The Vermont senator is on the floor of the Senate now, debating the Kyl amendments on the omnibus appropriations bill. One of them bars Palestinian refugees of Gaza from resettling here, because they come from a "terrorist" land, as Leahy characterized the legislation. The senator then compared the Palestinian experience to his own ancestors in Ireland. They too were called terrorists once, because they were "fighting to keep their land," fighting for their votes and freedom, religion and language. And "hunted" for doing so– "hunted because they had fought to practice their own religion… hunted because they wanted to keep their land…
"Thank goodness the United States had open arms for them." The amendment, Leahy says, "goes against everything we stand for."
Related posts:
- Kyl withdraws anti-Palestinian amendment after admitting it was based on an internet rumor
- Irish nationalists support Palestinians
- ZOA calls for boycott over confiscated land (Jewish land, that is)
- This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is Obama’s Land, This Land Is Macaca’s Land
- Haaretz Strikes Again; Condi Likens Palestinians to Southern Blacks
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18th February 2009 Israeli forces shot a twenty year-old Palestinian farmer as he worked his land in the village of Al-Faraheen, east of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. International Human Rights Activists were accompanying the group of farmers at the time as they worked approximately 500m from the Green Line. Mohammad al – Breem, 20, was shot in the right leg as the farmers, together with the international Human Rights Activists, attempted to leave the area having worked on their land for 2 hours in full view of the Israeli forces situated along the Green Line. As the farmers were loading up the parsley and spinach from the agricultural lands shots were fired from Israeli forces on the border. Mohammad was shot in the right leg and evacuated, while still under fire, to hospital.
18th February 2009 Israeli forces shot a twenty year-old Palestinian farmer as he worked his land in the village of Al-Faraheen, east of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. International Human Rights Activists were accompanying the group of farmers at the time as they worked approximately 500m from the Green Line. Mohammad al – Breem, 20, was shot in the right leg as the farmers, together with the international Human Rights Activists, attempted to leave the area having worked on their land for 2 hours in full view of the Israeli forces situated along the Green Line. As the farmers were loading up the parsley and spinach from the agricultural lands shots were fired from Israeli forces on the border. Mohammad was shot in the right leg and evacuated, while still under fire, to hospital.
Commenting problems here again, sorry if this doubles up.
Palestinians have inherited the luck of the Irish.
Leahy is not the first, nor will he be the last, senator to embarass himself with a display of Ignorance.
The Palestinians are nothing like the Irish. The Jews are nothing like the English.
The English inspired accidental genocide of the Irish in the 1840's is nothing like Gaza.
The Irish struggle has no comparison to the Palestinian genicidal cause.
Wow. This is the most emotionally charged statement on this issue made by a major American politician, ever.
There will be no peace in Palestinian Occupied Territories till Arabs will learn NOT to be seen – in the best tradition of 17th century great estates in Europe, where servants could loose their jobs and their livelihood for being spotted by the gentry and thus "polluting" their space.
Shooting at people who you can see is just a way of communicating with Arabs. Ask Israeli Foreign minister, who campaigned under the slogan "Lieberman speaks Arabic".
I am looking forward to seeing more displays of heroic 'Ignorance' by American leaders. Bravo Senator Leahy!
If this is what Leahy says in public, one can imagine what he really thinks (and what he tells his friends at a party somewhere, after a couple of scotches.)
I used to imagine that the taboo against speaking honestly about Israel would never vanish in my lifetime. Now I'm thinking I might have been way too pessimistic. After all, they speak honestly about Israel in Israel. They often speak honestly in Europe. It's only in America that people are almost across-the-board afraid to say what they really think for fear of being denounced, fired or otherwise ruined professionally. And now it is finally changing. People in power are beginning to speak the truth (or at least nibble around the edges of it).
That is a remarkable statement by Leahy.
St. Patrick's Day is next week.
Way to go, Senator Pat Leahy!
It's remarkable that Leahy can still summon the memory of when his people, several generations ago, were maltreated by the more powerful.
Jews were maltreated more recently — less than seventy years ago. But some can't summon the slightest empathy for those who live in Israel's own ghettos, the occupied territories.
Senator Leahy has taken the high road, and in a deft and unspoken feat of symbolic judo, has left Israel and its U.S. claque mired in the dirty mud of the low road.
Well done, Senator. More Irish music, few Israeli bombs. Amen.
The English denied food aid to the starving Irish during the Potato Famine. Israel denies food aid to the Gazans whose homes they destroyed with US weapons. There are many similarities between the English and the Israelis regarding the treatment of a dominated people who had their homelands stolen and their self-determination denied, although the English did not rely on US gifted weapons.
The English denied aid? They certainly let the emigrate. Sorry, but no similarities.
"The amendment, Leahy says, "goes against everything we stand for."
I have waited to hear a politican say this for long time.
Next up?…American and Israel DO NOT share the same values,or interest or culture or anything else. Israel is not like us they are exact opposite.
The press will fall next.
I see similarities between the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians and Cromwell's attack on the Irish. Cromwell claimed to be doing God's will, he called the massacre of the people of Drogheda "the righteous judgment of God on these barbarous wretches…", he used previous mistreatment of Protestants in Ireland as a justifying excuse for his activities.
"Cromwell’s firm belief in "Providentialism"—that God was actively directing the affairs of the world, through the actions of "chosen people" (whom God had "provided" for such purposes). Cromwell believed, during the Civil Wars, that he was one of these people, and he interpreted victories as indications of God's approval of his actions, and defeats as signs that God was directing him in another direction."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell
It all sounds eerily familiar.
Your similarities are inspired by your antisemitism. There is nothing remotely similar to cromwells treatment of the Irish to the treatment of the Palestinians unless you are comparing it to the Jordanian massacre of upwards to 20,000 Palestinians, or the ethnic cleansing of kuwait of 300,000 palestinians. In that case, you have a claim.
The closest to cromwell is the nazi german genocide commited against the Jews. That is the only reason it seems familiar to you.
"The English denied aid? They certainly let the emigrate. Sorry, but no similarities…" — Chris Berel
You sir (or are you a madam?) are an idiot.
You cannot see the obvious similarities because you are blinded by your zionism.
The wall of silence and hypocrisy is beginning to crumble.
Bravo, Senator Leahy!
Great photo, Eva. I have a feeling that the fashion for sunglasses that make your face look like that of an ant was an Israeli Jewish innovation. It's significant, I think: the desire to resemble insects. Their soldiers display this tendency (to look, and indeed behave, like insects) in other ways as well, don't they…
In fact, come to think of it, the idea of soldiers (in particular) resembling insects in appearance, and presumably behaviour too, has a very long history in the near East. Carved tableaux from e.g. the Lagash period show the same tendency, don't they?
I was struck by the cleanly shaven heads and the uniform appearance of the Lieberman's minders.
– this is his signature – to have a "guard" around him that to his mainly Russian constituency appears strong and menacing and therefore effective in dealing with innostrances (others).
White Russian ethnic supremacist thinking has been effectively re-drafted as a political tool in Israel.
Chris Berel, it is encouraging to see that you acknowledge that the Palestinians may have got a raw deal, from others, if not from the Israelis. This suggests that you agree that it is, in fact, possible to mistreat them. They are, as it were, at least equivalent to the "dogs under the table", entitled to live and fight over the scraps. I see the beginning of recognition here, the dawning of an awakening.
Your "antisemitic" assessement of my character and motives was uncalled for. But that's OK, my shoulders are broad enough to bear that cruel and unjust burden. However it doesn't really add much weight to your argument, it is what is called an "ad hominem" attack, nothing but a cheap shot, doing nothing to advance the debate, if you see what I mean. I'm a fairly gullible type, and you haven't even begun to convince me of the validity of your assertions. Dispute my opinion by all means, but you won't influence my views with abuse. And no, I don't begrudge spending time "talking to the wall", sometimes walls have ears. :-)
That you see similarities is events so widely apart, not only in time but in intent, is so ludicrous as to invite charges of antisemitic intent. Had you studied both events as well as the intents of both leaders you would have quickly realized that you wrote before you thought it through.
That you are so quick to compare the evil commited by Cromwell against the Irish, with the events that occurred and continue to occur by way of active war, Israel defending what it must as a lawful nation, is abhorrant and suggest an agenda not based in fact but learned racism.
Don't like being called an antisemite? Don't make antisemitic remarks or ascribe events that could easily be construed as antsemitic in content.
You might wish to describe Palestinians as dogs but I do not. On the other hand I do see them beaten and left for dead by their own leadership in the quest to become an Islamic fascist nation.
And you are what you are. But now you know that we know.
Thanks for some of that reply. :-) , especially the last bit,
"…left for dead by their own leadership in the quest to become an Islamic fascist nation."
I reject your accusation that I said Palestinians are dogs, read it again. I seem to have prompted you to reveal that you have nothing against Palestinians per se, it's their leadership that you identify as the problem.
You feel that it is not representative of the majority Palestinian view?
What evidence do you have for that?
What do you consider that majority view to be?
Is Israel a helpless bystander in this conflict, a prisoner of their own perceptions of the Palestinian leadership?
I am pleased to see that we can agree that most Palestinians are perfectly acceptable and worthy of our acknowledgment and respect.
One more thing, what do you mean by an "Islamic fascist nation"?
You used a euphanism to describe the Palestinians. By nature, even if not by intent, it is dehumanizing and lends itself to speculation. Begin calling the Palestinian terrorists, who murdered children in cold blood, two legged crocodiles has echoed as if Begin considered all Palestinians to be such. Obviously not the case but antisemites would not acknowledge such publically except to "prove" they are not such.
However, I do believe Hamas to be the true representitives of the Palestinian people living in Gaza. That they hope and dream of genocide. I am sure they also represent a sizable minority of the Arabs living in Samaria and Judea. It could also be said that they represent a much smaller minority of Arabs citizens of Israel.
I certainly need to spell check these ;)
Great photo, Eva. The sign reminds me of the 'No blacks, no dogs, no Irish' signs of the English. And Leahy brings up an interesting example of a wider phenomenon. Italian and Polish immigrants to turn-of-the-century America were often viewed as either 'papists' (more loyal to the Catholic Church than their new country – one of the knocks on JFK) or anarchists, for their unionist proclivities. This was the experience related to me by my maternal grandparents who came to America from Poland between the world wars. Many of my uncles responded by becoming super-patriots, serving multiple combat tours in Korea and Vietnam in the Marine Corp.
As a point of clarification, there is no such animal as an 'accidental genocide' as defined under international law. It is a crime that requires intent.
Surely, it is blatantly obvious by now that the creation by force of arms and the dispossession/expulsion of its native people (the Palestinian/Canaanites) of an exclusionary, racist, expansionist "Jewish state" populated by alien Jews in historic Palestine was the greatest geopolitical blunder of the post-WWII era. All for what? For a mutltitude of reasons, Israel, always an historical anachronism, and now a pariah state hated all over the world, is doomed. Thankfully, more and more Jews are realizing that zionism is a curse. Israeli Jews are emigrating en masse, immigration to Israel is less than a trickle and Jews around the world are viewing it with disdain.
Identifying the assorted syrian Egyptian, lebanese, Itaqi, yemenite arabs among the armenians, turks, turkimans, Greeks and others as Canaanites is rather dishonest. Neglecting to mention that parts of historic palestine were already made judenrein is dishonest.
basically, David, you are dishonest.
Chris Berel,
Thanks for your hilarious example of just how out of sync with reality the Israel first crowd is. Keep posting! You keep making statements which have no basis on anything except your own emphatic insistence. Or which have nothing to do with the subject at hand. If I were you, that's what I would do, since discussing the facts will be rather troubling.
BTW, what name do you give to the forced displacement of 750,000 people how were the wrong race so the right race could dominate? I would call that ethnic cleansing, even when Jews do it.
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