Status quo is not OK

by on March 31, 2010 21
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There is an interesting symmetry between Tom Friedman’s NYT column saying the Peace movement died in Israel in part because the status quo is “ok” and the Israeli press reporting that Syria’s Bashir al-Assad is telling the PA that that they are making a mistake in having renounced violence.  Friedman, of course, would have a cow about this link, but it clearly follows from his persuasive argument that Israel has no interest in peace because the staus quo is not so bad.

Posted in Israel/Palestine

{ 21 comments... read them below or add one }

  1. otto says:
    March 31, 2010 at 12:49 pm

    Apartheid is fun for the colonials.

    • zamaaz says:
      April 1, 2010 at 11:01 am

      “Friedman, of course, would have a cow about this link, but it clearly follows from his persuasive argument that Israel has no interest in peace because the staus quo is not so bad.”
      This is one good analysis I have read yet so far…Status quo is good simply as a ‘breather plane’. Definitely, Israel will even go beyond status quo..they will not rest nor be able to have one until they reunited the whole nation…and rebuild it own ancient capital which is the true symbol of their national identity. This is not merely the aspiration of one person but a ‘driving spirit’ among its people…

    • zamaaz says:
      April 1, 2010 at 11:33 am

      This is a very interesting historical circumstances…their situation is remarkably similar to the rebuilding of Israel after the diaspora from Iraq in 5th century BC…they were likewise forced to build the walls because of the harassment of the ‘people of the land’ (national squatters)…It never came into my mind until lately that these concrete walls of Jerusalem are perfect symbols of the walls of Jerusalem in ancient times…Are these coincidence?

      Look of that vision of Daniel during in the third year of the reign of an Iraqi king Belshazzar (550?-539?BC), about that inquiry when will be the ‘sanctuary be cleansed’: “And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” (Daniel 8:14). If we date what Daniel saw in a vision, that is two from the time of the he-goat (symbol of the Greek empire) under Alexander the Great (356-326 BC) conquered Israel in 333 B.C. the prophetic ‘end of suppression’ of the Jews after 2,300 years will be about 1967AD (six-day war victory) when Jerusalem will be reunited and symbolically and politically cleared from ‘heathens’. Is this just coincidence?
      There are many things to be deciphered yet in the Bible, and these gets more challenging as the developments unfold…

  2. Oscar says:
    March 31, 2010 at 4:32 pm

    That’s Dennis Ross’ gameplan. As long as the status quo can be maintained, and the rest of Palestine gobbled up, life ain’t so bad in Tel Aviv.

    There’s always a reference to the “peace process.” Process? What’s up with that? Instead of a never-ending process, there should be peace talks.

    Maintaining the status quo is what the great game is all about — so those modified, American-made Caterpillars can continue to knock down the residences of the indigenous population and steal the land in the name of Judea and Sumeria — the Greater Israel.

    Tom Friedman should be concerned he may have to give his illegally-occupied home in Palestine back to its rightful owner. Maybe that why he spews such wacky hasbara, expecting us to lap it up.

  3. MHughes976 says:
    March 31, 2010 at 5:28 pm

    Processed cheese isn’t to my taste. I can’t see any way of interpreting Israeli policy over the decades except as guided by the principle of ‘living without a solution’, which everyone knows can be kept up for a long, long time but not indefinitely.

    • pabelmont says:
      March 31, 2010 at 7:14 pm

      “If there’s no solution, then there is no problem” an uncle of mine once said, about I/P, shutting down a pro-Palestinian protest. Well, also, if there’s no problem, there’s no need for a solution. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

      Israel paradoxically says “security, security” but fears no enemy (even Iran) and spares few efforts to manufacture armed resistance, so that it can bleat “terrorism, terrorism.” If it fears anything, it is its friend, Uncle Sam, who might withdraw his money and his veto in UNSC.

      Israel acts like an unreconstructed criminal who, having got where he is by taking, by force, what did not belong to him, has come to relish taking more of what does not belong to him and also the use of force–perhaps for its own sake–and scoffs at the law. The scoffing, however, only works as long as immunity and impunity are guaranteed. Being concerned with the “threat” from USA, the criminal makes very small steps of lawlessness, waits to see what will happen, and, finding that nothing happens, takes another tiny step. Thus the settlements taking place over 40 years, by small steps. And Isael has always gotten away with whatever it did. The USA never said “NO” in advance and never punished afterward.

      Israel is not “living without a solution.” The “one-state solution” is a “solution.” Israel loves it. The USA has not said, “No!!” — yet.

  4. syvanen says:
    March 31, 2010 at 5:49 pm

    OT but Naomi Klein has a hard hitting piece in Huff Post supporting BDS.

    link to huffingtonpost.com

    In spite of the fact they give more press to zionists, Huff Post does do the right thing now and then. If you follow the comments there you will very strong empathy for Palestinians and I believe they are interested in turning Huff Post into a profitable enterprise one of these days. They do seem to repsond to reader interest.

    • Taxi says:
      March 31, 2010 at 6:21 pm

      Huffington’s backers are Aipcers. Arianna’s investment money comes from them.

      Yes they get good articles every now and then but their moderators are instructed to censor Palestinian supporters at far greater numbers than their antagonists.

      I used to blog there, probably for a couple of years, and it was really really hard some days getting posts through. One was constantly trying to figure out ways to bypass the moderator through intentional mispellings, using abbreviations etc. Believe me I got censored for using benign phrases like: “I can’t say I agree with you”. Seriously!

      • James Bradley says:
        March 31, 2010 at 6:46 pm

        Don’t give up on comments section over at the Huffington Post.

        I know its a bitch, I know that zionuts got Ariana by the balls but you have to keep pushing no matter what.

        Its the least we can do.

        • Taxi says:
          March 31, 2010 at 6:56 pm

          I know what you’re saying James. I love being in the thick of it all, I love the good fight, but life is short-ish and any sane person will tell you it’s a waste of time arguing with a madman. You ever tried debating/arguing with a lunatic on your travels through life? It’s simply pointless. On huffington post, there are more insane people than sane ones – but it never used to be like that. It became like that when Arianna expanded her project and got some Aipac money to do it.

        • James Bradley says:
          March 31, 2010 at 7:24 pm

          No doubt your totally right about arguing with a lunatic, there’s no question that they will never listen.

          BUT tons of people do read the exchanges, and they may not comment.

          I was born and raised in the United States, and thanks to all the media propaganda I was a tad bit more pro-Israeli than pro-Palestinian at one point in my life.

          That changed after reading comments on articles that refuted Hasbara propaganda.

          Regardless of what you do however, keep your voice heard, people do listen.

        • Taxi says:
          March 31, 2010 at 8:49 pm

          Quite right you are, James. I do actually blog on several ‘difficult’ sites, sometimes under a different name. I’m currently posting on several local Los Angeles blogs (where I live). They need it. For all it’s feted open-mindedness, Los Angles media is occupied/under siege by you know who and it’s people need liberating. They’re not that keen on Palestinians here, but in the last month or so, I’ve seen some very encouraging signs indeed. The talkbacks are slowly getting more pro-Palestinian, or rather I should say: anti Apartheid Israel.

          I know all of our work is making a small and slow drip-drip difference. I’m very encouraged by this especially when I’m reminded of my all time favorite saying which happens to be Swahili: Many drops fill bucket.

        • Richard Parker says:
          March 31, 2010 at 8:50 pm

          Er….Ariana hasn’t got any balls

    • Taxi says:
      March 31, 2010 at 6:48 pm

      syvanen,

      I just read your recommended link and some of the blogger’s responses. Here’s a sample of some zio huff bloggers (plenty of them) who wouldn’t survive a nano second on mondo:

      BubbaC33 (a long-timer over there) says:
      “The folks who complain that Israel is gobbling up land are incapable of rational thought, or so it seems. The fact is Israel is smaller now than we were 10 years ago. A quick look at a current map and a map of Israel from 2000 will plainly show Israel is smaller now.”

      Of course he doesn’t provide a link to a map or anything like that.

      All I can say is: Thank rhubarbs and breadcrumbs for Mondoweiss!

  5. Richard Parker says:
    March 31, 2010 at 9:12 pm

    Taxi’s verbatim quote of HuffPost’s BubbaC33 seems to show that he (Bubba) is an intelligent hasbara who can lie outrageously without winking.

    A large problem with Mondoweiss is that most contributors to its comment section (except Witty) agree with each other. It is like an audience clapping with only one hand.

    We need people like BubbaC33, if only to give a basis for analysis, dissection and destruction of their lies. Julian and Yonira simply aren’t enough.

    • Taxi says:
      March 31, 2010 at 10:53 pm

      True most of us here agree that zionism is yukee, but I view Mondoweiss as a place to learn more about the complex and multi-layered history of the I/P conflict from others instead of a site where every other post is a confrontation. I’ve spent time on such blogs and believe me you can get very tired of the stupidity and futility of it all. I see zionism as an emotionally driven force and not one that is based or thrives on intellectual rigor.

      I especially value the non-zionist Jewish posters’ take on the situation here on mondo. You yourself, having traveled the region extensively, though not Jewish as far as I know, also give valuable insight too because of your many years of direct exposure to the epicenter of the I/P situ. So really even though most of us here agree, yet everyone brings something unique and special to the forum.

      I don’t know, Richard, it seems too cruel to want people like BubbaC33 to be around here for the sake of bashing – I don’t know if I can handle the sight of his spleen day after day being dissected with fine precision here on Mondo’s operating table.

      I have had many moronic verbal spars with Bubba back in the day and all I can is: what a fucking bore.

  6. Richard Witty says:
    April 1, 2010 at 5:34 am

    Michael Desch,
    You believe that Friedman was saying that the status quo is ok? Or was actually saying that others have stated that?

    There is a distinction.

    I wonder whether our intelligence is diminishing sometimes, whether we knows how to read.

  7. mdesch says:
    April 1, 2010 at 5:43 am

    Mr. Witty — I believe that Friedman was reporting what he takes to be the modal view in Israel: things aren’t so bad right now. I think Friedman realizes that the status quo is not sustaintable over the long term, though I have my doubts about his overall assessment of the situation.
    My point in the post was to point to the interesting symmetry with the general Israeli belief that things were ok and Assad’s conclusion that the PA had made a mistake in renouncing violence because it contributes to the illusion in Israel that the status quo is ok. Mike Desch