Hi Paul Duffil,

You may need to add a clause to your statement:

"There is however one country in the region of Syria, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, with a terrible human rights record which is conspicuously absent from Australian sanctions."

Perhaps more than one :)

As I understand it, Israel holds elections, and has a parliament, the Knesset, in which Arab Israelis are entitled to sit if elected in the usual way. Christian and Muslim-Arab children study equally at Israeli schools. Arab students attend universities.
In Israel, many signs are in both Hebrew and Arabic, isn't that so ? Arabic-language radio and TV station flourish.

In Israel, Arabs do NOT have to pay a special tax, such as Muslim countries may charge for dhimmis. Israel does not support slavery, which may still exist in Muslim countries, such as Mauretania.

And perhaps in Saudi Arabia: in her 'Slavery in the Twentieth Century', Suzanne Miers writes (p. 349):

" .... in August [1962], a younger son of Ibn Saud, Talal, an admirer of Nasser, and an advocate of constitutional government, announced he was freeing his thirty two slaves and fifty concubines.... "

Was he the only one to do so ? Anybody else since ?

As for Turkey, it was illegal until recently for Kurds to speak Kurdish or print anything in Kurdish. Perhaps those days will return now, Paul.

And as for Syria ....

But you may wish to ignore all those inconveniences :)

Good luck !

Joe

Just a small correction if I may, Joe:

Israel DOES support slavery, in the form of conscription. However, Arabs/Muslims are exempt, so they are treated even better than Jews!

Hi Yuyutsu,

I suppose it depends on how you define 'slavery': the usual definition includes a labour or service component, with no or little pay. I think Israeli conscripts get paid. They can also vote, but that may not count since Mauretanian slaves have also had the vote since way back, about 2007.

If we stretch that definition a little, many non-working women in unhappy marriages also could be defined as 'slaves'. And I wonder who that might include, in Australian society ? Women required to stay at home, unless accompanied by a male relative, whose human rights are severely restricted, and whose main task is to provide male children for their master, who may have more than one such 'wife'.

Good heavens, are there such people in Australia ?! Surely not people with standard Australian values ?!

Joe

Dear Joe,

Israeli conscripts receive pocket money (currently 540-1076 NIS/month, which are about A$195-388, depending whether they are in combat roles), which is enough to buy sweets and soft-drinks at the canteen and for other sundry expenses such as replacing their underwear and socks (the army provides only once on the first day of service, 3 sets of underwear, 5 pairs of socks and one towel), as well as for refunding the army for losing/damaging/being-stolen military equipment.

Though this is irrelevant because conscripts are not there for the money: they could be millionaires already with no need for that money, yet no sum of money can buy their freedom or save them from danger.

Similarly, the women you describe who are locked at home by abusive husbands could be receiving lots of gold and diamond jewellery, but this doesn't change their status one iota.

As the BDS movement targets not just Israeli organisations, but Jewish organizations as well, their claim not to be bigots and racists is hollow.

Secondly the same left whinge loonies that were silent as Russia occupied and oppressed Eastern Europe, China occupied Tibet, and ISIS occupies and terrorizes Syria, are focusing on only Israel and ignoring the atrocities committed by the Palestinians.

Sorry but BDS is about as racist as it gets.

Anything bad that happens is never the fault of the Muslims

Even their members who shoot and stab and take hostages like the
Lindt coffee shop attack are all doing it because we don't make him feel
Welcome. Notice it is not the fault of their tribal cult lime filling their heads
With hate and lies.

in the middle of all the wars and hatred going on throughout the world.
Who are always right in the middle of the trouble, the Muslims.
But notice again, it is never their fault, it is because people don't
Understand them, and persecute the poor darlings.

Israel occupied the so called Palestian Territories as a buffer zone from Arab attack,
After they were attacked by 3 or 4 Arab States when the British pulled out of Palestine which they had occupied at the end of World War Two, because the Arabs had collaborated with Hitler.
It was called the 6day war. Israel beat back those 4 Attacking Arab states and occupied
The territory in a buffer zone around Israel.
The Arabs never mention their attack on Israel or that they got beaten, big time.
They only ever blame Israel for occupying the territory.

Lies,lies and more lies from the Arabs.