Meet the Israeli ‘Tea Party’ Promoting Free Market Ideas in Uncharted Territory
- Posted on January 5, 2012 at 8:45am by
Sharona Schwartz
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Israeli Freedom Movement's Facebook profile photo
Tea is often best served with honey, so it’s fitting that the first major legal battle Israel’s Tea-Party-equivalent has taken on is against the government’s not-so-sweet regulations on selling and cultivating honey.
Almost every aspect of the economy is highly regulated and taxed in Israel. So what’s a free market proponent to do? Members of the Israeli Freedom Movement – a group inspired by the U.S. Tea Party – decided it was time to stand up for individual rights, so they sued the government.
FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe and Israeli Freedom Movement founder Boaz Arad at Tel Aviv "Kosher Tea" event
Yes, tea party fever has made it to Israel. The movement launched this summer around the time a group of FreedomWorks activists traveled to Israel for Glenn Beck’s Restoring Courage events and made a special trip to Tel Aviv to meet with like-minded believers in individual rights. There they met Boaz Arad, a founder of the Israeli Freedom Movement, who impressed them with his knowledge of classical free-market thinkers including Friedrich Hayek and Ayn Rand.
In an interview with The Blaze, Arad says that since August the group has recruited more than 500 members:
“We view ourselves as allies, friends, ideological partners with the American Tea Party’s struggle. We view the American Tea Party movement as a noble movement that for the first time in the past 100 years offers an alternative to the deterioration of the world’s largest, freest superpower in the direction of socialism and statism.”
American Tea Partiers might think they have an uphill battle, but that’s nothing compared to the steep incline facing Israelis. Arad explains that taxation in Israel is so high that the average Israeli has to work 168 days each year in order to pay taxes before beginning to enjoy the fruits of his labor. His prescription may sound familiar:
“The government should do less. Reduce the regulation, reduce the barriers, reduce the difficulties that Israelis experience in order to establish a business.”
Arad and his colleagues aim to shine a spotlight on what they believe are absurd levels of paperwork and expenses required to start a business. Those regulations protect monopolies which prevent small business owners from competing on an even playing field in the marketplace. The lack of competition, steep income tax and import taxes lead to high prices for Israeli consumers, who also pay an additional 16% value added tax (VAT) on most goods and services.
For example, in Israel, importing more than 12 pounds of honey requires written permission from the Honey Council. Those wanting to cultivate their own honey are also in for some bitter news: setting up a beehive on private property entails another permit. The Honey Council lists only 25 “authorized honey marketers” in the country.
Israeli Freedom Movement's Boaz Arad and Yaron Lerman outside Israel's Supreme Court
Aiming for a precedent-setting change, the Israeli Freedom Movement petitioned the Supreme Court to ask it rule against the government policy requiring those who want to cultivate honey or import honey – in any amount – from being required to obtain a license from the Honey Council. The court agreed to hear the case, and simultaneously provided evidence of its own inefficiency: a hearing in the case is scheduled for next winter.
Arad explains that similar barriers afflict other industries. If an Israeli wants to sell milk, there’s a quota from a special committee that organizes that market. Importing any dairy products from overseas requires “an outrageous sum of money in taxation,” he says. Similar regulations affect the construction industry which is also plagued by the fact that an estimated 93% of land in Israel is owned by the government or related agencies.
In the August brain-storming session in Tel Aviv, FreedomWorks’ President and CEO Matt Kibbe told the Israeli group they shouldn’t be intimidated by the daunting task, because though the American tea party movement began small, it ended up galvanizing major change on the American political landscape and in Congress. Kibbe told them in August:
“The only thing I would suggest to everyone here is don’t think you can’t do this because for years we said this to ourselves in the United States: ‘We can’t possibly do this.’”
Arad agrees there are many issues the American and Israeli groups have in common:
“For both countries there are shared challenges in terms of how important it is to encourage recognizing the value of freedom, an appreciation for innovation and encouraging free thinking, and creating the conditions for personal and economic growth. These values are particularly important in light of the strengthening of radical forces wishing to bring the world back to the days of the Dark Ages.”
“Of course there are many differences. Contrary to the U.S. that was established with a constitution defending individual freedoms that allow a free market in the framework of capitalism, Israel was established with a combination of socialism and private enterprise. In Israel’s early years, socialist elements controlled almost all its good parts. If this had continued, it would have led to the bankruptcy of the State of Israel.”
He also explains that over the past few decades, Israel has been engaged in a process of privatization, gradually reducing government involvement in certain enterprises:
“Contrary to the U.S. that needs to rediscover again its values that have been trampled, Israel needs to recognize them, to craft a constitution and advance the principles of freedom and the free market. It should be noted Israel is a small country, though what happens here has big global ramifications. Therefore, a thriving freedom movement is especially important. Additionally, the U.S. is the last big stronghold of freedom in the world, and without it, we and the free world are lost.”
One of the major impetuses in launching the Israeli group was large protests over the summer highlighting the high cost of living. The protesters demanded more government subsidies, public housing, free preschool education, what they called “social justice.” Arad says:
“The protest movement identified real problems, but it offered the same worn out socialist formulas, such as increasing the government’s role in the economy and in the lives of citizens. Because of this, setting up our movement was critically important in order to stand against this collapse which threatened our freedom in Israel and to provide an alternative which is less government and more freedom.”
In Hebrew, the group calls itself the “New Liberal Movement,” but due to the political connotations they didn’t want to include the word “liberal” in their name in English. Arad says the group intentionally chose the word leeberalee, that is, “liberal” due to the classical economic meaning of the term, he says, before the left could “hijack” the word in Hebrew.
The right-left political divide in Israel is defined by foreign and military policy, not economic affairs, so The Blaze asked Arad which party is most sympathetic to his message. The answer might surprise Americans:
“I believe that in the Likud and the right-wing parties there are islands of understanding for the principles of freedom. Unfortunately, most of the political spectrum in Israel is painted in shades of red, though on the right the red is a bit lighter.”
And that world view is reflected in the Israeli media, which is why Arad and his colleagues took notice of Glenn Beck’s broadcasts from the U.S.:
“Glenn Beck is a supporter of Israel and a loyal friend in the media – all while the Israeli media itself was negligent in its work, failing to defend the values of freedom and advancement…Beck’s visit to Israel made a very significant contribution and enabled direct contact with Matt Kibbe and leading members of the tea party movement.”
FreedomWorks’ David Spielman, who organized the Tel Aviv meeting and who first created the “Kosher Tea” groups bringing together American Jewish tea party supporters, tells The Blaze his goal was:
“reaching out to the Jewish community and engaging Jewish conservatives in America to stand up. I also sought to create Kosher Tea as a way to defend against the claim that the Tea Party is racist and anti-Semitic.”
Spielman says, “It always seemed to me that traditional Jewish values like family and fiscal responsibility have much more in common with conservatism than most Jews realize.” He says FreedomWorks now also has contacts in Japan, Italy, Australia, Austria and the UK.
FreedomWorks’ President and CEO Matt Kibbe tells The Blaze why it’s important to communicate with those overseas:
“Freedom is not an American thing, it is a human thing, as naturally sought as food and water. With the decentralization of information online and the ability of freedom-loving people to connect with each other, learn and organize, we think there is an unprecedented opportunity to change the conversation globally about the proper role of government in a free society.
The people we met in Israel seem keenly aware of the need for more economic prosperity from the bottom up, and how a strategy based on the principles of freedom will work for their country.”
Emphasizing the challenge Arad and his colleagues face, a law was proposed on January 1st that if passed will prevent parents from choosing a “weird” name for their child. Arutz 7 reports, “The law would forbid parents from naming their children with names that ‘hurt their welfare or their feelings.’” A “public names committee” of social workers, psychologists, and educators would be assembled to nix “unacceptable” names that – in their opinion – could cause children damage. True, who wants to be called “Apple,” but is that really the role of government? A small but potent example of the fragile individual rights the Israeli Freedom Movement is working daily to defend.
Watch highlights of the August meeting with the Israeli Freedom Movement and FreedomWorks:
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ilovestock
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:12pmJordan is Palestine.
Report Post »ilovestock
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 9:59pmConstantine – your information is a bit dated…you began accurately, but then lost your way. Socialism exists in Israel mostly in name only. Kibbutzim are no longer the entity they were in the 30′s – 80′s. israel has seen the light and is a growing capitalist society. I lived on a kibbutz in the 70′s. There is a stark contrast of what was to what exists today.
Now, as for the Bolsheviks…you have to remember what that revolution was about. Communism evolved from the revolution – not the other way around. The original intent of a socialist society was to bring equity to all…but communism destroyed that. The ‘white’ Russians were the ruling elites – they sent Cossaks to destroy villages and burn crops. The ‘reds’ fought back as any oppressed people will do.
Report Post »wordsworth
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 3:44pmIsraelis have always had a fascination with emulating the US. It‘s a status thing which dates back from when you couldn’t get American products readily in Israel.
The thing is, the US influence in Israeli politics has ALWAYS been a negative one. Even Bibi, born in Philly, gave back Hebron.
In the case of Israel, some Socialist programs worked for them…and the farther they go towards peacenik policies, the closer they get to privatizing government programs….and this is a mistake. Take their airline for example. El Al works.. and it’s a rare example of how a Government program of a non-obtrusive nature, based in a Socialist principle, can exist without being steeped in Communist oppression, or Progressivism. They want to privatize El Al, and programs like it. Bad move.
Report Post »Constantine Ivanov
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 4:28pm“Israelis have always had a fascination with emulating the US.” Huh?
Report Post »This is a statement with an accuracy up to the contrary.
Jews brought the Socialism/Communism ideology to the USA from Russia and Eastern European countries at the second half of XIX Century.
After the Bolshevik Revolution 1917 (led mostly – up to 80% – by Jews), Jews were spreading that inhuman ideology more and more through the American education system, media and entertainment industries.
When two Socialists, Stalin and Roosevelt, decided to establish the UN and through it to support establishing of Israel, their idea was from the very beginning to create a Socialist State imitating the Stalin’s experiment with the Jewish Autonomous Oblast (1931) in the USSR.
In short, Socialism in Israel is not a result of the US influence. Rather opposite.
If not to mention that the prevailing majority of Jews are inclined to that monstrous ideology as if on a genetic level (goes from the communal mentality – à la Kibbutz – of the Biblical times.)
TheWholeTruth
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 5:30pmspeaking of Israel and the US… did you all know that we are deploying 1000′s of US troops to Israel? They are to be stationed all over Israel for an undetermined length of time. They are going to be doing the largest joint missile defense ‘drill’ in Israeli history. They have our THAAD system as well as Aegis system working with theirs.
Something doesn’t smell right here. My prediction? Israel is going to attack Iran. Iran will retaliate killing our boys (being as they are scatter all across Israel) and we will then HAVE to start the war. Then China and Russia will will step in on Iran’s side and thus begins. WWIII.
This should make all you war mongers VERY excited! (note: Iran is no threat to us militarily not even with a nuke. notice OUR defense systems?)
Report Post »Lateris
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 7:01pmHey Const- The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 killed Jews. In fact my family left for America because of that revolution. In my opinion many Jews were suckered by the Communist that they would be treated equal. How did that work out? Not so good. So lessons learned.
I’m joining freedom movement.
Report Post »mrsalvage2
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 2:43pmNice to see the Isreali People standing up against their Progressive Government.
They have the same problems as America does at the Political Level, but at least you can have a Automatic Weapon like everyone else around you.
That is one thing where America needs to be more like another country.
Report Post »Constantine Ivanov
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 2:18pmAn interesting aspect can be emphasized in this article:
Report Post »“Almost every aspect of the economy is highly regulated and taxed in Israel.”
“ISRAELI ‘TEA PARTY’ PROMOTING FREE MARKET IDEAS”
Hmmmm…. looks like Israelis “successfully built Socialism in their country and now a part of Israelis are fed up about it.
Is there any hope that our domestic Jews also eventually understand that their beloved ideology isn’t good in a long (and historically not very long) run?
Searchingforthelight
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 1:42pmTurning it to someones own advantage? Perhaps someone should review the event and present the facts correctly, Unless of course someone erased those tapes.
Report Post »COFemale
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 1:05pmI guess the Israeli government missed the part of the Bible that indicates Israel is the land of milk and honey. Sometimes you just wish government would get an epiphany and see they are the problem not the solution.
Report Post »mbriz
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 12:39pmThis isn’t the tea party ideas, these are OWS ideals. Because they are Jewish, and we know how glen loves the jewish people, now that it’s to his advantage, and his future world wide ministry. He has to find another group of clones to soak.
Report Post »Komponist-ZAH
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 1:57pmYes, obviously that’s why Mr. Arad said:
“We view ourselves as allies, friends, ideological partners with the American Tea Party’s struggle. We view the American Tea Party movement as a noble movement that for the first time in the past 100 years offers an alternative to the deterioration of the world’s largest, freest superpower in the direction of socialism and statism”, which are OWS ideals.
Report Post »frontdesk
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 11:39amIsrael needs a constitution based on the Torah. People like Prof. Paul Eidelberg, President Israel-America Renaissance Institute, has a whole program ready to be applied to Israel to help with setting up a constitution. Israelis need to change the way the government is run. You do not vote for individuals, you vote for parties. The voters have no representation. Change that and capitalism will thrive. None of the major parties will do this on their own because they are too busy enjoying the benefits of living off the taxpayers and worry about losing their very very comfortable life style they have achieved by playing politics. And the media, goes along with it. Very sad that it is not the enemies from the outside, but the thorns within.
Report Post »guido.cavalcanti
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 1:04pm@ FRONTDESK Maybe that issue is best fit for Israelis do decide on through, their own governmental processes and through internal debate. Maybe it’s time that, we, as Americans stop trying to insert ourselves into foreign matters because we have well intentioned plans and we just know what‘s best for them because we don’t know what’s best for them, we don‘t even know what’s best for ourselves.
Note to Israeli Tea Party: Please don’t follow in our footsteps. In theory a Tea Party is good, but in practice it’s a much different thing to pull off. Make sure your members truly understand what conservatism is and why it is good for your nation otherwise the movement ends up being run by the same establishment it was originally created to oppose.
Report Post »tzion
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 2:57pmMany of the key founders were socialists and built a European style government. Since then, however, the country has slowly been pulling away. A constitution would help, but ideally they would also need to change over to a more republican form of government.
Report Post »sjohn70037
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:28amI hope the Israeli Tea Party does a better job than ours. Our Tea Party was totally absent in the Iowa caucus. I don’t know why but they had zero presence.
Report Post »Vechorik
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:36amThe Tea Party is fractured to pieces, with the GOP war-machine hijacking most of it:
Report Post »Tea Party Patriots
Tea Party Express
Tea Party Grassroots
Campaign for Liberty
Freedom Works
on and on……..
louise
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 1:30pmVechorik,
Very Very fractured.
The GOP hijacked the “Tea Party” when they discovered how popular it was with Americans (which translates into $$$$$$.) They jumped on that train from the beginning and are riding it as long as they can. They are too stupid to understand that Americans are actually INTELLIGENT and can see right through their duplicity. We are talking about republican progressives who try to wrap themselves in the true Tea Party message of Liberty that our founders envisioned. We know a fraud vs the real deal now. and Romney, Santorum, Gingrich, Bachmann, Huntsman, Perry….all are Constitutionalist wanabes because that is the “popular thing” now.
Well guess what republicans in name only……..Ron Paul was the one who made Liberty popular again. And no matter how hard these rinos try to run from their records, they cannot hide.
RON PAUL 2012 TO RESTORE AMERICA
Report Post »Vechorik
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:19amCopied from the Ron Paul forums (without permission):
———–
I live in Israel, and I can tell you that if a libertarian like Ron Paul was a candidate here he would get at most 100 votes, not 30,000. You are lucky that you live in a country where so many people appreciate freedom. So when I hear you guys being so upset that RP received 22% and not 30% of the votes, I can‘t help but think that you simply can’t comprehend what great thing you have accomplished by supporting RP and freedom. We, libertarians in Israel and in Europe, can only dream about something even remote as what you have accomplished in Iowa.
Some of you blame yourself for not doing enough, or for doing too many phone calls. I think its nuts. First of all making phone calls is an amazing way to spread the libertarian ideology. Second of all, you have done A LOT, but even a lot is not enough to make millions of people who are used to live in a statist society to suddenly become freedom lovers. I admire what you have done, this is great for all freedom loving people everywhere. However I think we should all remember that our mission has just started. Rome was not built in one day, neither is appreciation for freedom.
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:58amAppreciating freedom and Ron Paul is only one in the same in the minds of the Bots…. Cult fixation is a ticket Paulsville Guyana
Report Post »SgtB
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 11:22amRepublicorp, I used to think your name was a joke. Now I know that you really are a hard corps Republican and by that, I means socially conservative neocon. You are personally an enemy of our Constitution and this Marine will treat you as such if ever we should meet.
Report Post »WD0331
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 12:58pmSemper Fi Sgt B.
Report Post »qzak491
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 1:07pmVechorik
I am pleased to know you read the Blaze, I hope a lot of you do. I read the JPost and CH 2 news. I just got the address of a new friend in Beersheba.
You are right about the Tea Party, there are so many wanting to push their agenda that sometimes we forget the phrase “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”. We haven’t realized that to get what we all need we have to give up some of what we want to to get it. It’s like the people we are trying to beat, there are many organizations trying to overthrow capitalism they can’t do it on their own but as much as they may hate each other they hate capitalism more so they ban together for a common cause. When we learn and do this we will win.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 9:25amLiberty .. freedom …is the natural state of man. Good for them .. may all who fight for liberty be blessed.
TEA!
Report Post »smackdown33
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 9:47amPalestinians fight daily for their freedom.
RepubliCorp
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:12amSMACKDOWN33 typical Jew hating neo-nazi paulbot.
Report Post »randy
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:17amScrew the palestinians.
Report Post »smackdown33
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:20amI hate no one. I see the truth, then speak it. It’s a Nazi that can not accept truth, or debate. A fundamentalist fears reality, because reality proves the fundamental belief to be false. Zionists are the problem. Israel is the problem. And, most Zionists are not Jews.
Report Post »ClassicalLiberal
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:21amRepublicorp.
That comment has nothing to do with Ron Paul or his supporters (I am one and do not feel that way)
Actually, a free market think tank in Israel says that US aid hurts and undermines Israel’s security
Summary
http://www.jims-israel.org/pdf/PRUSAidEnglish.pdf
Full study:
http://www.jims-israel.org/pdf/PPusaidenglish.pdf
And yes, progressives and democratic socialists hijacked the term “liberal.”
Liberalism- The Terminological Theft (my blog with quotes on this hijacking)
http://traditionalliberalism.blogspot.com/2010/10/terminological-theft-liberalism.html
F.A. Hayek said in the Road to Serfdom…
I use throughout the term ‘liberal’ in the original, nineteenth-century sense in which it is still current in Britain. In current American usage it often means very nearly the opposite of this. It has been part of the camouflage of leftish movements in this country, helped by muddleheadedness of many who really believe in liberty, that ‘liberal’ has come to mean the advocacy of almost every kind of government control.
“I am still puzzled why those in the United States who truly believe in liberty should not only have allowed the left to appropriate this almost indispensable term but should even have assisted by beginning to use it themselves as a term of opprobrium. This seems to be particularly regrettable because of the consequent tendency of many true liberals to describe themselves as conservatives.”
Many conservatives (not neoc
Report Post »MCDAVE
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:22amMaybe the Palestinians should start there own tea party movement
Report Post »Israel123
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:37amPalestinians fight daily for their freedom…SMACKDOWN33
watch a short clip about the true history of the palestinians and their fight for “Freedom”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63hTOaRu7h4
Report Post »Vechorik
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:43amYou’re blaming OBAMA-supporter statements on Ron Paul supporters — not fair, not true.
Report Post »SMACKD0WN33
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:47amSeriously guys. come on now, seriously. Have you ever even read Mein Kampf?
Report Post »tzion
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 11:17am@Smack
Report Post »Palestinians are enslaved to fighting. Their leaders exploit them, say it‘s Israel’s fault, then sit on their couches while the two fight it out. Need proof? Why did terrorist attacks INCREASE after signing the Oslo Accords? Why did Arafat walk out of negotiations that would have given him 97% of the territories and then launch the 2nd intifada? The PA (PLO in disguise) and Hamas have exploited the Palestinians so much that if there was ever peace they would lose all their power. Palestinians are like Germans during WWII; their leaders lie to them to line their own pockets and wage war to justify their own absolute power (“I need these powers in order to protect our people”). Arafat was more corrupt than the entire US legislature put together.
smackdown33
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 11:28amIsrael, I will view your offer if you read this book: http://www.jstor.org/pss/10.1525/jps.2006.36.1.6
Second, there is an idiot on this blog making postings under my username. I did not write the Mein Kampf comment. This is the Jewish way, working in the shadows.
Report Post »smackdown33
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 11:33amTZion, when you begin your history post-1948 you are not being honest. The Irgun, Haganah and Stern Gang were all very active Jewish terrorist groups well before your chosen, deceptive timeline. The plan to ethnically cleanse Palestine of Palestinians began before your deceptive timeline.
Nakba was real. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakba_Day
Report Post »smackdown33
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 11:39amTZion. “Palestinians are like Germans during WWII;”
First, I think you meant to say Nazis rather than Germans. Secondly, the Zionists and not the Palestinians are more Nazi-like. After-all, Zionists did work with the Nazis in an attempt to obtain their ethnically pure state… their common goal. Zionist treatment of Palestinians is akin to the Nazi’s treatment of Jews.
Report Post »tzion
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 11:49am@Smack
Report Post »I wasn’t ignoring that part of history. But there is a big difference here. The PLO was founded as a terrorist organization in 1963 (so they couldn’t have been fighting for the liberation of the territories) and was later recognized as a legitimate representative of the Palestinians (despite the fact they were in Tunisia at the time). When was Irgun or Stern Gang ever granted legitimacy by the international community? Never. They were treated as radicals like neo-Nazis and KKK are today in the US. But not the PLO. The PLO is legitimate and peaceful despite the fact they are worse than all the Jewish Terrorist groups you speak of.
tzion
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 12:00pm@Smack
No I definitely meant Germans, specifically those who weren’t Nazi leaders. These people were taken in by Hitler, accepted everything he said as truth without evidence, and did precisely as he said. Were all of them deceived? Perhaps not. But when neighbors are willing to turn you in or worse for opposing those in power (something true in the territories as well) these people don’t make a strong impression. Both Hitler and Arafat began indoctrinating the youth (Hitler Youth and militant training camps respectively). Both leaders pushed for armed conflict on a continuous basis. Hitler originally went to war because “communists” had burned down the Reichstag. He ended up fighting half the planet. Arafat claimed to be for peacefully establishing a Palestinian state, but walked out on the deal that would have given him everything in order to launch the Intifada.
I did not misspeak smack, I said precisely what I meant.
Report Post »smackdown33
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 12:05pmTZion, the problem with your explanation is that the leaders and members of these Jewish terrorist organizations… Irgun, Haganah, Stern Gang,… became the leaders of the Zionist state carved out of Palestinian land. To now blame Palestinians for doing the same, to me, is hypocrisy.
Report Post »And, the Palestinians are fighting for the land that was theirs. The Jewish terrorists were Europeans and Americans fighting for land that belonged to another, the Palestinian land. Morally, the Palestinians have a more legitimate cause.
smackdown33
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 12:09pmTZion, “No I definitely meant Germans…”
Isn’t that the equivalent of me saying that it was the Jews who were taken in by the Zionists. Truth without evidence, all of them deceived… .
Report Post »SMACKD0WN33
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 12:12pmhttp://youtu.be/7XrRyqses5U
Report Post »tzion
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 12:19pm@Smack
Members of Irgun etc., after leaving those organizations and all their goals behind joined the Israeli government. The PLO members didn’t join the PA, the PLO became the PA, with their charter still calling for Israel’s destruction. Irgun members joined the government, but Irgun itself wasn’t placed in control of Israel. This is an important difference.
Your Zionist comparison is inaccurate because Zionist leaders weren’t seeking power. Herzl, who organized the first Zionist Congress in Basel, was seeking to protect his fellow Jews from antisemitism. Zionists also united behind an idea, much the American Revolution, rather than a person or political party. Zionists debated how to go about achieving their goals. It wasn’t one group calling the shots.
Report Post »guido.cavalcanti
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 1:25pm@ REPUBLICORP Are you the personal propaganda arm for Progressive Republicans here on the blaze? Is John McCain feeding you with talking points buddy? Come on tell us the truth, do listen to “God Bless America” country songs while gazing at your Teddy Roosevelt shrine, whispering to yourself “let’s get-r-done“ and ”must spread democracy”. You’ll be happy to know it looks like McCain might actually run as VP with Romney.
Report Post »DarKangelAZRAEL
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 1:54pmSMACKDOWN you are a doofus. They have freedom. They can own a home, go to work IN A CAR, go to the ISRAELI built colleges ALONGSIDE ISREALIS, get married, and any number of other things. The palestinian plight is a farce. If they have beef with anyone it should the the Jordanian ROYAL FAMILY not the Jews. Get a clue man.
Report Post »TRONINTHEMORNING
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 9:23amBeautifiul news! Way to go!
Report Post »ozchambers
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 9:18amWhere are the hot girls at MY Tea Party group?
All kidding aside, this is pretty darned cool.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 9:18amBest wishes for the true free-market system. Good luck and God blessing.
Report Post »smackdown33
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 9:13amWhy is this story about a nation the size of New Jersey even printed here in the U.S.? Can only be one reason, propaganda… the never ending Israeli propaganda-diet fed to the parrots in America.
Report Post »randy
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:19amHey, Idiot. move to palestine and join the fight if you don’t like the US
Report Post »smackdown33
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:22amI have noticed that you‘ve failed to answer the idiot’s question.
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:26amRANDY He is a Paulbot and they drip hate for Israel.
Report Post »http://www.alternet.org/news/153551/ron_paul_and_libertarianism's_dirty_secret_–_pandering_to_racist_%22rednecks%22_to_get_ahead
Vechorik
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:38amIsrael has an oppressive government (just like the US is trying to do to its citizens).
I’m for freedom, liberty and prosperity — EVERYWHERE
And I’m voting Ron Paul!
Report Post »Did you see the post above from the Isralei citizen posted at the Ron Paul forums?
smackdown33
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:39amNo hate, but I do call out hypocrisy when I see it.
Report Post »Vechorik
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:41amSMACKDOWN — what’s wrong with Israel having freedom and liberty?
Report Post »tzion
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 5:20pmThere was a story up about Maldives. In fact there were two. Maldives is at least as small and almost unheard of. Should that story not have been printed? What about the ones about Russia or Germany or Iraq? Smack here only ever picks on Israel and never raises a finger if there’s news coming from any other foreign country. If news from Israel is insignificant because it’s the size of New Jersey why should any of us care what happens in Lebanon? Or how about RI?
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 9:03amGood news.
Report Post »BurntHills
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 9:03amGod bless these guys, and Bibi Netanyahu. they are trying so hard to save sanity in Israel.
Report Post »Stuck_in_CA
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 9:10amI love Bibi. I remember the first time he was elected. One of the pieces of his platform was for Israel to be more self-sufficient, and NOT accept anymore US aid.
Report Post »These days, anybody who even suggests American taxpayers shouldn’t be sending money abroad, is a kook. WE ARE BROKE!!!
SageInWaiting
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 10:43amBibi is a disappointment. He talks a good talk, but his actions are nearly as destructive as his predecessors. His defense minister (Ehud Barak) has been VERY aggressive and heavy-handed in destroying “outposts.” A news article today states that Israeli justice officials admit they have systemically targeted nationalists with administrative orders when evidence is absent. ( http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/151443#.TwXEMnqwWg4 ). More proof you can’t put your faith in politicians. Let their actions speak louder than their words.
Report Post »TheVoice1
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 11:15amA bigger question is why do we send money to the Palestinians, China, Pakistan, etc. and then throw such a fuss about the only country that is a solid with America that fights its own wars…. few people know that it was a Jewish family that was instrumental in raising the funds for Americas first Army being equipped… a debt to this day has never been repaid.
Yes, our economics look more than bad, and yet we send money to China and then borrow money from them! Nuts!!!
Stand Strong America and vote….
Report Post »wordsworth
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 3:57pm“One of the pieces of his platform was for Israel to be more self-sufficient, and NOT accept anymore US aid.”
Bibi never said this.
He wanted to continue reducing the dependency and dollar amount, while paying back some debt relief…. ALL of Israel‘s PM’s have pledged to do so. Israel is not in a position to reject US contracts.
Cutting off Israel’s aid entirely in 2012 is a dream left for the hate monger, and kooks.
Report Post »noland
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 8:56amGod Bless Isreal! Shalom.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 8:55amThere are Jewish Tea Party groups in the US and have been for several years now. Not a big surprise, since Obama became president.
Report Post »Commerce Exchange
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 8:53amJust a gimmick,
Do not attempt to compare Israeli Society to the one in the US, Netanyahu will LOVE to shut down all goverment social programs, same as he did in 2002, but simply not possible. lets go over some facts for it.
over 700K ultra orthodox – which live solely by the hand of the goverment their job is to study Torah and reproduce. Simply not enough jobs to place them
Goverment employes arround 20% of the population one way or the other (and i am being conservative).
Political sitiation and potential and very real threats (country needs unity)
Should it be a good thing for the general population, less taxes, more entrepreneurship, etc
Report Post »YES
realistically: NOT a chance.
http://www.ecomm-unity.com/group/politics
Stoic one
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 9:05amSimilar arguments were made about the TEA party here a couple of years ago.
Report Post »wordsworth
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 3:53pmExactly right.
Israel’s government is not a Republic like ours, and never will be.
Luckily most of Beck’s following are sophisticated enough to realize a one size fits all, knee jerk response based on ideology doesn’t work in either direction. Taxes in Israel have always been high….but that‘s because they don’t have high ratios of property ownership, and so much is subsidized, including their security.
The Cold War approach misses some subtleties, and there are different ways in which social programs, public works, municipal holdings, utilities, and civil service can work. What is really important is that Israel continues to fight for Liberty, and Freedom. Their economic system is evolving, but emulating ours probably isn’t a great place to start.
Report Post »