Bishara: I was framed

So of course, Bishara is falling back on the typical Arab response to Israeli facts: He says they’re lies.

Former MK Azmi Bishara accused Israel of fabricating recent allegations against him, in order to undermine the credibility of Arab leaders.

In an interview with the Lebanon based Al-Akhbar newspaper, which is affiliated with Hizbullah, Bishara said, “The claims against me are fabricated and dangerous. They want to turn me into an informant instead of a political leader.”

Please note that he is being quoted in a Hizbullah newspaper. That would be the people who paid him to spy on Israel.

His supporters are falling back on the old standard and say he’s being scapegoated.

There is a general call to turn Dr. Azmi Bishara into a scapegoat as revenge for failures in the Lebanon war,” MK Jamal Zahalka told Ynet after Wednesday’s publication of the allegations made against former MK Azmi Bishara.

[…] “There is a line between democracy and freedom of expression, and treason. Israel must sharpen the line between what is criticism, and what is treason, particularly with Israel’s Arabs, and with the general population,” he explained.

And oh yeah—they’re claiming racism.

“There is a mix of opportunism and racism here, and fascist conceptions by small politicians trying to gain cheap popularity amongst the public. This is an attempt to try and scare the Arab public into changing its political stances, but it will not work.

So what proof has the Shin Bet got against Bishara?

His own words.

The case was built using wiretappings conducted by the Shin Bet during the Second Lebanon War.

[…] In one of the conversations Bishara was asked an unusually direct question by his Hizbullah contact who wanted to know how Israel would respond if it were hit by long range missiles which would reach beyond the city of Haifa. Bishara mumbled and admonished his contact, hinting that the conversation may be monitored, but after a short while his aspirations got the best of him and he told the Hizbullah man that such an action would serve Hizbullah’s goals. Several days later rockets began hitting targets south of Haifa.

I think we should start calling Bishara “Bullshitya” from now on.