[Newsbot]

Title: Israel rocked as Hawking joins boycott
Category: Science
Posted By: Curtman
Date: 2013-05-08 16:50:02

[Curtman]

$1:

"Never has a scientist of this stature boycotted Israel," said Yigal Palmor, the spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry.

Organisers of the fifth annual Israeli Presidential Conference, held under the auspices of President Shimon Peres, said they had received a letter over the weekend from Professor Hawking announcing his decision.

Cambridge University issued a statement indicating that Professor Hawking had told the Israelis he would not be attending "based on advice from Palestinian academics that he should respect the boycott", Associated Press reported.

Earlier, the university's director of communications, Tim Holt, said by telephone that Professor Hawking, 71, had withdrawn from the Israel trip for health reasons. The university later said it had been told otherwise by Professor Hawking's office.

The chairman of the conference, Israel Maimon, strongly criticised the professor's decision, saying in a statement: "The academic boycott of Israel is in our view outrageous and improper, certainly for someone for whom the spirit of liberty lies at the basis of his human and academic mission."

Mr Maimon, a lawyer and a former Israeli government cabinet secretary, said: "Israel is a democracy in which all individuals are free to express their opinions, whatever they may be. The imposition of a boycott is incompatible with open, democratic dialogue."

Give Palestinians a vote then its a democracy. If stopping settlement expansion can't be a precondition of the dialogue, then it isn't a dialogue at all.

[Gunnair]

Dunno. The freedom not to attend exists, I believe.

[commanderkai]

Meh, Hawking has certainly achieved many great things for science, but that does not mean he's intelligent in international affairs.

Curtman Curtman:

Give Palestinians a vote then its a democracy. If stopping settlement expansion can't be a precondition of the dialogue, then it isn't a dialogue at all.

They did vote in Gaza after the Israeli pullout. They elected Hamas, and they haven't seen real democracy since. Also, last I checked, Israeli Arabs have the legal right to engage in Israeli politics.

[MeganC]

Curtman Curtman:

Give Palestinians a vote then its a democracy.

Give the Palestinians a vote in Canada if it's a democracy.

Whut? They're not Canadians so they shouldn't vote in Canada?

They're not Israelis either so they shouldn't vote in Israel.

[ShepherdsDog]

commanderkai commanderkai:

Meh, Hawking has certainly achieved many great things for science, but that does not mean he's intelligent in international affairs.

Curtman Curtman:

Give Palestinians a vote then its a democracy. If stopping settlement expansion can't be a precondition of the dialogue, then it isn't a dialogue at all.

They did vote in Gaza after the Israeli pullout. They elected Hamas, and they haven't seen real democracy since. Also, last I checked, Israeli Arabs have the legal right to engage in Israeli politics.

There have been Arab Israelis in the Knesset since 1949 and they have been ministers in the government (including Likud) and speakers of the Knesset. For a short time, Majalli Wahabi was acting President of Israel.

[commanderkai]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

There have been Arab Israelis in the Knesset since 1949 and they have been ministers in the government (including Likud) and speakers of the Knesset. For a short time, Majalli Wahabi was acting President of Israel.

But...but...APARTHEID!

[EyeBrock]

Effete wankers who think that the Palestinians are oppressed masses that will be free, once they vote for who the Immam tells them to.

Silly stuff. As we have seen over and over again in the Arab world. They don't want democracy.

[Curtman]

MeganC MeganC:

They're not Israelis either so they shouldn't vote in Israel.

Their land is not Israel's either, but Israel claims it. Israel divides it up with checkpoints, and steals it for settlements, more checkpoints, and Berlinesque Walls. Israel controls who crosses those checkpoints, Israel controls who enters Palestine.

Israel is a bully and far from a democracy, and sensible people recognize it as that. It is a dictatorship of Palestine, voted for by Israelis.

[ShepherdsDog]

$1:

Effete wankers who think that the Palestinians are oppressed masses that will be free, once they vote for who the Immam tells them to.

yup...definitely qualified that

[commanderkai]

Curtman Curtman:

Their land is not Israel's either, but Israel claims it. Israel divides it up with checkpoints, and steals it for settlements, more checkpoints, and Berlinesque Walls. Israel controls who crosses those checkpoints, Israel controls who enters Palestine.

Berlinesque walls? Oooh, this is a new one. Do tell me what's wrong with Israel building a wall that has proven over the years to prevent suicide bombers and gunmen from attacking Israeli civilians?

Also, again, Gaza. Egypt controls who enter Gaza, and hey, look at that, they don't think it's a good idea to let Gaza have an open border for some strange reason (that reason being Hamas, and terrorism in general)

$1:

Israel is a bully and far from a democracy, and sensible people recognize it as that. It is a dictatorship of Palestine, voted for by Israelis.

How is it far from a democracy? Last I checked, there are free and fair elections, and the Israeli political system allows Arabs with Israeli citizenship to engage the political process, even if their views go against what the state of Israel is supposed to represent.

They're quite possibly one of the more tolerant democracies, except maybe us, who enjoys an active separatist party in our political system

[Curtman]

commanderkai commanderkai:

Curtman Curtman:

Their land is not Israel's either, but Israel claims it. Israel divides it up with checkpoints, and steals it for settlements, more checkpoints, and Berlinesque Walls. Israel controls who crosses those checkpoints, Israel controls who enters Palestine.

Berlinesque walls? Oooh, this is a new one. Do tell me what's wrong with Israel building a wall that has proven over the years to prevent suicide bombers and gunmen from attacking Israeli civilians?

Also, again, Gaza. Egypt controls who enter Gaza, and hey, look at that, they don't think it's a good idea to let Gaza have an open border for some strange reason (that reason being Hamas, and terrorism in general)

$1:

Israel is a bully and far from a democracy, and sensible people recognize it as that. It is a dictatorship of Palestine, voted for by Israelis.

How is it far from a democracy? Last I checked, there are free and fair elections, and the Israeli political system allows Arabs with Israeli citizenship to engage the political process, even if their views go against what the state of Israel is supposed to represent.

They're quite possibly one of the more tolerant democracies, except maybe us, who enjoys an active separatist party in our political system

They build the wall, then build settlements outside it. Doesn't make much sense now does it?

[commanderkai]

Curtman Curtman:

They build the wall, then build settlements outside it. Doesn't make much sense now does it?

A few things. First, Israel doesn't exactly support all settlements outside what they designate their territory. Second, those that they do claim are generally well defended by walls and fortifications, thus why those settlements have not been targeted by suicide bombers like Israel proper was a decade or so ago. Considering the abject failure of the Israeli pullout from Gaza, I don't see why you think Israel will make the same mistake twice.

In all likelihood, Israel would give up significant territory for a real, lasting peace, like what they did with Egypt and Sinai, and the Gaza pullout showed they will forcibly relocate their citizens to carry out such an agreement with the Palestinians, but until that peace exists, Israel will continue to do what it wishes.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

commanderkai commanderkai:

Curtman Curtman:

Their land is not Israel's either, but Israel claims it. Israel divides it up with checkpoints, and steals it for settlements, more checkpoints, and Berlinesque Walls. Israel controls who crosses those checkpoints, Israel controls who enters Palestine.

Berlinesque walls? Oooh, this is a new one. Do tell me what's wrong with Israel building a wall that has proven over the years to prevent suicide bombers and gunmen from attacking Israeli civilians?

Also, again, Gaza. Egypt controls who enter Gaza, and hey, look at that, they don't think it's a good idea to let Gaza have an open border for some strange reason (that reason being Hamas, and terrorism in general)

C'mon Kai, don't you know that the Zionists are actually in control of Egypt?

[PublicAnimalNo9]

Curtman Curtman:

commanderkai commanderkai:

Curtman Curtman:

Their land is not Israel's either, but Israel claims it. Israel divides it up with checkpoints, and steals it for settlements, more checkpoints, and Berlinesque Walls. Israel controls who crosses those checkpoints, Israel controls who enters Palestine.

Berlinesque walls? Oooh, this is a new one. Do tell me what's wrong with Israel building a wall that has proven over the years to prevent suicide bombers and gunmen from attacking Israeli civilians?

Also, again, Gaza. Egypt controls who enter Gaza, and hey, look at that, they don't think it's a good idea to let Gaza have an open border for some strange reason (that reason being Hamas, and terrorism in general)

$1:

Israel is a bully and far from a democracy, and sensible people recognize it as that. It is a dictatorship of Palestine, voted for by Israelis.

How is it far from a democracy? Last I checked, there are free and fair elections, and the Israeli political system allows Arabs with Israeli citizenship to engage the political process, even if their views go against what the state of Israel is supposed to represent.

They're quite possibly one of the more tolerant democracies, except maybe us, who enjoys an active separatist party in our political system

They build the wall, then build settlements outside it. Doesn't make much sense now does it?

Meh, makes about as much sense as sending waves of suicide bombers and rocket attacks over the decades, then acting like the repressed victim when you are retaliated against.
So tell us Curty-poo, are you the kind of guy that would sucker punch someone and then call the cops when you get the shit beat out of you for it? Or do you just give emotional support to those types?