"Conversion therapy" statements by Israeli Education Minister Peretz grabbed intentional media headlines. Media by and large ignored his statements, on the very same occasion, in favor of establishing formal, permanent apartheid regime in Israel. Current conditions in Palestine are de facto, informal apartheid, justified by the Israeli and US governments as "temporary" for over 50 years...
Israeli Education Minister announces his intention to promote full annexation of the Palestinian territories with "no political-level voting rights" for Palestinians (top). The stunned interviewer responds: "It's called apartheid" (bottom). Twitter message by Achiya Schatz, Breaking the Silence Communications Director, attacks Nitzan Horowitz, Chair of Meretz ("left-wing" party ), for repeatedly posting responses, addressing Peretz's "conversion therapy" statements, but failing to address Peretz's apartheid statements.
Tel-Aviv, July 15 - "Rabbi" Rafi Peretz, newly appointed Education Minister of the interim Netanyahu government, has grabbed international headlines, when he announced in an Israeli TV interview his support for "conversion therapy", and his own successful experience in the administration of the "therapy". Worldwide headlines included, among others, Reuters, the New York Times, Le Monde, Russia Today... [i]
The same has been true for Israeli media and public discourse in social networks in Israel.
Both international and Israeli media largely ignored other statements by the Education Minister in the very same interview: his intention to promote full annexation of the Palestinian territories "with no political-level voting rights" for Palestinians. The stunned interviewer responds: "It's called apartheid."
Both types of statements reflect the long-established opinions of the nationalist religious Jewish parties in Israel. However, typically political figures avoid making clear statements, openly declaring their opinions. This growing sector of the Israeli public is heavily supported by the Israeli government in settlements in Palestine. Such support was accompanied by the flourishing of a brand of Judaism, which is characterized by racist, militant, violent, and at times murderous tendencies. [ii]
Formally, Israel likes to consider the circumstances in Palestine "temporary" - pending political solution, although such temporary circumstances, amounting to de facto apartheid, have lasted for over 50 years.
That is also the logic behind US foreign policy in the region over the past 50 years, including Trump's recent, stillborn "Deal of the Century". Creating the false appearances of some non-existent peace process allows the settlement project and the de facto apartheid to continue.
Jewish-American organizations, e.g., IfNotNow, and younger US Jews from coast to coast today take a clear stand on these issues. [iii] Such US Jews are routinely referred to by the nationalist Jewish sector in Israel and the Netanyahu government as "auto-antisemites" (self-hating Jews).
Trump, on his part, is using Israel and the US Jewish community as fodder in his Twitter warfare, ensuring that Israel and Jews would feature in the 2020 election in a manner that they had never featured before. [iv] Trump surely knows how to speak to his base, but the US Jewish community, and in the long run Israel as well, are likely to be on the losing end of these gimmicks and publicity stunts.
LINKS
i Israeli education minister favors gay 'conversion therapy' | Reuters
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