Hillary Clinton promises megadonor she will work with Republicans– to oppose BDS

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

http://mondoweiss.net/2015/07/promises-megadonor-republicans

Hillary Clinton wrote a letter to Haim Saban, the biggest giver on the Democratic side, saying that she will be speaking out publicly against BDS, the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign aimed at Israel, and will work “across party lines” to oppose it.

In a two page letter with a handwritten postscript, released by Saban to the press, Clinton expresses “alarm” at the movement, links anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism, and the murderous attacks on French Jews, and tells Saban that she first “fell in love” with Israel more than 30 years ago when she and Bill Clinton walked the streets of Jerusalem’s Old City. (Sorry, but that’s occupied Palestine.) And Israel is a miracle.

I am also very concerned by attempts to compare Israel with South African apartheid. Israel is a vibrant democracy in a region dominated by autocracy, and it faces existential threats to its survival. Particularly at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise across the world — especially in Europe — we need to repudiate forceful efforts to malign and undermine Israel and the Jewish people.

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BDS must be doing something right to be getting this kind of attention. This is all about money; Hillary Clinton needs to raise more than $2 billion, much of it from pro-Israel Jews. Saban just staged a conference in Las Vegas with Sheldon Adelson, the big Republican giver, to come up with ideas to counter BDS. The big idea was millions of dollars.

It's a pity that HRC has decided that Israeli apartheid isn't Israeli apartheid. Perhaps she could explain to Americans, and for that matter the world, how one people crushing another people, on their own land, is democratic in any way shape or form.

[bravenak]

1. Yuck. This is why the idea of her scares me.

Too old school.

[Israeli]

12. This is why she scares me ......

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4676914,00.html

"Diplomacy is all about personal relationships, and I've got my own relationships," Clinton was quoted as saying, referring to her relationships with two of Obama's bigger critics in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Oren.

I would choose Obama over Clinton any day .....she is desperate and power hungry ....might be good for you guys but she will be a disaster for us .

[Dr Hobbitstein]

2. And Bernie is no different.

http://mondoweiss.net/2015/05/sanders-leftwing-economic

[bluestateguy]

3. Your candidate is no fan of BDS either

maybe because the BDS crowd seems to tolerate anti-Semites.

[grossproffit]

4. +1

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

7. Criticism of the apartheid state is not anti-semitism. It's just crticism of apartheid.

But I know that some will go to great lengths to try and make it so.

[Mosby]

5. You won't find a single democratic leader who thinks Israel is engaged in apartheid

Because the accusation is nothing more than piss poor demonization.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

6. Times are a changing, mos. BDS is growing, and that is what really

worries Israel.

I guess that is why HRC is taking to a mega donor about working with republicans.

Israel is in an endgame of its own making, mos.


Must suck to know that, right?

[Israeli]

9. Mega donor for sure .....

from your op :....

BDS must be doing something right to be getting this kind of attention. This is all about money

http://forward.com/news/breaking-news/311429/billionaires-saban-and-soros-pour-3m-into-hillary-clinton-campaign/

According to an analysis published Friday, also by Politico, Clinton is privately signaling to wealthy Jewish donors that, no matter the result of the Iranian nuclear negotiations, she will be a better friend to Israel than President Barack Obama.

[Israeli]

11. Talking about .....

.... " Times are a changing " ......have a read of this RDO :

Israel losing Democrats, ‘can’t claim bipartisan US support,’ top pollster warns

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-losing-democrats-cant-claim-bipartisan-us-support-top-pollster-warns/?utm

[oberliner]

17. That "top pollster" is a RW hack

Notorious from cooking the numbers to make Republicans look good and Democrats look bad - which, in this context, is also what he is trying to do.

[grossproffit]

8. Indeed.

[Little Tich]

10. I'm OK with that, as long as she doesn't oppose BDS of the settlements.

She obviously refers to Israel, but it would be good if she clarified her position on BDS of the settlements.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

13. Why? It is Israel that is the offender.

Boycotting only one part if the apartheid state will only make them disguise goods coming out if the OPT.

A full boycott is needed until Israel realizes the world is fed up with its human rights abuses.

[Little Tich]

14. I have a problem with boycotting Israeli products.

The non-Jewish citizens of Israel have civil rights; it's not apartheid. These rights are not equal to the rights of Jewish citizens, but they still enjoy a minimum of civil rights. The complete absence of civil rights in the the occupied territories for Palestinians, however, is an unequivocal manifestation of apartheid. Right now, I still buy white and blue - not often, but a few times every month.

I'm also aware that the way things are going, buying Israeli products may not be morally OK, not even for me, in the future.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

15. "These rights are not equal to the rights of Jewish citizens..."

You just lost your argument through that admission.

[oberliner]

16. The statement is false

All Israeli citizens are equal under the law, regardless of their religion.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

18. With all that has gone on WRT the Bedouin alone,

anybody that says that Israel treats their citizens fairly is not only not being honest but lying outright.

The Bedouin today are being treated like the First Nations were in the 19th century.

[oberliner]

19. It's simply a fact

There is discrimination, of course - as there is in every country in the world.

But under Israeli law, all citizens are equal.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

20. You are not being honest in any way.

I feel embarrassed for you and your erroneous reply.

[oberliner]

21. It is an indisputable fact

All citizens are equal under the law in Israel regardless of religion.

You can read the documents yourself if you'd like. They aren't secret.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

22. No, ober, even somebody with an

Oberlin Liberal arts degree should be able to understand that apartheid Israel treats the Bedouin terribly, not equally and the practice is shameful.

[Little Tich]

23. You are completely wrong.

There are two types of citizenship in Israel - one by the Law of return, and the other one. All and only Jewish citizens have the one by the Law of return, which gives them an extra set of rights based on their collective rights as being a member of the Jewish people: the right to be drafted, the right to live on JNF lands, the right to better schooling, the right to live on state owned lands, the right to preferential administrative treatment, the right to have new communities planned, the right to national expression in flags, national anthems and laws, the right to a bigger cultural budget, the right to better community services, etc.

I'm surprised that you don't know this.

[Little Tich]

24. In a way, I'm glad we disagree.

It shows that at least I won't be too early to call apartheid on Israel.

We definitely have different views on where apartheid begins. I just don't think a legal and administrative system that discriminates against non-Jews is enough to be apartheid. For me, apartheid begins when the basic civil rights are denied to a segment of the population, like in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Non-Jewish Israelis have only limited citizenship and enjoy only very basic civil right - but they still have just enough to be above the level where IMHO apartheid begins. However, apartheid is just around the corner, as those rights are continually eroded by the current government.