Why Don't The Progressives Care About the Injustices Toward Arabs from Arab Governments?

[CMike]

Okay...I know I am going to regret this but I don't get it.

Women have no rights in almost all arab countries, especially the ones fighting Israel.

They can be beaten legally for any reason.

They can be beaten/killed for going outside without a male chaperone.

They must legally wear the black "outerwear" or face punishment.

They must abide by Shaira law.

Men as well have no rights.

There is no right to a trial much less a fair trial.

There are no civil rights.

It's illegal to be homosexual.

The arabs living in Israel proper have a higher standard of living than in any arab country. They have full civil rights. They can vote, and are represented in parliament. An arab is part of the Israeli Supreme Court and arabs hold numerous political positions in Israel.

In Tel Aviv there is an annual gay parade.

Why are the progressives defending these arab countries and their treatment of their citizens? At the very least why don't they ever criticize them?

 

[Bunyip]

Okay...I know I am going to regret this but I don't get it.

Women have no rights in almost all arab countries, especially the ones fighting Israel.

They can be beaten legally for any reason.

They can be beaten/killed for going outside without a male chaperone.

They must legally wear the black "outerwear" or face punishment.

They must abide by Shaira law.

Men as well have no rights.

There is no right to a trial much less a fair trial.

There are no civil rights.

It's illegal to be homosexual.

The arabs living in Israel proper have a higher standard of living than in any arab country. They have full civil rights. They can vote, and are represented in parliament. An arab is part of the Israeli Supreme Court and arabs hold numerous political positions in Israel.

In Tel Aviv there is an annual gay parade.

Why are the progressives defending these arab countries and their treatment of their citizens? At the very least why don't they ever criticize them?

Well the answer is very simple ( and infinitely sad ). Those kinds of grotesque anachronistic social evils persist in places like Saudi Arabia because they are US allies and so do not get criticized.

 

[CMike]

Israel is a US ally as well (at least before Obama took over)

 

[Bunyip]

Israel is a US ally as well (at least before Obama took over)

Exactly. That is how they manage to get away with some aweful things as well.

 

[dust1n]

Why are the progressives defending these arab countries and their treatment of their citizens? At the very least why don't they ever criticize them?

I've never met a progressive who ever defended violence against women in Islam, or a number of corrupt players in the Middle East, or Islam in general.

 

[CMike]

I've never met a progressive who ever defended violence against women in Islam, or a number of corrupt players in the Middle East, or Islam in general.

They certainly don't criticize it.

 

[sandandfoam]

Would you really wish for the Israeli government to belong in the same category as the government of Saudi Arabia in the mind of anyone?

 

[YmirGF]

Would you really wish for the Israeli government to belong in the same category as the government of Saudi Arabia in the mind of anyone?

Indeed, just compare the UN resolutions against Saudi Arabia. Israel isn't even close.

 

[metis]

According to Shimon Peres, Obama has worked more with Israel militarily than any previous president, and I know he has said as such on at least three occasions. We're still allies.

 

[YmirGF]

According to Shimon Peres, Obama has worked more with Israel militarily than any previous president, and I know he has said as such on at least three occasions. We're still allies.

That would likely explain why tensions are so high between the two administrations.

 

[Sunstone]

They certainly don't criticize it.

You are free to believe what you want to believe. But that speaks more about you than it does about reality.

 

[YmirGF]

You are free to believe what you want to believe. But that speaks more about you than it does about reality.

I tend to agree, Phil. It's not that so-called "progressives" are not critical of these things, it's more in their rationale, really. One need only read the words of some of the more outspoken "progressives" on RF to see what I mean.

 

[metis]

That would likely explain why tensions are so high between the two administrations.

There has always been "tensions" between Israel and each U.S. president for decades now, and most of the time it deals with the issue of settlements, as it does in this case. On top of that, each of our presidents try to walk the tightrope so as not to offend our Arab allies, and that typically doesn't go over well in Israel either.

 

[dust1n]

They certainly don't criticize it.

Criticize what exactly?

 

[Alceste]

I've never met a progressive who ever defended violence against women in Islam, or a number of corrupt players in the Middle East, or Islam in general.

Nor me.

 

[Alceste]

Criticize what exactly?

I've been criticizing the abuse of women in the ME since 1994. It's one of those things, though. Nobody is here defending the practice of shooting young girls in the head for going to school, or locking a couple dozen girls inside a burning building to die for fear that they'll be seen without their hijabs on otherwise, or celebrating the fact that women in Afghanistan have the highest rate of suicide of any demographic in the world, or endorsing FGM, child marriage and human trafficking. Nobody is defending the custom that women in certain ME countries are not allowed to drive, work, or vote. Nobody thinks children are better off with Boko Haram and IS than they were with their parents.

What is there to say? "Wow - check out this awful thing that totally sucks." "Yup, that really sucks. Bloody awful". /thread.

Debates tend to be quite short when everybody involved is defending the same side.

 

[CMike]

There has always been "tensions" between Israel and each U.S. president for decades now, and most of the time it deals with the issue of settlements, as it does in this case. On top of that, each of our presidents try to walk the tightrope so as not to offend our Arab allies, and that typically doesn't go over well in Israel either.

With Obama it's really really bad.

 

[metis]

With Obama it's really really bad.

It actually was worse under "H.W.". Both he and Baker refused to even take phone calls from Netanyahu.

 

[metis]

BTW, so may be interested in this (note underlined parts):

President Obama's Fiscal Year 2010 budget proposes $53.8 billion for appropriated international affairs' programs. From that budget, $5.7 billion is appropriated for foreign military financing, military education, and peacekeeping operations. From that $5.7 billion, $2.8 billion, almost 50% is appropriated for Israel.[70] Israel also has available roughly $3 billion of conditional loan guarantees, with additional funds coming available if Israel meets conditions negotiated at the U.S.-Israel Joint Economic Development Group (JEDG).

In 2010, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees approved President Obama's request for $3 billion in military aid to Israel in the 2011 budget. The appropriation has not yet been approved by Congress...

Eli Lake, the national security correspondent of The Washington Times, reported on 23 September 2011, that Obama had authorized at the beginning of his presidency "significant new aid to the Israeli military that includes the sale of 55 deep-penetrating bombs known as bunker busters".

Former head of the Israeli Air Force, retired Major General Eitan Ben Eliyahu, has called the American sale of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II nuclear capable stealth fighter bombers to Israel a key test of the relationship.

While United States law forbids the use of offset agreements on FMF sales, Israel’s Industrial Cooperation Authority attempts to secure industrial participation contracts of around 35 percent of such sales. Because of restrictions on the defense budget in 2013, US Congress would reduce at least $155 million in aid to Israel. -- Israel

 

[CMike]

It actually was worse under "H.W.". Both he and Baker refused to even take phone calls from Netanyahu.

Can you see this happening with Obama? I can't.

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I so miss him.