Once justice dwelled in Jerusalem, now settlers do

Thank you Avraham Burg for this article, it gives me hope that not everything is lost. What a pity that you left politics although I can understand that it is difficult to fight continuously against the right as well as Shas and the haredim. It seems that nearly all rational people are leaaving politics and we are left with shortsighted and fanatical people who don't see that we ourselves are the ones bringing our downfall nearer.

Avraham Burg is using the wrong analogy here. If Jerusalem were a harlot, it would willingly give away its body parts. But today's Israel has a leadership committed to a united Jerusalem. So the harlot analogy won't work here.

Thanks Mr. Burg for this fair article. Unfortunately, the fanatics in the Israeli society are now more aggressive then ever before and you will likely get many of them telling you to leave. Do not bother with these idiots! You make us all oustide Israel believe that peace is possible after all.

It is the only hopeful sign I see coming from Israel and that is there are Jews who refuse to be blinded by ideology and tribalism. It is people like Avraham Burg that Zionism should have given birth to in this land - a true humanist - but instead we get the gang from the book of Joshua - the genocidal fringe who indulge in scorched earth fanaticism and indulge in worshiping the golden calf of colonialism. In the end, Zionism will do more than just destroy Israel but it will do more harm to Judaism and the Jewish people than it's worst enemies throughout history could have dreamed about. It's time for the real Jews of the Torah - the God fearing and justice seeking ones - to stand up and be counted. Who will stand with Avraham? Or will he be crucified for speaking the truth?

some book that Zionism is a form of . . . and the Jews are really Europeans. That is true of Ashkenazim, Maybe the Zionist are Ostjuden, the kind of Jews the Yekes, the native born German Jews, imagined lacked the wherewithall to represent our national culture. Yeah, they didn't speak Hoch Deutsch--the Polish Jews spoke Yiddish. If Avremele was serious about his rants, he would dispose of his chocolate factory in Galilee, and renounce his Israeli Israeli citizenship. He has no problems looking for a county, for some unexplained reason, the French Republic waived the seven year residence requirement and gave him his EU card without having to wait. If he is happy in Paris, let him stay there and rant about the way the Moslems are having a hard time with the French government!

I do not understand you self hating JEWS. You ( meaning all Jews ) are not allowed to enter any Arab country, not even Gaza or the PA territory and you are threatened with death - "Kill the Jew" and all you know is to defend and protect the Moslems who want to kill you. I dont get it - where is your brain ?? Jerusalem is the capitol of Israel, why do you want to give it away ? You get nothing in return, except threats of KILL THE JEW.

An embarassment to Jewish values and intellect.

Point it out... http://wp.me/pDB7k-nO ... thx

heartfelt but not realistic..... if you dont grab for something, somebody or something else will. that Avshalom is the reality of the world. if the jews dont stand up for themselves and take what they can then others will take it and the jews will be left to die. wake up to reality.

We have learned to ignore ranting and raving of fanatics. We remember the rantings of Idi Amin, of Kadaffi, further back we have Hitler. Today we can hear Ahmadinejad, the occasional loony Kach-nik and following the above article, we can confidently add Avrahm Burg to the list.

sadly people who have little connection to wisdom or truth are attempting to pass judgement.I wish this writer to go live in an Islamic country and he will see his business practices and morality are in line with the dictators but not with Israel or the settlers. I am beginning to understand the role that the settlers who should not be called that but residents who were there long before there ever was a Pal arab who has no history in Jlem or Israel.These residents are the first line of defense of islam claiming something that is not theirs. Burg not understanding history and with a narrow view and weak assessments has added nothing of value here

Yes, Dr. Burg, we were in Sheikh Jarrah last night and we will be there again. Who will undertake the leadership of the New Left that can get 5000 people out to demonstrate? Will you stand up and be the person to rally the wrath of these who say no?

How refreshing to know there is still sanity in Israel. You represent it well. Some time ago Israel was voted the country having the most ?negative image? in a globe-spanning survey of 28,000 attitudes toward 12 major countries in the world. As a guest of Fareed Zakaria CNN, some time ago, Brent Scowcroft talked about the negative attitudes around the world toward America because of the policies of the Bush administration and the neocons. Mr. Zakaria asked Mr. Scowcroft to state one piece of advice to the president-elect to formulate a grand strategy. Mr. Scowcroft responded, "The most troublesome area in the world is the Middle East which must be tackled first and should start that process with the Palestine peace process as a way to psychologically change the mood of the region and get the region to start working together. The Palestinian issue gives memory a deep sense of injustice and we have removed with this election a lot of that sense of injustice.

While I worry about Jerusalem increasingly falling into the hands of the right-winger religious extremists, the left-wing protesters make me fell that perhaps all is not lost. Keep up the good work Avraham.

First HaAretz editor David Landau begs Condoleeza Rice (in 2007) to "rape Israel" for the sake of "peace". Then Avrum Burg complains (in Landau's Ha'Aretz) that Jerusalem has become a "harlot". Can't the Ha'Aretz-Left decide what is really good for Israel? Burg is weak on facts: "We haven't had murders here yet". According to Ibrahim Burg all those exploding buses in Jerusalem were justified political demonstrations, eh? "Jerusalem is emptying out faster than any city in the world." Burg, the Socialist-Communist, doesn't understand that ever-rising housing prices are not consistent with his ludicrous claims of the city emptying out. "We are [..] seeking both Shabbat and peace." Then why are Leftist Secularist Anarchists and their Islamist companions harassing and attacking Jewish worshipers at Holy Jewish sites? It is 'leaders' of Burg's ilk who have done so much to destroy Israel. The less he is involved, the better off we all (Jews and Muslims alike) will be.

"The author obviously has issues with his identity." No, with Israel's illegal activities. "Since no citizen nor ethnic person would voluntarily deligitimize his fellow tax paying citizens." Illegal occupants de-legitimize themselves. "No american would call americans leaving in Washington D.C. outsiders or settlers." Washington is in the USA. Jerusalem is not legally annexed to Israel. "Would Russians call people living in their capital Moscow settlers" If Moscow was under occupation and the occupiers were illegally settling, they'd call them illegal settlers. "For a person such as yourself to lament justice no longer exists shows a tremedous irony." The irony is in not understanding the word ILLEGAL. " A person who voluntarily debases his people,deligitimizes its capital and insults yet laments about justice." The author hasn't " Your right! Where are the institutiions of justice that allow such public slander to continue?" What a strange thing to say!

Gaza and Jerusalem are collapsing into themselves, with the worst most xenophobic hate ridden elements in both Judaism and Islam running amok. What will we do when the gangs of Gaza and the Hilltop Youth all grow up? Mutual Annhilation in the name of HaShem and Allah?Come home, Avraham. We need you to help us stop this deasdly march to mutual destruction... and to help us save ourselves ... from ourselves. And no, I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here. I've lived hear for the good part of my life, served this country, raised my kids here and they too, served this country. I'm staying along with David Grossman and other inspirational forces for a democratic Jewish State and the humane Zionism I believe in and grew up in. .

When the hungry steal it is not the same as when those who have plenty to eat steal. When the homeless build themselves a new refuge and are robbed of it by people who have already got not only a refuge, but a state and an army to defend it, religious people like you should have many, many questions. But for some reason, you only have the kind of answers you spew. Let the Palestinians whose houses you now live in return to them because they have the key and the deed and you will have the right to "return" to houses held by you before 1948. Separate criteria, one for the Arab and one for the Jew, is what your so-called legal justification is based on. It's immoral. Apply your justification it across the board and you'll be heard. So choose. Either stay in your house and leave the refugees be, or allow everyone who was made homeless by war to have their home back.

The author obviously has issues with his identity. Since no citizen nor ethnic person would voluntarily deligitimize his fellow tax paying citizens.No american would call americans leaving in Washington D.C. outsiders or settlers. Would Russians call people living in their capital Moscow settlers. For a person such as yourself to lament justice no longer exists shows a tremedous irony. A person who voluntarily debases his people,deligitimizes its capital and insults yet laments about justice. Your right! Where are the institutiions of justice that allow such public slander to continue?

If he thinks preaching from a prison cell will make his message more sincere then he should not be striving to get into prison by defrauding people in his business life. Still he spells hypocrisy with a capital 'H'

Thank you Mr. Burg. with people like you peace is very possible and very rewarding..I hope others listen and wake up before its too late. At the moment the Palestinians are losing their lives and land and Jews are losing their soul and decency. If things continue this way both Palestinians and Jews would lose their lives and everything else.

for all the peace loving jews and arabs , please listen to this man to save our future and the future of our children. the next war will not be just w/ gaza or lebanon , it will good against evil...the good people against the evil ones,if u now history, u now the outcome.

Thank heavens there are still some sane voices out there in the wildnerness

"arabs can live where they wish but jews cannot" Neither Israeli Jewish or Israeli Arab civilians can live in "territories occupied" actually. "it was ok to take from jews by arabs" When? And who said it was OK? "it was ok to massacre jews by arabs" If you say so.. no one else has. Not in the article or the comments. "..but all you can do is complain about jews trying to live in E. Jerusalem?" Illegal Israeli settlers actually. "And you morons call this justice?" An ignoramus calling folk morons? " You are the ones with rot in your soul as you go against your own nation" A nation going against International Law is going against itself.

"they kill 6 million of us" Er.. No...the Palestinians of today were children when the Nazi's were slaughtering us. None were Hitler. Neither they OR their forefathers had anything to do with Hitler. http://wp.me/pDB7k-m1 One of the basic tenets of our faith is to not bear false witness. Please adhere. thx

The tenants evicted for not paying rent are the ones he should address the 'Do not steal' to. Actually considering his very dubious business activities he might consider reviewing the applicability of these laws to his own twisted existence.

it was ok to take from jews by arabs, it was ok to massacre jews by arabs but all you can do is complain about jews trying to live in E. Jerusalem? And you morons call this justice? You are the ones with rot in your soul as you go against your own nation.

another leftist and i can not keep my month shot Mr.burg who steal those are ours that has been stolen from jewish you tell us "Judaism of "Thou shalt not steal" and "Thou shalt not murder." Leave Sheikh Jarrah now!" they kill 6 million of us and they steel our country and you preach us to lease i preach you to keep quite and leave the country go go go