More ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem

the inequality between Palestinians and Jews is striking both in terms of gaining planning permission and in terms of the number of house demolitions carried out, virtually no illegal constructions are demolished in West Jerusalem, and virtually no planning permission given to Palestinians in East Jerusalem, none at all in West Jerusalem.

UNOCHA published a report on this in April 2009 entitled 'the planning crisis in East Jerusalem: understanding the phenomena of 'illegal' construction' - http://www.ochaopt.org/

it's no suprise really - Israel is not a democracy but a government partly run by religious fanatics that only want their own ethnic type 'Jewish' (and religion 'Judaism') living in the land.

There are between 50 and 60 Muslim states, including some real horrors that carry out barbarities against dissidents, gays, women, and criminals, yet you are obsessed - it seems - with defaming tiny Israel, a land the size of Wales or Tasmania.

I'll say it again, Yvetta, because it bears repeating, like must be compared with like. Israel claims to be a western liberal democracy so it should be compared with those. And, unlike Wales, it does institutionally and systematically discriminate against ethnic minorities.

What a joke! Like with like, eh, moshetzarfati? Why? Morals don't change from country to country - something is either wrong or it isn't. There are no basic human rights in any country of the Arab world, yet you reserve your vitriol exclusively for democratic Israel - and it is a democracy in every sense, with free and fair elections, an independent judiciary and a free press. Those are the hallmarks of a liberal democracy, and Israel has them, unlike evry Arab nation which you ignore. That's called a double standard.

Amber, I am sorry to say that you just don't get it. I don't care about the Arab countries, simply because a) they don't claim to be democracies and b) they do not claim to be "the state of the Jewish people"(Netanyahu's ploy to stall peace talks with the Palestinians), and therefore claim to do things in the name of the Jewish people. And then it and its one-eyed propagandists get awfully upset when Jews point out that it isn't what it claims to be.
It may have free elections, but a claver person once said that the voting didn't count, but the counting did.The Arabs' vote doesn't count. In Hebrew, they say: lo sofrim otam (They aren't counted). The press and judiciary are free -- for Jews. The Arab press is heavily monitored and controlled (that's why there are a lot of Israeli Arab pirate radio stations) and if you were an Israeli Arab you'd know just how difficult it is to get a fair trial in an Israeli court.
I am comparing like with like because in liberal democracies:
-- housing permits are given on an equal basis, not on the basis of ethnicity.
-- resources are distributed fairly, not on the basis of ethnicity.
-- education is equal for all ethnicities.
-- job opportunities are open to all, not on the basis of ethic grouping.
Now do you get it?

Interesting that you don't care about the treatment of minorities in all of Israel's neighbours - including Jews.

Your post is abject nonsense - the courts and press do not work on an ethnic basis, and it is a lie to claim that they do.

If you wish to indulge in this self-flagellation, don't let me stop you. Just remember that Israeli Arabs enjoy more rights in Israel than their cousins in Saudi, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. And bear in mind that this is in a situation where Israel is in a war for its very survival against an enemy which doesn't give a hoot about rights. Perhaps Israel doesn't speak for you, but it does for the vast majority of Jews, who view this tiny sliver of land as a homeland. That must really annoy you.

Amber, I don't know if you've noticed, but around the world, support for Israel among Jews is plummeting. And again, I suggest that you compare like with like, unless, of course, you want Israel to be like its neighbours. Read the Hebrew press and look at court judgments and you'll see that they do work on an ethnic basis. Time to take the blinkers off.