Two U.S. Congress members entered the Gaza Strip yesterday, the Palestinian news agency Ma’an and the Associated Press reported.
Representative Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington State who is retiring from the House of Representatives, is one of the lawmakers who entered. It’s not clear who the other one is, and there’s minimal coverage of this from U.S. media.
This should be making the news: Baird has called on George Mitchell, the Obama administration’s envoy to the Middle East, to visit the Gaza Strip and witness the destruction caused by the Israeli onslaught last year. And, most importantly, he urged the United States to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
From the Associated Press:
The United States should break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver badly needed supplies by sea, a US congressman told Gaza students.
[…]
Baird, who has announced his retirement from Congress, told a group of Gaza students Sunday evening that the US should not condone the blockade.
"We ought to bring roll-on, roll-off ships and roll them right to the beach and bring the relief supplies in, in our version of the Berlin airlift," he said, adding that the supplies could be delivered to U.N. aid agencies.
Baird, who represents the district that Rachel Corrie was from, has been quite outspoken on the Gaza massacre and the blockade. He signed the Jim McDermott-Keith Ellison letter to President Obama that urged him to press Israel to lift the suffocating blockade of Gaza.
Richard Silverstein is also on this story, and he posted a video clip on his blog that shows Baird interviewing the principal of the destroyed American International school, which was pulverized by the Israeli Air Force during the Israeli assault.
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Israel shares American values?
A survey conducted by the Israeli Knesset channel shows that 75 percent of Israeli Jews are in favour of deporting Israeli-Arab citizens to a future Palestinian state as part of any deal between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. Almost seven hundred people representing a sample of the Jewish public in Israel were asked if it could be justified to demand the deportation of Arab citizens of the Zionist state as part of a peace agreement with the Palestinians. Twenty-five percent rejected the idea outright; of the 75 percent who agreed with deportation, 28 percent said all Arabs should be deported, 19 percent preferred deportation only from certain areas, while 28 percent said that deportation should be based on a “loyalty test”.
On issues of identity, 50 percent of the Jews surveyed said that they believe that the Arabs in Israel relate first and foremost to Palestinian identity and then identify themselves as Israelis. Forty percent said that Israeli-Arabs relate only to a Palestinian identity, and 1 percent said that they believe that Arab citizens of Israel think of themselves only as Israelis.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/articles/arab-media/671-israeli-poll-75-percent-favour-deporting-fellow-citizens-netanyahu-favours-birth-control
Its excellent that he brought this to the attention of the world.
The art is in finding a way for it to happen. I like that he suggested that the UN be the receiver of the goods, rather than just open borders.
It makes it possible.
It will be less possible if presented in negative terms. If he wants votes, he’ll have to make it digestible.
I’m sorry the thought of relief for the Gazans gives you dyspepsia, Witty.
And if there was an opportunity to provide releif, you would choke on it.
He might be right on the politics of it. Of course, the reason he’s right is because of people like him–people who choke on the thought of even the mildest sanctions on Israel, but who think that draconian sanctions on Gazans are justified until it can be guaranteed that lifting them won’t pose the slightest danger to Israel in any way.
Of course you do, Witty. Because if it were the US dispensing the goods, and the IDF attacked our men and women as indiscriminately as they do the UN, then your loyalties to the country in which you live in would have to be put to the test, wouldn’t they?
the test has been put; it results in a Win-Win-Win for Obama-US-Iran:
Could US Israel Ties Crumble Over Iran http://www.israelbehindthenews.com/bin/content.cgi?ID=3900&q=1
~Obama gets credit for doing the right thing by actually doing the right thing;
~US foreign policy shifts closer to America-centered, less to Israel-centered;
~70 million Iranians get to live without fear of military attack sanctioned by US.
Will Israel attack Iran without American support?
that’s an open question, isn’t it. Such an act would turn Israel into a full-fledged pariah state.
“Will Israel attack Iran without American support?
that’s an open question, isn’t it. Such an act would turn Israel into a full-fledged pariah state.”
The answer is probably no. Israel both material and diplomatic support to carry out such an attack.
Israel general doubts power to hit Iran atom sites
http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE61C29S20100213
pariah state?
Congress would pass a resolution that Israel-has-the-right-to-defend-itself and force the UN to say the same.
Hey Witty,
Seeing as you want the UN to handle the goods, why stop there and not advocate a UN peacekeeping force in the occupied territories? Or would that be too obstrusive to Israel?
You guys are funny. I guess you are not concerned that it happen, and more concerned that it presented aggressively.
Both preferably–that is, in the political realm no doubt one has to make nice kissing up sounds to the powerful as usually happens, but to the extent that we can, it should be made clear just how brutal Israeli behavior has been.
It matters because how people perceive the conflict determines what sort of solution they support and how much pressure they will put on the respective parties. In the US the conflict is presented in a way that usually makes the Palestinians more responsible than the Israelis. That’s got to change if one expects the US government to act as an honest broker. Right now it can’t and won’t.
So you have a dilemma. Either you speak softly with the possibility of getting something important done, or you can rant and make the Gazans welfare less important than political points (from .5% to .6%)
A dilemma you enjoy, because it’s a form of moral blackmail with people like you holding the gun on the innocent. Do what you say and maybe, just maybe, the Gazans will be relieved of the siege. And I notice how clearly you write when you have something factual that supports your (odious) position.
You might be partly right–I’m not sure who has to be persuaded to have the blockade lifted, but so long as the Israel Lobby has a stranglehold on American policy then the cowards in Congress would have to find some way to favor lifting the blockade that didn’t seem too critical of Israel. It would be rather like having a very strong pro-Confederate lobby in Congress back when South Africa was under apartheid.
That said, I don’t think private citizens or activists are under any constraints here at all–it’s the politicians who might have to watch their words and pander to the defenders of Israeli war crimes. Think back to the Cold War–if you wanted a treaty or agreement with the Soviet Union it wouldn’t be a good idea for the negotiating team to continually point out Soviet human rights violations, but that didn’t mean that ordinary Americans had to hold their tongues.
The more I think about it, the less of a point I think you have. Politicians and diplomats often have to watch their words–it would be nice if some honest person could just tell the plain blunt truth, but that’s usually impossible. There is no such constraint on ordinary people and in fact it’s our role to try and change the way the conflict is viewed, since that’s part of what determines how politicians can speak and act on it. After all, why shouldn’t the blockade continue indefinitely, if it’s all the fault of Hamas and if it is morally legitimate to hurt 1.5 million people as a way of pressuring them? Change people’s views on that, and they may start seeing the blockade as intolerable.
“You guys are funny. I guess you are not concerned that it happen, and more concerned that it presented aggressively.”
Alas Witty has solved the I/P conflict single handedly. All the Palestinians need do is say “please” and Israel will give them anything they want. All these years, the one thing that stood in the way of a 2 state solution was agreesive words.
In ways you seem braindead to me.
I proposed very similarly to what Barid proposed for weeks, and was trashed for it.
You are currently adept at alienating.
It doesn’t matter whose fault it is if you are genuinely concerned for the welfare of the people. “By any means necessary” should include considerate speech, persuasive speech, effective speech.
Its a challenge to you, that you are capable of if you desire to make change in fact.
There is no pandering necessary, only considerate speech, that is to the point, and contains only the point to be raised.
“It doesn’t matter whose fault it is if you are genuinely concerned for the welfare of the people. “By any means necessary” should include considerate speech, persuasive speech, effective speech.”
Translation: In the event that Israel’s crimes can nonlonger be covered up, Israel should not be held accoutble.
You have been consistently trashed for your defense of Israel’s right to inflict the blockade accompanied by your near-hysteria at the mere thought of any sort of sanctions on Israel–to the extent that some politicians (and so far it’s a small minority) have raised the issue it’s because of the “dissenters” who see it as a moral outrage. As for how it will end, probably for it to have any chance of getting through an AIPAC-dominated Congress the politicians who push it will have to pander–they will have to concede on points that they shouldn’t have to concede. There is no good reason why Gazans should have to jump through hoops to have contact with the outside world, but we all know who has the power, and obviously you’re happy about that. The role of ordinary citizens is to call bullshit when this happens, even if we understand that in some cases the politicians are doing the best they can. You seem to think that everyone is supposed to talk like a politician, and furthermore, everyone is supposed to be that particular sort of politician that panders to your feelings.
Incidentally, could someone point to me where RW said the US should simply break the blockade, rolling equipment and supplies up to the beaches and handing it over to UN aid agencies? I have to give Baird credit here–it doesn’t really sound like he cares too much whether the Israelis approve or not. Of course, since he’s retiring he can say things like that.
Like I said, the most appealing element of the proposal to you is the rhetoric, NOT the help.
If the content is getting civilian materials to civilians through the path of the UN, why not pursue that enthusiastically, even if likud endorsed it (which they certainly haven’t yet)?
I support allowing aid in–you seem to be confusing attacks on your hypocrisy with other issues. You do that a lot. And “rhetoric” is what people use in discussions. Your “rhetoric” is to paint Israel as never guilty of deliberate war crimes, unlike Hamas, which is. It’s harmful rhetoric.
Anyway, Baird’s proposal seems more forceful than yours–he sounds like he wants aid in there with or without Israel’s permission.
The UN doesn’t need the goods. Gazans do. If you suggest that all goods pass through the hands of the UN before they reach Gazans: What except an incredible logistics hassle is that supposed to result in? It’s still handouts.
“Humanitarian” aid is all right – as a first step. More important is to rebuild the Gaza strip and to help it reintegrate into global economy. Staunch defenders of Israel always whine about how Gaza is singled out and why we don’t talk about poverty elsewhere. Here you have an answer: Because nowhere – nowhere – else in the world is such poverty the result of a total blockade by an occupying power. There currently is no other example of such a total cutoff from international trade. It’s a uniquely atrocious situation.
P.S.: No, not even North Korea. Which is a different animal anyway because its isolation is not imposed from the outside – quite the contrary – and also because its currently nowhere near as destitute as the Gaza strip. But if you like to draw parallels: Of course we are concerned about that. And we blame, of course, the people who actually impose that blockade on millions of people – the North Korean regime in one case, Israel in another – and not the people who fail to be “nice” to them.
More “green shoots”? :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/15/hamas-gaza-israel-palestinians
It seems to take retirement to allow members of Congress to speak the truth.
May they all retire!
Yes, it’s a bit like the retired generals who spoke out against teh Iraq war during the Bush Administration. They all suddely find their backbone when they have nothing to lose.
Yes, you must be out of power to speak truth about israel and its endless viciousness and crimes – they see to that … which is why they are a CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER to the United States of America – their agents and operatives interfere with our politics and national interest and countless ways the people of the United States must wake, agitate and metaphorically-speaking muzzle, leash, and tie to tree the zio-fascist state of israel. They are, based upon their endless actions to undermine U.S. national interest, the greatest enemy we have and we have a right and DUTY to self-defense against this ongoing threat.
Now, it is in israel’s interest, and the interests of their agents, operatives and supporters to realize the danger their actions have put all Jews in … there has been no anti-Jewish backlash – yet … but it can form – anti-israel and anti-zionist feelings and movements can morph, and people who are very passionate about finding a peaceful solution realize this and that it why Mondoweiss and countless hundreds of other resources are working so hard to change the tone of the debate and compel reasonableness and fair solutions upon the recalcitrant and frankly evil leadership of israel. We are all working so hard – with words for some, deeds for others, to save Jewish people from the excesses and crimes of their zionist leaders and their objectives – in short we are trying to save israel and zionist Jews from themselves
Radii, your deep and sincere concern about the Jews comes through in your comment. Perhaps someday they will even be in the amount of danger you hope they are.
And that quasi-manifesto-style is grating, and pretty damn stupid.
Please, genius, tell us where Jews are “in danger” as a result of Israel’s actions? But you can keep wisjing they are, if it makes you happy.
Correction, Mooser, I don’t hope that anyone anywhere is in danger, I was not indoctrinated into a culture that cherishes bloodlust and I abhor it … only a fool cannot see how the zionists and israeli leadership are setting up yet another round of “bash the jews” with their excesses and crimes – eventually a tipping point is reached and a collective mindset forms in response that says we’ve had enough and then the indiscriminate lashing out begins – you might refer to history for examples
step away from the computer radii. indoctrinated into a culture that cherishes bloodlust?
we don’t need those kinds of implications floating around anywhere. there is not going to be any morphing in america putting all jews in danger. pleeease!
Wasn’t it Herzl who said:
““Anti-Semites will become our surest friends, anti-Semitic countries our allies.””
Sharon:
“”The best solution to anti-Semitism is immigration to Israel. It is the only place on Earth where Jews can live as Jews,”
Maybe they’re giving it a re-run? Came up trumps last time.
ah, a little criticism and out come that useful rhetorical weapon – pathetic
Now most monotheistic and many other religions also celebrate bloodlust, here are a few jews celebrate
Purim – deliverence from wicked Haman
Passover – deliverance from slavery in Egypt
LagBaOmer – significance of the bow and arrow
Shavuot – Ten Commandments
Tisha B’Av – destruction of Temple
Hanukkah – defeat of Greek armies
Tevet – the positive aspects of a “siege mentality”
… and the christians celebrate the crucifixion of this fellow Jesus and have made countless wars in his name
… and the muslims with their monotheistic cult views also have celebrations commemorating battles and death
-as one lucky enough not to have been indoctrinated into any silly superstition I can see clearly what those who have cannot
If you have any sort of political ideology there’s probably some killing that has been done in its name. Even the ideology of human rights played a role in justifying the Iraq War. I see you using that phrase “U.S. national interest”, a mystical blood-soaked concept if there ever was on.
So get off your high horse.
“if there ever was on”—was supposed to be “if there ever was one”
i don’t mean to ride a high horse – merely my indignation at what is happening is showing … there are these entities known as nations and like spice in food a little bit of nationalism is a good thing – too much and you’ve ruined it … and being a citizen of the U.S. I feel strongly that our government’s duty is to pursue objectives that favor U.S. citizens and residents over all others but in conforming to basic human rights standards – hence my frustration that the hijack of our policymaking by zionists
Radii,
The only two of those holidays that you spoke of are primary holidays:
Pesach (liberation from oppression)
Shavuot (receipt of the ten commandments)
You omitted Rosh Hashonah – Celebration of the new and beginning of the 10 days of reflection and awe
And Yom Kippur – Cathartic recognition of ones wrongs and the commitment to goodness thereafter
And Shabbat – Weekly day of freedom and rest
Oh Witty, shut up. You’ve already made clear how inspiring you’re guidance in the field of Jewish identity has been. It drove one poor kid all the way back to the 16th Century. For a while, anyway. If he’s lucky, he’ll get out before he gets past the 19th on the way backwards.
I keep wondering when I am going to hear about the bill that NuttyYahoo proposed that “Israelis in waiting” in the USA can vote for Israeli leadership. In other words, one of the most rabid blocs found in the USA, Zionist/fascists may vote just like they are in Israel. It was mentioned by Ayalon in the Hebrew version of his speech in reference to transferring the Palestinians –
אילון התייחס להצעת החוק להצבעה של ישראלים בחו”ל, ואמר כי “עברו הרבה מים בירקון מאז שרבין קרא להם נפולת של נמושות. אנחנו מקרבים את היורדים אלינו. הם אמריקאים שהינם עדיין ישראלים ומחכים לאפשרות להגיע לכאן”. כמה אנשים בקהל קראו קריאות ביניים וצעקו לעבר אילון: “איזה שטויות – הם לא פה ולא יחליטו לנו על חיים ומוות”. כמה אנשים בקהל תקפו את אילון וטענו ששר החוץ ליברמן הרס את מדיניות החוץ.
(That is another issue that was not brought up in the discussion on this earlier post)
“Jerusalem – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to submit a bill allowing all Israeli citizens to vote abroad. “It will contribute to the connection and to Israel’s strength,” Netanyahu said during a Likud faction meeting on Monday…If Knesset approves the bill allowing Israelis to vote abroad, it will implement one of the clauses included in the coalition agreement signed between Yisrael Beiteinu and the Likud.
According to the clause, “The government will form a governmental bill allowing the vote of Israelis who are abroad on Election Day, under conditions and criteria agreed upon by all the coalition members. The bill will be submitted to the Knesset within a year after the government’s establishment.” ”
Vos Iz Neias? – Jerusalem – Bill To Allow Israeli Citizens To Vote For Knesset From Anywhere Worldwide
Below, in the comments section you will find this contribution from “Ari” –
“In the USA you can also vote on Election day overseas and you can also send in absentee ballots !! Kol Hakovod the Prime Minister Netanyahu for giving all those that thier hearts are in Eretz Yisroel but they are overseas to be able to vote !!!”
That’s not “Israelis in waiting” it’s the expatriots who signed up for citizenship then discovered they couldn’t stand the place.
Potsherd, my recommendation to you is to do a little more investigation of “who” has dual citizenship in the USA. See what the positions are, what they do for a living, and than get back to me.
No thanks, VR, you can do your own homework.
It’s interesting that this is a controversy in Israel, because US citizens can absentee-vote from overseas and no one objects to it.
Potserd, the idea of the “vote” is a piece of tripe anyhow in my view, as if any process of voting really influences (in most cases) any import. What has the “vote” done for anyone in Israel, “left or right” you still have a murderous occupation, in the US it is the same, you have wars and the disenfranchisement of the people. If this is the interpretation of democracy, it is a joke – in fact, it is a joke.
That is speaking about voting in general (above, in regard to the significance of the act), but not in the case of dual citizenship with Israel and positions of power in the US. In my estimation it is a signal of a trojan horse, especially when you take a look at the lineup of neocon citizenship’s in the bowels of the US government and other positions of influence), and how the influence brought on two devastating wars and the deaths of over a million people in the wake. In this case it is a signal, and while similar issues can be brought up in regard to US citizenship, it has little to do with what has been a main subject of this blog. To ignore it is worse than negiligence.
VR, dual citizenship is a red herring in this issue. The proposal is to allow nonresident Israelis to vote from overseas, just as American citizens do. That is, it doesn’t matter if the expat Israelis have American citizenship or not, or any other dual citizenship. They may well have only Israeli citizenship and live as alien residents in some other country.
For Israel, the issue is the problem of emmigration, of the rats fleeing the sinking ship.
Tell that to the “rats” who have dual citizenship in the US and are in or near power, check the record of the “advising and voting (they are really rats fleeing a sinking ship eh?),” certainly the dual citizenship is an after thought – however it is still there. I am not talking about the average poor Israeli citizen who who has suddenly realized the country is not Disney Land. Whatever, time to move on
A point: the bill would allow citizens to vote. You can be a citizen without ever setting foot in the beloved fatherland. Jews need only apply. I’ll bet Witty is a citizen.
The land is referred to as land of our fathers, not fatherland.
You get citizenship from the ministry of the interior and generally (there may be exceptions) the citizenship process takes place in Israel and not outside of Israel.
VR,
some might argue that israel already decides our elections … let’s not forget that the 2000, 2002, and 2004 elections here (and possibly the 2006) were rigged through electronic voting … Karl Rove’s main IT guy responsible ended up dead (in a plane “accident”) … and the companies primarily used were Diebold and ES&S … owned by arch-zionist Ukranian brothers until name and ownership changes brought them some cover … these companies were amalgams of a bunch of smaller companies and technologies that came out of the defense-intelligence industry and computer tech industry … today israel has “maintenance” backdoors to all U.S. ingoing and outgoing electronic communications through their front companies Comvers Infosys and Amdocs and israel is a leader in specialized computer technology in this area (no doubt reverse-engineered from U.S. tech and developed with U.S. $$ and now used against us) – from all angles israel attacks America
The United States could never resupply Gaza by sea. Unlike the Soviet Union, which didn’t want to incur our wrath by shooting down our planes during the Berlin airlift, Israel wouldn’t hesitate to sink our ships at all. It’s not as if our president would do anything about it either. He’d do what Lyndon Johnson did when Israel sank the Liberty–convene an investigative panel to find that Israel was innocent.
Duscany I agree with you. Brian Baird (brave though he is; I’m surprised that Israel let him into Gaza at all) is moon-dreaming if he thinks the US could break the Gaza siege. Cynthia McKinney wasn’t able to; her ship was ‘diverted’, and others will be, if they’re not outright sunk, or accused of shipping arms to Hizbollah
The US, and its good people, are powerless against that shitty little state in the Levant
I know it’s a dream, but imagine seeing a fleet of US navy ships delivering supplies to Gaza? US fighter bombers poised to defend the ships if Israel chose to do anoth USS Liberty.
One can only dream can’t they?
All it would take is the will.
The only thing that will keep it from happening is the lack of will.
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