Author Archives: David Samel

About David Samel

Attorney in New York City

How many lies can Alan Dershowitz tell in 60 seconds?

Posted on October 19, 2010 by David Samel

How many lies can Alan Dershowitz tell in 60 seconds? There have been several posts concerning the recent debate between Dershowitz and Susan Abulhawa at the recent Boston Book Festival. Many have noted the dramatic contrast between the calm Abulhawa … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , | 45 Comments

The new threats to Israel’s Palestinian citizens

Posted on October 15, 2010 by David Samel

Two related articles of note. First, from ynet, a new poll finds that 36% of Israeli Jews want to revoke voting rights for Palestinian citizens. Of course, this exclusion would represent a change only for the 1.4 million or so … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 9 Comments

The ‘Times’ smooths the path to the next Lebanon war

Posted on October 8, 2010 by David Samel

Should another war break out between Israel and Lebanon, who would be at fault: the nation that actually commences bombing and invasion, backed by the full diplomatic and military support of the most powerful country in the world? Or the … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | Tagged , , , | 53 Comments

IDF finally admits its three victims were civilians

Posted on September 20, 2010 by David Samel

It cannot be much of a surprise to anyone with half a brain, but it’s now official. The 91-year-old Ibrahim Abu Sayed, his grandson Hossam and young family friend Ismail Abu Oda, who were blown away by Israeli tank shells … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 8 Comments

Are the settlers civilians?

Posted on September 7, 2010 by David Samel

Although I have replied individually to a few comments to my recent post regarding the recent killing of four Israeli settlers, there was one issue repeatedly raised in several comments. To what extent should Jewish settlers in the West Bank … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 167 Comments

The settler killings– morality and effectiveness

Posted on September 4, 2010 by David Samel

The recent killing of four West Bank settlers by Palestinian gunmen raises the ever-present issue of violence in resistance to occupation and oppression. I write in respectful response to Seham, who has expressed some understanding and perhaps sympathy for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 179 Comments

What is Hamas thinking?

Posted on September 1, 2010 by David Samel

As the “peace talks” are about to get under way in Washington, Hamas has decided to remind us all of its vitality by executing four settlers. According to the New York Times article, Hamas claimed that the attack was “a … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 56 Comments

Rocket Redux, the Israeli fiction

Posted on August 30, 2010 by David Samel

A few months ago, I authored a post on the fiction that when Israel withdrew from two decades of military occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah responded with thousands of rockets rained down on Israeli communities. At the time, … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 47 Comments

What Lebanon can teach the U.S. about religious tolerance

Posted on August 30, 2010 by David Samel

In Beirut, a recent event, under-reported in the United States, provides a dramatic contrast with the New York controversy over Park51, an Islamic cultural center planned for lower Manhattan. According to Ha’aretz, Lebanon’s largest Jewish synagogue has been saved from … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Middle East, US Politics | 71 Comments

A kinder, gentler Occupation

Posted on August 16, 2010 by David Samel

For those of you worried that the tone of the so-called Occupation is a bit too confrontational and unpleasant, I have some optimistic news. As reported in Haaretz, a company of reservists is introducing politeness into the everyday checkpoint encounters … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 17 Comments

Kill an Arab, any Arab, is longstanding and unquestioned policy

Posted on August 2, 2010 by David Samel

A barely-noticed incident gives occasion for reflection into the grossly skewed nature of the I/P conflict. A rocket launched from Gaza reached the city of Ashkelon, causing some property damage but no injuries. Israel responded by launching airstrikes at various … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine, US Politics | 17 Comments

Fair and balanced, the inquiry commission is

Posted on June 14, 2010 by David Samel

Those who have criticized Israel’s attack on the Mavi Marmara and thought Israel was unable to investigate its own conduct have some ‘splainin’ to do. As the New York Times reports today, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s cabinet has unanimously (!!) appointed … Continue reading →

Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine | 58 Comments

Recasting the Gaza blockade as a humanitarian project

Posted on June 11, 2010 by David Samel

Israel’s efforts to control the narrative of the flotilla raid that left at least nine dead and dozens wounded have come under increasing scrutiny, with more and more contradictory evidence coming to light. Less attention has been focused on Israel’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Beyondoweiss, Gaza, Israel/Palestine | 79 Comments

‘NYT’ quickly closes the blinds

Posted on June 11, 2010 by David Samel

7 letters to the Times on Tony Judt’s op-ed:  6 highly critical, and for balance, one pleading (a la Rodney King) that we all get along.

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 13 Comments

Obtuse NYT editorial portrays courageous humanitarian mission as human sacrifice

Posted on June 2, 2010 by David Samel

Today the New York Times editorial board weighs in on the disaster at sea. Here’s a brief look at its more notable statements. The editorial leads with the following: “The supporters of the Gaza-bound aid flotilla had more than humanitarian … Continue reading →

Posted in Beyondoweiss, Gaza, Israel/Palestine | 67 Comments

The ‘Beita’ incident of 1988 shines lasting light on a cruel Occupation and its halfhearted coverage

Posted on April 6, 2010 by David Samel

Today marks the 22nd anniversary of just one of the innumerable tragic events in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is worth revisiting because it typifies the racism, cruelty, injustice, even insanity of the Occupation. A succession of New … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine, US Politics | 48 Comments

Oren’s historical fiction about Lebanon war has long tradition in MSM hasbara

Posted on March 19, 2010 by David Samel

Michael Oren has an op-ed in Thursday’s NY Times about the Bibi-Biden flap. While a comprehensive dissection would consume many times the length of the original, my attention was drawn to a very narrow issue that appears in the following sentence: … Continue reading →

Posted in Beyondoweiss, Gaza, Israel Lobby, Israel/Palestine | 71 Comments

Rectifying asymmetrical warfare, a modest proposal

Posted on March 16, 2010 by David Samel

The other day, my daughter called from college. She’s taking an international human rights course, and had been assigned to read the Executive Summary of the Goldstone Report, as well as criticism and defense of the report, including the attack … Continue reading →

Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine | 43 Comments

From Gold to Bolton to King John (more on the lawfare conference!)

Posted on March 14, 2010 by David Samel

On March 11, I attended the all-day Israel love-fest entitled "Lawfare", the term coined to describe any effort to hold Israel accountable to international law. Max Blumenthal already has provided readers with an excellent summation of the afternoon proceedings. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine | 53 Comments

If Bronner were reassigned to China, what makes you think his replacement would be better?

Posted on February 9, 2010 by David Samel

My initial reaction to the news that Ethan Bronner’s son had joined the IDF was a shrug. I have found Bronner’s reporting to be biased toward Israel, but only a reflection of the deeply entrenched institutional biases that control our … Continue reading →

Posted in Beyondoweiss, Israel/Palestine, US Politics | 8 Comments

Latest white phosphorus tale is Israel’s 4th

Posted on February 2, 2010 by David Samel

Israel has announced that it has reprimanded two senior army officers for their role in an attack on a UN facility during last year’s Gaza offensive. Large amounts of fuel were stored in both underground and above-ground tankers at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Gaza | 7 Comments

‘No safety for civilians’ (the unbearable likeness of Rabin and bin Laden)

Posted on January 26, 2010 by David Samel

In 1993, Israel launched Operation Accountability, a military campaign against southern Lebanon. The stated aim of Operation Accountability was to spread panic among the civilian population to cause them to flee north to Beirut and pressure the Lebanese Government to … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 92 Comments

The China-Darfur distraction

Posted on December 20, 2009 by David Samel

One line often used against Israel’s critics is that there are bigger fish to fry, that Israeli oppression of Palestinians pales in comparison to human rights violations around the world, such as Darfur or Chechnya or Myanmar/Burma or the Chinese … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine, US Politics | 99 Comments

Israeli refusers bring ‘a declaration of sanity’ to New York City

Posted on October 2, 2009 by David Samel

Last night, I attended a presentation by two women named Maya Wind and Netta Mishly of the Shministim, a group of young Israelis who refuse mandatory military service, and are often sentenced to repeated prison terms until they either change … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 5 Comments

How can American Jews demand equality in the US and defend a system of inequality in Israel/Palestine?

Posted on September 2, 2009 by David Samel

Jews insist on minority rights in the U.S. and freedom and equality. Why not in Israel? Huh???

Posted in Israel/Palestine, US Politics | 61 Comments