Societal Values
The measure of a society can be determined through a careful look at its civilized attitude toward universal values and the quality of life.How a country orders itself as a fully functioning democracy with respect for the rule of law and the need to protect the interests, safety and well-being of its citizens. Its legal, security and judicial institutions must be guarantors of freedom and justice for all its citizens. Its educational, health and social institutions must be guarantors of equality of opportunity for all.
Most countries who subscribe to liberal democratic values aspire to the ideal and succeed within the parameters recognized for success. Some countries, like Israel, do their utmost to meet their obligations as free and democratic nations, while battling adversity from without, and often, within.
It's a difficult, tortuous balancing act for Israel. The conscience of the country is such that it not only wishes to be thought well of as a decent society, but it also requires its own self-respect.
Take the matter of Palestinians living within Israel with full rights of citizenship, including the right to elect one of their own to the Knesset. Take the example of former Israeli Arab Knesset member, Azmi Bishara, who, facing charges of treason, fled the country.
This former Israeli MK is charged with accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from Hezbollah for intelligence during the Israel-Hezbollah confrontation in 2006. The charges against him are that of aiding the enemy in wartime, transmitting information to the enemy, contacting a foreign agent, and money laundering.
The Knesset is grappling with the issue of pensionability of this man. A hard-right MK insists that Azmi Bishara must be considered innocent until proven guilty, despite the man's most recent announcement that he is joining Hezbollah to fight against Israel.
MK Rivlin insists that holding back Bishara's pension would "harm the foundations of democracy in the deeper sense of the word" in response to legislators having introduced bills calling for the revocation of monthly payments to the former MK who fled to Qatar to avoid charges of treason.
Revocation of his citizenship is also being argued. Knesset legal counsel Nurit Elstein, however, argues that, despite the fact that Bishara is currently busy joining terror forces against Israel, he must still receive his pension as a former lawmaker. The legal counsel, additionally, wrote to the Knesset House Committee that it is his considered opinion that the bills drafted to strip Bishara of benefits are probably illegal.
"Revoking one's right to receive pension funds, particularly after the employee retires, constitutes a severe infringement of ownership rights, which, according to Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, cannot be violated. In addition, stripping employees of their rights in an imbalanced manner, as the bill proposes, hinders equality, which is recognized as a constitutional right...
"We must remember that Bishara served as an MK for 11 years, was not convicted of a criminal offence, and was not even indicted."
So much for the conscience of a country. During a Cabinet meeting, discussion ensued with respect to the hudna, the temporary ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza. Israel's Shabak chief cautioned the cabinet that Hamas is "maintaining the ceasefire, but using it to rearm against us". Warning additionally that the recent prisoner exchange with Hezbollah has had the effect of encouraging further IDF troop abductions.
Just desserts for a country and an administration that so highly regards its own that it will hand over incarcerated prisoners who have been found guilty of the most atrocious crimes against their people, in exchange for the corpses of Israeli soldiers. The families of the dead have the comfort of burying their bones, and some closure, while the country steels itself against the reality that the exchanged prisoners will happily take up arms against them again.
Warning as well of the increasing eruption of terrorist activities from within eastern Jerusalem Arab neighbourhoods. Where entry of government representatives is only possible with back-up forces, who meet with violent resistance by the Arab residents. As official Israel withdraws its presence from eastern Jerusalem which the PA reserves as their potential state capital, the residents draw closer to world Islamic Jihad movements.
And as terror events continue to erupt out of that environment, threatening the peace and security of surrounding Jewish residents of Jerusalem, another matter of contention is discussed; that of demolishing the homes of families of terrorists who have carried out successfully murderous terror attacks against Jews.
It's not clear whether it's official government policy to destroy those homes as deterrents against future attacks, for while Ehud Olmert and Ehud Barak insist those homes must be destroyed, judicial action against allowing the continuance of the practise seems to be dragging the matter away from resolution.
It's extremely problematical for a morals-based society to come to complete agreement on all facets of its decision-making in dealing with situations that have the potential to entirely destabilize the country, and worse.
This marks the difference between Israel, as a democracy and her neighbours representing autocratic rule at best, who don't trouble themselves excessively about meting out justice.
Labels: Israel, Political Realities, Traditions, Troublespots
posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, July 29, 2008
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