Get a tax write-off for giving money to organizations backing violations of international law. However, donate money to a Palestinian NGO that does charitable work for Palestinian refugees, and you face a risk of fine and imprisonments thanks to a new anti-Muslim McCarthyism approach (an agenda shared with Israel). That is bold hypocrisy.
Illegal Israeli settlements get tax breaks
Friday, 08.29.2008, 01:30pm
JERUSALEM (Reuters) — The United States says Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank threaten any peace between Israel and the Palestinians — yet it also encourages Americans to help support settlers by offering tax breaks on donations.
As Condoleezza Rice flew in on Monday for another round of peace talks, Israeli and American supporters of settlements defended the tax incentives, which benefit West Bank enclaves deemed illegal by the World Court and which the U.S. secretary of state has said are an obstacle to Palestinian statehood.
Pro-settler groups say they are entitled to the tax breaks because their work is “humanitarian,” not political, and reject any comparison to Palestinian charities, some of which face U.S. sanctions over suspected links to Islamist groups like Hamas.
The full extent of tax-exempt U.S. funding for settlements is unclear because so many groups are involved and their spending practices are not always transparent.
But a review by Reuters of U.S. tax records found 13 tax-exempt organizations openly linked to settlements that have raised more than $35 million in the last five years alone.
Asked about the tax exemption, Rice spokesman Sean McCormack said such tax and legal issues were not the purview of the State Department. But he added: “Regarding U.S. policy on settlements, it’s clear, it’s the right policy to try to help bring about a political settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.”
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al-Reuters provides absolutely nothing in the way of details. Nothing verifiable at all. What a surprise.
…some of which face U.S. sanctions over suspected links to Islamist groups like Hamas.
Islamist group, is it? Has the US removed HAMAS from the terrorist group list? No? I didn’t think so. HAMAS is a terrorist group. Not an Islamist group. Nice spin you got going on there, al-Reuters.
Posted by programmer craig | August 31, 2008, 10:47 amHas the U.S. government added its name to the terrorist group list yet?
Posted by Anonymous | August 31, 2008, 11:01 amPeople like Craig prove why democracy can fail so often.
Posted by Anonymooose | August 31, 2008, 11:03 amPeople like Craig prove why democracy can fail so often.
As if you are a fan of democracy, right? lol. Just like the rest of the communists here, eh? Yeah, good old Marxist style “democracy”. What a winner.
Posted by programmer craig | August 31, 2008, 12:08 pmHey, PC-
1. The stated policy of the US is to disapprove of the settlements (it does nothing about these illegalities, but it’s explicitly against them).
2. Virtually every sentient primate on earth understands that the settlement policy will bring nothing but more misery to both sides.
3. Zionists happily collect money for the building and expansion of these metastases and enjoy tax advantages while doing so.
Now, tell us why these officially denounced actions continue to enjoy tax privileges? That is, stick to the topic.
Posted by Ismail | August 31, 2008, 5:45 pmTeabagger, aka Programmed Crackhead, for someone who doesn’t care about Palestinians, you sure spnd a lot of time talking about them. Are you sure you’re not a racist/zionist? Do you hate Palestinians?
How’s it feel to know Palestinians will be the majority in Palestine in the coming years? How’s it feel to know you will be in the minority in the US in the coming years? How’s it feel to be a teabagger?
Posted by Pali-American | August 31, 2008, 11:49 pmThere may be a few Palestinians who aren’t abusive, hostile and mentally unhinged. But I’ve never met them. The Palestinians I’ve met have all been like “pali-american”. *shrug*
You wanna tell me again, Twosret, how the spontaneous celebrations amongst Palestinians as the world trade center was falling were staged?
Posted by programmer craig | September 1, 2008, 3:43 amPC-
I know it’s easier for you to get into pissing matches with folks, but you really can’t claim that there are no substantive arguments from commenters here for you to respond to when you’ve assiduously avoided my remark above, a model of lucidity and relevance.
Perhaps if I call you an asshat you’ll be more motivated. That way, you can rail about your interlocutors’ bad manners instead of doing the heavy lifting required to actually construct a meaningful reply.
Posted by Ismail | September 1, 2008, 6:58 amThat is, stick to the topic.
Ismail, you were off topic yourself. That’s why I ignored you. This post was not about tax breaks for Israelis settlers. It was an accusation that Israeli settlers are as bad as HAMAS terrorists.
And even if that WAS the topic, it’s not possible to comment on the “tax breaks for Israeli settlers” are not documented in the post. Are people supposed to take the word of a KABOBfest contributer? lol. Maybe somebody who just started reading this blog will take the posts here at face value. I won’t.
Since you wnat to speak with “lucidity” maybe you can explain why Palestinians expect HAMAS to be treated as a legitimate governing body? Do Palestinians think that just because they voted for the leadership of a terrorist organization, that the world should treat them as if they aren’t terrorists? I personally think it is good that people in Gaza elected HAMAS. That showed the whole world what the mentality of a majority of Palestinians in Gaza is. The same people who danced in the street on 9/11 are the ones who voted HAMAS in.
Posted by programmer craig | September 1, 2008, 6:18 pmCraig,
Have you never rejoiced when a Palestinian has been killed at the hands of a terrorist Israeli?
Nobody takes you seriously, Craig, because you refuse to adopt a broad analysis of what terrorism means.
If the world doesn’t make sense to you it’s because you don’t want to acknowledge that state-sponsored terrorism also exists. For you, all any Western government has to do is call someone names for you to believe that it must be true.
All any Western government has to do is write up a law — thus, to “legally” kill does not render it terrorism. Even if its victims might call it that (they would know more than you would, after all).
For you, any inclination to critique violent actions is an inclination not to be had as long as somebody has said the violence is “legal.”
You have no problem calling Palestinians terrorists but are unable to see Israelis as even equally violent — they are structurally numerous times more violent and destructive through simply the amount of firepower they possess.
From what you’ve written — from your anger over any celebration of the thousands murded on 9-11, it is fairly obvious that human life you deem sacred.
But it is sacred only when it it is the life of someone just like you.
For you, Palestinians cannot be in that category. It’s how you’ve been raised. It’s how you’ve been conditioned. It’s how you believe when you’ve lived your life without a thought of your very own.
Israelis and Americans, to you, are fighting the “barbarians” to protect this what you call “civilization”. And in that fight — in the fight for civilization — all of your “civilized” rules can, and must be broken.
It takes a certain type of “civilized” to come up with a logic like that.
Not even the barbarians can justify the treatment of other people in that way, Craig. Not even the barbarians.
Posted by Bonty | September 1, 2008, 7:01 pm“And even if that WAS the topic, it’s not possible to comment on the “tax breaks for Israeli settlers” are not documented in the post. Are people supposed to take the word of a KABOBfest contributer? lol. Maybe somebody who just started reading this blog will take the posts here at face value. I won’t.”
Leaving aside your grammatical solecisms for the moment (you mean “even if that WERE the topic”-don’t capitalize your ignorance), you seem incapable of reading. First, the cited article was from Reuters, which as I understand is not a KFest contributor. Second, the article was about the tax benefits which accrue to supporters of settlements, not, except indirectly, to the settlers themselves.
You’re an idiot, my friend. This is not name-calling, just sheer, descriptive taxonomy.
Posted by Ismail | September 2, 2008, 9:45 amLeaving aside your grammatical solecisms for the moment (you mean “even if that WERE the topic”-don’t capitalize your ignorance), you seem incapable of reading.
I disagree with your anal retentive grammar lesson. I used the word I intended to use. It is not rhetorically obvious that the topic wasn’t tax breaks for Israeli settlers. In fact, you claimed it was (I used it again!) the topic. I disputed you on that. So if you really believe I should have used “were”, that means it is obvious that you were lying. Is that your position? Really? lol.
But, thanks for providing the “correction” – after saying you wouldn’t. Nice to know you are more interested in being a grammar nazi than in talking about what you ASKED me to address.
First, the cited article was from Reuters, which as I understand is not a KFest contributor.
There was no link to the article. Just a copy paste of it. So no sources could be checked. Also, the section of the article that was included didn’t make any specific allegations – so, again, nothing can be fact checked.
Second, the article was about the tax benefits which accrue to supporters of settlements, not, except indirectly, to the settlers themselves.
Whatever.
You’re an idiot, my friend. This is not name-calling, just sheer, descriptive taxonomy.
So it turns out you are a hostile and abusive prick, just like all the other Palestinians I’ve ever met. And here I thought you were trying to provide a counter-example to pali-american *shrug*
Posted by programmer craig | September 2, 2008, 11:46 am“So it turns out you are a hostile and abusive prick…”
That would be true only if you were (there’s that subjunctive again, correctly deployed. Take a lesson…) a decent person. As I said earlier, calling you an idiot is no more abusive than calling a cabbage round. Simple fact.
Posted by Ismail | September 2, 2008, 5:11 pman obstacle to Palestinian statehood
The biggest obstacle to Palestinian statehood are Palestinians. How’s that civil war going, bitches?
Posted by Anonymous | September 2, 2008, 8:27 pm