Police brutality and racism in Israel is not new. But rather then a miniscule problem, it has become the norm, lead by government officials. We can no longer point to any other nation (including Arab ones) and speak about anti-semitism. The Jewish nation has become a police state. It has lost its humanism (along with its Zionism and Judaism).

Police brutality is very common in Israel, most especially against religious Jews. Israel's police hate religious Jews more than they hate Muslim terrorists.

In a racist state, racism knows no bounds.

Americans who added your comments here, why you can't remember all the infamous taped beatings by Police that occured in the US? I have to admit, I'm disgusted by the behavior of the police in these incidents, and I'd hope that these reports will result in pressure to prevent them in the future, and if it does then the journalist who wrote this report will have succeeded. That said, what would you have hoped to achieve with the kinds of responses you gave to his article? The appropriate response for Americans who wish to criticize Israel on this score is to express their disappointment and demand improvements, as you do for your own police forces. It's inappropriate, however, to take every failure by Israelis as being "the tip of the iceberg". This kind of thinking is tendentious and because it's exaggerated, it has no credibility and has no force for improving anything.

Of course there are incidents of police brutality in the United States, but the irony is that Israel calls for other Jews of the world to come and escape anti-semitism and racism, yet, if they are not the right color, then they are subjected to it in Israel, which is an old story. Middle Eastern Jews were discriminated against from the inception of the Israeli state. Ethiopians have long been discriminated against in Israel. Racism is not one particular incident in Israel or even a few incidents. Racism is a way of life which is reflected in the treatment of Israel's own Arab citizens, Israel's racist laws, and in the national consciousness of Israeli society. It accounts for the brutal treatment of every single Palestinian in the West Bank and Gaza based entirely on his identity and the dual set of laws that have been in place. In a racist state, racism knows no bounds. Has nothing been learned from history?

Israel is a multi-cultural state, with as many if not more cultures and languages in this small population of 6mil as you have in the entire US, another multicultural state many times larger. Israel is a community that is built on every ideology and anti-ideology popular in the last 150 years, and as such every possible conflict whether cultural, racial or national finds its expression and an attempt at resolution here. Most did not come from countries with similar socialist or democratic institutions, and it took awhile for everybody to get used to each other. But we did it. That said, we're doing a better job than you give us credit for for sorting it all out. We are not to be characterized only for our failures, but rather for our success as well. By now, the Jews of ME origin that you mention are no less, and in fact are more representative in our businesses, government and civil service than blacks are in US businesses, government and civil service. That's saying a lot for a country that is not much older than America's civil rights movement. Regarding Israel's "racist laws", you are probably referring to your desire for Israel to be blind to its founding objective to be a Jewish state. While that's your prerogative in deciding what America's priorities should be, Israel, like all nations and many that you'd probably consider enlightened, has every right to be as particularistic as other enlightened nations regarding who may be a citizen without having to justify its particularism. Regarding the race of these specific people, it's not relevant in Israel. Anybody who is not Jewish, regardless of his race, that converts to Judaism and wishes to be an Israeli can do so. One need only visit Israel to see Jews from every continent and color teeming in the streets to realize how false your claim is. Perhaps your problem with us isn't with racism, but with the idea that Judaism contains within it a kernel of political sovereignty that you believe we have no right to express. You're not alone even amongst Jews, irrespective of how this has impacted pan-Arab preferences. However, for the religion to be fully expressed, Israel and sovereingty are a requirement in Judaism, and I for one am grateful that we regained a chance to fully express our ancient heritage. If you don't like it, nobody's forcing you to come here. Regarding Israeli Arab citizens, there are very few Jewish Israelis who expect anything more from them than they expect from themselves, and that is to pull together in strengthening the state against her enemies, of which we have no shortage. I think we have a right to close the circle against those who weaken our state in the hope she will fall. Differences of opinion between Jews and Arabs cannot include whether the Jews are entitled to a state and the 1/3 of Israeli Arabs that voted for parties that want our Jewish state to disappear are beyond the pale. They rightfully should give up the pretense of being Israeli, and if possible the line between the Palestinians and us should be redrawn to include them on the Palestinian side. No less than 22 Arab states are entitled to theirs, and we're entitled to ours. The Arabs that are Druze, and most Beduin, and other Arabs who voted for non-secessionst parties, seem to be able to accept us without a problem, so I don't see why the others can't find a way to live peacefully with us. Unfortunately, the distrust of the third rubs off on 2/3rds who don't deserve to be lumped into that heading. Direct your complaints to Azmi Bashara and Achmed Tibi. Regarding brutal treatment of Palestinians, we've got some claims against them and the Arab world, too. Don't make this out like they're sitting their minding their own business when all of the sudden these mean Jews come and destroy their peaceful, rural life. That's not a correct representation of the facts.