Amkha Yisrael

The "Israel and Occupied Territories" chapter in the US State Department's 2005 International Religious Freedom Report "expands its criticisms of Israel's treatment of non-Orthodox Jewish denominations, and places Israel on notice that the United States is monitoring its treatment of other minorities, including 'messianic Jews' and faiths practiced by guest workers," according to this report by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

David Saperstein, who directs the Reform movement's Religious Action Center in Washington, "said his group has raised these issues in meetings with Bush administration officials...."

Some comments by David Ashley:

Excuse me? What the hell? Why has he "raised these issues" with the Bushies? Since when do Jews take their religious problems with fellow Jews to Goyisher presidents to resolve? Oh, wait. I know since when. Ever since the age of the Jewish Hellenists in Jerusalem.....

Also, I wonder if the State Department report included criticism of the discrimination in favor of Muslims and against Israeli Jews who wish to pray on the Temple Mount, Judaism's primary holy site. Did it criticize Israel for forbidding Jewish prayer on the Mount? No? Oh, right. Jerusalem, according to the US State Department, is not really in Israel, is it?

And did the report include the discrimination giving Israeli Muslim Arabs an automatic exemption from military service? No?

The JTA story goes on to explain that the State Department report gave "special attention" to how the counter-terrorism security barrier "has kept Palestinian Muslims and Christians from reaching religious services in Jerusalem and Bethlehem."

I'd say that the US State Department report neglected yet another serious infringement of Muslim religious practice by Israel.

That so-called "security barrier" has also kept many "Palestinian Muslims", some of whom were later even captured or killed by Israel, from fulfilling their religious duty of Jihad and murdering infidel Jews. Terrible.