Thwo it Hwup Tel-Aviv

Fin

Knesset Members on a Rampage

Man, what is going on down at the Knesset. Between all the allegations of sexual harassment, fist fights and irresponsible vehicular activity you’d think Israeli Parliament was being run by a bunch of teenage boys. Its like they are pumping hormones into the water there or something. My favorite of the lot is Labor Party whip Yoram Marciano, this guy makes Steve-O look like a model citizen.

MK Marciano will apologize to guards after brawl

Labor MK seeks to reconcile with security guards at Herzliya nightclub after Wednesday night out ended in fistfight, police charges against him. Guards say they will accept apology

Knesset Member Yoram Marciano (Labor) plans to meet with security guards from the Rio club in Herzliya and apologize to them for the events of last Wednesday night. Marciano’s attorney, Navot Tel-Zur, told Ynet on Saturday his client is eager to resolve the matter with the guards involved in the incident. However, a security guard at the Rio club filed a complaint with the police over the incident. The guard stated that Marciano was inebriated when he assaulted the guard. Marciano was involved in a brawl with the guards while he was attending a birthday party held at the nightclub. Marciano reportedly attempted to leave through a closed exit and when the security guards prevented him from doing so he physically assaulted them. “This matter needs to end with reconciliation, an apology, shaking hands, a bouqet of flowers and maybe even a contribution to some organization” said Tel-Zur, adding that the meeting would be coordinated with the police. “This isn’t a case of corruption nor is it even a classic assault case. There was some friction, things got out of hand, what’s the point of making this into a scandal for a public figure?” said Tel-Zur.

MK Yoram Marciano caught shaving while driving, flees scene

Labor faction chairman pulled over for shaving while driving, tries to snatch citation forms from officers

Knesset Member Yoram Marciano was pulled over Thursday by Traffic Police volunteers for shaving while driving, and tried to snatch the citation forms from one of the volunteers.

Traffic Police spokesman Doron Ben-Amo told Ynet that the matter would be brought before the Knesset’s legal council to examine the possibility of filing charges against the MK for obstructing the work of an on-duty police officer.According to the officers, the Labor faction chairman, who made headlines a few months ago when he was involved in a nightclub brawl, was caught on road 44 near Ramla. They said that when the MK realized he was about to be slapped with a NIS 250 fine, he identified himself and proceeded to call the head of Knesset security. A short while later, Marciano attempted to snatch the citation forms and his driver’s license from the volunteers and then fled the scene.

Traffic Police spokesman Doron Ben-Amo told Ynet that the matter would be brought before the Knesset’s legal council to examine the possibility of filing charges against the MK for obstructing the work of an on-duty police officer.

MK Ziv to be questioned over sexual assault complaint

Pensioners Party activist files police complaint claiming Knesset member sexually harassed her. Head of Investigation Department decides to launch criminal investigation against Ziv. Yet another accusation of sexual harassment surfaced in the Knesset Wednesday, as a senior activist for the Gil Pensioner’s Party alleged that Party MK Yitzhak Ziv sexually assaulted her and continued to harass her.

The 62-year-old activist said that the attack took place at Ziv’s house weeks prior to the last election. As originally reported in Yediot Ahronot, the activist said that she had accompanied Ziv to his house, which was undergoing renovation work. She said that when they reached his bedroom the MK forcefully hugged her from behind, lifted up her shirt, grabbed her breasts and threw her down onto the bed.

The plaintiff said she tried to fight off her alleged attacker and eventually succeeded in slipping away from his grasp and fleeing the house.

Ziv has already issued a denial of the charges and has retained the services of attorney Zion Amir, one of the lawyers representing former President Moshe Katsav, to defend him.

“This is political revenge and I have no doubt that the truth will be revealed,” Ziv said.

The activist first discussed reporting the attack to police two weeks ago. She told Yediot that she had decided against filing a complaint after she saw what had happened in the Katsav case.

The woman told Yediot of the alleged attack two weeks ago, saying she intended to complain to police. However, she decided against filing the complaint, explaining: “What happened in the Katsav case reinforced my feeling that I should not complain since in the end, I will be excommunicated from society and he who hurt me will escape punishment.”

The 69-year-old Ziv serves as deputy Knesset speaker and is a member of the Knesset’s Economics Committee and Constitution, Law and Justice Committee. He is a widower, has three children and lives in Ramat Gan.

Since the 17th Knesset was sworn in, there have been several high-profile cases of sexual harassment including Katsav, Vice Premier Haim Ramon, and Labor Whip Yoram Marciano.

Also on Wednesday, MK Yitzhak Levy (NU-NRP) submitted a bill to the Knesset calling to ban any person convicted of a felony related to sexual harassment from being an MK, even if the felony does not constitute moral turpitude.

Bad Publicity

As you may or may not have noticed, this months edition of jock rag Maxim Magazine is featuring a special on the “Girls of the Israeli Defense Forces”. Plugging a photospread of bikini clad and stilettoed ex-soldiers lounging around Tel-Aviv, Maxim advises that the soldiers are “Drop dead gorgeous and can take apart an Uzi in seconds”. While the first part may be true, the Uzi – a lacklustre Israeli made weapon prone to malfunctioning- was phased out of use by the IDF several decades ago. Unfortunately, this factual error is only the tip of the iceberg that is this embarrassing publicity stunt.

Background

Following last summers Israel-Hizbollah War, during which the Israeli Air Force all but leveled Lebanon, Western public opinion- already critical of Israel- veered sharply into the negative.

According to a recent BBC poll I’m a citizen of the worlds most popular and least popular countries. Holler at me.

As part of the effort to rehabilitate its flagging image, the Israeli Consulate in New York conducted a survey of Americans about their opinions of Israel. The consulate found that most Americans view Israel as a sort of land of perpetual warfare and conflict: of exploding buses, hill-top settlements and religious fanatics. And this was from Israel’s closest ally. However, at the same time, they also found that many American men replied that, from what they understand, Israeli girls are really good looking. The consulate decided that this response provided the best avenue- or at least better than bus bombings- for improving Israel’s public image. Thus, was conceived a plan to display to American audiences Israel’s apparent #1 natural resource: its babes.

Israeli model Gal Gadot lamping on balcony in Tel-Aviv

Idiocy

As usual, Israel has exhibited its trademark incompetence when it comes to self-promotion. While anti-Israel propagandists have proved very skillful at painting an extremely negative and damning picture of Israel, their Israeli equivalents have consistently demonstrated a high degree of ineptitude when it comes to effectively conveying the Israeli position to the public. Indeed, this is very much a result of Israeli national temperament, which does not have an appreciation for the nuances and subtleties of public appeal. Israelis have a reputation for being rude, and while it would appear that this is true, the reality is that Israelis are just blunt. They mean what they say and they speak what they think. A combination not conducive to effective public appeal, particularly when the opposing camp often resorts to half-truths and blatant lies with impunity.

Nivit Bash

6 Reasons

1) Callous: Firstly I’d like to state that I have nothing against these women choosing to posing suggestively for a mens magazine. If they wanted to pose for Maxim, Playboy, Hustler or whatever, thats their prerogative not mine. However, my general feeling of disgust with this project stems from the fact that this whole operation was orchestrated by the Israeli Consulate in New York. That is to say that the Israeli Consulate- the representative of the Israeli government-conceived of the idea of a photo spread of “Girls of the Israeli Defense Forces”, independently approached Maxim magazine to pitch their proposition and even paid to have Maxim photographers flown to Tel-Aviv. This government sanctioned commoditization of its womenfolk is questionable to begin with, but in lieu of a rash of sex scandals involving high profile Israeli politicians (Moshe Katsav and Haim Ramon), this verges on callous and plain disturbing. Does the state of Israel really want to be seen as a country where the President and Minister of Justice (!) are involved in sexual misconduct cases, while the state is paying for titillating photos of Israeli women to be published in a semi-pornographic mens magazine???

2) The Lowest Common Denominator: Sex sells shoes, deodorant, cars, cats, dogs, coffee whatever. Apparently now it also sells states. The reality that sex sells is a fact, but as I’m sure most people would agree, its really the lowest form of marketing. When lacking ideas of how to sell your product, just put a scantily clad girl next to it and you have a winning advertisement. For Israel, a country which has so much to offer, it really did not need to resort to t&a to improve its image.

Yaarden Eden

3) Its Sexist: I mean, yeah, there is no state-sponsored photospread in a womens magazine of soldier boys in their underwear or whatever.

4) Why Soldiers?: I think the thing I most take offense with is the fact that these girls are explicitly advertised as soldiers. I mean, what is the point if every female Israeli citizen (except most Arabs) over the age of 18 is technically a soldier. Its a contradiction in terms, by default a photospread of Israeli women is going to be a photospread of “soldiers” because every adult Israeli women has at least some military training. Secondly, women in the IDF serve mostly in a support role. There is only 1 female combat unit, as well as a unit of female divers and border guards. Other than that women serve as so-called “jobniks” doing stuff around the base, working as clerks, communications officers, security guards etc. One of my cousins, for example, spent her two years in the army as a lifeguard on a base. Another girl I met spent her service guarding a room with classified documents. This whole marketing of soldier girls who can “take apart an uzi in seconds” is completely idiotic. In my opinion its shameless pandering (state-sponsored no less) to male sex fantasies of a masculinized “amazonian” female sexuality. Of course this is pandering to the fantasies of Western (American) men, as seeing a girl in uniform is about as novel and exciting as seeing a tree for Israelis.

5) Its Exclusionary: Another effect of advertising the girls as soldiers is that it essentially restricts the photospread to Jewish Israelis. Arab (except the Druze and some Bedouin men) Israelis do not serve in the army. While I’m not sure how many Arab girls would want to pose in Maxim on behalf of Israel they should at least be given the opportunity to do so. Had the photospread just been “Israeli Girls” it could perhaps feature a few Arab-Israeli models. For Example: Rana Raslan Miss Israel 2000, an Arab who didn’t serve in the army.

Rana Raslan:”I am totally Israeli, and I do not think about whether I am an Arab or a Jew”

5) Its Sad: The fact that Israeli youth are required to shoulder the burden of safeguarding their country is, in my opinion, not something that merits celebration. Its a sad reflection of the state of affairs in a region torn by conflict. The fact that the Israeli government chooses to celebrate and glorify the fact that its young women are soldiers is cynical and utterly mystifying to me.

Nivit in what looks like Tel-Aviv Ha’Shalom Train Station

6) No Offense: Yeah its true girls in Israeli are really sexy, but no offense to Nivit Bash, Gal Gadot, Yaarden Eden etc, they are not even that spectacular. Go to Yerushalayim Beach in Tel-Aviv any day around 4pm. Believe me.

Bee Bomber

Apparently after Farfur the Martyr Mouse (mentioned in an earlier post) has been replaced by, get this. . . . . .Nahool the “Jihad Bee” Hahaha! The guys down at Hamas TV should really be writing comedy sketches or something.

Bee Replaces Mouse as Kiddie Suicide Symbol

Hamas’s Al-Aqsa television station recruited a new children’s character to “continue” the legacy of its star martyr, Farfur – the Mickey Mouse lookalike who was beaten to death by an Israeli on the previous program.The new character on the children’s show Tomorrow’s Pioneers, a bee named Nahool, tells the hostess he is Farfur’s cousin and that he wishes to “continue the path of Farfur… the path of martyrdom, the path of the Jihad warriors… and in his name we shall take revenge upon the enemies of Allah, the murderers of the prophets…” The expression “Murderers of the prophets” is an Islamic expression used by the PA religious leaders to refer to Jews. Defining the Jews as the enemies of God is common in PA religious broadcasting.

Diplo on Tel-Aviv

Apparently Diplo was here a few weeks ago with Feadz and Uffie, shame I missed that cause I’m sure it would have been pretty alright. DJ Assault is playing here as well tomorrow, sucks I’ma be in Jerusalem. Damn.

From Mad Decent Blog

mad decent worldwide radio #16 – made in Israel

I got invited to play in tel aviv about 2 years ago and i didnt think much of it at the time… but it ended up being one of the top 3 shows I had ever played..like 700 kids showed up and i did about 3 hours of everything from dubstep and roots and culture to techno and some tongue and cheek trance drops and the people were with me the whole time. the opening djs – polar pair had just released a 12 on tru thoughts and were mixing inst and acapellas from ying yang twins to massive attack like i was in downtown brooklyn 2 years later… it was advanced and mad.. All i knew from Israeli music was like …. infected mushroom and tiesto… who both hold it down. but psytrance wasnt really my thing.
besides that , tel aviv is a beach city where you can find smoking hookas on the beach and ethiopian kids with sunbleached hair jumpin off rocks all day. its far from the day to day violence that is published and for the most part its a secular city with Arab neighborhoods mixed in and around. but what i didnt expect on my second visit last month, was to find the music scene still exploding. i went to a bar at 2am to hear Hebrew baile funk tracks and then to a dubstep party filled with .. gasp girls at another bar a few streets out..(this is the day after a national holiday) so I can only imagine how it is around there on the real nights.

Link to Mad Decent Mix of Israeli bass music, baile funk, dancehallish ish, etc

MAD DECENT PODCAST #16

IMPORTANT NEWS

Hi,

I will be coming home on Sept 13 now, not on August 10th as originally planned.

Savvy Hamas

Yesterday British journalist Alan Johnston was released after 114 days of captivity in the Gaza Strip- the longest time a foreign journalist has been held by a militant group in Gaza. Johnston, the Gaza correspondent for the BBC, was kidnapped on March 12 by the so-called “Army of Islam”, which is a sort of criminal enterprise with “Jihadist”overtones run by the Gaza based Dogmush family (clan). Spearheaded by the British government, the international “Free Alan Johnston” campaign demanded Johnston’s immediate release. Despite the impotence of the Palestinian Authority to accomplish this goal, the campaign steadily gained momentum throughout his 16 weeks of captivity.

In the past few weeks the campaign gained a new sense of urgency as a video was released by the Army of Islam showing Johnston wearing a suicide bomb belt, which they threatened to detonate in the event of an attempt at his forcible liberation.

However, shortly following Hamas recent conquest of the Gaza Strip, the Army of Islam found itself under increasing pressure from Gaza’s Hamas government to release Johnston. This Army of Islam responded this week by kidnapping 10 Hamas “students”, touching off a series of minor gun battles (during which a civilian was killed) and a wave of Hamas arrests of AOI leaders, including the groups spokesman Ahmed Mathloum. Last night (Tuesday) Hamas security forces surrounded the Gaza compound of Mumtaz Dogmush, leader of the Army of Islam, threatening to level the complex and the several hundred AOI militants inside if they did not pony up Johnston. Despite initial threats to murder Johnston if exactly such a military operation was undertaken, he was safely released into the custody of Hamas this morning.

So, Why?

On the surface, both the Army of Islam and Hamas share common ideological roots in the form of Wahabbi style Islamic fundamentalism. The Army of Islam has traditionally thrown its lot in with the bigger, stronger and better organized Hamas, and the two groups cooperated in the joint venture that was last summers kidnapping of Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit.

Gilad Shalit: held by Hamas for over a year in Gaza, reportedly very ill but still alive

So this begs the question of why the relationship between these two former allies with close ideological backgrounds deteriorated so quickly into violence

Legitimacy in Gaza

Following the recent Gaza Putsch there now exists two parallel Palestinian governments: the Hamas led government of Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza and the Fatah government of Salam Fayad in the West Bank. While Hamas holds considerable power in the aftermath of their conquest of Gaza, they suffer from a lack of political legitimacy. The international community immediately rejected Haniyeh’s government, choosing to instead recognize Fayad’s as the sole legitimate Palestinian government. Furthermore, despite of Hamas’s strong support in Gaza, their actions did not receive a universally warm reception amongst Gaza residents. Many Gazans had voted for Fatah in the 2006 Palestinian elections and Hamas’s violent ejection of Fatah from the Gaza Strip was, and still is, regarded as a usurpation of power by many Palestinians both in the West Bank and Gaza. Thus, despite the apparent position of strength following their successful coup, it was vitally important for Hamas to demonstrate to Gazans that they are not only a potent military force, but also capable of governing effectively.

Mahmoud Abbas: Palestinian President and Fatah figurehead, bummed out

The first plank in this agenda was to restore law and order to the normally chaotic (at best) Gaza Strip. And what better way to do so than by cracking down on a criminal outfit- with a militia several hundred men strong- that runs the extortion and racketeering trade in Gaza City. The Dogmush family were widely feared throughout the Gaza Strip, and in the absence of Fatah, they were probably operating the largest militia in Gaza aside from Hamas’s Al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades. Thus, forcing a showdown with the Army of Islam would have the effect of demonstrating to Gazans that Hamas is serious about imposing law and order. Without the Army of Islam marauding around Gaza, Gaza residents would feel safer (and happier) and more confident in Hamas’s abilities as a governing body. Hamas would therefore attain the governmental legitimacy it so badly needs and desires. Secondly, by destroying the Army of Islam Hamas would break the powerbase of the Dogmush family and eliminate a potential obstacle to its governing of Gaza, thereby making the task of administering the Gaza Strip far easier. A win-win situation for all, save for the Army of Islam.

International Legitimacy

For those of you who don’t know, Hamas has been the subject of a long-running political and economic boycott by the UN, EU, Canada, US and Israel (amongst others). The reason for this is that Hamas is a terrorist organization- responsible for the introduction of suicide bombings to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict- that is committed to the destruction of the State of Israel and the imposition of an Islamic fundamentalist government in “Palestine “(that is, all of the land encompassing Gaza, the West Bank and Israel proper). For more details on the exact agenda of Hamas I invite you to read the Hamas Covenant of 1988. When Hamas ascended to power in the Palestinian elections of 2006 they rejected calls by the international community to recognize the State of Israel. Instead they offered a so-called “Hudna” (cease-fire) for 10 years. The Israeli response was to revoke the privileges granted to the Palestinian Authority following the Oslo Accords, during which the Fatah led administration of Yasser Arafat officially recognized Israel (pre-1967 borders). This, of course, caused an international outrage, particularly when Israel stopped handing over tax revenues to the PA. However, Israel’s turning over of tax revenues to the PA was an arrangement predicated by the PA’s recognition of Israel. The official Israeli line was that with Hamas in control of the PA, and refusing to recognize its existence, the deal arranged with Fatah was rendered void and they would therefore not turn over a penny of the tax monies.

Following Hamas’s successful overthrow of Fatah in Gaza the international community and Israel rushed to support moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Fatah government in the West Bank. Aid money has started to pour into the West Bank and Israel has agreed to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars to the Fatah government. Thus, while Fatah is being nursed back to health by foreign donors in the West Bank, Hamas is diplomatically and economically isolated in the Gaza Strip. It is becoming increasingly important for Hamas to establish itself in the eyes of the international community before it is too late. Should the present situation continue, Hamas runs the risk of becoming a pariah government running an increasingly impoverished Gaza Strip, while Fatah enjoys widespread international recognition as the legitimate Palestinian government and the West Bank benefits from the influx of Western aid money and trade. Hamas wants to break the international embargo against it and what better way to do so than by showing the international community that the assumptions forming the basis of their boycott- that Hamas is a vicious terror group motivated by an uncompromising extremist ideology- are all wrong. By freeing Alan Johnston Hamas would have an ideal propaganda opportunity, to be seen in the spotlight of the international media as the savior of a beleaguered Western journalist. Yes, its the cuddly benevolent Hamas worthy of your political recognition and economic support.

Following his release, Johnston was driven directly to a press conference with Hamas Prime Minster Ismail Haniyeh

Ismail Haniyeh described Johnston as a “friend of the Palestinian people”

Lets not forget the scenes from only a few weeks ago

Also, lets not forget their ultimate objective

Ideological Profile

In the News Pt.2

In Gaza, Islamic fanaticism courtesy of Hamas. In Israel, Basketball fanaticism courtesy of Hapoel Tel-Aviv Ultras.

Vandals daub graffiti on graves of parents of Tel Aviv mayor

By Igal Hai, Haaretz Correspondent

Unknown vandals defaced the graves’ of the parents of Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Holdai on Tuesday, spraying them with graffiti blasting the municipality’s decision to raze Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Osishkin basketball auditorium.Slogans smeared on the tombstones read “those who touch Oshishkin will die”, “Ron Holdai is next in line,” and “watch out for gate 5,” referring to the section where the team’s hardcore supporters sit.Tel Aviv’s Mayor responded to the defacement by saying the blood of public officials had been let. When they started a fire next to my home, and threw firecrackers at my home, there was no condemnation,” Holdai said. “My family and I are strong. We will clean the graves and go back to our daily routine.” He addressed the decision to demolish Osishkin, saying it was located in park area and in the middle of a residential zone. “The press could not restrain themselves from saying Holdai is a real estate shark, while they knew Osishkin is designated to become a park,” Holdai added. “One must show public responsibility, learn the facts, report them and not fan flames and give legitimization to violence that is part of public discourse in Israel.” Environmentalist groups condemned the vandalism of the graves. “This is crossing the lines and breaking the rules of democracy that we must always preserve,” Anat Barkai-Nevo of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel wrote.

In the News

So, while current Israeli Prime Minister (Ehud Olmert) is universally considered a bumbling incompetent lackwit, it now appears that Israeli President Moshe Katsav is some sort of modern day Caligula.

“Katsav said he thought of me during sex with his wife’

Key complainant in Katsav sex scandal faces cameras after State agrees to plea bargain with suspended president. ‘Katsav terrorized my body and soul,’ says tearful complainant as she graphically tells her story

I am here to tell the public the truth about this story,” said A, one of the complainants against suspended President Moshe Katsav. A was speaking at a Tel Aviv press conference Thursday afternoon, called hours after Attorney General Menachem Mazuz announced he had reached a plea-bargain agreement with Katsav. Under the terms of the plea bargain, Katsav will plead guilty to charges of sexual assualt, sexual harrassment and harrassing a witness, and will receive a suspended prison sentence. As part of the plea bargain, Mazuz agreed to drop the rape charges against Katsav, a move which has been sharply criticized.

Perhaps the most prominent complainant in the affair, A said it was time the country heard her version of the events.

“From my first days there (at the Presidential Residence) there was something about Moshe Katsav’s attitude – it’s difficult for me to honor him with the title of ‘president’ – he would tell me ‘you’re beautiful, you’re sexy, you interest me and I want to get to know you better,” said A, her face pixilated on television to protect her identity but her shaky voice undistorted.

“He would start calling me at 7:30 in the morning, asking me what I was planning to wear that day. ‘Maybe you should wear a skirt, wear a skirt without underwear underneath,’ he would say to me. “I’d get to the office and try to run a normal schedule and then the comments would begin: ‘You amaze me, I dreamt about you last night while I was having sex with my wife, Gila.’ “That’s the kind of language he used, this is his character. And the words got blunter, more graphic, things got worse. I can’t repeat the kind of profane words he would say to me. This is a man who every morning would sit there at his desk and take out his penis and stroke it and then ask me to sit beside him and touch it.”

‘I had become Katsav’s sex slave’

“One time we were going over paperwork in his office and he asked me to stand up. He came over to stand in front of me and told me ‘I’m attracted to you, you drive me crazy.’ And then without any further explanation he grabbed my breasts.

“I told him he was completely out of line and turned around to leave but he grabbed me and said he was sorry, that it was a mistake. I didn’t come in for a few days, I just didn’t know how to deal with something like that, when your boss, the president of Israel, touches you. I decided I wasn’t going back. The next day, when I still didn’t show up for work, he called me and screamed at me, saying he would make my life hell if I didn’t come back to work.

“The second time I remember is when I’d gone into his office to return a book, to organize something. I was standing with my back to him, a few meters away, and suddenly I felt a body press up against me, arms gripping me and I could feel his penis. He told me: ‘I want you, I want to sleep with you, I want sex and there’s no reason for you to say no.’

“I struggled to get free but failed, I just felt completely paralyzed. He slammed me into the corner of the table with his hands pinning down mine. He opened the clasp of my pants, I tried to move but couldn’t, he’s a very strong man, people don’t know him. He dropped his pants and had full intercourse with me. This happened three or four times. In that second I had become Katsav’s sex slave.

“Moshe Katsav is a rapist. Moshe Katsav is a serial sex offender, he’s perverted. He is an unstable figure and no one can tell me otherwise.”

“My life is not a reality television show, and I refuse to allow decisions regarding my life to be made over coffee in meetings held behind closed doors. I put my faith in the justice system, but today I feel that the system gave up on me and surrendered to the demands of powerful men – and by that I mean the man who terrorized by body and soul – Moshe Katsav,” said A, who earlier in the day filed an unsuccessful

Moshe Katsav: Tyrant Tyrannizing

petition to the High Court of Justice demanding an injunction to ban Mazuz from holding his own press conference to explain the plea bargain.

“This plea bargain gives sex offenders a legitimacy to do whatever they please without consequences,” she said.In response, Zion Amir, one of Katsav’s defense attorneys, said: “It’s a colossal disgrace that public news agencies allow someone accused of extortion and threatening to become the accuser of the president.

 

“The senior officials of the Justice Ministery don’t believe her, so she decided to find a new victim –Attorney General Menachem Mazuz. This is an appalling phenomenon,” he said.

The whole affair was exposed after Katsav complained last summer to Mazuz that A was attempting to blackmail him. As part of the plea bargain ending the affair, the attorney general closed the investigation into allegations of extortion against A.

Katsav with old chum from Yazd Iran, Mohamad Khatami

“Outrage grows over Katsav deal”

In what was a palpable atmosphere of outrage and combative determination, some 20,000 people piled into Kikar Rabin on Saturday night to protest the plea bargain reached Thursday between the state and President Moshe Katsav.

Chanting “We will not accept this,” and “We will not give up,” the protestors cheered as speaker after speaker, mostly media personalities associated with women’s rights, as well as several left-wing MKs, spoke about the “injustice” caused to the complainants in the Katsav sexual abuse case, after Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz dropped rape charges against the president. The women’s rights groups said they planned to file a petition on Sunday with the High Court of Justice to have the plea bargain annulled.

Some of the demonstrators carried signs reading “Katsav to jail”, “There is no light rape” and “a sex offender ruling the country.” Some called on Mazuz to resign. At the end of the rally, hundreds of demonstrators blocked Ibn Gvirol Street. They were evacuated by the police and some were arrested. Education Minister Yuli Tamir told Ynet before the rally, “I think this is insolence. What is happening here is severe. We call for a court hearing so that the court can decide.”

Knesset Member Zahava Gal-On called from the stage, “Meni Mazuz, you are a coward. You were frightened by the top lawyers.” The audience chanted in response, “We shall not give up.”

Attorney Kinneret Barashi, the lawyer of complainant A who worked at the President’s Residence, was moved by the thousands of people who flocked to the square.

“I am pleased to see that everyone understands that this is not one person’s specific problem, but that this is a democratic state. It is unthinkable that Mazuz would give the president such a deal. The case should have been transferred to the court,” she said.

The rally was hosted by radio and television broadcaster Merav Michaeli and was also attended by Labor MKs Shelly Yacimovich and Nadia Hilou. The demonstration was held under the banner “The president’s dignity was saved, let’s save our own dignity.”

Education Minister Tamir said in her speech, “We are here in order to protest an immoral decision which takes us years back in time. I was ashamed when I heard Katsav’s attorneys saying that A should return to her anonymity. We will not allow this issue to be taken off the agenda.

“There is no person who can come out clean with such a plea bargain. In school we teach the students to honor each other. If this deal goes through, we will not be able to educate the children.

“This deal stains all of us, and we do not deserve to have Katsav’s stain inflicted on the entire Israeli society. Perhaps this is the moment when all of us must tell the Israeli public – enough is enough. Women shall not be hurt, their dignity shall not be humiliated – not through acts, not through touching and not through kisses. We demand a trial and a real trial.” MK Hilou said, “The demonstration at the square is the real puzzle of the Israeli society and it conveys a very important message on an extremely painful issue. We are a front here and we all say no to that deal and call on Attorney General Meni Mazuz to go back on the deal.” MK Yacimovich told Ynet, “It is pleasing to see that there are not only women here, but an entire consensus of the entire public in Israel. An unreasonable thing happened here. We believe the complainants, the police believe the complainants, and therefore this issue must reach the court.”

Dr Zvi Shiloni from Midreset Sde Boker said, “My wife and I, together with our neighbors, came from the far Negev because we feel that what is happening here is not right. This decision on a plea bargain symbolizes a complete collapse of the legal system.”

On Sunday, after Katsav is indicted, The Movement for Quality Government in Israel and women’s organizations plan to petition the High Court of Justice against the attorney general, demanding that he go back on the plea bargain.

Katsav Remix of popular Israeli track “rotze banot” (i want girls)

Meanwhile in Palestine. . .

“Hamas Kills off Martyr Mouse”

Disney character lookalike who preached Islamic domination children’s television program is victim of pretend beating death by actor posing as Israeli official in show’s final episode. ‘Farfur was martyred while defending his land,’ says teen presenter

Hamas pulled the plug on its version of Mickey Mouse yesterday, bowing to widespread criticism it was blatantly using Walt Disney’s lovable rodent to preach hate to kids.

Calling it “a mistaken approach,” Palestinian information czar Mustafa Barghouti demanded Hamas stop airing the kiddie show “Tomorrow’s Pioneers” on its Al-Aqsa TV station.

“They listened to our advice that they should revise it and that children’s shows should not include political messages,” Barghouti told the Daily News. “The law says that education should be neutral and that you shouldn’t subject children to political propaganda.”

Hamas’ stunning reversal came after the show sparked worldwide outrage. It featured a Mickey Mouse clone named Farfur who encouraged Palestinian children to arm themselves with AK-47s to fight Israel and the United States.

The News featured the “Terror Mouse” on page one, prompting Walt Disney’s only surviving child, Diane Disney Miller, 73, to blast Hamas as “pure evil.”

A Hamas official said the show was being removed for “review” and that Al-Aqsa TV programers were considering a change to the show’s format.

Palestinian Media Watch was first to criticize the show. But while the group was pleased by the ban, its director said Hamas has far to go in eradicating its airwaves of Islamic radicalism.

“If they replace the mouse with more viewings of a 4-year-old saying she wants to be a suicide terrorist, then we have not made any progress,” said Palestinian Media Watch’s Itamar Marcus, referring to a music video featuring the daughter of a female suicide bomber singing and playing with dynamite.

“I think it’s tragic that they can only create a children’s program with a hate message and the alternative is to take it off the air,” Marcus added. “I would have preferred to hear that they are changing the message of the program and instead of indoctrinating kids with hatred, they are promoting peace.”

Barghouti said he will look into other Hamas programs, including the music video of the suicide bomber’s little girl.

But Barghouti berated American media for failing “to show the other side of the story.”

Farfur Meets his grizzly end

Farfur in better times

Moral of the Story: its good to be a rapist in Israel and the kids aren’t alright in Palestine