Perfidious Albion interfering in another democracy's domestic affairs
From the Jerusalem Post, a tale that shows up elsewhere in the world's media, if not - as far as I can see - here:
"Israel is up in arms over a declaration by a British government spokesman that the UK is funding political activity in Israel. British spokesman Martin Day said in an interview in Dubai with Al-Arabiya television last week that the British government was "taking practical steps towards freezing settlement activities." "For instance," Day said, "we finance projects aimed at halting settlement activities. One of these projects seeks to build new Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem and save Palestinian houses from demolition." In addition, Day said in an Arabic interview, "we also finance organizations that monitor settlement activities." He further stated that "products from the settlements do not enjoy preferential custom duties that we offer to products coming from Israel. In light of this, we can say that we are taking effective and practical steps against settlement activities."...
Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said, "We can't recall any other case of a democratic country funding political activities inside another democratic country."..."How would the British feel if another country funded political activities of groups within the UK?" he asked. Barak's conversation with Phillips came fast on the heels of revelations that the British, Dutch and Spanish governments were funding Breaking the Silence, an Israeli NGO that recently published a report in which unnamed soldiers alleged IDF misconduct during Operation Cast Lead."
I am not going to make any apologies for being a Zionist or outline for the umpteenth reason why I am one, but my objections to 'our' government's activities in Israel would be the same were they going on in any other democracy. The Israelis are well within their rights to feel thoroughly aggrieved.
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But the activities in quetion are not in Israel itself but in the 1968 Occupied Territories, whose expropriation and cccupation are in absolutely violation of numerous UN resolutions and the UK's moral responsibilities under the League of Nations and UN mandates. Even a Palistinophile such as yourself would surely not term these areas as being a democratic zone.
Agree with you C 100%. The question of "How would the British feel" is not hypothetical - we Brits spend quite a lot of time up in arms about interference from foreign countries.
Why oh why is this government so keen to sell off our hard-earned reputation for integrity to the lowest bidder?
Acker - Without wishing to get dragged into the specifics of Res 242, it was advisory rather than mandatory, and given the absence of the definitive article from 'Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict' is open to different interpretations. However, let us agree to differ on that one.
What I consider to be the greater tort is the funding of the NGO - that is clear cut interference in Israeli domestic affairs, in exactly the same way that foreign funding of, say, the Electoral Reform Society would be.
It seems that this is just media hype though.
For example, we offer preferential trade tariffs to Israel, but not to Palestine.
Why is that?
Why is offering preferential trade tariffs to both sides seen as "interfering"?
Weird.
I presume the Voice of America is banned in Israel, as it is undeniably an arm of the US government to spread a specific message supporting US government policy.
IV - I'm in favour of free trade with all and any state, neo-state entity etc etc.
I regretfully have to report that Poor Evadne Spode hasn't been playing with a full deck for some years. Now it is true that she comes from Middle Wallop and some more blinkered Nether Wallopians are of the opinion that Middle Wallopians are NOT LIKE US and the unfortunate product of several generations of doing the beastly thing with one's first cousin but yours truly will have no truck with such bigoted nonsense.
Anyway, guess what the inbred Middle Wallopian heifer has been up to now? You will of course be familiar with the Nether Wallop 100% biodegrable leaf sack (a bargain at £1.99). Well poor Evadne has taking to wearing one out of season. Lacking any leaves the sack is somewhat revealing and the Rev Dawkins tripped over his cassock in shock on encountering Evadne wearing the leaf sack AND NOTHING ELSE and is now in Nether Wallop General Hospital with a displaced fracture of tibia and fibula, MRSA and secondary swine flu. Sometimes life can be too cruel...
Should any cynic among your readers doubt the existence of the Nether Wallop 100% biodegrable leaf sack as a public service yours truly is happy to provide this link to copy and paste
http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/nether-wallop/nether-wallop-100-biodegradable-leaf-sack/
Splendid stuff, what?
By the way, isn't that 'Dave' Cameron chappie something to do with you? He has caused an almighty kerfuffle by saying 'twat' twice on radio or somesuch. Being curious as to the meaning of this word, yours truly set about some googling but found only a quote from that nice Germaine Greer lady who appears on Newsnight Review from time to time: 'No woman wants to find out that she has a twat like a horse-collar' So a twat is a piece of equestrian equipment! But what type? My curiosity thus aroused I went down to Nether Wallop Stables and Riding School for Young Ladies and asked if they could show me a twat. To my considerable surprise they threatened to call the police.
Some people!
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