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The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil,    but because of the people who don't do anything about it

Occupation magazine - Commentary Home page  back Print  Send To friend Red Rag column: on boycott of Israel By: Gideon Spiro 11 August 2016 (English translation posted 15 August 2016) On the boycott It has recently been reported that the Interior Ministry (Der’i) and the Public Security Ministry (Erdan), have decided to monitor tourists entering Israel to see if they are supporters of boycott against Israel, for the purpose of deporting those who, in the Ministries’ opinion, are “infected” with support for the boycott (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions – BDS). This is another step in Israel’s decline to membership in the family of dark regimes that monitor people’s political opinions. Naturally the question arises, when will the expulsions of Israeli citizens who support the boycott begin? As one who believes that only a boycott of Israel is likely to compel the leaders to reconsider the policy of Occupation, I am preparing a package in my apartment that will contain basic supplies I will need in the event of expulsion. The historical irony is that the state that will accept me as an expellee from Israel, if it comes to that, will be democratic Germany, which has opened its gates to refugees. See you in Berlin. Equal healthcare In Israel we love to talk about equal healthcare, when in practice public healthcare is deteriorating. Those who suffer are Israeli citizens who wait for years for operations, and languish for hours in emergency rooms until someone from the overworked staff finally gets to them. The biannual budget for 2017-2018 is making things worse. Finance Minister Kahlon, who managed to acquire a reputation for being “social”, has proven that at the end of the day he is a servant of the wealthy. One of the reasons for the ongoing deterioration of public healthcare is that the rich and those in government power do not suffer from the hardships of the simple citizen. The professional association of public healthcare doctors has a share of responsibility for this situation, because its members give immediate care to people in authority. If Netanyahu and Kahlon had to wait 8 hours in an emergency room every time they needed medical attention, the situation would improve overnight. Holding to that principle would change the standard operating procedures of public healthcare. The missing millions of shekels would be found instantly. See you in the emergency room with Netanyahu and Kahlon. Recording ban In this morning’s Haaretz (11 August 2016): “Netanyahu is considering a ban on recording conversations without the consent of the recorded”. One implication of this law, if it is passed, is that members of the fascist Right will be given freedom to threaten members of the Left without fear of being recorded. Another change from the current situation is that it will also mean loss of evidence to support a complaint to the police. The remedy I suggest to my friends i the Left, who are victims of telephone threats, is to continue recording, even if the law is passed. I am relying on my experience with the issues of contempt of court and insulting a public servant – two laws intended to silence people, which I have violated over the course of years, in the context of civil disobedience against abominable laws that restrict freedom of expression. (See my new book Letters to judges and men in authority) If hundreds of leftists record threats even after the law is passed, the system will have difficulty dealing with it. Unless it decides to put hundreds of leftists on trial, and puts them in prison. See you in prison. Translated from Hebrew for Occupation Magazine by George Malent gm Links to the latest articles in this section Three weeks into the Gaza War - a somber and sober assessment, with some historical perspectives Israelis, Palestinians, Gaza, Hamas - trying to preserve sanity Gush Shalom: The UN decision is a very necessary message to Israel’s extreme right-wing government