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Gov. Cuomo annexes Jerusalem to Israel — and ‘NYT’ echoes him

Cuomo in occupied Jerusalem, from his Facebook page
Cuomo in occupied Jerusalem, near Church of Holy Sepulchre, from his Facebook page

Governor Cuomo declared Jerusalem to be part of Israel on his recent trip. Caption for the above photo:

The Delegation visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. — in Jerusalem, Israel.

He’s actually in occupied East Jerusalem. But The Times, in reporting on Cuomo’s trip to Israel, also refers to Jerusalem as a city in Israel, in reporting that Cuomo visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

On a visit to Israel over two days this week…

“Mr. Cuomo’s whirlwind tour of Israel…

“Mr. Cuomo’s time on the ground in Israel — about 29 hours — was not much longer than the time he spent flying here and back…”

Daniel Seidemann says:

A trip like Cuomo’s that signals Jerusalem is exclusively Israel may be good for NY poliitcs, but bad for Israel & Jlem

The Governor of course had nothing bad to say about the practice of colonizing Jerusalem and moving in Jewish settlers. He’s running for reelection, after all.

Here’s a photo of the colonization process, from today:

Settler confronts Palestinian in occupied East Jerusalem
Settler confronts Palestinian in occupied East Jerusalem

Rachel Michele Green states as a caption to that photo: 

 This morning, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem while chanting ‘death to Arabs’

The governor struck a belligerent tone throughout his trip. From the Times:

“This is a country at war, and they want friends, and they want friends who are standing up loudly, so sometimes in a situation like this, there’s nothing that you can do that’s enough, and that’s why we literally got on a plane and came and wanted to show up.”…
“[Hamas is] against Israel because Israel is a democracy,” the governor said. “The United States is a democracy. And those that oppose democracy oppose Israel here in the Middle East, and they oppose us.”

And the governor duly fell for the tunnel propaganda, near the Gaza border:

Cuomo in tunnel, from his Facebook page
Cuomo in tunnel, from his Facebook page

Not a word on this trip about Palestine, of course. Rachel Michele Green again:

When you illegally occupy, expand your settlements illegally, deny an entire population of basic human rights, you’re an asshole. Simple.

 

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Cuomo and DeBlasio should both be tossed asap.

NY is made of better stuff and people– so is the entire US. We need to end this dangerous “alliance” and toss out those in government that refuse to do it.

““[Hamas is] against Israel because Israel is a democracy,” the governor said. “The United States is a democracy. And those that oppose democracy oppose Israel here in the Middle East, and they oppose us.””

So all of a sudden it’s “us” or them? How dare he? Another filthy liar. Rachel Green is correct, and she is showing restraint.

What *is* the status of Jerusalem? What are the different opinions and who are they held by? And is East Jerusalem a different city altogether or part of Jerusalem but with a different legal status?

I noticed via NewsDiffs that the NYT article was edited to be more sympathetic to both Cuomo and Israel:
The orginal published copy read (emphasis mine)

Asked why he thought Israel had drawn such withering international criticism over its conflict with Hamas, he largely pleaded ignorance. “I don’t know,” he said. “I think there’s an attitude that Israel is the more powerful. Maybe it’s we root for the underdog.”

While the final copy reads

Asked why he thought Israel had drawn such withering international criticism over its conflict with Hamasa military operation that it has characterized as a matter of self-defense, he largely pleaded ignorance. “I don’t know,” he said. “I think there’s an attitude that Israel is the more powerful. Maybe it’s we root for the underdog.”

I try very hard to understand the mentality of people like Cuomo who sell themselves (cheaply) in order to satisfy their ambitions.

But what I want to know is: when an individual has sold his/her intellect and integrity, what remains? I honestly would like to know how they can betray on such a massive scale those who suffer and then turn around and justify it. One doesn’t need a religion or a codified moral doctrine to know that that is wrong…..our inner voice will tell us.