Comments

1
Well, that ought to be good for a few clicks.

Well done, stringer!
2
Yes, let's demonize Israeli LGBTs. That's always good for a few laughs.
3
Presumably a Palestinian state would be gay positive, thats pretty common in that part of the world.
4
Requisite hand wringing and kvetching aside, the GLBTQ community still knows where they can live openly and safely in the Middle East: Israel.
5
I read through the list of 50 "explicitly discriminatory" laws, and all that was really there was the right of return for overseas Jews per their citizenship law. Hard to compare this to South Africa.
6
" violating the call for a boycott." So, if someone calls for a boycott, and you don't do it, or even know about it, you don't just disagree or think it's pointless, you are "violating" it.
7
@4 yes, if you're Jewish, you will not have a problem living in Israel. But Ethiopian Jews do seem to be facing some difficulties. http://www.usnews.com/news/world/article…

Really, though, who wouldn't want to live in a lively cosmopolitan bubble, ignoring the fact you are involved in the theft of the indigenous peoples land and the ongoing brutal repression to keep it.

Even Israelis sometimes do look over the apartheid fence though. Like when they go up in the hills overlooking Gaza while their air force bombs the shit out of the (mainly) civilians who live there (last summer killing over 500 children). http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/ju…

South African ArchBishop Desmond Tutu on boycotting Israel: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/11…

@6 now you can't say you didn't know.
8
@5 just saw this about South Africans in Israel (besides Bishop Tutu's boycott call in my post @7): http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=…
9
@7, how would you respond if your neighbor placed a child in his lap and started firing a machine gun indiscriminately in the direction of your daycare?
10
@9 - Save your breath. Framing the question in terms that recognize Palestinian complicity in their own misery carries no weight with the BDS crowd. Suggesting they actually read up on the history of the area also means nothing. They just get more stubbornly set in their own views no matter how ill educated they are about the actual situation. None of them seems to be old enough to remember what really happened leading up to the creation of Israel, and certainly none of them cares.
11
It seems to me that the only way that Murray would be "violating" any boycott would be if there were, as in the case of Indiana, and actual order by the City to participate. In this case, he, and the City, are ignoring it. Which is just fine.
12
Smart move by Murray. He can't go to the powerful NRA with his record and his constituents, but snuggling up with Israel opens up money and access pipeline to DC.
13
@10: yes -- any attempts to present history/facts are met with even louder screams of nonsense. The demonization of Israel has become an industry.
15
@10 pretty sure terrorism helped create the state of Israel. Then look at who those terrorists were and who they became. Re: Irgun and Stern Gang
16
In reality I'm with @14. At this point, I think they're all a bunch of assholes. But to @15 I would say that there's been terrorism on both sides, and the ones who are currently practicing it are simply carrying on an age-old tradition in that part of the world. BDS isn't going to make a bit of difference as long as the Palestinians refuse to do any honest, straightforward negotiating and the Israelis continue to elect right-wing governments in reaction to the Palestinian guerrilla warfare. In case nobody's noticed, the ultra-conservative right in politics is having a resurgence on every continent, and the Near East/Middle East is not immune to that poison.
17
Mazel tov! Another US politician heading to Israel.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post…

In Scott Walker's case, it's for educational purpose.
18
@14: Word.
19
I suggest the author pursue his LGBT rights campaign in any of Israel's delightful neighboring states. I'll throw in a one-way ticket, no sense wasting time booking a return.
20
Israel violates international laws daily and commits genocide routinely but all that is only a side note as far as Mayor Murray is concerned. This is identity politics taken to an extreme and self-serving degree. NOT IN MY NAME.
21
One can't wear the mantle of a human rights hero while ignoring the conditions under which Palestinians are living
23
'If you can't win, lie instead' seems to be the motto of the writer here.

Mr. Pasch, you really need to learn that others know the history of this region a bit, also. You write, "the bombing of UN schools in 2014,, when anyone who has followed this conflict knows that even the UN has taken back their assignations of fault of Israel for these bombings, and has attributed the deaths to instead, to "misfired Hamas rockets", and after yeas of blaming Israel, this is the same UN that returned missiles to Hamas after they were found in an UNWRA school... Only after a real investigation was made, and after yeas of blaming Israel did UN Sec. Ban Ki Moon state, "Those responsible are turning schools into potential military targets, and endangering the lives of innocent children.".

So, Mr. Pasch, your tired propaganda won't work here.

There are many problems with this story. The LEAST of which is that Israel is a democracy. Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Druze, Bahá'í - all people have equal rights (with the exclusion of serving in the military). And that nonsense about "colonialism"? That tired talking point has been disproved for decades...simply by using the actual definition.

But, if you really DO want to talk about mistreatment...shall we talk about what happens to Gay people in Gaza? Well, they are beaten, tortured and killed. Killed. Same in the West Bank. Even more sad is your link to gay rights groups...the first, AlQlaws, is based where? IN JERUSALEM!!! The 2nd one, Aswat is in Sumatra. The third one, for which this writer is a member, is based either here in the 'States, or Canada...maybe England. But, SURELY not in The Wests Bank or Gaza. Where...again, they'd be killed.

Past all that, all BDS does is harm the Palestinians. When the company Soda Stream closed their factory in the West Bank, all they did was have to fire hundreds of Palestinains who until then, were making up to six times the wage that was made by workers in The West Bank. Oops.

No, Mr. Pasch. The irony of your position, being gay and also having to defend Hamas or Fatah, two groups that would kill you, in a story about how there's a massive gay event in Israel?

Hell, don't even get me started on your anti-semitic group, "Jewish Voices for Peace".

No, Mr. Pasch. Your tired blame-game bullshit won't work here. But, maybe it'll work in Gaza? Why don't you go there and try it?

24
Speaking as a Jew who's been around quite a few zionist organizations, Israeli politics and rhetoric has taken a terrifying turn. For starters, the ascension of the Jewish Home party, particularly the installation of Ayelet Shaked as Justice Minister, signals an openness to genocide which hasn't happened before. (http://jonathanturley.org/2014/07/17/the…)

You can also check out concerns coming from Israeli groups documenting human rights abuses.

B'Tselem is a good resource to get started with:
http://www.btselem.org/

Breaking the Silence has testimony of human rights abuses by the IDF spoken about by IDF soldiers:
http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/

It's not anti-semitic or gay-hating to hold Israel accountable for the current state of affairs. A non-violent solution is needed and that solution is BDS (boycott, divest, and sanction). I want Israel to exist in peace and security, but that can't happen without international pressure.

I tweeted Ed Murray and messaged his office to drop out of the event and, if you agree, you should too.

https://twitter.com/mayoredmurray

http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/get-involve…
25
@23, Jewish Voices for Peace is set up by Jews. You can be both Jewish and want Israel held accountable for human rights abuses. Also, by having a population that is under military control without any input into Israeli government and cannot move throughout Israel without a passport IS apartheid.

As a Jew, Israel is currently not a country that speaks for me.
26
thank you, Jimmy Pasch. I am straight but have supported the rights of gay workers forever and have always had the utmost respect for them but Ed Murray, what he did, is absolutely disgraceful.

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