Bishara: Alleged use of free speech

Allegations against former Israeli MK Azmi Bishara threaten to cover up the real scandal of the Israeli-Lebanese war!

I have been following the publicity surrounding the Winograd Committee’s report, published two days ago, with great interest. The Commitee, convened by the government of Israel, was charged with investigating the actions of the Israeli military and government leading up to and during the war.

I was living in the Galilee during the war, and joined many others in Tel Aviv to protest the actions of the military. When thousands of Palestinian Israelis and Jewish Israelis filled the streets of the city to call the Minister of Defense, the Chief of Staff and the Prime Minister to account, people jeered at us from the sides of the street, waved Israeli flags and called us “traitors.” I’m not Israeli, but those marching beside me felt the insult–is it treachery to voice an opinion?

It was a small victory to read that the committee that investigated the war concluded that the Minister of Defense, the Prime Minister and the Chief of Staff of Israel were all negligent, acted with hubris and unwarranted bravado, and in doing so endangered or extinguished the lives of many Israeli civilians and soldiers. The committee does not call them to account for the deaths of Lebanese civilians in the areas that Israel bombarded and invaded–but this essential disregard for humanity does weigh heavily on the hearts of many Israelis as well.

I opened YNet to read further news of the committee and its effect this morning and was sickened to find that the lead story is that Azmi Bishara, former Balad member of Knesset, is now being investigated for aiding Hezbollah and acts of treachery. This is an unconscionable distraction from the real issue of holding the government responsible–I’d even go so far to say it’s incitement and libel. The entire news story lays out the elaborate way that Bishara collaborrated with Hezbollah…(allegedly). Exactly.

Is is possible that the allegations against Bishara are true? About as possible as John Kerry not having actually served in Vietnam. What is similiar is the way that pretty bogus allegations are being used to cover up an issue much more pressing and divert public attention in a dangerous way. When we were dodging Katyushas in northern Israel, we used the sarcastic phrase “binaqu adas” to say that the rockets would sort out the Jews and the Arabs. It was entirely and sadly sarcastic, as everyone knew that Nazareth and Majd Al-Krum (where Bishara’s party, ironically, is very strong) were getting hit along with Haifa.

Azmi Bishara voices a minority opinion, that of a one-state solution and a right of return for all Palestinian refugees. I would not be part of Balad were I a citizen of Israel, but I certainly support free speech and diversity of opinion within the political arena. I find Avigdor Liberman’s calls for transfer of Palestinian Israelis to the West Bank as part of a “solution” to the conflict as offensive and unconstitutional, but he obviously has a right to voice this opinion as he is deputy Prime Minister.

Bishara got out of the country…but where does that leave Israel?

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