The great Gideon Levy in Haaretz:
The J Street case is a particularly serious example. This Jewish organization rose in America along with Barack Obama. Its members want a fair and peace-seeking Israel.
That’s their sin, and their punishment is a boycott.
…After criticizing Israeli columnists, including this one, in an article in The New Republic for daring to criticize Netanyahu’s speech at the UN – an outrage in its own right – the ambassador-propagandist [Michael Oren] uses the boycott weapon against a new and refreshing Jewish and Zionist organization that is trying to battle the nationalistic and heavy-handed Jewish-American establishment.
In whose name is Oren doing that? Not in the name of Israeli society, whose ambassador he supposedly is. The former ambassadors from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union would have acted the same way.
Such aggressiveness is a bad sign. It will drive away our last true friends and deepen our isolation.
J Street will survive.
Again, I’m still waiting for a statement of support of J Street, rather than the rearguard condemnation of criticism.
We’re still waiting for your statement of support for the ZOA, rather than your rearguard
condemnation of Mondoweiss bloggers for critizing AIPAC-type condemnation of J-Street.
Pingback: In boycotting J Street, Oren’s role model is Soviet Union | JewPI
Gideon writes: It’s actually quite strange for Israel to use this weapon, as it is about to turn into the victim of boycotts itself.
Precisely. Those delusions of grandeur will be Israel’s own undoing. That such a small country of a few million people has defied the world at large for this long is rather telling.
It is fighting way too many unnecessary fights on various fronts and picking a new fight with Iran.
Internally, it is antagonizing and attacking, Jewish peace activists, Palestinians, and anyone who dares criticize said policies as was the case with Professor Neve Gordon.
Something’s got to give. I just hope that the desperation doesn’t lead to more egregious military action, more violent than the one we have witnessed recently.
And speaking of the old USSR, there’s this from Israel Shamir about Russia’s endorsement of the Goldstone Report despite full-tilt lobbying from Israel, the U.S., and Russian Zionists:
link to counterpunch.org
Really worth reading, but here’s a snip:
“Israel was infuriated by this development. The Jewish State considered itself invulnerable behind the triple defense of the Sixth Fleet, the US Senate and the Holocaust Museum. President Obama’s soft request to freeze the settlement building was met in Tel Aviv by what Internet chat calls “lol”. He was ridiculed. Ehud Barak and Bibi Netanyahu even sped up their building plans in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in order to show that they could not care less. And now, all of a sudden, Jewish ministers of state are going to be judged as if they were Serbs or Sudanese.
[...]
Apparently the Eurasian landmass of Russia, China and India prefer benevolence and righteousness, while the Anglo-American world prefers lust for gain. Russian leaders Putin and Medvedev were very outspoken in their objections to the Israeli plans to attack Iran. They spoke against the sanctions, too, and here they were fully supported by China. At the same time, Turkey refused to let the Israeli Air Force join its joint maneuvers with the US. The Zionist-run US immediately withdrew from the maneuvers as well. The position of Turkey is extremely relevant: This is the old imperial power that protected and controlled the Middle East for centuries. Turkey, together with Russia and Greece, are the main heirs to Byzantium. If we want to help Turkey to support the Palestinian cause we must not allow the Zionists to play the Armenian card right now. When Turkey joins Russia and China, they can decide quite a bit. They have put paid to the notion of Israeli impunity. One can’t overestimate the importance of the Russian vote:
(1) This vote confirmed the principle of equality. All human beings are equal. If the ICC can judge Milosevic and Burundians and Sudanese, they can also judge Jewish ministers and generals.
(2) This vote demonstrated that Russia is independent, not only of Washington, but even of Tel Aviv. The Zionist Lobby in Russia is powerful, but not omnipotent.
(3) This vote saved innumerable children, women and men from death. After this vote, an Israeli general will have to think twice before dropping a bomb on a civilian target. This will save Israeli children as well from retaliation.”
That was a good read. Thanks for bringing it up.
A cracking good read, thanks ‘former coMMenter’…
Aieee! les mots juste: “Free world, free of US bases”
Yeah, I agree, kudos to you, former coMMenter. You said a lot; it shows what’s blowing in the wind a la Dylan–too bad Obama is mostly concerned with his 8 years; they may run out on him, despite his hand-picked Zionists in so many key slots. In that sense, how is he different from Shrub, who learned the lesson from his father
that you don’t mess with the Israeli settlements, you don’t stomp on AIPAC’s toes?
It’s a fascinating irony that Levy points out, although I’d take the irony one step further: J Street criticizes BDS in order to score beltway insider legitimacy points (I believe they will actually have a workshop at their conference on how to combat campus divestment movements). Israel returns the favor by boycotting J Street.
And that, my friends, is reason number 350 or so why I’m for BDS.
Again,
The question is “Do you SUPPORT J Street?”
Or, do you only criticize Aipac?
Likud is easy to criticize.
Why is this an either/or question to people like Witty? If it was so easy to criticize
Likud, then how come the MSM, broadcast TV, and cable TV news never do it?
Witty, you insult all the readers here who have ever paid attention to those news services and have tried to get an honest reaction from any of our congress people.
You think we ignore what Chris Matthews never addresses? Or, for that matter, Beck, O’Reilly, Hannity, Obermann, Maddow, and anyone on PBS? Not to mention Blitzer and the other anchors on CNN?
One of Levy’s best pieces, I’d say…
I think the fact you have Haaretz that allows very left wing journalists to write anti Israel articles every time they write something, shows how democratic Israel is.
Does anyone think an Arab leader would allow Amira Hass, Gideon Levy or Akiva Eldar to write anti stuff against the Arab ruler. I dont think so.
And the USA is left far behind too–as if it was we who have no constitituional free speech. Well, we don’t. Time for a new novel showing how a modern free society
is kept enslaved. We’ve progressed beyond Orwell.
Nomi, and that is relevant to what Israel does in the Occupation and the settlements in what way? I’m glad Jews in Israel can argue with each other, but no one can stop them from doing that anywhere in the world.
The problem, as always, is not with how Israel treats Jews or even non-Jewish writers, the problem is with how Israel treats those who are not Jewish, or Israeli.
Actually, it’s a welcome coincidence that you brought up freedom of the press in Israel.
Here is an annual report released by Reporters without Borders:
link to rsf.org
Every year, they rank countries based on the freedom of press each country’s government allows.
While Israel is ranked 93rd, Kuwait ranked 60th, the United Arab Emirates ranked 86th and Lebanon came in at 61st.
Last time I checked, Lebanon, Kuwait and the UAE were all “Arab countries”.
That should put to rest that argument.
Nolan you say, . At the same time, Turkey refused to let the Israeli Air Force join its joint maneuvers with the US. The Zionist-run US immediately withdrew from the maneuvers as well.
It seems as your the person whose full of hatred and racism.
Everything you just said is what Hitler, the Arab dictators and the Mullahs use a lies and propaganda.
What? Nomi998, what are you talking about? Turkey refused the IDF participation in the drill, and this caused the USA to drop out of the same drill; so Turkey had to cancel it–not a good sign; just the usual Israel uber alles USA stance–Big dufus Uncle Sam
is tiny Israel’s bitch:
link to miamiherald.com
Nomi998 October 22, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Nolan you say, . At the same time, Turkey refused to let the Israeli Air Force join its joint maneuvers with the US. The Zionist-run US immediately withdrew from the maneuvers as well.
———————————————
I never said such a thing. You must be confusing me with someone else.
However, I do agree with whoever said it.
The power of boycotts. Inside Israel there is a boycott of Ikea (because of the Norway flap) and now calls for boycotting Turkey. Israel obvious sees itself as an indispensable super-power that can punish the world with its economic might. I hope they continue — they can do the work for the BDS movement.
Gee, you mean there’s no Israeli counterpart to Richard Witty standing up over there against
the boycott of Ikea as useless and childish dissent?
Nolan you also say, If we want to help Turkey to support the Palestinian cause we must not allow the Zionists to play the Armenian card right now.
There’s nothing to play. Turkey killed 1.5 million Armenians and they try to deny this all the time. What did Hitler say. Who remembers the Armenians? Well i remember them.
Its dumb that Israel keeps refusing to recognize the mass killing Turkey did to the Armenians.
It should also worth be noting, Erdogan said 2 years ago, he would oppose a Kurdish state even if it was in Argentina.
Yep. And it’s equally dumb of the USA and Israel to not officialy remember the Nakba, right? Who remembers the Palestinians? Well, I remember them. Should the kurds have a state? How about the Gypsies, the Roma?
Nomi998, the quotes you selected were from Israel Shahak’s piece in Counterpunch, which I posted.
First you take issue with the excerpt that includes the phrase, “Zionist-run US.” Do you live in the US? Do you watch or read US media? Do you follow US politics? Did you notice the vote in the House of Representatives on the Gaza Resolution last December? How would you characterize political Zionism in the US? Marginal? Powerful?
Then you bring up the Armenian genocide. I understand Shahak’s point to be that we shouldn’t let one genocide justify another. Just as the Holocaust should not be used to justify Israeli war crimes, the Armenian genocide should not be used to keep Turkey from opposing Israeli war crimes.
Let me ask you this–what do YOU think the world should do about Israeli war crimes?
Let me ask you this–what do YOU think the world should do about Israeli war crimes?
——————————————————
(Channeling Golda Meir), Nomi would say “I hate the Palestinians for they force us to kill their children.
There’s a little inner Golda in every Zionist I read.
I’ve even met and spoken with Richard Witty’s personal Golda on several occasions. She thinks that Hamas’ bottle rockets were the only reason Israel killed 1,400 innocent people in Gaza.
Speaking of Haaretz, this link to haaretz.com
is hilarious!
That really is good satire. Didn’t know Haaretz had stuff like this.
Levy is off base.
The model is not the Soviet Union but traditional Jewish business practices that amount to restraint of trade. They crossed over the Israel advocacy in the sixties as EdfromNH points out in: EdFromNH on “Fealty to Israel”.
Just take a look at the song Der Kremer, which Golda Meir loved and which I discuss in Zionizing Jewish Culture and History.
Since the middle 19th century, a lot of traditional Jewish business behavior has been perceived at least unethical. Nowadays its a civil violation or possibly criminal.
We are stuck in this stupid situation where hyper-wealthy Zionist political-economic oligarchs are calling the shots both in the State of Israel and in the USA.
The Zionist plutocrats know they are right because they are so rich. Yet they don’t understand
1. that running a mega-corporation is very different from running a government,
2. that foreign policy is not a business strategy,
3. that citizens are not employees, and
4. that political criticism is not a form of competition that must be crushed.
Nolan, you say, what do YOU think the world should do about Israeli war crimes?
Well you tell me what Israel should do if Hamas is firing missles from civilians areas at Israel?
What did Golda Meir say. When the Palestinians love their children more then they hate Jews, then their will be peace.
Video: Hamas Brags About Using Women And Children As Human Shields www.mererhetoric.com/archives/11275301.html
——————————————————
(Channeling Golda Meir), Nomi would say “I hate the Palestinians for they force us to kill their children.
Yeah. The Nazis said the same thing about being forced to take action against Jews.
former coMMenter, I advise you to read this article Israel Shahak.
It shows how he lied constantly about Israel and Jews.
Its sad you have to use a Stalinist for your facts.
Enjoy.
link to wernercohn.com
Citizen, you have to remember, the Nakba was the result of the Arabs and Palestinians who were trying to commit a Nakba against Israel.
After the 5 Arab armies attacked Israel in 48, Hajj Amin Al Husseini said, I declare a holy war, my Moslem brothers! Murder the Jews! Murder them all!”
Azzam Pasha, Secretary General of the Arab League said after the Arabs attacked Israel
This will be a war of extermination and a momentous massacre which will be spoken of like the Mongolian massacres and the Crusades”.
The real Nakba was the 600,000 Jews forced from the Arab countries.
Unlike Arabs, Jews dont keep their people in refugee camps for propaganda.
October 22, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Yep. And it’s equally dumb of the USA and Israel to not officialy remember the Nakba, right? Who remembers the Palestinians? Well, I remember them. Should the kurds have a state? How about the Gypsies, the Roma?
Nomi, I have to tell you that you’re operating way behind the curve here with your hasbara project. This is old, stale propaganda that people are simply tired of debunking. You need some fresh, new hasbara to interest the commenters here.
Catch up!
Here’s a little literary tactic I used to practice at HuffPo. It worked extremely well for exposing nasty rhetoric like this for what it is.
“Citizen, you have to remember, the Warsaw Ghetto was the result of the Poles and Jews who were trying to commit a Warsaw Ghetto against Germany. After the Polish army attacked Gleiwitz in 39…”
And so on, and so forth.