Disenfranchising the minority for a change, etc.

According to yesterday’s Jerusalem Post, there are moves afoot to implement a threshold of 5% - or 6 of 120 seats - for parties to take seats in the Knesset. Although plainly a move to disenfranchise the three sitting Arab parties, or ‘factions’ as the Post is pleased to characterize them, none of which holds more than four seats, it would also eliminate the liberal Meretz party, which currently holds four seats, along with any other small parties, such as the Greens. The article doesn’t specify how the votes from failed parties are to be distributed, but in Turkey, a similar 10% threshold enables the reigning soft Islamist AKP (Justice and Development Party) to govern with a huge 66% majority even though they achieved less than 35% of the popular vote in the 2002 parliamentary elections.

Bloggers sell out!

Yesterday’s NY Times reports on a bunch of high profile bloggers accepting money from politicians. Some of them obviously don’t have very strong principles, because they sold out for a pittance. As for me, would I take money from Clinton? For 20,000 Euros a month, sure, I’d tell her anything she doesn’t want to know.

Jews sans frontiers posted a satirical piece attributed to Gabriel Ash and said to have first appeared on yellowtimes in 2003.

Soldiers should be instructed not to use the Star of David when defacing Palestinian property... the IDF could provide soldiers with defacement kits which include a sticker with the following disclaimer (in colloquial Arabic): "This humiliating act is performed by the State of Israel and has nothing to do with Jewish religion.”

Army Education Officers should be dispatched to all Palestinian villages and neighborhoods. The officers should take advantage of the long curfews which keep the population indoors in order to pass from house to house educating people about the deep historical commitment of the Jewish religion to justice and human rights, the beauty of Jewish holidays, the celebrated self-mocking Jewish humor, and the significant contributions of Jews to world culture. Officers will distribute to Palestinian families …free DVD recordings of "Annie Hall"…

Olmert said Israel will be ready to evacuate occupied lands and settlements in return for "real peace." "You have to stop violence and terror, to recognize our right to live in peace and security by your side and to give up the right of return. That's a right, natural and possible target," he said.

I guess I’m a little slow on the uptake with this one. But then, it’s not really news when an Israeli PM undertakes to ‘evacuate occupied lands and settlements’, note not ‘the occupied lands and settlements’ or ‘all occupied lands and settlements’, in exchange for the Palestinian ‘leadership’ relinquishing a right that is not theirs to negotiate. In other words, once again taking a lesson from Jacob and Esau, or perhaps Tom Sawyer, Israel is making a generous offer to return a small part of what they stole if the Palestinians will give up their birthright.

Courtesy of The Israel Project:

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And educating the media about the real foremost state sponsors of terrorism, which already have nukes? Priceless.