Prosecution: Lieberman's anti-Arab remarks kosher

[Poll_Blind]

From YNet News:

The State Prosecutor's office announced on Thursday that there is no room to initiate criminal procedures against newly appointed Minister Avigdor Lieberman for his comments in the Knesset comparing the Arab Knesset members to Nazis.

Lieberman said that "the fate of the collaborators in the Knesset should be same as the fate of the Nazi collaborators." Immediately after these words, Tibi approached Attorney General Mazuz and demanded that "a criminal investigation be initiated against Lieberman for violating the law against incitement and racism."

Tibi added then that the words are "a danger to the lives of the Arab MKs which constitutes incitement for violence and bloodshed."

Deputy Prosecutor Nitzan said in his answer that "after we examined the transcript of Lieberman's statements, we reached a conclusion that there is no room to initiate criminal proceedings against him. Our check revealed that the words are not incitement to violence or incitement to racism. We reached these conclusions despite our objection of the content."

--snip--

  Oh? Looks like Lieberman's going to get a smoother ride than anyone expected. I find that pretty amazing but, there ya go.

PB

[AlamoDemoc]

1. I expected this from Lieberman...He's a racist SOB (n/t)

[Poll_Blind]

2. This is the same prosecutor who brought charges against Mordechai...

...Vanunu for merely speaking to a foreign reporter. FYI, Mordechai Vanunu revealed the existence of Israel's nuclear program (and its deceptions to keep it a secret) in 1986 (already a pretty open secret) and spent 18 years in jail for it after being kidnapped by the Mossad.

  Interesting take on the government's role in free speech.

PB

[Behind the Aegis]

3. Revealing national security issues is not free speech!

[Poll_Blind]

4. All he revealed was that Israel had a nuclear weapons program.

  Would you behave the same way if an Iranian Mordechai Vanunu came forward with evidence that Iran had a nuclear weapons program and several hundred nuclear weapons?

PB

[Behind the Aegis]

5. I am not Iranian.

[Tom Joad]

6. I will keep that in mind.

[Tom Joad]

11. Don't you think that it is any nations right to stockpile nuclear weapons

and hide not only from the world but its own population, so that there can be no discussion of it? What business is it of the people of Israel if their government is building a massive stockpile of nuclear weapons?

You don't think it is anyones right to have nuclear weapons? Don't you believe in "choice"?

Are you some kind of crazed pacifist or what?

[Tom Joad]

7. Lieberman is a respected member of the ruling coalition, and his

party represents the views of many Israelis.

If his views were outside the mainstream, why would he have been invited into this government?

Olmert, like Lieberman, sees the Palestinians (or Arabs) of Israel as a threat.

[breakaleg]

8. That's what I think is the worst part of this. He may give people who

share his views, but are afraid to admit it, a voice. There was a lot of support for his words at the end of that article.

[Poll_Blind]

10. After Olmert's comments about 2/3 of Israelis being for pardoning....

...Yigal Amir, I think I can understand a little more about why some of these curious events are occurring in Israel without much of a peep.

PB

[AlamoDemoc]

9. I couldn't agree more. Birds of a Feather Fly Together!

[cali]

12. Lieberman is repulsive

and so is the decision not to prosecute him, but hell look at the people bushco has in his administration. I think many of them are out of the American mainstream. That he's in the government doesn't neccessarily mean that he's representative of mainstream Israeli thought.