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Israel airport security demands access to tourists' private email accounts

haaretz.com

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Re: Israel airport security demands access to tourists' private email accounts

#51

Post by smokeyj »

tnash wrote: post #33
_pius wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Before any kind of Israel bashing starts, I want to say that unless you have lived under constant threat to your life like nearly all Israelis have during some point of their life, you cannot really grasp the lengths you will go to to preserve your life and the lives of your family. This is a really poor frame. People who disagree with this practice are not "Israel bashing," they're disagreeing with this policy. It's…

Well, you know, it's just, I've been on the internet. People tend to take things to extremes. Tech people tend to be liberal, and most liberals in the US have an anti-Israeli view. I prefer not to divulge my political leanings (but just because I agree with someone else on one point does not mean I agree with them on any other) but I know a very great deal about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and its implications.…

"and most liberals in the US have an anti-Israeli view."

So you're trying to preemptively stop generalizations based on your generalizations? Honestly, who's paying you for your Israeli propaganda?

Re: Israel airport security demands access to tourists' private email accounts

#52

Post by nivertech »

She probably lied about the purpose of her visit. If somebody read the linked articles, it's clear that this has noting to do with her ethnic background, but with her anti-Israeli political and economical activities. Not a terrorist, but still we have full right not letting her in.

Re: Israel airport security demands access to tourists' private email accounts

#53

Post by marcf »

nyellin wrote: post #27

Please do not make broad statements about Israel based on one article. Israel allows civil unions, allows homosexuals to serve in the military without restrictions, supports Muslim private schools, pays for Islamic religious activities, and generally respects human rights. [1] We also have our warts, like everyone country does. Israeli politicians have attempted to pass our own Protecting Children from Internet Porno…

nyellin wrote:

> We also have our warts...

But you didn't mention the elephant in the room in your comment, which is pretty strange:

Israel also has run a 40+ year occupation that denies non-Jewish residents of rights and freedoms while subsidizing Jewish settlements in and around the disenfranchised non-Jewish population. Many many people, including former Israeli PMs and many respected academics, consider Israel's occupation and its settlement practices to be a form of apartheid or leading to it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_and_the_apartheid_analog...

Re: Israel airport security demands access to tourists' private email accounts

#54

Post by marcf »

tnash wrote: post #2

Before any kind of Israel bashing starts, I want to say that unless you have lived under constant threat to your life like nearly all Israelis have during some point of their life, you cannot really grasp the lengths you will go to to preserve your life and the lives of your family. Nonetheless, this does seem a little overboard. From having personally been grilled by Israeli airport security, I can say that they are…

You will notice this isn't about security but about identifying pro-Palestinian activists:

Quote: "The agent, suspecting Tamari was involved in pro-Palestinian activism, wanted to inspect her private email account for incriminating evidence. The 42-year-old American of Palestinian descent refused and was swiftly expelled from the country."

http://www.timesofisrael.com/pro-palestinian-activist-says-s...

Re: Israel airport security demands access to tourists' private email accounts

#55

Post by marcf »

nivertech wrote: post #52

She probably lied about the purpose of her visit. If somebody read the linked articles, it's clear that this has noting to do with her ethnic background, but with her anti-Israeli political and economical activities. Not a terrorist, but still we have full right not letting her in.

Israel does prevent those with sympathy to the Palestinians from entering Israel.

I posted this quote/article in response to another comment but it is pertinent here:

"The agent, suspecting Tamari was involved in pro-Palestinian activism, wanted to inspect her private email account for incriminating evidence. The 42-year-old American of Palestinian descent refused and was swiftly expelled from the country."

http://www.timesofisrael.com/pro-palestinian-activist-says-s...

Re: Israel airport security demands access to tourists' private email accounts

#56

Post by marcf »

AJ007 wrote: post #18

This just sounds like an attempt to keep individuals of certain backgrounds out of a country. Ask a lot of invasive information and then refuse them entry. Entry information such as this should be aggregated in to travel warnings given about a particular country to minimize wasting a citizen time & money. Stories on how foreign countries treat privacy are important. American companies, in some part, have turned place…

AJ007 wrote:

> This just sounds like an attempt to keep individuals of certain backgrounds out of a country.

Absolutely correct. The security officials believed that the individuals where pro-Palestinian activists. Here is a quote and article that details this:

"The agent, suspecting Tamari was involved in pro-Palestinian activism, wanted to inspect her private email account for incriminating evidence. The 42-year-old American of Palestinian descent refused and was swiftly expelled from the country."

http://www.timesofisrael.com/pro-palestinian-activist-says-s...

Re: Israel airport security demands access to tourists' private email accounts

#58

Post by nyellin »

marcf wrote: post #53
nyellin wrote: post #27

Please do not make broad statements about Israel based on one article. Israel allows civil unions, allows homosexuals to serve in the military without restrictions, supports Muslim private schools, pays for Islamic religious activities, and generally respects human rights. [1] We also have our warts, like everyone country does. Israeli politicians have attempted to pass our own Protecting Children from Internet Porno…

nyellin wrote: > We also have our warts... But you didn't mention the elephant in the room in your comment, which is pretty strange: Israel also has run a 40+ year occupation that denies non-Jewish residents of rights and freedoms while subsidizing Jewish settlements in and around the disenfranchised non-Jewish population. Many many people, including former Israeli PMs and many respected academics, consider Israel's…

Because anyone who thinks the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has a simple resolution is likely unaware of all the facts.

Furthermore, this is a conflict between Israelis and Palestinians without Israeli citizenship, not Jews and non-Jews. Obviously the two are related, but the ultimate question is whether Palestinians without Israeli citizenship, living in the West Bank, should be granted citizenship or not. Israeli Arabs living in Jerusalem, Haifa, etc. were granted full rights in '48, or when Israel annexed the area. Israel hasn't annexed the West Bank, so non-Israelis in the West Bank are stuck as citizens of no country.

Calling Israel an apartheid severely downplays the horror of what happened in South Africa. It seems odd to point out that I learn at university alongside Israeli Arabs and ride on buses next to them, because of course I do. Why wouldn't I?

Re: Israel airport security demands access to tourists' private email accounts

#59

Post by marcf »

Bud wrote: post #49
nyellin wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then let me clarify: I condemn this as well. It has to stop. There have been comments below calling for America to stop supporting Israeli. I want to point out how exceptionally uncommon this type of behavior is.

There are a lot of legitimate reasons to call for the US to stop supporting Israel to the huge extent it has been. I don't see why those opinions need to be tamped down.

But stamping down such opinions is actually pretty common. These email searches are about preventing people with those opinions from entering Israel. It isn't about terrorist threats but it is about keeping out pro-Palestinian activists who do not agree with the policies of the Israeli government.

Re: Israel airport security demands access to tourists' private email accounts

#60

Post by marcf »

nyellin wrote: post #58
marcf wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

nyellin wrote: > We also have our warts... But you didn't mention the elephant in the room in your comment, which is pretty strange: Israel also has run a 40+ year occupation that denies non-Jewish residents of rights and freedoms while subsidizing Jewish settlements in and around the disenfranchised non-Jewish population. Many many people, including former Israeli PMs and many respected academics, consider Israel's…

Because anyone who thinks the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has a simple resolution is likely unaware of all the facts. Furthermore, this is a conflict between Israelis and Palestinians without Israeli citizenship, not Jews and non-Jews. Obviously the two are related, but the ultimate question is whether Palestinians without Israeli citizenship, living in the West Bank, should be granted citizenship or not. Israeli Ar…

I didn't say there is a simple solution but rather that Israeli permanent occupation has become akin to Apartheid South Africa for the non-citizen Arabs and the citizen Jews living in the West Bank. The fact that you didn't mention this as a wart is pretty big blind spot given that the number of disenfranchised non-Jews living in the West Bank is in the millions and this has been going on for over 40 years.
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