the second democracy in the middle east

The second democracy in the Middle East

By David Verveer

Passed are those days that Israel could claim to be the only democracy in the Middle East, after the elections in Iran last week, where all citizens were free to vote for anybody they choose, opposition, government or nobodies. The participation in the popular elections was so great; the democratic government even prolonged the voting time from 8 o'clock to 10 at night. And it must be said, the voting in the polling stations was mostly orderly and civilized. Even though, foreign observers were not allowed, the Western World got the impression that the voting was fair and democratic.

In appreciation of the good behavior of its citizens, the Government published a promise that in future election, the votes will also be counted, even though, thought a waste of time and improper interferences with the wishes of Iran's great leader, his holy excellence, the Ayatollah.
People critical of the Iranian democracy must admit that the published results of the election were made public only after the closing of the polling stations, and not, like in un democratic countries and dictatorships, where the elections results are 99% in favor of the Government. I got tears in my eyes when I saw the Iranian results of only 63% for the incumbent President and 34% for his challenger, how courageous, true democrats.

What is incomprehensible to me are the riots in Tehran and other major Iranian towns, how dare they question the wisdom of the Ayatollahs, why are those demonstrators so ungrateful for the brilliant leadership of Ahmadinajad, a leader who was prepared to sacrifice Iran's natural recourses on building nuclear weapons, needed to defend the Iranian nation against the great and little Satans, the USA and Israel. You must admit that Iran supported important freedom movements such as the Hezbollah and Hamas, when other Muslim states only thought of their own prosperity, Iran armed the freedom fighters unselfishly with high tech warfare, even if this meant poverty for the ordinary peasants of Iran.

And the Holocaust denial, look how the hero and president personally went to the UN assembly, to tell them that the Holocaust never happened, who would have thought that an Iranian leader would stand up against the entire world.

I know that nobody in Iran will be able to read this, as the electronic connections seem to encounter un-explained problems, which makes e-mail connections between the democratic Islamic republic of Iran and the rest of the world impossible, most likely caused by external problem arousers trying to give an impression of a revolution developing in Iran, which is of course imperialistic propaganda.

Remember that Musavi utilized his wife in order to receive the popular vote of the women, how unpatriotic and anti-Iranian, tomorrow his wife will run for president, like Hillary, God forbid.

bbc's democracy or stupidity?

BBC's democracy or stupidity?

By David Verveer

Late in the evening, last night, the BBC broadcasted the Doha Debates, with as guest Dr. Mahmoud Al Zahar, the foreign minister from the Hamas regime in Gaza.

The audience and participants, asking questions were mostly young Arabs from all over the region, including Palestinians, Jordanians, from the Gulf States, and a few non Arab Journalists.

The debate was chaired by BBC's Hard Talk Tim Sebastian, who tried to be objective and impartial, however, without any success because the guest speaker, Al Zahar did not answer questions, but retorted again and again, that the culprits were the Americans and the Israelis, and that the terror actions of Hamas were legitimate actions of people fighting for freedom.

When Sebastian asked him why he does not answer the questions from the audience, Al Zahar answered that that was his trademark. And indeed, with this he represents fully the Palestinian argument, which does not try to persuade the West of their cause, but with phraseologies, shouts down any opposition from the inside and outside.

When asked, why the Hamas kills also fellow Palestinians, he again evaded the question and claimed that the Americans kill thousands of Iraqis' and the West keeps silent about it. Asked if killing innocent Israeli women and children with terror attacks doesn't bother him as medical physician, he retorted that 3000 Palestinians were killed since the last Intifada.

The disturbing part in watching this debate, was the fact that the audience applauded every time Al Zahar said something provocative against the West and Israel, and smiled when he proclaimed statements which would have landed him in prison as terrorist and racist, if stated this in the UK or for that matter, anywhere in the West, but the democracy in Doha is much more advanced that Europe, there you can say anything unpunished, and broadcast it into the free and patient world.

When asked why they are fighting Israel, he told the audience that the town of Maalei Adomim was built on Palestinian soil and 30 km away from Jerusalem, following the sentence with the demand that the Israelis settlers should abandon all settlements outside the borders of 1967 war, after that, they "the Hamas" is prepared to consider peace talks. The fact that 2.5 years ago Israel returned the entire Gaza strip to the Palestinians, without getting anything in return, but instead received a continues barrage of rockets on the towns and kibbutzim on the Israeli side.

This broadcast explained clearly to the Israeli, that with the current Hamas regime in Gaza, there is no possibility for peace, and only severe punitive actions, killing (yes I mean killing) the Hamas leadership and followers, which includes unfortunately also innocent people, can return the moderate Palestinians to save the Middle East from turmoil, as Hamas radicalism is a danger for the entire region, and even might endanger the democracies of the West, who are already losing ground in their fight against the Islam.

Our problem is that our philosophy (Judeo-Christian) is not coping with the Islamic belief of spreading the religion by sword, sacrificing your life, will provide you with non-stop orgies in afterlife, primitive but extremely effective by the ignorant masses.

Al Zahar claimed that "eye for eye" revenge is the only Muslim way of life possible.

One word about democracy, and the BBC broadcast of these debates. Are we certain that with allowing this type of racist propaganda, we somehow serve the case of peace, or do we in actual fact help the extremists to spread their garbage?

The time for gentlemen British defending the underdog (poor weak Islamite) has passed away, long before 19/11.

the politicians and the bureaucrats

The Politicians and the Bureaucrats

By David Verveer

The fight between the political people and the bureaucrats is just as old as the term democracy, and unlike other arguments, I hope it will continue to exist, as both ways of thought have the right to exist.

A politician depends on his friends and followers to be elected, to be proposed for selection for that post, as they considered him the best candidate to give them the benefits they hoped for. After his election, whatever the politician does, it all smells of corruption and bribes, even if it is never so intended. A politician, who does not have friends and yes-men, can not survive as a democratic candidate.

On the other hand, the bureaucrat is not elected, but appointed by his professional qualifications, and his job is to execute the law and the decisions of the politician heading his office.

The politician has to be kind, friendly, politically right and popular, and the bureaucrat doesn't have to care what act is more popular by the people, his job is to look after the interest of his office.

Both types of people are necessary to keep the democratic system running and functioning, but as humans are peculiar creatures, the strife between those two types can not be prevented. Our prime minister, far from being perfect and holy, enjoyed like all politicians to benefit from his function and position, by getting a better deal on real estate, or helping a friend to succeed in a business transaction, but also will get served without queue, does not pay entrance fee for a performance, etc All those actions can be translated into calling them bribes, but where is the border, specially because he is elected to get and give benefits. On the other hand, the bureaucrat, who thinks that he is the only one who can decide what bribe and foul play is, who in his position decides on life and death situations, only because our laws are not adapted to humanity and social justice, manages with his accusations to hinder proper functioning of the government.

Who cares if the current prime minister got his house cheaper and who cares if he tried and did not succeed to sell the Leumi bank to his friend, and who cares if his former associate tried to get a loan for a factory he planned to erect in the Negev. He did not get rich from that, or made his prime ministerial functions easier, on the other hand, the holier than holier attitude of this tasteless and cruel impolite bureaucrat Selicha, with his crony the State comptroller and the Likud crooks who only two years ago corrupted and poisoned the entire political system, try to make from any molehill a mountain.

We live in a corrupted country, where only a few months ago most of the income tax management were arrested because of foul play, were the finance minister is accused of stealing money from the Holocaust victims, where only yesterday, 6 representatives of the finance ministry were arrested because they received bribes in East Jerusalem. The scandals they try to accuse the prime minister are minor and extremely doubtful, and a waste of the tax payers money, such as organizing hundred policemen, one morning attacked about ten to twenty offices in order to find evidence for the accusations on prime minister crimes (5 years later), instead of solving real crimes, or finding lost persons and making this place a little safer to live in.

Who will benefit if the prime minister is brought to court? His non existing clean fellow politicians or the Lindestraus and Selicha types?

Personally, I am certainly not an Olmert supporter, but prefer him thousand times more than the gallant opposition leader who personally was responsible for bringing prosperity to the local and Russian rich, but on the way, caused poverty and hopelessness for the less fortune Israeli middle and low classes.

Instead of daily television shows on the prime misters crimes, I would like to see real efforts in getting this country nearer to peace, by finally controlling those fanatics in the occupied territories, and providing logical and effective solutions to the not easy plight of the local Arab population. Incidentally, getting payment for lectures by ex and future politicians, like Barak and Netanyahu, smells of bribes and corruption, much more than getting a reduced price for a house in Merhaviah.