"A few Mudcat Lefties plus Don is not "everybody" Jim."
It's certainly everybody on this thread.
You have no idea what my political views are – my arguments on this subject are based entirely on my humanitarian beliefs – if this makes them "Leftie" than it is to the left's credit that they are humanitarians – and I would rather be described as being of the left than a rabid right..
"when it was guilty of far less than you accuse Israel of."
I see very little difference between the crimes of Syria (who you proposed to sell riot equipment to) and Israel.
"Why no sanctions? Why such friendly relations?"
For the same reason Britain hosted an arms fair to sell to some of the most human rights states (and described as such by you) when the Arab Spring protests were underway, or why they sold sniper rifle ammunition to Syria (identified as such by you) which was possibly used on the citizens of Homs….. or why they sold havy artillery ammunition to Colonel Gadaffi which was used on the protestors, or trained his son to take over if he left office and all the other horrific trading partnerships the west accommodates – pragmatism.
As that nice Mr Cable said "we sometimes trade arms with states with questionable human rights records" ( or words to that effect) That's business
Israel has only avoided being tried as war criminals because of the support given to them by US vetoes – you've acknowledged how many that have used in their support.
"NOBODY believes your lurid accusations"
Then they've stayed remarkable silent on this thread
And as for your "robust parliamentary democracy" – see below from The Inequality report – sponsored by that well known leftie organisation Christian Aid – which shows beyond doubt that Israel is an Apartheid state capable of extreme oppressive behaviour towards ethnic minorities
Jim Carroll

THE CRIMINALIZATION OF POLITICAL ACTIVITY
• The criminal justice system is regularly used as a means of delegitimizing political acts and expression by Palestinian citizens. Along with ordinary citizens and political activists, Arab political leaders have been indicted
for activities and speech critical of state policy that falls within the scope of their work as elected political representatives.234 Recent cases include the following:
• In November 2009, the Attorney General indicted Arab MK Mohammed Barakeh, the leader of the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (al-Jabha/Hadash) in relation to four separate incidents that occurred at demonstrations over the course of the previous three years. The demonstrations in question were peaceful protests against the Israeli Separation Wall being constructed in the West Bank, the Second Lebanon War of 2006, and the lack of accountability for the October 2000 killings.
Mr. Barakeh's participation in these demonstrations fell within his role as an MK and political leader of the Arab minority in Israel. MK Barakeh, who has attended hundreds of demonstrations at which he mediated between protesters and the police, took a leading role in mediating with the police or the military on behalf of protestors and in some instances was attacked by the police and the military. Police officers later submitted false complaints against him for assault, which form the basis of the charges against him. The evidence on which the indictment is based has been completely refuted by MK Barakeh and is insufficient to convict him; the indictment simply seeks to criminalize his legitimate political activities as an MK and undermine the political participation of the Arab minority in Israel as a whole.-32
• The Knesset House Committee voted to strip the parliamentary immunity of Arab MK Sa'id Naffaa of the Tajammoa/Balad political part}' (National Democratic Assembly) on 26 January 2010. The move paved the way
for the Attorney General to indict him criminally for various political offenses surrounding a visit he made to Syria in September 2007 as part of a delegation of Druze making a pilgrimage to Druze holy sites in Syria,
considered an " enemy state" under Israeli law. MK Naffaa arranged for a group of 2S0 Druze religious clerics to make a pilgrimage to holy sites in Syria after they were repeatedly refused a permit by the Interior Minister.
MK Naffaa argues that the clerics were unfairly and arbitrarily denied their religious freedom. He is also accused of contact with a foreign agent.
According to one of his assistants, who was interrogated by the GSS, MK Naffaa discussed the feud between Fatah and Hamas with Talal Naji, a Syrian leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and
attempted to meet with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in Damascus. MK Naffaa denies meeting either man. MK Naffaa maintains that his visit was entirely political in nature and that the Knesset's actions seek to prevent
him from fulfilling his role as anMK.23* Adalah has learned that MK Naffaa
has been indicted.23'
• The first case in which an indictment was filed against an MK for political speech was that of former MKDr. Azmi Bishara, then head of theNDA-Balad part}'. Dr. Bishara was charged under The Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (1948) with two counts of allegedly "supporting a terrorist organization," namely Hezbollah. In two speeches, Dr. Bishara analyzed the factors that led to the end of the Israeli occupation of South Lebanon and spoke about the realities of the Israeli occupation of the OPT and the right to resist it. He was also charged under The Emergency Regulations (Foreign Travel) (1948) for organizing a series of visits for elderly Palestinian citizens of Israel who wished to travel to Syria to visit refugee relatives. The indictments followed a vote to strip MK Bishara of his parliamentary immunity, which protected him from indictment, by the Knesset in November 2001, a move
hitherto unprecedented in Israeli politics. Adalah represented MK Bishara in the criminal indictments filed against him. The Magistrates' Court in Natzerat Illit decided unanimously to dismiss the criminal charges against him for the Syria visits case in April 2003. In November 2003, however, the Nazareth Magistrates' Court decided not to dismiss the indictments for political speech. In February 2006, following a petition filed by Adalah, 233
the Supreme Court unanimously ruled the decision to remove Dr. Bishara's immunity illegal and dismissed all charges against him for his political speeches.
• In addition to these indictments, on 7 June 2010 the Knesset House Committee voted to revoke the parliamentary privileges of MK Haneen Zoabi (NDA-Balad). The decision was approved by the Knesset plenum later in July 2010. MK Zoabi participated in the Gaza Freedom Hotilla and was a passenger on the Mavi Marmara. As MK Zoabi enjoys parliamentary immunity, she was not detained, but she was subjected to an extensive interrogation. Her description of the attacks contradicts the Israeli government's official version of the events,23" and she has called for an international, independent inquiry into the attacks. As a result, MK Zoabi has lost her diplomatic passport, any privileges in overseas travel enjoyed by MKs, and the right to have the Knesset cover her legal fees should her immunity be revoked for the purposes of criminal prosecution. The vote followed several stormy sessions in the Knesset during which MK Zoabi was branded a "terrorist" and "traitor" by fellow parliamentarians
and subjected to racist and sexist remarks and physical threats.240 Various Israeli ministers and MKs have called for the revocation of her Knesset membership, for her to be criminally prosecuted, and even for her Israeli citizenship to be revoked, as proposed bv the Interior Minister, Eli Yishai.241*42