Israel Matzav

Hague's worries

In Syria, Bahrain, Yemen, Jordan, Iran, the 'Palestinian territories' and Libya, recent public efforts to non-violently protest against undemocratic regimes have been violently suppressed. In Egypt and Tunisia, autocrats have been overthrown in the last two months and no one has replaced them yet. But British Foreign Secretary William Hague has his priorities straight. He worries about 'intolerance in Israel,' the region's only democracy.

The United Kingdom expressed concern that Knesset legislation targeting minorities and human rights defenders reflects “a growing climate of intolerance in Israeli society,” it said in a 2011 quarterly human rights report released Thursday.

The report is an addendum to the UK’s annual report, “Human Rights and Democracy: The 2010 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report,” which in part focused on 26 countries of concern with respect to human rights, including Israel.

The 2010 report was posted on the Internet, with an addendum for the first quarter of 2011. The UK Foreign Office said that it would publish updated quarterly reports online throughout the year.

In its first quarterly report on Israel in 2011, the UK critically noted Knesset legislation on the withdrawal of funds from NGOs that participate in Nakba Day events. It also chastised the passage on the first reading of a bill that would impose fines on Israeli citizens who participate in, or encourage, boycotts against Israel – including the settlements.

The 2011 first quarterly report took issue with the detention of Palestinian children under 12, and the Israeli demolition of Beduin homes and villages in the Negev.

“The Al Araqib Bedouin village in the Negev, which has been demolished 21 times in total, and nine times since the beginning of the year, is of particular concern,” the report said.

What could go wrong?

Labels: British anti-Semitism, British obsession with Israel, William Hague

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:22 PM