Amazing piece by the great Uri Avnery at antiwar.com, praying that Obama will ignore the Israel lobby and turn to the peace camp in Israel. 3 shattering excerpts, all emphases mine:
Obama, on his part, has gone out of his way to show that he would support
the Israeli government exactly as his predecessors have. He groveled in the
dust before AIPAC. He surrounded himself with Bill Clinton's Jewish aides and
hinted that they would enjoy the same status in his future administration.
But go and believe a candidate's election promises. They are worth as much
as a garlic's skin, as we say in Hebrew….
the Israeli government exactly as his predecessors have. He groveled in the
dust before AIPAC. He surrounded himself with Bill Clinton's Jewish aides and
hinted that they would enjoy the same status in his future administration.
But go and believe a candidate's election promises. They are worth as much
as a garlic's skin, as we say in Hebrew….
This is also Jack Ross's view. Then there's this fabulous take on Camp David:
Bush's predecessor, Bill Clinton, another great friend of Israel, helped Ehud
Barak after Camp David to spread the lie that "I have turned every stone,
offered them everything they wanted, Arafat has rejected all my generous offers,
we have no partner for peace." This mantra dealt a tremendous blow to
the Israeli peace camp, from which it has not recovered to this day. At the
same time the settlements were being enlarged at a frantic pace, with the knowledge
and tacit approval of the Clinton administration. And no wonder: under Clinton,
all matters pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were in the hands
of a group of Jewish Zionists. There was not a single Arab around.
Barak after Camp David to spread the lie that "I have turned every stone,
offered them everything they wanted, Arafat has rejected all my generous offers,
we have no partner for peace." This mantra dealt a tremendous blow to
the Israeli peace camp, from which it has not recovered to this day. At the
same time the settlements were being enlarged at a frantic pace, with the knowledge
and tacit approval of the Clinton administration. And no wonder: under Clinton,
all matters pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were in the hands
of a group of Jewish Zionists. There was not a single Arab around.
True true true. Dan Kurtzer said this too; let us have diversity at last in our negotiating team! Yes, and what about our journalist team? And finally, everyone says Jerusalem is peripheral, it's not:
When Obama and his people – and I hope that they will be new people, not the
wrecks from the Clinton era – examine this subject, they will be compelled
to arrive at a self-evident conclusion: that the hatred for the U.S. that is
boiling from Morocco to Pakistan is inextricably bound up with the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. This is what has poisoned all the wells.
wrecks from the Clinton era – examine this subject, they will be compelled
to arrive at a self-evident conclusion: that the hatred for the U.S. that is
boiling from Morocco to Pakistan is inextricably bound up with the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. This is what has poisoned all the wells.
