

Hillary Clinton at the Saban Forum in Washington yesterday

The other day, I linked Ruth Marcus’s column at the Washington Post saying that women’s rights are under siege in Israel and, characteristically, pointed out that the Washington Post said not a word about the treatment of Palestinians. I missed the news. The Marcus column is huge. It is a sign of the further delamination of the American Jewish community. Women’s rights are central to American Jewish values; and this issue is providing a landbridge for American Jews to defect from the orthodoxies of the Israel lobby.

Why do you think Hillary Clinton feels so comfortable talking about the assault on democracy inside Israel? Here is Ynet’s report on Hillary’s comments to the Saban Forum, an Israel lobby organization. Bill Kristol better read this and write another press release!

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced deep concern on Saturday over a wave of anti-democratic legislation in Israel and in particular a bill proposing to limit donations to human rights organizations. Clinton also criticized the growing exclusion of women from Israel’s public life. In a closed session at the Saban Forum attended both by Israeli and American decision-makers Clinton addressed the issue of discrimination against Israeli women. She expressed concern for Israel’s social climate in the wake of limitations on female public singing and gender segregation on public transport…. Clinton, a longtime advocate for women’s rights, noted she was shocked at the fact that some Jerusalem buses have assigned separate seating areas for women. “It’s reminiscent of Rosa Parks,” she said, referring to the black American woman who refused to give up her seat to white passengers in the 1950s. Referring to the decision of some IDF soldiers to leave an event where female soldiers were singing, she said it reminded her of the situation in Iran.

Anyone who cares about Palestinians will remember that a couple of weeks ago Palestinians sought to board buses bound for Jerusalem from the West Bank and were arrested. They are Rosa Parks. But that doesn’t mean that Rosa is not also alive in Israel. Wow. Things are changing fast!