Well, the oppression of the Palestinians or the foreign workers making up 10% of the workforce often in near-slavery conditions might be what Jim is thinking of.
Seriously, with all the focus on the Palestinian issue, one issue progressives have ignored is the result of Israel seeking to replace them by foreign workers. The results are much like sweatshops in the US, but because of the structure of legal contracts, the situation of many foreign workers is even worse. Many foreign workers in Israel come in on long-term contracts that prevent them from either switching employers or quitting without forfeiting massive amounts of money put up as a bond. THe result is not the unexpected result of massive abuse of these foreign workers: illegal overwork, horrible working conditions, and in many cases more horrific results of beatings and rape by employers against workers who have are too afraid to turn to police. And illegal immigrants are hunted by private bounty hunters empowered under the law to physically assault immigrants resisting arrest and deportation.
And almost no one is doing anything. There is one major organization called Workers Hotline based out of Tel Aviv run by a remarkable woman which is fighting and organizing among these workers, but most progressives and the unions are doing nothing.
--Nathan Newman
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
> [mailto:owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com]On Behalf Of Jim heartfield
> Sent: Friday, August 27, 1999 5:35 PM
> To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
> Subject: Re: Gore: creationism OK
>
>
> In message <000a01bef0bb$a381dca0$f4f48482 at nsn2>, Nathan Newman
> <nathan.newman at yale.edu> writes
>
> >Most people are profoundly ignorant of OTHER religions, which breeds
> >ignorance and suspicion. Having travelled in Jerusalem this summer where
> >religious belief and ignorance mix in all sorts of fascinating ways
> >(especially among American or other English-speaking tourists I met), it
> >just reinforced that sense.
>
> I missed Nathan in Jerusalem this summer, and though I'm sure he is
> right about the ignorance of other religions amongst tourists, that was
> by no means the most obvious example of bigotry in that city, in my
> brief experience.
>
> --
> Jim heartfield
>