REUTERS WHITEWASHES/SUGARCOATS SITUATIONS WITH BURKINIS IN ISRAEL

Since we were on the subject of Reuters the other day, they wrote a report from Israel that leaves a bad taste in my mouth with its whitewash and sugarcoating:

In Israel, there may be profound ideological and political differences between the Jewish population and the near 20-percent Muslim minority, but it has never come down to banning someone’s dress on the basis of religion.

“It is very funny that people think they are so liberal and open and yet they cannot stand other religions and the feelings of other people,” said Ruti Solomon, an Israeli Jewish woman enjoying the sunshine on the beach in Tel Aviv.

Behind her, Muslim women with their bodies and heads fully covered in burkini-like clothing played in the water or relaxed on the sand, with the church spires and mosque minarets of the town of Jaffa in the near distance.

“I’ve heard what’s happening in Europe,” said Shams al-Duha Alayyan, a fully-covered young Muslim woman visiting the coast from Jerusalem. “This is personal freedom. If I want to cover my body, why can’t I cover my body?”

Well here's 2 disgraces, one who either doesn't have the courage to admit it's as oppressive as the niqab, or is so indoctrinated she has no self-esteem. And Reuters must've been quite happy to find anybody who'd lend themselves to their attack on France. As I've noted before, the burkini could be used to conceal weapons and even drugs, and on top of that, it's bad for hygiene. Now in Israel, they usually maintain good enough security even at beaches, but that still doesn't mean a burkini's appropriate even here.

Oh, and I must seriously disagree with the following accomodation:

Of course, Israel has its quirks, too. The ultra-Orthodox Jewish population enjoys the seaside as much as anyone else. But they keep separate, not only having segregated beaches but alternating the bathing days for men and women.

North of Tel Aviv, it was women’s day at an ultra-Orthodox beach on Tuesday. Busloads of visitors arrived in full-body swimwear and went down to the beachfront via a security gate, with high fencing all around to keep out prying eyes.

It's one thing if they want to be so ridiculously prudish, but to provide them with a public beach section is regrettable, and it's bad if they're not considering personal hygiene and doing this at the potential expense of their health. They should be getting their own pool if it's that big a deal to them, and not exploiting public shores.

Since we're on the subject, some courts in France have let down the public yet again by overturning the burkini ban, although some of this news may be exaggerated, as the municipalities were going to let it go around the end of August anyway. Nevertheless, this is troubling news, since it shows that the legal system in France is an enemy of the people as much as the press are.