UPDATE: MBNYC and Borat are now both on record as saying that they don't care if an Israeli Housing Minister advocates housing segregation of Arabs in Israel.
Simply incredible.
UPDATE II: Many comments from Borat, DCoronata, Keith Moon - still not a word of criticism for Atias's segregation policy from them, or for the commenters to Eiron's diary that supported Atias.
UPDATE III: Various commenters correctly point out that many Arab nations have not normalized relations with Israel. Since this is undeniably true, and neither my diary nor Eiron's questioned it, I can only assume that these commenters are arguing that this failure to normalize relations with Israel indeed justifies a policy of segregation of Arab populations in Israel. Absolutely stunning.
This excellent diary by Eiron yesterday brought attention to the disgraceful comments made by Israeli Housing Minister Ariel Atias, as reported in Haaretz. Atias said "I see [it] as a national duty to prevent the spread of a population that, to say the least, does not love the state of Israel." He went on to say "if we go on like we have until now, we will lose the Galilee. Populations that should not mix are spreading there. I don't think that it is appropriate [for them] to live together."
The Minister of Housing in Israel proclaimed that Arab and Jewish populations "should not mix." It is utterly extraordinary that such a person could have any position of responsibility in the Israeli government. It is simply unbelievable that Atias is still the Minister of Housing. How can the present Israeli government tolerate the presence of people like Lieberman and Atias in Netanyahu's cabinet?
Eiron's diary covered this issue yesterday, and there's no need to cover it again. This diary is about the reaction of certain Kossacks to Eiron's diary.
Certain commenters to Eiron's diary repeatedly argued that Arabs have not made peace with Israel. Others claimed categorically that Arabs hate Jews; not some Arabs, but "Arabs." These commenters apparently thought their comments were relevant to a diary about the Israeli Housing Minister's endorsement of segregating Arabs who live legally and peacefully in Israel.
What if someone came to DKos and defended South Africa's segregationist policies because many South African blacks had resorted to violence in opposing the South African government's policies?
What if it happened that somehow the U.S. found itself at war with Somalia and Nigeria, and someone posted a diary or comment arguing that African Americans should be segregated merely because they share the same color skin as our "enemies" in Somalia and Nigeria?
Would anyone here hesitate for a moment to condemn such arguments as bigoted and hateful?
I generally do not favor banning people here at DKos. When DKos warned Karmafish last week that continuing to baselessly call Kossacks "supporters of terrorist organizations" would lead to dire consequences, I stated that I hoped it would not result in Karmafish's ban. Karmafish and I disagree on many issues relating to the middle east, and I certainly would have been personally offended had Karmafish called me a "supporter of terrorist organizations," but hyperbole and intemperate remarks will happen in any community such as this one. That's life. DKos did not formally threaten to ban Karmafish, but the threat was implicit. To the extent DKos believed Karmafish's accusations to constitute impermissible personal attacks, I would have understood a decision to ban Karmafish, but I would have opposed it.
But I draw the line at brazen bigotry. If Karmafish's intemperate accusations could have resulted in banishment, then certain of the comments to Eiron's diary should result in summary and immediate banishment. No warning; no appeal.
Here are some of the comments I'm referring to:
you "forgot" one more headline
'U.S. can't get Arabs to commit to normal Israel ties'
The U.S. administration has not been successful in securing commitments from Arab countries to take steps toward normalizing relations with Israel, a senior source in Jerusalem said Wednesday.
I don't get why its so OK to for Arabs not to want peace, but when Jews protect their ancestral homeland, its evil.
for every Israeli who says
something negative about Arabs, there at least 10 Palestinians who call Jews the sons of apes and pigs. And this is also on kids TV shows too.
Excuse me? Segregating Arabs in Israel is protecting the "ancestral homeland"? Segregation of all Arabs is permissible because some Arabs are bigots? Segregation of Israeli Arabs is acceptable because Arab nations won't normalize relations with Israel?
Each of these comments were offered in direct response to Eiron's tip jar, and so were offered as direct responses to Eiron's diary. They were not offered in response to other comments, or perceived provocations. They were offered in response to a diary righteously condemning the disgraceful remarks of Israel's Housing Minister. The commenters did not criticize the Minister's remarks, or express concern regarding them, or otherwise give any indication that their comments were anything other than a defense of a segregationist policy in Israel. The plain implication of their comments was that the Housing Minister's endorsement of a segregationist policy may be acceptable because, in effect and in their view, Arabs hate Jews.
Some might consider these comments mere instances of trollish diary hijacking. I considered that position, but I can't accept it. This went way beyond diary hijacking, or threat hijacking. It goes way beyond trollery. These are hateful, bigoted comments, and there is no need to mince words about it.
There have been a number of excellent I/P diaries lately. This one from Jay Elias is just one example. There have been many others in recent weeks that similarly attempted to reach out, bridge the differences, and find common ground. Just last week Kossacks from across the I/P spectrum gathered to express their most ardent hopes that Gilad Shalit's release was imminent. Compromise is possible. Common ground is reachable. But there can be no compromise with bigoted views, and no common ground with bigots.
If the DKos editors deem banning of these commenters inappropriate, I would ask them to at least respond to these comments, and to clearly state a policy regarding overt expressions of bigotry at DKos.
UPDATE: Wow. Who could have expected that calling comments like these bigoted could be so controversial.