Opinion
Undemocratic, immoral law
Nechama Duek
Published: 14.07.11, 00:57
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1. Understanding what democracy is
Benny Sudakov ,   Los Angeles   (07.14.11)
I think Nechama Duek has basic problem with understanding what is Democracy. She is only willing to tolerate laws that corresponds to her political view. Unfortunately for her, and fortunately for many other citizens of state of Israel, the parliament sometimes makes the laws without asking if she will like it. I guess if she does not want to live in such a state she might pack her suitcase and move to one of the neighboring countries,like Syria or Iran, where she might like the laws better
2. this bill is the only good news i got in the last weeks :)
Ester   (07.14.11)
nice nice nice kol hakavod :)
3. this haaretz type crap is on ynet?
Mitch ,   Canada   (07.14.11)
Israelis wanting to boycott Israel should leave since they don't realize what we have. its cliche, but do they need another (allah forbid) holocaust to realize that Israel is here for our protection?
4. Oh my!
Tom ,   USA   (07.14.11)
Ynet is joined the Haaretzniks and the Boycott movement? So many OP pieces bashing those who want to protect Israel's true interest. If so let's boycott Ynet and don't contribute with our opinion: let the Leftist and Islamist take over Ynet with their antisemitic rants. Good bye, I switch to Arutz Sheva.
5. To Nechama Duek.
Luiz F Haddad ,   Niteroi, Brazil   (07.14.11)
Dear Nechama Duek. I have appreciated very much your text. The State of Israel, that is not only endorsed by Jewish people, but, also, by all real Christians and true Democrats around the world, needs to be strong and faithful to her good origins and her good ideals. The refered law represents a serious mistake, on harming the precious Israelian image. I hope it will be modified, for God's sake. I salute you.
6. Dreck. Democracy not
Stephen in New York   (07.14.11)
a suicide pact.
7. So the US and Japan are NOT democracies?
CK Tan ,   Singapore, Singapore   (07.14.11)
So Duek OPINES - "Because a boycott is a boycott is a boycott. Israel would no longer be able to claim that it is the region’s only democracy." In the SAME vein, then the official BOYCOTT of the 1980 summer Olympics by the US, Japan, then W Germany also TRANSFORMED these countries into "DARK" places aka NON-democracies. Ditto for Canada, Australia, Italy and Holland when they OFFICIALLY boycotted the Durban conferences. Such HYSTERICAL opinionated writing is just LAUGHABLE. Let's NOT forget that boycotting Israel is PART of the GLOBAL menace called the BDS. And its DELEGITIMISATION efforts are NOT aimed SOLELY at the settlements issue but at Israel as a SOVEREIGN country and its JEWISH identity. Israelis' freedom is NOT curtailed as they can STILL protest in various OTHER ways without calling for and implementing boycotts.
8. boycott law
Yonason ,   Brookly NY USA   (07.14.11)
the settlements are part of the Israel heartland from the time of the temples They are also needed for security The left wing has not learned that giving up "land for peace" leads to less security not more. People who want to boycott this land are traitors to the jewish people The fight in Israel is between those who want it to be a jewish state and those who want it to be a state of it citizens
9. Please do a good reporting job & detail exactly what this
Moshe ,   Usa   (07.14.11)
lae entails. I do not want any guess work or editorial opinions based on conjecture. Moshe
10. A true democracy
golani ,   Vineland, USA/Israel   (07.14.11)
A true democracy must protect itself. Any democratic country should have the right to make decisions against evil that tries to wage an economic terror attack in the form of boycotts. I imagine that if the PA decides to make a boycott, that the nutty left will be happy and supportive just like they will be when the so called Palestinians saynthat Jews cannot live on their "so called" lands. What happens when the Palestinians do come out with laws against Jews? And then just think what would happen if Israel would tell the Arabs that they are not allowed to live in Israel? Oh yeah, that would not happen... Is so much of the world and the left that morally bankrupt?
11. Is it undemocratic when right wing views are outlawed
Mordechai   (07.14.11)
Where was your protest when Kach was outlawed and banned from running for the Knesset. Or when Rabin ordered the arrest of Oslo critics for sedition? Where is your outrage and the arrest of Rabbi's over the Kings Torah. Free speech means everyone even those you disagree with can speak without worry of government censorship. The boycott law is less extreme than what has been done to the right. You don't support the principle of free speech you support censorship of those you disagree with, you just agree with the BDS movement
12. It is a great law and fully democratic.
Chaim ,   Israel   (07.14.11)
The Boycott law is a great law. Only those despicable souls who betray Israel, while enjoying all the benefits of Israeli citizenship, will suffer from it. As they richly deserve. It is also a fully democratic law and is similar to laws in the U.S. and other full fledged democracies.
13. Dear Nechama Duek!
Israeli 2   (07.14.11)
The question is NOT who cares about the world because all Israelis and jews care about the world. But you should rather ask: Who cares what the world thinks of us. AH! The answer is: No sane Israeli should care what the world thinks about us...except for the leftists.
14. Why is it
Aryeh ,   Haifa, IL   (07.14.11)
that when you dislike a law it is "undemocratic" but when a law only affects people you dislike it must be obeyed? How is this less democratic than the expulsions from Gaza? How democratic is it to keep citizens from entering Har Habayit? The State is democratic because its lets and encourages all its citizens to vote. We have a [bad] representative system but everyone is represented therein. People are usually free to live where they desire and work where they desire. No one is forced to stay within the confines of the country, except for criminals. Should we press for reforms? yes. Should we press for more minority rights? again yes. But we've got a very good run on democracy these past 60+ years.
15. Ms. Duek, even after this law, which Arab is more democratic
Marco ,   Spain   (07.14.11)
You have no idea what you are talking about and shouldn't be published.
16. 5 months ago Duek wrote "Arab democracy is good for Israel"
Marco ,   Spain   (07.14.11)
How is this working for you Ms. Duek? All your predictions ring hollow, and this one will too.
17. Left wing hypocrasy
John cone ,   USA   (07.14.11)
The law is no different than the anti boycott laws in the united states. Het over it. The only reason some people are against it is the foreign goverment and soros funded left wing groups just had thier wings clipped. Foreign goverment directed and funded left wing groups are not what I called democracy but a example of foreign imperialism.
18. Look& listen how the Lunatic Left panics, it's a joy to see!
tom ,   tel aviv   (07.14.11)
19. Undemocratic? Immoral?
Shai ,   Modiin   (07.14.11)
What's undemocratic about an elected government passing a law, vs. NGO's who try to achieve results through economic pressure that are the opposite of the will of the people who put the government in place? What's immoral about a law that maintains a freedom to speak about what you think is wrong, and to petition government, but demands you not discriminate against people who've broken no law of the state?
20. So don't be member. Borders are open. Go
Paqid Yirmeyahu ,   Israel   (07.14.11)
Seek your self-defeating socialist hell elsewhere.
21. The PA has a death penalty for selling land to Jews
Tahl   (07.14.11)
Which is quite ruthless, barbaric, racist and cruel, don't you think? Not to mention un-democratic as hell. And yet, nobody in the world, including the long barrage of leftists howling in the media today, cares about it, and says the least bit of criticism. However, when Israel fights to protect its legitimacy by enacting sanctions on those seeking to undermine it, these lot are the first to scream "illiegal! immoral! anti-democratic! fascist! dictatorship! thought police!" I would have accepted their right to scream these slogans, had it not been for their incredible hypocrisy.
22. PHOTO apended to piece
Gábor Fränkl   (07.14.11)
The hyper-expensive Lacoste shirt worn by the upper-middle class or upper class bourgeois chic radical is prof positive that yet again the extreme minorty (extreme, as it represents some 5000 people out of 7 million) wants to dictate the tempo in Israel. The responsible and text-burdened poor, but patriotic lower, lower middle classes allow this minority subversion at its own peril and existential damage.
23. true words!
cohen   (07.14.11)
the problem is that quite many here will bash you for saying this- didnt you hear the trend today is to be as extremist as you can be? supporting racist rabbis and laws which crush democracy is the most popular thing to do, just like watching reality shows which all look the same.... we find Iran to be our biggest enemy but step by step we are becoming the same.
24. The Pathetic Article
Y'hudi ,   Eretz Yisrael   (07.14.11)
The author of this article obviously strives to strengthen and appease our enemies, both those who live within and those outside our borders. A jew who lives in a jewish country should want his country to be jewish, justly run according to Judaism and not run according to models made by non jews. A jew should strive to be jewish and not copy the actions and philosophies of the nations. A jew is jewish because he does jewish things, not gentile things and Israel will be a jewish country when it behaves according to Jewish Law, the laws jews must follow. (Democracy can never be truly democratic because it would be self defeating. A democracy will have to take undemocratic actions against its enemies or it wouldn't survive. Hence there is no real democracy, only the illusion to feed the ego of people who wouldn't really want to share their table with another people, unless it fed their ego!
25. Most of Israelis want to dismantle settlements?
Jake ,   USA   (07.14.11)
I have not heard a bigger lie in my life.
26. The stupidity of the 21st century
Brian Cohen ,   Judean Peoples Front   (07.14.11)
Yea right. The newspeak of today means that it's ok to promote the extermination of the only democratic state in the middle east. The new age left wing has it's head so far in the ground that it simply does not know the difference between good and evil. Thus, it is silent in the face of a worldwide attempt to erase Israel from the map (the BDS movement goal of replacing Israel with "Palestine")... a fantasy solution that would result in a 21st century mass genocide of the Jews. That's why ACRI refuses to take action against Palestinian terrorism (which they claim doesn't originate in Israel so it's none of their business), but ACRI does its best to defend Arabs in Gaza instead of Jews in Sderot. If the main NGO in Israel that is supposed to defends Israeli citizens spends a disproportionate amount of its time defending Arabs beyond our borders, it means the world has gone crazy. This legislation tries to set the record straight - boycotting Jews while protecting the Arabs who attack them is indeed racist and discriminatory.
27. Biycott
Enoch ,   Canada   (07.14.11)
Let me see. You are willing to be slapped in the face over and over again, say thank you and make sure that you don't hurt the feeling of your attacker. Good for you, but turning the other cheek is not a great strategy over the long run.
28. Great, will you now please leave us alone
Daniel ,   Netherlands   (07.14.11)
Go bug the democratic people's republic of north korea.
29. Are you crasy??
Yossi ,   Ashkelon Israel   (07.14.11)
Boycott IS anti-democratic! In France, it is illegal to call for boycott, so what? France is not a democratic country?? Only in fasict country you have politics who support boycott. Arab countries openly boycott Israel products and athletes and I am not sure Arab countries are an example of democracy !!
30. Hey Mitch, you're in Canada to tell us in Israel what to do?
Noam Chimpsky ,   Carmiel, Israel   (07.14.11)
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