I missed this one from early November, from article in Haaretz … Seems Netanyahu is following his orders pushing lawmakers for a Jewish State law and a new snap election cycle to move towards a fascist state to fulfill the Zionist dream of a nation east of the Jordan river.
Groups funded by Sheldon Adelson silent on his dismissal of Israeli democracy
Adelson, a leading Republican donor, has long stood out among American Jews for his conservative views. He may have stepped farther outside of the American Jewish mainstream than ever before, however, in statements at a conference in Washington on November 9 in which he seemed to write off Israel as a democratic state.
“I don’t think the Bible says anything about democracy,” Adelson said. “[God] didn’t talk about Israel remaining as a democratic state… Israel isn’t going to be a democratic state — so what?”
While Anti-Defamation League national president Abraham Foxman has slammed Adelson’s remarks, leaders of groups that have taken money from Adelson have not responded to requests to address his statements.
‘Israel should build a big wall’
In his comments, made during a high-profile appearance in Washington at the inaugural national conference of the Israeli American Council, Adelson appeared to brush all that aside. The council, which received some 40% of its funding from Adelson in 2012, hosted Adelson in a discussion with Democratic Jewish mega-donor Haim Saban, another major donor to the group. Saban told Adelson that he supported a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because any other resolution would imperil Israel’s democratic status. Adelson disagreed, disparaging Israeli democracy. Israel, he urged, should build “a big wall” around its borders.
The ADL’s Foxman, who at times has taken a hard line on Israel-related issues, pushed back strongly against Adelson in a statement to the Forward.
“Sheldon Adelson’s comment suggesting that it’s not so important that Israel remain a democracy is disturbing on many levels,” Foxman wrote. “In fact, the founders of Israel got it exactly right when they emphasized the country being both a Jewish and democratic state. Any initiatives that move Israel away from either value would ill-serve the state and people of Israel.”
The American Jewish Committee, the community’s other large domestic advocacy group, did not respond to several calls requesting comment.
