Showing posts with label Knesset. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knesset. Show all posts
Monday, January 17, 2011
Ehud Barak Quits Labor Party To Start New Party
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Tel Aviv Peace Now Protest: Thousands of Left-Wing Activists March to Save Democracy
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| Photo Credit: Tal Cohen |
Finally.
Yesterday over 15,000 people gathered in Central Tel Aviv At Gan Meir (גן מאיר- Meir Park) to protest recent "anti-democratic trends" in Israel's Knesset.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Israel & Peace: Is Democracy Really the Question Here?
The question is posed time and time again, "Is Israel really a democracy?" Nearly every Middle East political scientist has wondered about Israel's democratic status since the country's establishment.
The answer to this question, of course, depends on your definition of democracy. Princeton's WordNet defines democracy as:
If this is the definition we go with, then Israel is certainly a democracy, albeit a dysfunctional one.
Take a look at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs webpage that outlines the representative structure of Israel's government. Israel has an elected Parliament, called the Knesset, which is "proportionally representational". Israel's government is elected by the people to represent the people.
There are multitudes of political parties. Here's an official list (in Hebrew) of all of the Israeli political parties. When an Israeli voter goes to cast their vote, they are faced with a list as long as this one with shortened names of every political party. I counted 86, but I may have lost track along the way. Go ahead and take a stab yourself.
Anyway, the way the system works is like this:
The number of Parliamentary seats a party wins in an election are determined by popular vote. Numerical majority rule within the Parliament is required after each election, but because there are so many freakin parties, no one party ever wins a majority of seats. So to create a majority, parties must for coalitions.
Forming a majority coalition requires a series of negotiations between party officials which usually this involve massive concessions made all 'round. Once a majority coalition is created, party officials are initiated and the new government begins its governing. New legislation is then passed by Parliamentary voting.
This is, in a way, a democracy at its most democratic: parties are relatively easy to form, and voters vote directly for their parties. However, the high number of political parties also creates problems. It becomes difficult for those elected to negotiate coalitions, making it a messy democracy. This is exactly what happened in 2009 when the Kadima party won the highest number of popular votes: Tzipi Livni, the head of the Kadima party and the technically "elected" prime minister, was unwilling to make the necessary concessions required to create a majority coalition. She decided it was better to concede her position as Prime Minister than to take the position after forfeiting her party' principles and ideology.
However, it is important to mention that Tzipi Livni's Kadima party, while still centrist, is committed to keeping Gaza and the West Bank under Israeli control. Also, despite the fact that it did win the highest percentage of votes in 2009 at 22.47%, most other voters cast their vote for right-leaning parties, wth Likud, Netanyahu's "central-right" party that has a rather "hawkish" policy towards the Palestinians, coming in second at 21.2% and Yisrael Beiteinu coming in third. You can get the idea of how right Yisrael Beiteinu really leans from their 2009 political slogan, "No loyalty, no citizenship." Most of Israel is right wing and most Israeli leaders are respected Army veterans. This necessarily means less general sympathy towards the Palestinian cause.
The question of Israel's democratic status was addressed by New York Times Op Ed Contributor, Toni Judt on June 9, 2010 in the article "Israel Without Cliches." Jundt writes:
"[Cliche]No. 2: Israel is/is not a democracy
Perhaps the most common defense of Israel outside the country is that it is “the only democracy in the Middle East.” This is largely true: the country has an independent judiciary and free elections, though it also discriminates against non-Jews in ways that distinguish it from most other democracies today. The expression of strong dissent from official policy is increasingly discouraged.
The answer to this question, of course, depends on your definition of democracy. Princeton's WordNet defines democracy as:
Noun
- S: (n) democracy (the political orientation of those who favor government by the people or by their elected representatives)
- S: (n) democracy, republic, commonwealth (a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them)
- S: (n) majority rule, democracy (the doctrine that the numerical majority of an organized group can make decisions binding on the whole group)
If this is the definition we go with, then Israel is certainly a democracy, albeit a dysfunctional one.
Take a look at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs webpage that outlines the representative structure of Israel's government. Israel has an elected Parliament, called the Knesset, which is "proportionally representational". Israel's government is elected by the people to represent the people.
There are multitudes of political parties. Here's an official list (in Hebrew) of all of the Israeli political parties. When an Israeli voter goes to cast their vote, they are faced with a list as long as this one with shortened names of every political party. I counted 86, but I may have lost track along the way. Go ahead and take a stab yourself.
Anyway, the way the system works is like this:
The number of Parliamentary seats a party wins in an election are determined by popular vote. Numerical majority rule within the Parliament is required after each election, but because there are so many freakin parties, no one party ever wins a majority of seats. So to create a majority, parties must for coalitions.
Forming a majority coalition requires a series of negotiations between party officials which usually this involve massive concessions made all 'round. Once a majority coalition is created, party officials are initiated and the new government begins its governing. New legislation is then passed by Parliamentary voting.
This is, in a way, a democracy at its most democratic: parties are relatively easy to form, and voters vote directly for their parties. However, the high number of political parties also creates problems. It becomes difficult for those elected to negotiate coalitions, making it a messy democracy. This is exactly what happened in 2009 when the Kadima party won the highest number of popular votes: Tzipi Livni, the head of the Kadima party and the technically "elected" prime minister, was unwilling to make the necessary concessions required to create a majority coalition. She decided it was better to concede her position as Prime Minister than to take the position after forfeiting her party' principles and ideology.
However, it is important to mention that Tzipi Livni's Kadima party, while still centrist, is committed to keeping Gaza and the West Bank under Israeli control. Also, despite the fact that it did win the highest percentage of votes in 2009 at 22.47%, most other voters cast their vote for right-leaning parties, wth Likud, Netanyahu's "central-right" party that has a rather "hawkish" policy towards the Palestinians, coming in second at 21.2% and Yisrael Beiteinu coming in third. You can get the idea of how right Yisrael Beiteinu really leans from their 2009 political slogan, "No loyalty, no citizenship." Most of Israel is right wing and most Israeli leaders are respected Army veterans. This necessarily means less general sympathy towards the Palestinian cause.
The question of Israel's democratic status was addressed by New York Times Op Ed Contributor, Toni Judt on June 9, 2010 in the article "Israel Without Cliches." Jundt writes:
"[Cliche]No. 2: Israel is/is not a democracy
Perhaps the most common defense of Israel outside the country is that it is “the only democracy in the Middle East.” This is largely true: the country has an independent judiciary and free elections, though it also discriminates against non-Jews in ways that distinguish it from most other democracies today. The expression of strong dissent from official policy is increasingly discouraged.
But the point is irrelevant. “Democracy” is no guarantee of good behavior: most countries today are formally democratic — remember Eastern Europe’s “popular democracies.” Israel belies the comfortable American cliché that “democracies don’t make war.” It is a democracy dominated and often governed by former professional soldiers: this alone distinguishes it from other advanced countries. And we should not forget that Gaza is another “democracy” in the Middle East: it was precisely because Hamas won free elections there in 2005 that both the Palestinian Authority and Israel reacted with such vehemence."
It has become increasingly clear that the greatest obstacle to peace in Israel is its own extremist population. The Israeli people are moving farther and farther right. The religious, who are almost entirely far right wing, have far more children and are quickly multiplying in numbers. This is happening at the expense of young leftists who feel more and more isolated and more and more jaded.
As Gadi Taub emphasized in his Aug 29th NYTimes Op-Ed article, "In Israel, Settling for Less", the settlers and settlements are the big, big problem. There is a growing number of Israeli religious extremists who are intent on creating and maintaining a biblical Israel. These are the religious settlers who are not willing to negotiate with Palestinians. They are not willing to consider a two-state solution. And this is not only an obstacle to peace, but as Taub says, if maintained, these settlements will "doom Zionism itself...all 'one-state solutions' lead to the same end: civil war."
I have to agree. This means that international pressure is essential to Israel's survival and essential to the development of any possible peace accord. It is international pressure- not Israeli citizens- that will convince Israeli leaders to stop the settlements and to begin thinking about a real two-state solution. Let's hope that the negotiations which began this week will end with an agreement from Netanyahu to put an end to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
It has become increasingly clear that the greatest obstacle to peace in Israel is its own extremist population. The Israeli people are moving farther and farther right. The religious, who are almost entirely far right wing, have far more children and are quickly multiplying in numbers. This is happening at the expense of young leftists who feel more and more isolated and more and more jaded.
As Gadi Taub emphasized in his Aug 29th NYTimes Op-Ed article, "In Israel, Settling for Less", the settlers and settlements are the big, big problem. There is a growing number of Israeli religious extremists who are intent on creating and maintaining a biblical Israel. These are the religious settlers who are not willing to negotiate with Palestinians. They are not willing to consider a two-state solution. And this is not only an obstacle to peace, but as Taub says, if maintained, these settlements will "doom Zionism itself...all 'one-state solutions' lead to the same end: civil war."
I have to agree. This means that international pressure is essential to Israel's survival and essential to the development of any possible peace accord. It is international pressure- not Israeli citizens- that will convince Israeli leaders to stop the settlements and to begin thinking about a real two-state solution. Let's hope that the negotiations which began this week will end with an agreement from Netanyahu to put an end to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Secular Vs. Religious: Will it Lead to Civil War?
I got a phone call from my mother the other day and she mentioned my blog post, 'A Jew or Not A Jew: Who Can Say "I Do" In Israel'. She said to me, in frustration, "Ray, I don't understand why your generation isn't up in arms about this issue. Why aren't you storming the courts and flooding the Knesset with letters? Don't you want to be able to marry in Israel without having to comply with the demands of the Rabbanut [Rabbinical Court]?"
Well, my mother is right, as mothers usually are...although my mother is especially right being a Reform Jewish Cantor and social activist. What could I say to her in response that would help her to understand the situation between the secular and the religious in Israel? Why don't I storm the Knesset or gather friends to protest for our rights as Secular Jews to marry in Israel as we wish? Why aren't there more secular activists speaking out in the name of the oppressed Israeli atheists?
The first thing I noticed as I sat with a few of my girlfriends last night, some married, some desperate to be married and others simply frightened of the word, was that most people don't really think about the way they do things. They just do things the way everyone else does it. People yearn for tradition, and when it comes to weddings, people need tradition.
From the moment of their child/grandchild's birth Jewish mothers and grandmothers wait in anticipation of the wedding day, which they have already sketched out in their heads. It will be beautiful. He will be Jewish, she will be Jewish and the whole family will be there. The ceremony will follow the traditions of our ancestors and our ancestors' ancestors.
Many children of my generation, only two generations removed from their grandparents, follow ceremony and tradition blindly specifically because of the fact that it doesn't mean much to them. They don't see the significance of the rituals or the Rabbinical law, but if it means something to their parents and grandparents...well, they may as well do it their way: the way it's been done for centuries.
There are those couples who just can't be bothered to go through the whole dance with the Rabbanut that is required before getting married. They fly off to Cypress to avoid the long process. And there are the few who take a moment to think twice. They do exist and they do care.
So why don't these few make a big stink?
Hypothetical: Let's say the secular, or non-Orthodox, did storm the Knesset with letters to protest the marriage system; let's say we even set up protests in Jerusalem. I believe our fate would be the same as the Women of the Wall (נשות הכותל). The Women of the Wall is "a group of Jewish women from around the world who strive to achieve the right for women, to wear prayer shawls, pray and read from the Torah collectively and out loud at the Western Wall (Kotel) in Jerusalem, Israel".
The Women of the Wall have attempted several times to protest the strict guidelines imposed by Israeli Law via the religious right to deny women the right to conduct Jewish ceremony or prayer services at the Western Wall, the last standing wall of what was once the Second Temple and what is considered the holiest Jewish site in the world.
Only a month or so ago, the group convened at 7 am in front of the Western Wall with a Torah Scroll and conducted the traditional ceremonial prayer service in honor of the new moon. The all-female group convened in the women's section- being that the Wall is divided into two sections. 2/3 of the wall is sectioned off for men and 1/3 is left for women. According to Orthodox Judaism, women are a distraction to men, should not be visible or audible when men are praying, and really have no reason to be praying at all.
Not long after the Women of the Wall began their ceremony, men on the other side of the divide began shouting nasty comments and throwing things over the divide. As Anat Hoffman, leader of the group began to lead the group in song toward Robinson's Arch with Torah in arms, the women encountered what they described as a "blockade" of police who arrested Anat for "not praying in conjunction with the traditional customs of the Kotel [Western Wall]".
Here we have a group of Jewish women forbidden from practicing Judaism at the holiest Jewish site in the world. Here we have a secular Israeli policeman removing a religious Israeli woman from a religious site because Orthodox Jews do not agree with her way of practicing Judaism. Her Judaism offends them. If there are violent reactions towards progressive female Jews from the Orthodox, imagine how the religious would react to secular demonstrators.
But it is not only fear of violence that deters young secular Israelis from taking a stand. There is an epidemic of widespread cynicism and apathy among Israelis of my generation who intentionally distance themselves from anything remotely connected with religion.
Take, for example, the fact that this story didn't come up once in conversation with my friends: my friends who are educated politically aware secular Jews; my friends, most of whom finishing up their masters theses in everything from International Relations and Special Needs Education to Chemistry and Archaeology.
How is it that my friends simply don't find this to be a compelling story?
Israeli youth is extremely jaded. To deal with politicians is to dirty oneself with the politics of Israel. Nearly every one of my friends believes that there is hardly one clean politician left in Israel. It's nearly impossible to avoid corruption.
And anyway, who has the time and financial stability to take off from work and protest? Most of my friends, like me, can barely pay my electricity and water bills and are moving from apartment to apartment year after year as our landlords hike up our rent.
Money, though, is a poor excuse. What is money if one has no freedom, right?
Well, if somehow the secular youth were to organize and stampede the Knesset...if it were to occur...if we could somehow make it happen... what then? What might happen? All out civil war.
As it is, the religious right is easily persuaded to use violence against any "offensive" behavior. All too often we hear of religious Jews throwing stones at secular Jews who drive through their neighborhood on Shabbat. All too often women in Jerusalem are pressured by religious propaganda to dress modestly and sit in the back of the bus. Hell, my best friend who has a new born baby has no problem breast-feeding her baby in public anywhere else but in her hometown, Jerusalem, where she fears she will be ostracized and possibly harmed by the throngs of Religious that are fruitfully multiplying if she even made the attempt.
In a state that fears for it's own survival, the secular Jews are willing to give up their freedoms in favor of maintaining stability within the state. That's how it seems to be going right now and I'm not sure if or when things here will change.
Well, my mother is right, as mothers usually are...although my mother is especially right being a Reform Jewish Cantor and social activist. What could I say to her in response that would help her to understand the situation between the secular and the religious in Israel? Why don't I storm the Knesset or gather friends to protest for our rights as Secular Jews to marry in Israel as we wish? Why aren't there more secular activists speaking out in the name of the oppressed Israeli atheists?
The first thing I noticed as I sat with a few of my girlfriends last night, some married, some desperate to be married and others simply frightened of the word, was that most people don't really think about the way they do things. They just do things the way everyone else does it. People yearn for tradition, and when it comes to weddings, people need tradition.
From the moment of their child/grandchild's birth Jewish mothers and grandmothers wait in anticipation of the wedding day, which they have already sketched out in their heads. It will be beautiful. He will be Jewish, she will be Jewish and the whole family will be there. The ceremony will follow the traditions of our ancestors and our ancestors' ancestors.
Many children of my generation, only two generations removed from their grandparents, follow ceremony and tradition blindly specifically because of the fact that it doesn't mean much to them. They don't see the significance of the rituals or the Rabbinical law, but if it means something to their parents and grandparents...well, they may as well do it their way: the way it's been done for centuries.
There are those couples who just can't be bothered to go through the whole dance with the Rabbanut that is required before getting married. They fly off to Cypress to avoid the long process. And there are the few who take a moment to think twice. They do exist and they do care.
So why don't these few make a big stink?
Hypothetical: Let's say the secular, or non-Orthodox, did storm the Knesset with letters to protest the marriage system; let's say we even set up protests in Jerusalem. I believe our fate would be the same as the Women of the Wall (נשות הכותל). The Women of the Wall is "a group of Jewish women from around the world who strive to achieve the right for women, to wear prayer shawls, pray and read from the Torah collectively and out loud at the Western Wall (Kotel) in Jerusalem, Israel".
The Women of the Wall have attempted several times to protest the strict guidelines imposed by Israeli Law via the religious right to deny women the right to conduct Jewish ceremony or prayer services at the Western Wall, the last standing wall of what was once the Second Temple and what is considered the holiest Jewish site in the world.
Only a month or so ago, the group convened at 7 am in front of the Western Wall with a Torah Scroll and conducted the traditional ceremonial prayer service in honor of the new moon. The all-female group convened in the women's section- being that the Wall is divided into two sections. 2/3 of the wall is sectioned off for men and 1/3 is left for women. According to Orthodox Judaism, women are a distraction to men, should not be visible or audible when men are praying, and really have no reason to be praying at all.
Not long after the Women of the Wall began their ceremony, men on the other side of the divide began shouting nasty comments and throwing things over the divide. As Anat Hoffman, leader of the group began to lead the group in song toward Robinson's Arch with Torah in arms, the women encountered what they described as a "blockade" of police who arrested Anat for "not praying in conjunction with the traditional customs of the Kotel [Western Wall]".
Here we have a group of Jewish women forbidden from practicing Judaism at the holiest Jewish site in the world. Here we have a secular Israeli policeman removing a religious Israeli woman from a religious site because Orthodox Jews do not agree with her way of practicing Judaism. Her Judaism offends them. If there are violent reactions towards progressive female Jews from the Orthodox, imagine how the religious would react to secular demonstrators.
But it is not only fear of violence that deters young secular Israelis from taking a stand. There is an epidemic of widespread cynicism and apathy among Israelis of my generation who intentionally distance themselves from anything remotely connected with religion.
Take, for example, the fact that this story didn't come up once in conversation with my friends: my friends who are educated politically aware secular Jews; my friends, most of whom finishing up their masters theses in everything from International Relations and Special Needs Education to Chemistry and Archaeology.
How is it that my friends simply don't find this to be a compelling story?
Israeli youth is extremely jaded. To deal with politicians is to dirty oneself with the politics of Israel. Nearly every one of my friends believes that there is hardly one clean politician left in Israel. It's nearly impossible to avoid corruption.
And anyway, who has the time and financial stability to take off from work and protest? Most of my friends, like me, can barely pay my electricity and water bills and are moving from apartment to apartment year after year as our landlords hike up our rent.
Money, though, is a poor excuse. What is money if one has no freedom, right?
Well, if somehow the secular youth were to organize and stampede the Knesset...if it were to occur...if we could somehow make it happen... what then? What might happen? All out civil war.
As it is, the religious right is easily persuaded to use violence against any "offensive" behavior. All too often we hear of religious Jews throwing stones at secular Jews who drive through their neighborhood on Shabbat. All too often women in Jerusalem are pressured by religious propaganda to dress modestly and sit in the back of the bus. Hell, my best friend who has a new born baby has no problem breast-feeding her baby in public anywhere else but in her hometown, Jerusalem, where she fears she will be ostracized and possibly harmed by the throngs of Religious that are fruitfully multiplying if she even made the attempt.
In a state that fears for it's own survival, the secular Jews are willing to give up their freedoms in favor of maintaining stability within the state. That's how it seems to be going right now and I'm not sure if or when things here will change.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Arab Convicted of Rape After Posing as a Jew Has Jail Time Postponed
Under pressure from the outraged public, the Israeli Supreme Court has delayed the imposition of Sabbar Kashur 18 month jail sentence who was accused of "rape by deception".
In 2008, Sabbar Kashur met an Israeli woman in East Jerusalem, and introduced himself to her as "Dudi", a typically Israeli name, short for David. He then led her to believe he was a bachelor looking for a serious relationship. After spending only a short time together, the two went to a nearby building where they had sex after which Kashur quickly left, without waiting for the woman to dress.
Although the story is a bit unsettling, neither Kashur or the woman deny that the sex was consentutal. However, after she found out that Kashur was not Jewish she filed a criminal complaint for indecent assault and rape. Since she filed her complaint, Kashur has been under house arrest, required to wear an electronic tag on his ankle at all times.
The woman was certainly misled and mistreated, but as the Israeli Supreme Courts have upheld, this was an "unusual" case that, during the course of a plea bargain, landed Kashur with a conviction of "rape by deception". This plea bargain lessened what might have been a full rape sentence, despite the fact that the two had consentual sexual relations.
In light of Kashur's appeal and under pressure from public outcry, the Israeli Supreme Court has ordered a delay on the imposition of Sabbar's sentence and has eased the conditions of his house arrest.
Yesterday morning, Sabbar was freed from house arrest and allowed a monitored outing with his children in Jerusalem's Malkah Mall where many people stopped to express their support of the court's decision to allow him a short outing.
According to Haaretz.com,
"The petition, submitted by attorney Elkana Laist of the Public Defender's Office, states that the District Court's decision represents a patriarchal attitude in which a man can enjoy sex but a woman can agree to it only if she receives the promise of a sustainable relationship, and only if that relationship is with a person of the same ethnic group.
The petition also states that while Kashur's conduct can be considered immoral, it falls within the type of behavior in which the criminal justice system in an enlightened country does not intervene."
Kashur's appeal is still pending, but I truly hope to see him released in an act of reason and justice.
In 2008, Sabbar Kashur met an Israeli woman in East Jerusalem, and introduced himself to her as "Dudi", a typically Israeli name, short for David. He then led her to believe he was a bachelor looking for a serious relationship. After spending only a short time together, the two went to a nearby building where they had sex after which Kashur quickly left, without waiting for the woman to dress.
Although the story is a bit unsettling, neither Kashur or the woman deny that the sex was consentutal. However, after she found out that Kashur was not Jewish she filed a criminal complaint for indecent assault and rape. Since she filed her complaint, Kashur has been under house arrest, required to wear an electronic tag on his ankle at all times.
The woman was certainly misled and mistreated, but as the Israeli Supreme Courts have upheld, this was an "unusual" case that, during the course of a plea bargain, landed Kashur with a conviction of "rape by deception". This plea bargain lessened what might have been a full rape sentence, despite the fact that the two had consentual sexual relations.
In light of Kashur's appeal and under pressure from public outcry, the Israeli Supreme Court has ordered a delay on the imposition of Sabbar's sentence and has eased the conditions of his house arrest.
Yesterday morning, Sabbar was freed from house arrest and allowed a monitored outing with his children in Jerusalem's Malkah Mall where many people stopped to express their support of the court's decision to allow him a short outing.
According to Haaretz.com,
"The petition, submitted by attorney Elkana Laist of the Public Defender's Office, states that the District Court's decision represents a patriarchal attitude in which a man can enjoy sex but a woman can agree to it only if she receives the promise of a sustainable relationship, and only if that relationship is with a person of the same ethnic group.
The petition also states that while Kashur's conduct can be considered immoral, it falls within the type of behavior in which the criminal justice system in an enlightened country does not intervene."
Kashur's appeal is still pending, but I truly hope to see him released in an act of reason and justice.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Is the Israeli government turning Fascist?!
I thought it was a simple case of "lost in translation" when I heard that an Israeli Arab man was arrested and convicted of rape after having consensual sex with a woman. It turns out, I got the Hebrew 100% right. The man was arrested for rape after having consensual sex.
The story goes like this. Sabbar met an Israeli woman in downtown Jerusalem and allegedly told her that he was a "Jewish bachelor seeking a serious relationship". Only minutes later they were copulating in a building nearby. Then Sabbar left.
Somehow the woman "found out" that Sabbar was not Jewish, and when that happened the sh*t hit the fan. She took him to court, claiming rape. (No one asked him if he would be willing to convert.)
Granted, Sabbar is married with two children and did mislead the woman, this somehow wasn't a big issue in the trial. And according to Sabbar, she was looking for some action. He said that while he was leaving a supermarket, some woman in her 20s started to chat with him. "I would say she set upon me," Sabbar Said, "She was interested in my motorcucle and so we talked. I didn't pretend. I said my name is Dudu because that's how everbody knows me. My wife even calls me that."
Oh! So she assumed he was Jewish because of his name?! Anyway, it doesn't sound like she was that picky. I have a feeling the conversation went something like this:
woman: "Hey hot stuff.. I like your motorcycle. It's really sexy"
Sabbar: "Uh, You talking to me?
woman: "Yeah, that's right baby. Vvvrrooom."
Sabbar: "--"
woman: "I'm x"
Sabbar: "I'm Dudu."
woman: " You know, I'm so lonely these days. I haven't had sex in years."
Sabbar: "mm."
woman: " I mean, I'm just looking for a man right now who might be able to, you know, fill my needs."
Sabbar: "Hmm, is that right?"
woman: "You know it.--You don't, by any chance, happen to be a bachelor looking for a serious relationship?"
And there you have it.
According to an article posted by Haaretz, the decision was based on a precedent from 2008 in which a man was convicted for rape after he impersonated a senior official in the Housing Ministry and he would get them housing in exchange for sex.
I do see the two cases as being completely different. I mean, this impostor sounds like a freaking rapist who specifically told them misleading information to bargain for quickie. It's more like prostitution really- I mean the housing was supposed to be some kind of payment, no?
This Sabbar sounds like your average guy who was approached by a chic that just wanted a roll in the hay. What, does a man have to fill out a questionnaire for a woman every time he wants to sleep with her? If this woman really cared about Sabbar's background, she wouldn't have had sex with him only minutes after meeting him.
Justice Elyakim Rubinstein was quoted as saying that a man should be convicted of rape any time he "does not tell the truth regarding critical matters to a reasonable woman, and as a result of misrepresentation she has sexual relations with him."
He went on to say that one should imagine whether a regular person would expect said woman to sleep with said man if he wasn't what he said he was.
I'm wondering now what happens to men who tell women that they are good at basket ball, math, science- whatever, and then in the morning, it turns out they suck at it. Can the women, then accuse him of rape?
What is the world coming to?
Somehow the woman "found out" that Sabbar was not Jewish, and when that happened the sh*t hit the fan. She took him to court, claiming rape. (No one asked him if he would be willing to convert.)
Granted, Sabbar is married with two children and did mislead the woman, this somehow wasn't a big issue in the trial. And according to Sabbar, she was looking for some action. He said that while he was leaving a supermarket, some woman in her 20s started to chat with him. "I would say she set upon me," Sabbar Said, "She was interested in my motorcucle and so we talked. I didn't pretend. I said my name is Dudu because that's how everbody knows me. My wife even calls me that."
Oh! So she assumed he was Jewish because of his name?! Anyway, it doesn't sound like she was that picky. I have a feeling the conversation went something like this:
woman: "Hey hot stuff.. I like your motorcycle. It's really sexy"
Sabbar: "Uh, You talking to me?
woman: "Yeah, that's right baby. Vvvrrooom."
Sabbar: "--"
woman: "I'm x"
Sabbar: "I'm Dudu."
woman: " You know, I'm so lonely these days. I haven't had sex in years."
Sabbar: "mm."
woman: " I mean, I'm just looking for a man right now who might be able to, you know, fill my needs."
Sabbar: "Hmm, is that right?"
woman: "You know it.--You don't, by any chance, happen to be a bachelor looking for a serious relationship?"
And there you have it.
According to an article posted by Haaretz, the decision was based on a precedent from 2008 in which a man was convicted for rape after he impersonated a senior official in the Housing Ministry and he would get them housing in exchange for sex.
I do see the two cases as being completely different. I mean, this impostor sounds like a freaking rapist who specifically told them misleading information to bargain for quickie. It's more like prostitution really- I mean the housing was supposed to be some kind of payment, no?
This Sabbar sounds like your average guy who was approached by a chic that just wanted a roll in the hay. What, does a man have to fill out a questionnaire for a woman every time he wants to sleep with her? If this woman really cared about Sabbar's background, she wouldn't have had sex with him only minutes after meeting him.
Justice Elyakim Rubinstein was quoted as saying that a man should be convicted of rape any time he "does not tell the truth regarding critical matters to a reasonable woman, and as a result of misrepresentation she has sexual relations with him."
He went on to say that one should imagine whether a regular person would expect said woman to sleep with said man if he wasn't what he said he was.
I'm wondering now what happens to men who tell women that they are good at basket ball, math, science- whatever, and then in the morning, it turns out they suck at it. Can the women, then accuse him of rape?
What is the world coming to?
Tel Aviv Nightlife Diluted!!!!
This week, the Knesset unanimously passed a bill outlawing the sale of alcohol between the hours of 11pm and 6am. Only restaurants and pubs will not be affected by the new legislation. The bill also includes a clause banning alcohol consumption in public during these hours. Once the law is enforced, police will be allowed to confiscate and pour out the contents of any open container being consumed in a public place.
The law is intented to curb incidents of drunken violence which have been breaking out with more frequency in the past several years. More specifically, however, the concern of the Knesset members has been focused on the rising number of young drinkers aged 17 and below. According to statistics, Israel's rate of underage drinking has been going up for the past 20 years. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called it "an epidemic".
However, according to a ynet article posted this past November, alcohol is not really a problem among adults:
"In Israel the problem isn’t grave in respect to the adult population,. There are no accurate figures about alcohol consumption, but based on various data, the annual per capita consumption is roughly about 2 liters (based on 100% alcohol consumption); the alcoholics’ rate is less the 0.5%, and “only” 2% of car accidents are attributed to driving under the influence."
And so, it is clear to me that the Knesset is going about the problem in the wrong way. Make it a requirement for stores to acquire alcohol licenses and be subject to audits and police supervision. But banning alcohol consumption in public areas, especially in a hot country like Israel where not everyone has air conditioning and drinking outdoors is part of the culture, is like banning fun altogether.
Let me put it this way: my rights as a citizen are being restricted due to poor budgetary decision-making. If course I believe that it is important to combat street violence and of course I don't condone underage drinking, especially if it is over-drinking. I also am aware of the rising number of car accidents cause by drunk driving in the Jewish State. But these accidents, violent incidents and statistics are correlated with poor education systems in Israeli suburbs, poor governmental support systems for low-income families, and poor public transportation at night.
Why should I have to give up my right to buy a beer at a kiosk after 11:00pm for 7 shekels and be forced to drink at a bar or restaurant and pay 25 shekels? No more Tel Aviv street parties, beach parties or avenue gatherings. No more sauntering down Rothschild boulevard with a beer in hand after 12:00 midnight. And what will happen to our beloved weekly drinking game that we play outside of my friend Kristal's kiosk? Will our beers be confiscated and our weekly event be put to an end? What will happen to Tel Aviv nightlife?
Why should I have to fear policemen at night when I'm a responsible drinker who is only trying to save herself a few shekels buy buying a beer at a kiosk and drinking it outside in the fresh air as opposed to inside where I can't afford air conditioning!?
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| No more beer after 11pm! |
The law is intented to curb incidents of drunken violence which have been breaking out with more frequency in the past several years. More specifically, however, the concern of the Knesset members has been focused on the rising number of young drinkers aged 17 and below. According to statistics, Israel's rate of underage drinking has been going up for the past 20 years. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called it "an epidemic".
However, according to a ynet article posted this past November, alcohol is not really a problem among adults:
"In Israel the problem isn’t grave in respect to the adult population,. There are no accurate figures about alcohol consumption, but based on various data, the annual per capita consumption is roughly about 2 liters (based on 100% alcohol consumption); the alcoholics’ rate is less the 0.5%, and “only” 2% of car accidents are attributed to driving under the influence."
And so, it is clear to me that the Knesset is going about the problem in the wrong way. Make it a requirement for stores to acquire alcohol licenses and be subject to audits and police supervision. But banning alcohol consumption in public areas, especially in a hot country like Israel where not everyone has air conditioning and drinking outdoors is part of the culture, is like banning fun altogether.
 |
| Florentine in Southern Tel Aviv: famous for it's street parties |
Let me put it this way: my rights as a citizen are being restricted due to poor budgetary decision-making. If course I believe that it is important to combat street violence and of course I don't condone underage drinking, especially if it is over-drinking. I also am aware of the rising number of car accidents cause by drunk driving in the Jewish State. But these accidents, violent incidents and statistics are correlated with poor education systems in Israeli suburbs, poor governmental support systems for low-income families, and poor public transportation at night.
The new bill will cost the government 27 million shekels which, in my opinion, should not be going towards an alcohol ban, but rather,should be going to education, social reform and public transport.
Why should I have to give up my right to buy a beer at a kiosk after 11:00pm for 7 shekels and be forced to drink at a bar or restaurant and pay 25 shekels? No more Tel Aviv street parties, beach parties or avenue gatherings. No more sauntering down Rothschild boulevard with a beer in hand after 12:00 midnight. And what will happen to our beloved weekly drinking game that we play outside of my friend Kristal's kiosk? Will our beers be confiscated and our weekly event be put to an end? What will happen to Tel Aviv nightlife?
 |
| No more beer on the beach after dark |
Why should I have to fear policemen at night when I'm a responsible drinker who is only trying to save herself a few shekels buy buying a beer at a kiosk and drinking it outside in the fresh air as opposed to inside where I can't afford air conditioning!?
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