Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Tzaddik from Sodom

Israeli Police succeeded today in arresting the Kirya Arba resident who used extremely insensitive and caustic language at the Border Policemen who destroyed the Federmen's home this past Saturday night. 

The police have not arrested (nor even investigated) any of those from the Akko mob who screamed "Itbach Al Yahud" (Slaughter the Jews) this past Yom Kippur time.

Amidst all this, the single "tzaddik from sodom" (righteous person from sodom) is Yariv Mohar -- a social activist who engages in PR activity for organizations committed to social change and human rights.

This lone human-right activist's voice was heard on YNET today, in a scathing critique of the Israeli police's terror tactics in evicting the Federmans and destroying their home in Kiryat Arba. 
Israeli human rights groups must condemn the manner in which Border Guard forces evacuated the Federman Farm in Hebron. According to reports, the evacuators arrived at the family home late at night and raided it while breaking windows, as children slept inside. The family says that after it was forcefully evacuated, its belongings were buried under the ruins of the home. We need to examine whether this aggressive modus operandi undermines human rights principles.

Particularly, it would be appropriate to check whether it was possible to carry out the evacuation in a manner that does not traumatize children. In this respect, the evacuation seems to contradict the spirit of the children’s rights convention signed by Israel in 1990.

In addition, we need to examine whether the situation was handled using civilian standards, rather than military standards, in order to safeguard the right of due process and promote the application of civilian rather than military law in the territories.
He hits the nail on the head by lambasting the leftist organizations that routinely ignore any and all human right's abuses against Jewish Israelies, living in the settlements.
We must not ignore the cliché about human rights groups defending only Arabs and leftists. This cliché must be disproven by emphasizing the types of actions and positions adopted by those groups whenever anyone’s rights are being violated. We must make clear that human rights are universal and cannot be taken away from a person because of his views or actions, regardless of how despicable and terrible those are.

Violence and the violation of rights on the part of law enforcers is not part of the democratic package.

The big test of human rights groups in Israel is their ability to systematically and principally protect the human rights of those shunned by the masses, even when dealing with those shunned by the leftist masses. Those familiar with Israeli movements know that this principle is applied in most cases. However, it needs to be prominently highlighted by those groups.
Unfortunately, he is a lone voice, and a rather naive one as well. There is so much settler-hatred among the leftist and anarchist groups that demonstrate on behalf of Palestinians, that human rights for settlers is simply not on their agenda.
Such campaign could shed new light on human rights groups among the Israeli media and public; it would connect the importance of defending human rights with a sense of potential danger threatening any Israeli citizen and resident, thereby creating growing consensus.
Yes, it could create a consensus. Unfortunately, the month of November in Israel is the last time anyone on the left is looking for consensus or reconciliation.

hat-tip: Walid's Scrabble friend from Elazar.


Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

11 comments:

Jacob Da Jew said...

Really sad story. BTW, my best friend grew up in Elazar.

Anonymous said...

Of course he was arrested - the anti-free-speech movement's ideals are enshrined in the law disallowing incitement (http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%94%D7%A1%D7%AA%D7%94).

"We must not ignore the cliché about human rights groups defending only Arabs and leftists." --Unfortunately I don't see that happening anytime soon. It is just much cooler to be on the same side as the rest of the "cool kids" - and not try to risk all the money US gives Israel (doing Israel no big favor).

Jameel @ The Muqata said...

Jacob: Really?! I probably know him then :)

LB: I'm not saying I'm surprised he was arrested. It was quite predictable.

Lion of Zion said...

forget about the human rights orgs.
i'm curious where is shas is on this story, considering it advertises itself as a social party that advocates for the wellbeing of children.

Jameel @ The Muqata said...

LoZ: Dont make me laugh.

The Oslo accords were the ultimate human rights disaster (for Jews and Palestinians), and Shas voted for it.

Anonymous said...

Jameel,

These things no longer surprise me, either. It's still just as upsetting - both on a personal level (an innocent person arrested) and a policy level - that this is where the police actually spend their time, instead of, you know, actually policing.

Anonymous said...

It is a a problem endemic to the far-left. Actually, it is a Bolshevik quality. Human rights is generally just a ploy to them, not a real issue as the Ynet article indicates (but doesn't draw the conclusion).

We see it in the US and other places, too. People here demonstrate every Friday that Bush is a war criminal (do they even know what that really means) and a Nazi. They get ecstatic over their rhetoric.

It isn't rational, and it certainly isn't about truth, justice, or human rights.

Lurker said...

That's quite a rare find you've got there: An Israeli leftist human rights activist who genuinely adheres to the principles of human rights. Kind of reminds me of Alan Dershowitz.

Think you can find another 9 tzaddikim from Sodom? I doubt it...

Anonymous said...

And how do they even know who made the caustic statements?

Because the guy outed himself, as he regretted his remarks that he said in the heat of the moment.

Anonymous said...

Lurker- I can find you plenty more Israeli Human Rights activists who care. The issue is, I believe, people are not as brave as Yariv Mohar in expressing their feelings.

I, for one, became very irritated by the fact that the movement I associated with did not recognise the complexities of suffering on both sides instead sticking to a parrot-like political (rather than human rights) agenda which sounds dated and one-sided. As such I've distanced myself from the movement as I find them hypocritical and just "mind my own shop", in terms of the work I do- and I know some others who have done the same (Not that I'm claiming to be Tzadeket Sdom!) Plenty more of my former colleagues and present friends have polarised in the opposite direction.

Frankly, it's all a bit soul-destroying, whichever way you look at it.

Anonymous said...

Tafka and tzipporah,
Leftist's have a selective form on civil rights, they mostly hold that settlers have no civil rights! Though I fail to see how a right winger abused inside the green line can be justified along with this ?

This is the same for environmental nuts, my former flat mate is a real environmentalist.. not the activist types that are hypocritical.. he does not use plastic for one.. but isnt going to tell you what to use!

Its like these echo terrorists that justify burning down houses as the houses were built on destroyed forests..

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