So the minister issued a decree to stop this godless practice at once. But what to do with the cats? Ariel thought deeply, and came up with his favorite word: Transfer.
When Israeli fascists use this word, they usually mean transfer of Arabs. Ariel's several consecutive parties all talked about "transfer" (they use the English word in Hebrew, too) -- transfer from the West Bank, transfer from the Gaza Strip, transfer from East Jerusalem, transfer from Israel proper. So, thinking deeply about the cats, he hit at once upon the obvious solution: why, transfer them, too!
Pure genius. But, eh, where to? The minister, of course, could not be troubled with such details. Transfer them anywhere. To any African country. Mozambique? Zimbabwe? Lots of African countries would take them for good money (provided by the US, of course). Not being Jewish, they could neuter and kill to their heart's content.
But, like Netanyahu and his mufti, Ariel and his cats raised a storm. Israel is full of animal lovers, animal-rights fighters and such. They rose as one to protest against this new Holocaust.
Ariel had to retreat. No transfer. So what to do with the cats? At the moment, no one knows.
(Candid disclosure: I am an animal lover. I love especially cats. I once brought a little kitten home, and in no time my three-room apartment contained 13 cats, apart from their two sub-tenants, my wife and I. Now they are none, but the cats on my street partake of all of my meals.)
THE COUNTRY is now full of jokes, but it is no joking matter. The far-right government is in the throes of a veritable legislative mania, reaching new heights every week.
Coalition members -- ministers and just plain MKs -- compete with each other in submitting bills, ridiculous, atrocious or both. There is a veritable St. Vitus dance of government legislators.
This week, the Knesset enacted a law compelling judges to condemn stone-throwers -- including 13-year-old children -- to a minimum prison term of two or four years, depending on the circumstances. In Israel, children under 14 bear no criminal responsibility, but a remedy has been found for that: government attorneys just drag out their court cases until the accused reach their 14th birthday.
The parents of children so condemned will forfeit any social security payments for the same time, and are also liable to a fine of 10,000 Shekels, more than USD 2500.
Another new bill prescribes that peace and human rights activists are not allowed to enter the Knesset building without bearing a special tag. True, this applies only to members of associations which receive money from foreign governments.
Many Israelis were reminded of the Nazi order that Jews must wear a yellow Star of David at all times. Some even proposed that the tag be yellow and in the form of a six-pointed star.
The same associations (including renowned ones like B'Tselem, which is even respected by the army) must also proclaim their foreign sources of financing on all correspondence.
The trick behind this proposal is that right-wing associations do not need the assistance of foreign governments, because they are swimming in money provided by foreign Jews. Sheldon Adelson, for example, is richer than many governments, and he is only one of the multi-multi-billionaires who openly finance Netanyahu and the Likud party.
The EU and some individual European governments support some peace and human rights associations (alas, not Gush Shalom), much to the chagrin of Likud members. Hence the new idea.
Another new bill will change the law against "sedition." Until now, to convict anyone (meaning Arabs) of sedition, one had to prove that there was a direct and immediate danger that his or her words would lead to terrorist actions. Not anymore. Since all Arabs say and write that they oppose the occupation, practically anyone can be convicted under this law.
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