Something is stirring at the New York Times. Make no mistake, friends: Four op-eds in four days (a couple of them on-line, appearing in the International Herald Tribune, but picked up by the Times) questioning the pro-Israel line. First George Bisharat, then Ahmad Tibi, a Palestinian member of Knesset. Then Roger Cohen praising Trita Parsi's book Treacherous Alliance.
And now Jeremy Ben-Ami of J Street, throwing down the gauntlet to American Jews over where they stand visavis Avigdor Lieberman, in a piece that I gather was first in the International Herald Tribune. Let's be clear: Mearsheimer and Walt didn't talk about Jewish "loyalty." And they got hammered. Ben-Ami:
Jewish Americans — who remain deeply loyal to Israel and staunch defenders of its right to exist — now face conflicting winds blowing on two continents. An overwhelming majority share the politics and worldview of President Barack Obama and have rejected the Bush-Cheney neoconservatism that framed Middle East conflict in simplistic black and white. They recognize, as the new president said in Ankara this week, that security requires peace and that peace begins by “learning to stand in somebody else’s shoes to see through their eyes.”
This ranks as pretty amazing, alright–given the circumstances. Perhaps the NYT knows it's going down with the rest of those mainstream papers that have turned their editing over to aipac, so it doesn't have much to lose now.
Has anyone else read the Grant Hare essay at NYRB on the Apartheid Wall? It's excellent.
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22611
Delia I read the David Hare article "Wall: A Monologue" and thanks for the lead.
Some wonderful quotes from Disraeli, Einstein and David Grossman.
The playwright Salman Tamer distilled a truth from barbarity by saying
"What is so shocking about Israel is that these days it doesn't even have a protest movement.In the old days, there were peaceniks on the streets and long-haired students.Now they have almost no peace movement at all.What can you say? A country which loses its hippies is in deep trouble."
Avigdor Lieberman's "us versus them worldview" has nothing to do with the outlook promoted by the Bush-Cheney. It stems from and is deeply connected to worldview that is intimately connected with Jewish identity. Hell, Lieberman doesn't even like americans – not unless they are willing to become Zionism's loyal shabbos goyim.
Loved this David Grossman quote form David Hare's article:And next day I'm in Jerusalem talking with David Grossman, the Israeli novelist whose son Yuri was killed on the last day of the Lebanon war. His house is still charged with grief.
Of course at the foundation of the state there was a tremendous sense of purpose, of building something together. But we squandered our chance to make the state permanent in 1967. Instead of using the conquered territories as leverage in negotiation, instead we became addicted to occupation. When a people have suffered as much as we have it's not a bad feeling to be masters for once. And we became addicted to that feeling, like a narcotic.
Now we have terrible trouble imagining any other reality than the one we live in. You become habituated, you cannot believe there is another possible way of life. And so effectively you become a victim of the situation. And here, again, is the central paradox, the idea of Israel was that we should cease to be victims. Instead we hand our fate over to the security people, we allow the army to run the country, because we lack a political class with a vision beyond the military. Survival becomes our only aim. We are living in order to survive, not in order to live.
I want to begin to live. I want some gates in the wall.
Shyl0ck,
Lieberman hates Americans and has since his Moldova days. Same with Meir Dagan, the Mossad chief. And they are great buddies.
Sorry about the formatting for the David Grossman quote. I previewed it and it worked. Now it's run it all together and makes no sense.
Yes, thanks, Delia.
John – but there is a peace movement. Check out Jeff Halper, for a start.
"They" don't call it a fence (as pointed out to me by Alex Stein, of www.falsedichotomies.com.) The Israelis call the blockading
structures "the Separation Barrier," obscuring, by use of the term, the multiple number of such barriers.
Margaret
Antony Loewenstein has a posting on his blog today referring to an article by Jeff Halper entitled " Diaspora Jewry needs to let go of idealised Israel."
He was savagely attacked in the Australian Jewish News when in Sydney recently.Australian Foreign Minister Smith gave him no encouragement.
Halper's effort in rebuilding the houses of Palestinian families is magnificent.
His group really are miniscule in number.
Would you call them a 'movement'?
There are outstanding individuals in Israel like Jeff Halper.
They can not get the huge numbers of protestors on the streets now as when Peace Now was bouyant.
I'm not sure if "separation barrier" is all that obscuring. Separation (hafrada or so I'm told) means about the same as Apartheid. "Security fence" obfuscates.
Praise of Trita Parsi's book on the incumbent campaign cost that former Maryland congressman his office–he was a gentile, like W & M, & Carter. See Phil's recent article here: Former congressman says getting evenhanded legislation past the Israel lobby was like 'pulling teeth from a rhinocerous without anesthesia'
RE: "Avigdor Lieberman's "us versus them worldview" has nothing to do with the outlook promoted by the Bush-Cheney. It stems from and is deeply connected to worldview that is intimately connected with Jewish identity. Hell, Lieberman doesn't even like americans – not unless they are willing to become Zionism's loyal shabbos goyim.
Posted by: Shyl0ck "
Actually they are directly connected, as when Iran helped us in Afghanistan after 9/11, and followed up with offer to curtail Hamas & Hezbullah, coupled with generous perks for Israel–the offer was met by Bush-Cheney-Rummy putting Iran on the shi* list as part of the "Axis Of Evil"
(copyright Frum) and responding with "We don't talk to the Axis Of Evil."
Three loyal shabbos goyim ringing the bell in the White House.