One more pre-election military operation, like in 1955, 1961, 1981, 1996, 2009
— Aluf Benn (@alufbenn) November 14, 2012
For years now, ‘death in Gaza’ has been an Israeli electoral strategy. In 2008 and 2009 Tzipi Livini and Ehuds Barak and Olmert killed 1,400 Palestinians and… failed to get reelected. My only supposition is that they failed to kill enough. I can make the assumption in light of the more “extreme” government that followed; that was shepherded into power through elections among Jewish Israelis.
With heaven’s grace, Netanyahu will succeed where they failed. 2,800 is better than 1,400 – and 5,400 is better still. Perhaps he can claim 94% of the vote at the ballot box.
—
I still struggle to understand the dehumanization and racism that skips from one Zionist neuron to another. What is it that causes them diminish our personhood? To bulldoze and steal and to kill with such full-throated vigor?
Are they really so different from the rest of us?
How do we fix their damaged humanity?
Good stuff from Aluf Benn. The older heads at Ha’aretz see the writing on the wall. Akiva el Dar, Strenger, Benn – they know these are very dangerous times for Israel. The country is steering very close to the rocks. It won’t end well. Dropping the peace process and now dumping democracy itself – it’s insane. Israel is so vulnerable.
There has a been a massive shift rightward since 2003. Education cuts and the rise of the Orthodox have really hurt the political balance. It’s the dialaogue of the ignorant now.
AIPAC and the ADL will support regardless but how long can the status quo endure? And what will follow?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loZPPMb47ho
I feel sorry for all the weaker members of Jewish Israeli society who will have to live with the consequences when it all falls apart.
● RE: “For years now, ‘death in Gaza’ has been an Israeli electoral strategy. In 2008 and 2009 Tzipi Livini and Ehuds Barak and Olmert killed 1,400 Palestinians and… failed to get reelected. . . With heaven’s grace, Netanyahu will succeed where they failed. 2,800 is better than 1,400 – and 5,400 is better still. Perhaps he can claim 94% of the vote at the ballot box.” ~ Ahmed Moor
● MY COMMENT: Actually, I see this as a “twofer” for Netanyahu because this is also his way of reminding (the recently reelected) Obama that he is the boss; lest Obama think his reelection was some kind of a mandate for him to seek peace in the Middle East! ! !
In other words, Netanyahu is “marking his territory”*.
Expect a lot more of the same in this period leading up to the Israeli elections on January 22nd of 2013 (while Washington D.C. is preoccupied with the “fiscal cliff” and otherwise pretty much oblivious/asleep/dormant/hibernating until Obama’s inauguration on January 21st of 2013).
* Territory (animal) – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territory_(animal)
● P.S. “FREE DON” SIEGELMAN PETITION – http://www.change.org/petitions/president-obama-please-restore-justice-and-pardon-my-dad
Today Uri Avnery of Gush Shalom issued the following press release:
Netanyahu and Barak have decided to deliberately violate a cease-fire which had just been stabilized.
At the price of great and ongoing suffering on both sides of the border, the government’s aim had been accomplished: social issues will be removed from the public agenda and the election campaign
“Binyamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak have decided – for the second time in a row the State of Israel will conduct general elections under the shadow of war in the Gaza Strip. The cease-fire which already started to stabilize has been broken deliberately and shattered to pieces. The inhabitants of the communities of southern Israel, who just started to breathe freely, are sent right back to air raid alarms and to running to shelters” said former Knesset Member Uri Avnery of Gush Shalom.
“At the price of great suffering on both sides of the border, the government’s aim has been accomplished: the social issues, which threatened to assume prominence in these elections, have been pushed aside and removed from the agenda of the elections campaign. Forgotten, too, is the brave attempt of Mahmoud Abbas to address the Israeli public opinion. In the coming weeks, the headlines will be filled with constant war and death, destruction and bloodshed. When it ends at last, it will be revealed that no goal has been achieved and that the problems remain the same, or perhaps exacerbated. ”
Details:
Adam Keller, Gush Shalom +972-54-2340749
How long can it endure? America will support Israel as long “as there are fish in the rivers” (oops, maybe longer than that). The American people can elect Obama and can try to teach him that they elected him to do better than republicans, but he seems unwilling to learn. the Republicans defeat themselves and he imagines that he needs the BIG-MONEY from BANKS, AIPAC, OIL, and — in the old politics which is the current politics which is the future politics he is right.
MONEY IN POLITICS will not be fixed, GLOBAL WARMING will not be fixed, I/P will not be fixed.
It looks like the elections in Israel were moved to an earlier date to attack Gaza earlier.
Otherwise it is hard to find another reason.
Among other news, the new sub-leader of Likud, bosom buddy of Netanyahu and Foreign Minister called to overthrow Abbas. It is on the topic here because it shows that a Palestinian leader cannot ever be quisling-y enough to Israeli satisfaction. Whatever they have against Hamas they have against ALL Palestinians.
On the second thought, it shows that the thinking of Israeli government is quite irrational. It is one thing to have goals that are morally wrong and pursuing them, and another to engage in pointless bomb throwing (which is verbal in the case of Lieberman, but literal in the case of Netanyahu and Barak). The problem that Lieberman tries to solve is that favorite innocent pasttimes of the Jewish state like destroying Palestinian wells, dwellings and crops, as well as expanding settlements could be subject to lawsuits by a “government” that does not govern much but is empowered to sue. But overthrowing such a government would help only if it would be recognized, otherwise a government in exile can sue.
It really reminds me the case when this very government ALMOST gave the control of power generation to the rabbinate because ultra-Orthodox were unhappy with the way electricity is produced on Saturdays. Besides being hilarious, it would not solve any problems because the folks unhappy with electricity produced on Saturday (Jews work in power stations, one should have shifts consisting entirely of Arabs and certified apostates which is not easy, I mean I could do it in a day, but the precedent of un-Jewing Jews so other Jews could remain more Jewish could seriously strain the Jewishness of the social fabric) do not recognize the authority of the rabbinate.
The bombing of Gaza besides being atrocious of course does not solve anything.
And what would be solved by bombing of Iran is the most treasured secret of the Government of Israel.
Could one take matches away from these kids?