Robert Ballagh donates Israeli 'Riverdance' profits to Gaza flotilla

I also feel israel is apartheid in the manner in which it educates it arab/palestinian citizens. Textbooks used by the nearly one million Arab Israelis (one-fifth of Israel's population) are in Arabic but are written by and issued from the Israeli Ministry of Education, where Palestinians have no influence or input. "Fewer than 1 percent of the jobs in the Education Ministry, not counting teachers, are held by Palestinians," Atamneh said. "For the past 15 years, not one new Palestinian academic has been placed in a high position in the ministry. There are no Palestinians involved in preparing the Arabic-language curriculum [and] obviously, there is no such thing as affirmative action in Israel." In addition, there are no Arabic-language universities in Israel. Haifa University, Atamneh points out, has had a steady 20 percent Arab student population for the past 20 years. "How can that figure have remained the same after all these years when the population in the north [of Israel] has grown to over 50 percent Arab?" Answering his own question, Atamneh rattles off statistics that reflect excellent high school scores among Arab students which he contrasts to their subsequent lower-than-average performance in Hebrew-language college entrance exams given by the state. "No major scholarships have ever been awarded to an Arab; there are no dorms for Arabs and no college-related jobs or financial aid programs. They justify this legal discrimination by the fact that we do not serve in the army. There are numerous blatant and official methods used to keep Palestinian Arabs out of the universities. And using education to further almost deny Palestinians exist is apartheid at its WORST.

juke567 How is support of the Palestinian cause questioning the right of israel to exist? One does NOT mean the other automatically, yet anyone who is remotely critical is all of a sudden branded antisemitic, or accused of denying israels right to exist. You assert the article is full of Palestinian propaganda yet do not point out what is factually incorrect? Let's have it, then maybe real dialogue can take place otherwise you are simply doing what you accuse the writer of the article of doing, what you have posted is merely YOUR opinion lacking facts or proof to back it up..... People DO have the right to speak with their pockets and NOT buy goods as they so choose, that is democracy in action. And Robert Ballagh is perfectly entitled to refer to israel as an apartheid state if he feels that it is, I personally do too. And the reason is that while there may be approximately 20% Arab/Palestinian population in israel, they are not fairly represented in the Knesset since only 14 out of 120 are arab/Palestinian and 4 of them are Druze who do NOT consider themselves arab.

This is a digusting article which is replete with Palestinian propaganda. I commend the Riverdance team for performing in Israel and am horrified to learn that some of the proceeds from the sales is being donated to fund such an unjust cause. The so-called BDS campaign does not promote peace in the slightest and as mentioned in some of the previous posts, they will just use the money to import more weapons. Robert Ballagh should be totally ashamed of himself for referring to Israel as an apartheid state and so should Mr O'Shea for writing such a factually incorrect and slanderous article. There are two sides to every story and Israel has an unquestionable right to exist.

Tell me then ole sarge, how come there are one hundred times more dead Palestinians than israelis? How can the Palestinians in the WB live in peace when their privately owned land is confiscated and israeli only settlements are built on it, and there are over 600 check points in the WB for PALESTINIANS only? Is that israels idea of peace? Even though the UN, EU, US, Amnesty International, Red Cross all deem the WB to be PALESTINIAN land, israel keeps building illegal settlements on it, with donations from people like Irving Moskowitz.

Ole Sarge; "They use the money collected from foolish bleeding heart liberals to buy rockets and bombs" ... So who`s buying the rockets and bombs for Israel, Sarge? WE ARE. We're not just broke in the US, we're crazy.

Once again we see a history deficient liberal with misplaced sympathy make a fool of themselves. The plight of the people of Gaza is due to the Arab League's exhortation in 1848 when they could not destroy the young state of Israel. These people have been used as political pawns by their Arab neighbors for decades. They use the money collected from foolish bleeding heart liberals to buy rockets and bombs to kill Israels women and children. If the people want peace and prosperity all they have to do is live in peace with Israel. Together they can accomplish much.

Gee, CaptCon, do you throw the Sephardic into the overheated place, too? They seem to have been abused, too, by various governments in the area. If you were in charge after WW2, how would you have handled the "Jewish Queston?" Relocate the survivors to a land where they had some traditional ties or continue the "Final Solution?" Personally, I have no love for the IDF (can you say, USS Liberty?), but Isreal does have a right to exist.

Not half as suicidal as the Ashkenazim of the fake state of Israel. The greatest danger to the jewish people of the region is the utter fanaticism of the Ashkenazi in their midst. They were the reason Jewish tribes were driven out of various regions of the world such as Cyrus's Babylon, from their banditry across the Silk Road, their behaviour in the Ukraine led to all Jewish people being hated and led to pogroms. There is a reason why Jewish tribes were condemned to wander the world and the Ashkenazim have a lot to do with it. They'll do the same as they have always done in the Middle East and bring ruin again on the Jewish tribes with their 'untermensch' philosophy towards all other religious and non-religious groups. It is inevitable because it is hardwired into Ashkenazim culture. Their 'kingdom of david' fable is a lie being used to cover landtheft in Palestine. This is roughly the fourth attempt by the Ashkenazim in recorded history to steal the land of others. It will end the same way, unfortunately.

another with suicidal tendencies - doesn't he know he now dead meat.