New Israeli law will force Palestinians to pay for the destruction of their own homes

[Maniacal]

Israel passes draft law requiring Palestinians to pay for their own home demolitions
Wednesday June 29, 2011 12:10 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

A Committee of the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) passed a first draft of a law that will require that Palestinians whose homes are destroyed by Israeli forces pay the Israeli government for the demolition costs.

The law will now be passed to the full Knesset for a final reading, where it is expected to pass due to the current makeup of the Knesset.

Since 1967, Israeli forces have demolished 24,813 Palestinian homes. 90% of these homes were destroyed for 'administrative' reasons – because they either lacked a permit or were in an area designated for expansion by the Israeli military. No permits have been issued by Israeli authorities for Palestinian construction in the Occupied Territories since 1967. The remaining 10% of the demolitions have been 'punitive' demolitions of the homes of Palestinians accused of attacking Israel, or of their families' homes.

In the first five months of 2011, Israeli forces demolished more Palestinian homes than in the entire year of 2010, rendering homeless 706 Palestinians, including 341 minors. This is according to the most recent numbers released by the Israeli Civil Administration.

If the law passes the full Knesset, any Palestinian whose home is destroyed by the Israeli military will have to pay thousands of dollars to cover the cost of the demolition. Already, many Palestinian homeowners, mainly in Jerusalem, have been forced to pay for the forced demolition of their homes.

Israeli forces use US-made armored D9 bulldozers, manufactured by the Caterpillar Corporation, to carry out the demolition of Palestinian homes. This has led US and international activists to call for a boycott of the Caterpillar corporation, saying that the use of the bulldozers to demolish Palestinian homes is a violation of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

http://www.imemc.org/article/61573?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Also in the Jerusalem Post (major English Israeli newspaper).

Spoiler :

Nakba Bill' passes Knesset in third reading
By REBECCA ANNA STOIL
03/23/2011 09:17

New law would penalize local authorities, state-funded bodies for denying Israel as Jewish, democratic state; Admissions Committee Law passes.
Talkbacks (13)

The Knesset approved two controversial laws slammed by left-wing legislators and activists as unfairly targeting Israeli Arabs during a late plenum session on Tuesday night. But while some coalition MKs were happy to claim victory, civil rights organizations promised that at least one of the two bills would face a Supreme Court challenge.

The Abraham Fund Initiatives together with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel announced Tuesday that they intend to appeal the Admission Committees Law to the Supreme Court. “This law establishes a mechanism of ethnic segregation between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel, under the auspices of the Knesset,” complained the co-executive directors of the Abraham Fund, Amnon Be’eri-Sulitzeanu and Mohammad Darawshe, calling the law “clearly unconstitutional.”

The Nakba Bill passed its third reading with 37 voting in favor and 25 opposed. The Admissions Committee Law passed with 35 in favor and 20 opposed

The Admission Committees Law, sponsored by Israel Beiteinu’s David Rotem and Kadima’s Shai Hermesh and Yisrael Hasson, would formalize the establishment of admission committees to review potential residents of Negev and Galilee communities that have fewer than 400 families.

Although such committees existed even before the bill was passed, the bill formalizes the compilation of such committees, and also legally empowers the committees to reject candidates if they do not meet certain criteria. Possible reasons for rejection include lack of intent to establish primary residence in the community, lack of economic means to establish a home in the community, if a professional evaluation reveals that they do not fit in with the community's way of life, or do not fit in with the community's “socio-cultural” tenor.

After MKs, including Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, expressed concern that the law would institutionalize discrimination, the bill was recently returned to committee and an amendment was added prohibiting admissions committees from rejecting applicants due to "race, religion, nationality or physical handicap."

Minutes before the Admission Committees Law passed, the Knesset also approved in its final readings the co-called ''Nakba Bill”, sponsored by Alex Miller (Israel Beiteinu).

The re-worked version of the law would require the state to fine local authorities and other state-funded bodies for holding events marking Nakba (Arabic for catastrophe) Day on Independence Day, supporting armed resistance or racism against Israel, or desecrating the state flag or nation symbols.

According to the law, any state-funded body that sponsors such an event would be forced to pay three times its sponsorship cost in fines deducted from their operating budget. If the same body violates the law again in the ensuing two years, they will pay a double fine.

During an earlier plenum debate during which Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke about pro-democracy movements in the Arab world, Balad Chairman Jamal Zahalka blasted both laws, as well as a third that would force residents to pay for demolition costs for illegal buildings as “racist” and said that they were intended to harm Arabs.

“On this black night, we will turn to the whole world in order to get protection from this anti-democratic government led by Binyamin Netanyahu,” complained Zahalka, hours before voting began on the bills.

The Abraham Fund also responded to the Nakba Law, warning that “Knesset members are mistaken to think that one can force the Arab minority to celebrate Israel's Independence Day. It is important to allow Arab citizens to learn about and acknowledge their painful past. It is also important that mutual understanding of the other’s historical narrative exists between the Jews and Arabs in Israel.”

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=213396

This is quite the dick move by Israel, they demolished these people's homes to make way for illegal settlements and whatever 'military expansion' truly means and then force people to pay for them? All I can see this doing is encouraging more terrorism and hatred against Israel. Clearly Israel doesn't want Palestinians to live there (housing permits are extremely difficult to get, and people already own their houses) and I wonder what abuse Israel will commit next in their quest to seemingly rid Israel of Palestinians. Perhaps make them all wear an armband? The Gaza Strip is already the largest open air prison in the world, did Israel either learn NOTHING from the Holocaust, or all the wrong lessons?

EDIT: My view aside, do you think this is a good move for Israel? Why or why not?

 

[emzie]

Austerity measures.

Perhaps a rebuke of Obama? Seems like a really petty move.

 

[Ajidica]

I guess Israel really likes oppressed minorities with numerous and large grievances vowing eternal hatred and opposition toward Israel.
To each their own, I guess.

I think Israel learned many lessons from the Holocaust. Notably, the proper way to go about oppresing a population.

 

[madviking]

And there are people who unconditionally support Israel. Shaking my head...shaking my head...

 

[amadeus]

The Gaza Strip is already the largest open air prison in the world

The Gaza Strip is not larger than Cuba.

 

[Maniacal]

The Gaza Strip is not larger than Cuba.

Except Cuba is not blockaded by an invading power. EDIT: Cuba is NOT worse than North Korea. Anyway that isn't what this thread is about.

 

[bestrfcplayer]

Israel's just being Israel. Again.

 

[Traitorfish]

Israel's just being Israel. Again.

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Israel is kinda like the town drunk of the international community- you know that you should be appalled when he takes a dump in the water fountain, but by this point your expectations are just so low that you can't really imagining it otherwise...

The Gaza Strip is not larger than Cuba.

So are we to infer from this that out-of-time Cold Warriors have given up even trying to paint North Korea as "communist", or what?

 

[Tee Kay]

So it seems Israel doesn't want peace after all... or is there something more to this?

 

[Millman]

Now we know why 'hate' isn't free speech. More to the point, life is short and expensive.

 

[civ_king]

stay classy

 

[Tani Coyote]

I know I tend to lean somewhat towards Israel, but this is too much. Both sides should pay the other for the destruction caused by their nationals. Israel's wealthier and has probably done more damage due to an actual fighting force, so it balances out nicely.

Expecting people to pay you for robbing them is insane. Can anyone actually support this measure, regardless of where you stand on the Israel-Palestine issue?

 

[Maniacal]

Israel has caused far more destruction and death (mostly murder of innocent civillians) than the Palestinian terrorists have caused on Israel (again, most deaths are innocent civillians, but several tiems fewer than Palestinian deaths).

 

[Lone Wolf]

These chaps at Knesset need to have their asses spanked. Hard.

 

[Tani Coyote]

Israel has caused far more destruction and death (mostly murder of innocent civillians) than the Palestinian terrorists have caused on Israel (again, most deaths are innocent civillians, but several tiems fewer than Palestinian deaths).

If you were responding to me, that is what I meant; Israel is wealthier but has caused more damage, so it can afford to pay the cost. Palestine is poorer and has caused less damage, and so can probably afford to pay that as well.

This is purely economical and not intent on making either side the bad guy or good guy - anyone who's read my opinions on this drama knows I don't believe either side of the war is heroic, but neither is either a pure villain.

 

[amadeus]

So are we to infer from this that out-of-time Cold Warriors have given up even trying to paint North Korea as "communist", or what?

Nobody here will try to defend North Korea. Cuba, where it is punishable by a half year prison sentence to even discuss emigration, still has a few fanboys.

 

[civ_king]

Israel has caused far more destruction and death (mostly murder of innocent civillians) than the Palestinian terrorists have caused on Israel (again, most deaths are innocent civillians, but several tiems fewer than Palestinian deaths).

If you take a people's land and cage them like animals what would you expect to happen, them to roll over? Palestinian terrorism is almost justified.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

If you take a people's land and cage them like animals what would you expect to happen, them to roll over? Palestinian terrorism is almost justified.

This, so many times.

Funny how some extra taxes here are justification for a complete revolt, but real life problems like Palestinians face should be carried without a peep.

 

[civ_king]

This, so many times.

Funny how some extra taxes here are justification for a complete revolt, but real life problems like Palestinians face should be carried without a peep.

Are you referring to the taxes that were raised so the British could get back some of the money they spent protecting the colonies?

 

[NiRv4n4]

If you take a people's land and cage them like animals what would you expect to happen, them to roll over? Palestinian terrorism is almost justified.

Seriously? "The government's pissing us off, let's kill some of their civilians! That'll show them!". How does that sound remotely ethical, moral, or justified in any way? It would be one thing if they were targeting military buildings and bases, but to attack civilians to get one's point across is impossible to defend.