From the First Amendment challenged.
Rep. Eliot Engel (Dimwit-NY):
The people of Israel have the right to elect any government they like, and no other country, including the U.S., has the right to criticize them or to make negative remarks when Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East.
Emphasis added. This was from an article in Haaretz.
Now that's a remarkable statement.
A short diary about the implication of this.
Not only is Engel saying that the Israeli people have the right to elect anyone they want (not many would dispute that) but that US citizens have NO right to criticize those that were elected, or by implications any of their actions. "Because Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East" is the given reason.
Israel, according to Engel, is beyond criticism. Despite the commitment of the United States to send to Israel $30 Billion over the next 10 years, Engel says we have no right to criticize the government we are sending a nice big chunk of US foreign aid. For Engel it is off-limits.
This is lunacy, and i for one as a US citizen am very glad i have the freedom to call an idea from a US congressman lunacy.
There are many things in US history that i am not proud of, but this Bill of Rights document, that should be re-read by Mr. Engel, is something that i embrace.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Dissent is a good thing, Mr. Engel. It sometimes prevents governments from doing crazy things.
Here is what others are saying about the new Israeli government, and their members including Avigdor Lieberman, a man convicted of assault on a 12-year-old boy not long ago.
Even Israeli diplomats in the US, calling him a very "a very frightening phenomenon".
"I just feel that its right for me to speak against it even though I'm not supposed to as a diplomat, because when Haider became part of the government in Austria, even though diplomats are not supposed to talk about other governments' politics, we did talk. So I feel the same rationale works this time for my country, and I have to right to speak.-- Nadav Tamir, the Israeli General Counsel in Boston"
So here we have an Israeli diplomat comparing Avigdor to a fascist (look up Haider).
Engel thinks we have no right to criticize?
Those of us who support human rights for all (including Palestinians and Israeli Jews) in the Middle East have long supported talking with all the parties involved, including Hamas. I still support talking with all the political parties, including this extremist right-wing Israeli government.
We do not support sending military aid to this Israeli government.
Organize to stop US military aid to this government that refuses to even support a two-state solution or any just solution (Lieberman, by the way, lives in a Jewish-only settlement in the West Bank, these settlements are violations of US law, but the US government has generally only said that they were "obstacles to peace". they are more than that, but they are at least that. to have one of the leading clowns from the settlements representing Israel presents a problem.
The problem is not the danger he holds for public relations for Israel, but the danger to the rights of Palestinians in Israel and in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza.
I think the people of the Middle East need our voices of dissent more than ever.
Shut up, Mr. Engel.
(updated for correction of Engel's name).