean), then we will need a different standard to judge state practices other than the legality of such practices. Afterall, the sick minds in Israel which thought up a grey 8 meter high concrete wall to imprison the Palestinians, can think up anything else.

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