Author Archives: Alex Kane

Shoe is now on Wiesenfeld’s foot

Jeffrey Wiesenfeld has made it a career habit to try and marginalize anyone he perceived to be insufficiently pro-Israel and to smear Muslims and Arabs. But in the wake of the Tony Kushner degree controversy, it is Wiesenfeld’s politics, racism … Continue reading

Posted in Israel Lobby | Tagged , , | 20 Comments

Why mainstream Jewish orgs haven’t said a word against Peter King’s anti-Muslim hearings

There has been little objection from the mainstream Jewish establishment to Representative Peter King’s anti-Muslim hearings that took place yesterday, and some commentators are asking why. Given the history of discrimination against Jews in the U.S., it should be an … Continue reading

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 33 Comments

The two-state solution is on its deathbed, but that news didn’t reach J Street conference

When the liberal “pro-Israel, pro-peace” lobby J Street launched in 2008, it was big news. Coupled with a new presidential administration pledging sustained engagement on Israel/Palestine, the thought many had was that this was the moment a lasting peace deal … Continue reading

Posted in BDS, Israel Lobby, One state/Two states, US Policy in the Middle East | Tagged , | 20 Comments

Mona Eltahawy’s speech signals shift in mainstream discourse that Zionists don’t want

Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy’s speech at the J Street conference was more than just another good speech–it’s a further indication of the shift in discourse on the Middle East following the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and around the region. Slowly … Continue reading

Posted in Egypt, Gaza, Israel Lobby, Neocons | Tagged , , | 75 Comments

Neocon fantasy: Palestine has nothing to do with Arab uprisings

As mass uprisings in Arab states continue, the Israeli government and its neoconservative supporters in the U.S. have tried to convince the world that Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians has nothing to do with the revolts. While it would be … Continue reading

Posted in Egypt, Gaza, Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

‘The Palestine Cables’: Bahraini elites want to reach out to Israel, but the people don’t

The revolt rocking the Gulf state of Bahrain continues, as protesters occupy the Pearl roundabout area, demanding that King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa step down.  One of the root causes driving the crisis in Bahrain is the existence … Continue reading

Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine, US Policy in the Middle East | Tagged , | 69 Comments

‘Progressive Zionist’ group in U.S. calls for settlement boycott (while J Street continues to refuse to)

The liberal Zionist organization Meretz USA is calling on American Jews and Israelis to boycott West Bank settlements. While distancing itself from the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, the statement represents a significant stand among left-leaning American Zionist … Continue reading

Posted in BDS, Israel Lobby | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

The Palestine Cables: Egyptian VP Suleiman, Israel’s favorite, wants ‘Gaza to go ‘hungry’ but not ‘starve”

The Israeli establishment is pleased to see that Omar Suleiman, the former head of Egypt’s intelligence services who was recently appointed to be Egypt’s first vice president, is angling to continue the Mubarak regime.  As reports circulate that Hosni Mubarak … Continue reading

Posted in Egypt, Gaza, Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

The Bush-Obama line on Palestine: forget ’67

The election of President Barack Obama brought great hope that his administration could be the one to bring about a settlement to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. But Obama has largely followed the Bush administration’s pro-Israel slant. New documents released by WikiLeaks … Continue reading

Posted in Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , , , , , , | 59 Comments

Only serious dissent on the Palestinian street will change the game: Former PLO negotiator Diana Buttu on the ‘Palestine Papers’ and the Egyptian uprising

The publication of nearly 1,700 leaked files by Al Jazeera on negotiations between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority has been largely overshadowed by the uprising in Egypt. But that doesn’t mean they don’t matter for the future of … Continue reading

Posted in Egypt, Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

‘The Palestine Cables’: Al Jazeera is viewed in White House for Egypt coverage, but U.S. complained about its 08-09 Gaza coverage

The Al Jazeera news network is not well liked by many governments.  It has the bravest, most consistent and unyielding reports from the front lines of Middle East turmoil, as the uprising in Egypt has shown.  Al Jazeera journalists have … Continue reading

Posted in Beyondoweiss, Egypt, Gaza, Israel/Palestine | Tagged , | 10 Comments

The ugly American: ‘This is an American grenade. American! American!’

The Obama administration has not taken a strong and unequivocal stand against Hosni Mubarak’s regime yet, and has instead opted for calling for an “orderly transition” to a new government. The latest news on the administration’s reactions to the Egyptian … Continue reading

Posted in Egypt, Israel/Palestine | Tagged | 21 Comments

A democratic Egypt may save Palestinian and Lebanese lives

When Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty in 1979, one of the big dividends for Israel was the removal of a major military threat on their doorstep. Egypt had participated in wars against Israel in 1948, 1956, 1967 and … Continue reading

Posted in Egypt, Gaza, Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , | 29 Comments

Close U.S. ally and new Egyptian VP Soliman ‘keeps the domestic beasts at bay’

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has appointed Omar Soliman, the country’s head of intelligence, as vice president in Mubarak’s first big move following continuous days of protest that are threatening to end his regime.  But Soliman’s appointment will not placate the … Continue reading

Posted in Egypt, Gaza, Israel/Palestine, US Policy in the Middle East | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Israel and its American friends want to stop the Egyptian ‘earthquake’

The Israeli government and its many friends in the U.S. media are rushing to support the brutal Mubarak dictatorship as it copes with the most serious challenge to its rule. As I noted yesterday, Israel is worried about a reliable … Continue reading

Posted in Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

The Egyptian intifada and what it may mean for Israel/Palestine

The Egyptian uprising against the Mubarak regime is historic and important in its own right. But it may also lead to significant changes in the region that could be positive for the Palestinian cause. Israel is worried about a reliable … Continue reading

Posted in Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Palestine Papers: Admiral Mullen says Palestinian state is a U.S. ‘cardinal interest’ after raising troop deaths

General David Petraeus backed away from uttering similar words, but it’s clearly a view that holds wide currency in the U.S. military establishment:  ending the Israel/Palestine conflict is a core U.S. interest that affects the safety of U.S. soldiers.  Haaretz … Continue reading

Posted in Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , , , , | 41 Comments

The truth that the ‘Palestine Papers’ has broken into the mainstream: Israel is the obstacle to peace

The release of the “Palestine Papers,” Al Jazeera’s leak of thousands of documents relating to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, is creating space in the American mainstream for this central truth:  it is Israel’s fault that there has not been a peace agreement … Continue reading

Posted in Beyondoweiss, Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Palestine Papers: Why there will never be a State of Palestine

One core lesson from the “Palestine Papers,” Al Jazeera’s leak of secret documents on Israeli-Palestinian negotiations from 1999 to 2010, is that there will never be a State of Palestine, living side by side with Israel.  This was known before, … Continue reading

Posted in Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , , , , | 86 Comments

‘The Palestine Cables’: WikiLeaks exposes Egypt, PA cooperation with Israel during Gaza assault

The left-wing publication Counterpunch has obtained eleven U.S.-authored cables “accessed” from WikiLeaks that deal solely with “Operation Cast Lead,” the 2008-09 Israeli assault on Gaza.  Kathleen Christison, a former CIA analyst and co-author of Palestine in Pieces, has the scoop: … Continue reading

Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Another American family, this time the Jilanis, will have to grieve without justice over Israeli killing

Emily Henochowicz, Tristan Anderson, Furkan Dogan, Brian Avery, Rachel Corrie and more–all American citizens killed or severely injured by Israel with no justice served and barely a peep heard from U.S. authorities. Now, add Ziad Jilani, who was a permanent … Continue reading

Posted in Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Solidarity in Lyd: ‘We strongly disbelieve that Jews can demonstrate by themselves ala Tel Aviv’

Lyd, Israel–For the past year and a half, Israelis, Palestinians and international activists have held weekly demonstrations in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, protesting against the evictions of Palestinian families there and the move by settlers to take … Continue reading

Posted in Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Hillary Clinton condemns Shepherd Hotel demolition as demonstrators cry, ‘This is stolen land’

[UPDATE: Hillary Clinton condemns the destruction: [We are very concerned about the initiation of demolition of the Shepherd's Hotel in East Jerusalem. This disturbing development undermines peace efforts to achieve the two state-solution. In particular, this move contradicts the logic … Continue reading

Posted in Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , , , , , | 24 Comments

In Ajami and Mas’ha, evidence of the continuing Nakba

Ramallah, West Bank–The Palestinian catastrophe, the Nakba of 1948, never really ended. What has happened since then, as Yehouda Shenhav, an Israeli sociologist and the author of Bounded by the Green Line, puts it, is a “continuation of the [1948] … Continue reading

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Nakba | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

‘Why are you on the Palestinian side, working against your homeland?’

Ramallah, West Bank–It’s a far cry from the daily checkpoints, beatings, tear-gassing and harassment that Palestinians have to go through, but today I can say that a tiny slice of the Palestinian experience became alive to me. My arrival at … Continue reading

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 8 Comments