There is an old saying... "Be careful what you wish for.. you just might get it". Well Israeli Prime Minister wished for a way to stop Boycotts on his country through supporting a new law that would expose those involved in boycotts of Israel to civil litigation.
In this fight, even the American Anti-Defamation League (lately more conservative than not) has criticized the Israeli Prime Minister, along with the U.S. Government. The head of the largest political party in Israel (opposition Kadima party) Tzipi Livni said that as a result of this law (amongst other poor decisions) that the Prime Minister was "leading the country into an abyss".
Sure enough, the right wing fresh off their victory in this, reintroduced a McCarthyesque measure designed to only probe funding and political operations of Leftist NGO's and Peace Groups. Israelis have snapped back and the the P.M.'s office is feeling the heat.
First there was this announcement earlier in the day though:
Israelis and Arabs to march in Jerusalem in support of Palestinian independence
Thousands of Israelis and Palestinians are expected to take part in a march on Friday, titled 'March for Independence' calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state.
The organizers of the march said that the recognition of Palestine as an independent state should come before negotiations, and not as a result.
The event represents a rare cooperation between the left-wing Solidarity movement and the popular committees of East Jerusalem. The organizers claim that this is the first Jewish-Arab event of its kind to be held in Jerusalem since 1991.
And this:
Dozens of Israeli law professors protest 'unconstitutional' boycott law
Meanwhile, 32 law professors at university faculties and colleges all over the country have signed a petition aimed at Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, in which they categorically state that the Boycott Law is unconstitutional and does grievous harm to the freedom of political expression and freedom of protest.
Among the signatories are Prof. Niva Elkin-Koren, dean of the law faculty at the University of Haifa; and Prof. Moshe Cohen-Eliya, dean of the law school at the Ramat Gan Academic Center.
Also signed on are several former law school deans: Hanoch Dagan, Ariel Porat and Menachem Mautner (former deans of the Tel Aviv University Law School); Uriel Procaccia (former dean of the Hebrew University Law School) and Eli Salzberger (former dean at the University of Haifa).
The Meretz party (a small left wing Israeli party) went to stores to mark goods that were from the settlements. All in all a brouha was stirring.
Feeling resurgent the Israeli Right has decided to "go to town". Feeling encouraged by the Government they have even been taking on the IDF in the Occupied Territories leading Defense Minister Ehud Barak
Barak considers emergency laws against rightists
Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday instructed his legal adviser to look into the possibility of using old emergency laws to curb rightist attacks on IDF soldiers.
Barak ordered attorney Ahaz Ben Ari "to examine every possible way within the legal framework – including the use of Defence (Emergency) Regulations from 1945 – to stop disturbances and harassment perpetrated against Commander of Judah and Samaria Division Brigadier General Nitzan Alon, his family members and other officers and soldiers."
Some 10 days ago, Brigadier General Alon's vehicle was attacked by several youths at Tapuach Junction in the West Bank. Alon left the scene after right-wing activists encircled his car and began kicking it, while resorting to slurs and chanting "traitor."
Anyway... so the right introduced this new measure and PM Benjamin Netanyahu came out with this:
Netanyahu opposes parliamentary investigations of Israeli human rights organizations
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday he opposes setting up parliamentary committees to investigate the funding sources of left-wing Israeli human rights groups.
"We don't need investigations in the Knesset," Netanyahu said in a conference in Tel Aviv. "We don't need investigative committees.
The passing of the "boycott law" by the Knesset earlier this week – which Netanyahu said he approved and supported - prompted right-wing legislators to revive the initiative for parliamentary inquiry into the funding sources of Israeli human rights organizations. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu) and MK Danny Danon (Likud) announced on Tuesday they will bring the initiative for a Knesset vote next week.
To which Yisrael Betainu furiously countered:
Members of Yisrael Beiteinu warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that their 'revenge was on its way' after the latter announced that he opposes the establishment of parliamentary committees to investigate human rights organizations....
Yisrael Beiteinu MK Faina Kirschenbaum, who sponsored the bill to establish a parliamentary committee to investigate "organizations that harm the IDF and its soldiers," responded, saying that "the struggle against the organizations that directly or indirectly support terror and harm IDF soldiers and Israel's right to defend itself is necessary for Israel's security and its very existence."
"It's a shame that the heads of Likud sacrifice essential security interests, their obligations to voters, and national values, in order to satisfy the media and leftist groups," she added.
Yisrael Beiteinu MK Moshe Matalon responded to Netanyahu's comments on Thursday night, saying that coalition discipline is a two-way street. He said that in response, Yisrael Beiteinu is liable to demand the ability to vote freely on issues that are important to it, including making the conditions for women to acquire exemptions from the army more strict, and other issues.
Lieberman said on Wednesday, "If the coalition does not decide to apply coalition discipline on the vote to establish the committees, we will view this as an attack on Yisrael Beiteinu. Just as coalition discipline was applied in the case of the Boycott Law, there must be the same procedure concerning the parliamentary investigative committees."
Now the Israeli Prime Minister's coalition government sits at 66 seats (out of 120). Already the Atz'maout faction led by DM Barak is considered at odds with the Right (though they have not left the government for some strange reason). If they did, that would leave the PM with a One Vote majority - hardly something to get important laws passed.
Further, lately there has been speculation that there could be changes prior tot the September Palestinian vote and that a new National Unity Gov't with Likud (27 Seats), Kadima (28 Seats), and Atz'maout (5 Seats) would head things up with the rightist Yisrael Betainu (15 seats) out of power. In the event Betainu would go, Avodah might be brought back in to shore things up (8 Seats) and a new religious party that would split Shas (11 seats) under former leader Ariyeh Deri could also be brought in.
All in all this is getting interesting. Please check it out and I look forward to your commentary.