‘Yes Mr. Lieberman, I’m a proud Jewish terrorist’

Yes, there are other voices besides Lieberman’s. Shame, shame, shame that there is such a Foreign Minister in Israel. This is from a Ha’aretz op-ed by retired Major General Shlomo Gazit:

The foreign minister says Yesh Din, the organization of whose public council I am a member, is a terrorist organization — 69 years after the British Mandatory government defined me as a terrorist.

In [1944], … I enlisted in the Palmach, the elite strike force of the Haganah, and during my period of activity in the framework of the Jewish resistance movement the British government considered me a “terrorist.” Afterwards I fought in the War of Independence and spent another 32 years in the Israel Defense Forces as a career soldier.

Today I consider the continuation of our occupation rule in Judea and Samaria an existential danger. As I see it, this situation is threatening the main achievement to which I contributed 70 years ago: the establishment of a sovereign and democratic Jewish state. If we don’t separate as soon as possible from the Palestinian population on the ground, Jewish and democratic Israel will be unable to survive.

A few years ago I became a member of the public council of Yesh Din — Volunteers for Human Rights. … [I]n the present situation, unfortunately, there is no equal treatment for Jews and Arabs [in the occupied territories] when it comes to law enforcement. The legal system that enforces the law in a discriminatory way on the basis of national identity, is actually maintaining an apartheid regime. And I wanted to prevent that with my activity and contribution as a member of the council of Yesh Din.

The Palestinian resident in the occupied territory is unable in most cases to stand up for his rights and to find his way in the State of Israel’s civil and military bureaucratic maze. The group of researchers and volunteers (mainly female ) of Yesh Din serve as his mouthpiece. We do not presume to decide who is right in each and every instance. Our job is only to learn about all the details of the complaint and to bring it to the authorities. … Click here to read entire article online.

Lilly Rivlin www.lillyrivlin.com www.gracepaleythefilm.com Distributor: www.jewishfilm.org