Israel’s fear of free discussion exposed by email intrusions

Joseph Dana writes: Israel’s famed airport security has just become tighter. American tourists have recently reported that their personal emails have been targeted by Israeli officials upon arrival in the country.

Strict and unapologetic airport security is closely associated with Israel’s international image, despite the fact that such caution borders on the absurd when it comes to foreigners of Palestinian origin or those suspected of Palestine-related activism. In the post-September 11 environment of security paranoia, the Israeli model is among the most stringent. It is a model some in the United States wish to emulate.

The dark side to this security, which includes racial profiling and in most cases a complete disregard of civil rights, is becoming increasingly difficult to conceal. This past April, with much international fanfare, Israel deported a number of European activists who attempted to travel to the occupied West Bank through Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport. Their experience of detainment, interrogation and deportation symbolised Israel’s approach to maintaining control of the West Bank. The treatment that some tourists receive at Tel Aviv’s airport is deeply connected to Israel’s infrastructure of occupation.

Israel’s image as a small country surrounded by enemies has been carefully designed to rationalise its extensive programme of racial profiling. From West Bank checkpoints to queues outside of bus stations in Tel Aviv, anyone with even indicators of anything associated with Palestinians is subjected to interrogation by the security apparatus.

Last week, security officials deported Sandra Tamari, an American of Palestinian origin, after eight hours of questioning. Ms Tamari was targeted because of her involvement with Palestinian solidarity organisations that support the global campaign to boycott Israel. In the course of hours of questioning, officials demanded that Ms Tamari open her personal email account for review. [Continue reading…]

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2 thoughts on “Israel’s fear of free discussion exposed by email intrusions

  1. DE Teodoru

    “Askkenazi” coincidentally ends in “nazi.” Everything about Jewish culture, as it evolved in the Diaspora over centuries, focused on liberal intellectualism and bypassing the rabbis in a quest for modernity, intellect, science and liberal thinking. Now, ruling Israel, requires that over the top 10%, the Haredi from East Europe and the Middle East. They are totalitarian, not because they are Jews, but because that’s how they lived in shetles, unlike those who moved to the cities of Europe!!

    The problem, therefore, is that the Zionazi tendencies of the Askkenazis is fascilitated– even propelled– by the Haredi, whose rabbinical leaders want absolute religious rule; but, under that guise, secular Ashkenazi Likudniks are returning to their “Revisionist” NAZI roots, promulgated by Jabotinsky in collaboration with the Nazis. I urge all to read about the evolution and branches of Zionist thinking from the start to now. Politically, it had two wings: FASCIST and COMMUNIST, just like the East Europeans countries of that era that they originated from. The early post-WWII mass influx of West European and American Jews suppressed these totalitarian tendencies, especially as it was the Western Diaspora that was keeping Israel financially alive. But the worst thing that could ever have happened to Zionism was the SOVIET JEWRY INC. scam. It was meant to make up for the infertile Jewish population of Greater Israel in its post-1967 competition for numerical domination of the conquered territories. Telling Soviet and East Euro Jews that they can move to the United States if they pass through Israel, Zionists got both Jews that were victims of Communism as well as Jews who were career Communist Party members ( then facing no real discrimination) to leave the Red Bloc, expecting to stop in Israel only to pis at the bathroom in Lod Airport before proceeding on to America where they would be allowed to settle. As the Red World was economically declining, Jew and Goy East Euros alike sought, as the famous Ricchi Et Povere record sang: “GOING TO AMERICA.” Well, most got to the US but a lot were impeded by the Israelis. As a result, Israel got the worst of the crop– real crap!

    Making a deal with the “Greater Israel” Likud Ziofascists,” and the Haredi that want strict religious law in Israel, they were enticed with free homes and cash, gift of the US taxpayer, to stay in Israel. Eventually, together with the Ziofascists and the Haredi, they took over Israel and are now plundering as they strip it of its liberal tradition. Unfortunately for them, since the fall of Communism, younger East Euro immigrants and Sabras have been abandoning Israel for the West in droves, leaving behind the Ziofascists, the Haredi and the Russians to make Israel into a racist and totalitarian religious fundamentalist Ziofascist state. This is the background– not to the racist and oppressive ideology– but to the domination and transformation of one of the world’s most advanced and free nations into a Ziofacist state. Bravely, liberal-thinking Sabras are trying to hold out while Diasporics remain mum but are becoming detached. Israel’s kids are leaving, taking their chances in the West, despite the economic crisis. Meanwhile, the Triumvirate of Ziofascists, Haredi and Russians is both exsanguinating Israel of its potential as well as of its liberties….all this at a time when “f–en Arabs” are no longer incompetents who run from battle but, as in Lebanon and Gaza, proved themselves ready to stand and fight, very skillfully, to the death. Unless the liberals take back control of Israel through mass Diasporic migration from the West and make accommodation with the Arab neighbors, what you see now as outrageous assaults on civil liberties and civic culture is really the death throws of what could have been the prospective leader of progressive modernization in the Middle East. Nothing is more symptomatic of this Ziofascist disease that the claim that anti-Zionist=anti-Semite. Professional Jews who used to deny the legitimacy of this outrageous hasbara have fallen into line for career survival. The way to oblivion will be very ugly and heart breaking, even for the Arabs, as they had expected that someday Israel could lead them from peace into modernization. Joseph Dana, therefore, in my opinion, is only describing the symptoms, not diagnosing the long evolving disease.

  2. BillVZ

    Mr. Dana’s views may well be “only describing the symptoms” as the respected De Teodoru presents but on the other hand decades ago:

    ‘Why not tell people that this and other similar tragedies are taking place because we are occupying another nation and that in order to save lives the right thing to do is to end the occupation and negotiate a just peace with our Palestinian partners?’ . .Miko Peled to Ehud Barak 1997

    http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/9831-israel-upside-down- related post article by David Swanson

    As far Dana as not diagnosing the long evolving disease it seems to me that diagnoses and medication have been offered over the years by bloggers and ‘experts’ ad nauseam.

    An earlier commentary for another article posting reminds one that:
    “Our country is locked into supporting Israel, whatever they do. I cannot really see any real effort for peace in any foreseeable future.” That is a statement that makes sense to me.

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