Writing in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mustafa Barghouti challenges the Obama administration to "uphold American principles and serve American interests" in his article "America must find courage to stand up to Israel, injustice":
The Obama administration, alert to the closing window of opportunity for a two-state outcome, will have to counter Netanyahu’s prescriptions for Palestinian economic development —- a Potemkin village on the West Bank —- as a substitute for Palestinian freedom.
Netanyahu’s plan is a fig leaf. My recent conversations in Washington suggest it will be seen as such. Economic development cannot replace political freedom. The question is whether American officials will have the courage to stand up to Netanyahu and an Israel lobby that for the most part lacks the moral courage to criticize Lieberman’s racism, let alone Netanyahu’s intransigence on ending the occupation.
The administration can help level the playing field by taking three steps. First, insist Israel immediately stop all settlement activity. Second, reject Israel’s embrace of apartheid. One set of laws for Jewish settlers and another for Palestinians is unacceptable. Third, accept our democratic choice.
The article reiterates points Barghouti made in New York a month ago. Since then he's been in Washington, DC, and heard about the silencing effect of the Israel lobby but he also believes "a breath of fresh air is clearly blowing through Washington." I'd love to believe him. As much as Chas Freeman was a setback, the fact that voices like Barghouti and Reps. Baird and Ellison are being heard in Washington can only be a good thing. But as the article points out, it's time to turn these voices into policy.
Dear Phil:
The Israel thing looks more and more like a truly tough piece of sh-t to me. They have clearly inured themselves against any criticism of their motives, and those motives I believe are thoroughly Israel-centric, to the extent of being world-destructive. I think their view of Obama's wimpyness is that if that's what he is, so be it. No concern of ours. The sob is no good anyway. Let him live with it; we have business to do that is more important than he. And so on. It's a sort of ultimate Machiavellianism: only utter intransigence works. Never give way. Never forgive. That's basic jabotinskyianism, basic netanyuanism, basic israelianism. How does anyone live with that except by smashing it, that is, countering it with its equal? Tom White
You want policy? From whom and how do you expect to get it?
Henry Waxman to online chat group at the JP during the 2006 election:
"There will be some Democratic congressman who may not share all my views or have as clear a perspective on Israel as I do, but they will not be chairing committees dealing with Israel and the Middle East."
Chuck Schumer to senate during Bolton confirmation:
"A vote against Bolton is a vote against Israel"
Hoyer's Speech to AIPAC:
"Some believe America should be even handed in the Israel Palestine coflict…I do not."
Maybe we will get a WASP lobby who will ask..'Are the Jews good for America?
When that happens I don't want to hear any gd whinning from the Lukid zionist or the jews who support them and elect them. They will have brought it on themselves.
The importance of fair peace-seeking prominent Congresspersons, committed administration, and competent and sincere negotiating partners (not likely Netanyahu though), suggest that change is possible, and that the optimal two-state proposal is not dead.
On the contrary, it is alive as it makes sense and optimizes self-determination for both communities.
The Freeman brouhaha was a side-show, a noisy distraction when there are likely excellent alternative appointments with more confidence of being free from bias.
and those motives I believe are thoroughly Israel-centric,
Only for one very small set of Israelis, those who have an interest not in Israel's survival, but truly, in Israel's intransigence.
Probably because they are not in Israel, or have easily accessed "outs" if Israel, in the form that benefits them, should change (or "cease to exist").
Rather interesting, albeit quite general analysis here: Israel and the triple standard
President Obama is too busy upholding the Wall St. values of greed and asset inflation to bother with Palestinian abuse and territorial seizure.
Gert, thanks for that piece, which is highly recommended:
Israel and the Triple Standard
Americans in much greater numbers must make their voices heard, by emailing your Congresspersons and Senators, by letters to the editor, and by blogging, in opposition to the continued stranglehold on policy and reporting concerning Middle Eastern issues, at the hands of those sympathetic with the Israeli Likud Party in the United States.
1. The policies are morally corrupt since they involve the domination of one religious tribe over another, including unending occupation contrary to international law, disproportionate response to violence, collective punishment, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and Apartheid. They have been and will continue to be catastrophic for both the United States and Israel.
2. The tactics used to advance those policies combine dishonesty with corruption and intimidation. In Congress, a disproportionate amount of political contributions are controlled and funneled in a concerted effort to influence political action in favor of these views, and in favor of enormous foreign aid to Israel that is not accounted for, and therefore plausibly finds its way back to the United States indirectly to fund political contributions. Examples are made of individual Congresspersons who criticize these policies in order to intimidate and encourage toadying by others. The attacks on these individuals include unjustified smears as Anti-Semites, when it is not Anti-Semitism to opposed these corrupt and disastrous policies.
3. In the press, these actions are enabled by parroting Israel Lobby talking points, suppressing stories that would reveal the level of corruption, and by dutifully magnifying smear tactics to bring down critics.
4. Among the Jewish community in particular, the silent acquiescence in unfair smears of Anti-Semitism hurled at good people with greater common sense on the issues who advocate for better, more moral and realistic policies that are more likely to succeed, must end. Various of these Likud and Israel Lobby voices have sought to redefine Anti-Semitism as any criticism of Israeli actions and policies, thus dishonoring the many victims of real Anti-Semitism in the past. This immoral and highly inflammatory conflation of evil racism with wise policy, especially in support of Israeli policies that are themselves increasingly immoral and racist, must be rejected loudly and publicly by Jews of conscience; silence associates this tactic ineluctably with the silent Jewish community.
Examples of all of the above should trigger massive communications from those of us who oppose these policies and tactics. If these communications continue to be ignored, escalation via public protests must follow. Individuals who are frustrated with their newspapers' policies and with their representatives caving to influence and intimidation should consider withholding their economic and political support.
To do less is to enable the slaughter of children and the abuse of an entire population.
Bargouti is a murderer; those are his "values".
Your ignorance is showing again, Fenton. You're obviously mixing up Mustafa Barghouti, who is an advocate of non-violent resistance, and who wrote the editorial, with Marwan Barghouti, who is a Fatah leader whom Israel has tried and convicted for conspiracy to murder. (BTW, under the same rules that Israel used to try Marwan, all Israeli leaders past and present could likewise be convicted). But then I would guess all Palestinians are alike to you.
You really need to start reading Haaretz and at least understand Israel from a factual Israeli point of view, because just parroting idiotic hasbara websites leaves you looking silly here. Most here are much more knowledgeable about these things than you are but you continue to spout propaganda unthinkingly and expect us to take you seriously. Ain't gonna happen unless you get more knowledgeable and less propaganda filled.
What every Zionut "knows":
Mustafa, Marwan, Mohammed. . . the Palestinians are ALL dirty Arabs and Muslim fanatics who want to kill every Jew. . .
These attitudes are creating problems for well-meaning non-Israeli Jews (even Zionist ones), who were raised on different values.
See, for example:
It is my first day at the youth cafe in Ofakim. I pick up a ping-pong paddle and start whacking the ball back and forth with an Israeli teenager. Others hear of my arrival and gather around the table. "Eh, you speak Hebrew?"
I say I speak a little.
"Eh, from where are you?"
I say New Jersey.
"Eh, you like Arabs?"
I tell the kids I do not know many.
"I hate them," they yell in unison.
I saw this enmity at the youth cafe and I see it also among the children at various schools at which I teach English here. The kids wear this bigotry with pride, as if it were a source of patriotism. . .
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1236764174383
The Atlanta Constitution is pandering to the crowd at Masjid Al Islam, Atlanta's big ass mosque. Why? Because they're afraid of lost readership and shutting down like every other newspaper in the nation.
For anybody wondering what that rascally Nation of Islam has been up to these days
An article in Ha'aretz today says that Marwan Barghouti will likely be part of a prisoner exchange for Gilad Shalit. I can't imagine how this will go down with Bibi. As far as blood on the hands, it's only about jewish blood. How many Israeli leaders have arab blood on their hands? Do you zionists believe that an arab life is of less value that a jewish one? Be sure to read the attached bio.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1070733.html
Oh "tree". I was responding to another reference on this site regarding the potential release of Marwan as part of the exchange for Schalit. Marwan probably has less blood on his hands than the other murderers in control of Gaza and his release may be a moderating force for Gaza.
But, I do read Ha'Aretz and I don't see the massive anti-Semitism there that I see here. Nor do I see any support for the principles of Hamas or any bewailing of the secretive cabal of Jews that everyone here is so afraid of.
By the way – to Jim Byers – Hamas, by the prisoner exchange they are negotiating, have set the value of an Arab life at 450 for every 1 Jewish life. That seems to be the going rate. So that should answer all of the "proportional" questions that people here seem to be raising. More than 2.6 Israelis have died from the Sderot missile fire, so Israel was actually restrained, by Hamas' metric, in its proportionate response to years and years of rocket fire and more than 2.6 deaths.
By the way "tree", are you the "tree" behind which the Jew is hiding in the applicable fable?
the proportionality is set by Israel, not Hamas, but what do you think? i know what Israel has offered.
What do I think, Byers? I think that the Israeli government and population values life a lot more highly than Hamas, Hezbullah and Fatah. They are concerned about Palestinian life as well. But, when it is a choice between their lives and Palestinian lives, they choose their own. This is not just a Palestinian phenomenon. Radical Islamists are blowing up peaceful Muslims in mosques and markets in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Israelis or its "Lobby" aren't there. Radical Islamists are blowing up people in Mumbai and in other areas of India. Chassidic Jews may have been one target in Mumbai, but, in most cases the targets are innocent Hindus or other Indians. Again, nothing to do with Israel or with the value of life.
As Mustafa above is talking about "aparteid", maybe we should all focus our concern on what is happening today in South Africa. Here's a bit from today's papers:
"Lesbians living in South Africa are being raped by men who believe it will 'cure' them of their sexual orientation, a report has revealed.
Women are reporting a rising tide of brutal homophobic attacks and murders and the widespread use of 'corrective' rape as a form of punishment.
The report, commissioned by international NGO ActionAid, called for South Africa's criminal justice system to recognise the rapes as hate crimes as police are reportedly failing to take action over the spiralling violence."
Yawn, goes the crowd on MondoWeiss (or to use the English translation – ExtremelyWhite). The "Lobby" can't be involved in that, so we are not concerned. Or are they??????
Gee, that's a pretty shoddy and unbelievable excuse for your error. So we're to believe that you chose to respond IN THIS THREAD, about a random comment in another thread, and that when you talked about Barghouti and his "values", as you put it, you weren't responding to the post which described Mustafa Barghouti's call to the US to "uphold your values". Why mention "values" if you weren't responding to Adam's post? When you make a mistake and get caught at it, its a much smarter strategy to admit it, rather than prove yourself a dissembler as well.
And then you go on in a lame attempt to smear me for my posting name. Pathetic. And this from someone who's taken the name of a Star Trek character as his nom de post. Your name really is mud(d), isn't it?
@ Witty
"The Freeman brouhaha was a side-show, a noisy distraction when there are likely excellent alternative appointments with more confidence of being free from bias"
How so? Were the 27 USA diplomats who all vouched for Freeman's objectivity of no account? Was the judgement of the guy who offered Freeman as the right candidate chopped liver too? Is the fact that the chief instigator and former AIPAC honcho against Freeman is under indictment for spying for Israel of no account?
Please explain.