So this is how the lies and smears start

Stageleft:

If you live in Israel and you publicly mourn the loss of your land or your home, or the loss of anyone else’s land or home, on National Israel Happy Day, you get to go to jail for three years.

Well, except Stageleft’s alleged statement of fact is nothing more than twofer - a lie and smear. Like most effective smears it is not completely without a grain of truth, but unlike what he leads one to believe, it is a long, long legislative way from either law or fact. What I find noteworthy is how a mere germ of some piece of the complex Israeli body politic is taken and turned and twisted to fit any agenda.

In fact, public ‘Nakba’ ceremonies just occurred less than a month ago and no Israeli citizen was arrested for ‘publicly mourning’ or participating in public Nakba ceremonies – unless your idea of publicly mourning is causing or participating in a riot, stoning, or stabbings. Let alone be sent to jail for three years for ‘mourning the loss of your land’ etc.

What Stageleft omits is that it is a long way from a proposed bill to legislative fact to ‘criminal’ charges and I am highly doubtful Israel Beiteinu has necessary mandates to win a vote let alone the support of the Knesset.

The proposed loyalty oaths legislation will probably not get the endorsement of the Charedi parties and probably Shas as well. Not to mention support from Labor, Kadima and Meretz will vote against the bill. I suspect the Likud will be divided on the bill. The loyalty oath cuts two ways and targets two distinct groups. Israeli-Arabs and the Charedim and many in the Charedi community are highly anti-Zionist as well as anti-Israel. Furthermore, many are outraged in Israeli by the idea of the government dictating what can be mourned or celebrated. For just one such voice let’s quote SnoopytheGoon.

For Hebrew - challenged: Yisrael Beiteinu means "Israel our home". Or, in other words, a name for a party that is quickly becoming a fucking gang of brownshirts that will take our country to fascist hell if we don't stop them in time.

When a well-meaning minister invents a law that will prevent demonstrations against public officials near their houses, it smells bad. It irritates. It reminds you of places and times you would rather forget.

When a malicious little paskudnyak that plays a big patriot invents a law that will prohibit Israeli Arabs to mark the Nakba (no matter how malicious and stupid that Nakba day is), it starts stinking. You have to sit up, smell the air and ask yourself what the hell is going on around you?

When that same gang of brownshirts invents a law that requires Israeli citizens to pledge an oath of allegiance, you may think a first that OK, quite a few countries have their folks doing the same as a precondition to getting that red or blue or green passport. But then you notice that "I pledge to be loyal to the State of Israel as a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state...". And it starts stinking to high heaven. And you don't see red anymore - just brown.

But in Israel there is something called the democratic process and every half-baked badly thought out outrageous proposed piece of legislation can be proposed and then everyone will get they say. After that a vote comes. Stageleft offers no analysis or reason why these bills would pass – of course, he does present it as a fact accomplished. So who knows, he probably blames what he perceives as the innate fascism and racism of the Israeli body politic.

Speaking of racist pieces of legislation there is this from Ma’an News Agency:

Hebron – Ma’an – A special Palestinian Authority (PA) military court in Hebron in the sentenced a Palestinian man to death by hanging after he was found guilty of selling land to Israeli settlers on Tuesday.

(…)The military court held a hearing session on 21 April, on the charge of “leaking lands to Israel.” The PA announced just over a week ago that it is investigating Palestinians who sell land to settlers.

PA courts have convicted Palestinians for collaborating with Israel in the past, usually for providing information about resistance fighters to the Israeli intelligence services. These convictions are based on the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Revolutionary Code.

While Stageleft is quick to condemn every half-baked outrageous piece of legislation the Israeli body politic comes up with he is notorious blog-silent on what Israel’s neighbors and peace partners are up to in actual fact. But don't take my word on it. Go search Stageleft for yourself.