Israel crushes local dissent, attacks international criticism

Israel is lashing out at international criticism and attempting to crush local dissent in what appears to be growing sensitivity to reproach of its policies. Several recent incidents have dominated media headlines, including the arrest of a Jewish-American journalist on the grounds of security, threats by an Israeli minister against international diplomats and the arrest of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists. The raid on a foreign activist's home in Ramallah, supposedly under full Palestinian control, by a large Israel Defence Forces (IDF) contingent allegedly for a visa infringement, and her subsequent arrest at gunpoint and deportation has also raised eyebrows. "We will not allow a situation where every country will kick us. If there will be an attack on Israel, we will leave all options open, including the expulsion of ambassadors," Israel's deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon said on Saturday. "We do not want to argue with anyone, but we will not sit idly by," he added. Ayalon's outburst followed, amongst other incidents, a much publicised political confrontation with Turkey over a Turkish TV programme critical of Israel. This outburst led Israeli analyst and journalist Zvi Barel to comment acerbically in the Israeli daily Haaretz, "Britain wants to boycott Israeli goods? We'll summon the British ambassador and have him sit on a bed of nails''.