Author Archives: Michael Desch

‘Haaretz’ undermines a foundational myth: FDR abandoned Europe’s Jews

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Michael Desch

Zionist historiography has distorted US policy during the Holocaust to exaggerate Jewish peril in the diaspora and the supposed indifference of the Gentiles to Jews’ plight

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 32 Comments

Why hasn’t Jonathan Pollard applied for parole?

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Michael Desch

Eliot Engel only exposes Pollard’s depths of betrayal in mounting his defense

Posted in Israel Lobby, Israel/Palestine, Media, US Politics | 54 Comments

Holocaust consciousness-raising = harming Palestinians

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Michael Desch

Netanyahu’s manipulation of the Holocaust perpetuates an ‘existential’ crisis legitimizing anything Israel wants to do, from occupation to attacking Iran

Posted in American Jewish Community, Israel Lobby, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Government, Media, US Politics | 24 Comments

Netanyahu cuts his deals with Hamas, not Fatah, and here’s why

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Michael Desch

Great editorial in today’s New York Times asking the obvious question: If Benjamin Netanyahu can cut a deal with Hamas of the magnitude he did to win the release of Gilad Shalit, why can’t he pursue a more comprehensive deal … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 26 Comments

Former head British spook says Israeli intelligence couldn’t be trusted

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Michael Desch

Here is a very important piece in today’s Ha’aretz quoting former British MI6 head Sir Richard Dearlove saying that his service did not trust the Israelis because they “play by different rules.” This sentiment is shared in the U.S. intelligence … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 66 Comments

Follow the money

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Michael Desch

Did you see the Washington Institute for Near East Policy book prizes for this year? And the winners are: The 2010 Washington Institute Book Prize recipients were From Empathy to Denial: Arab Responses to the Holocaust by Meir Litvak and … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel Lobby, US Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Ayaan Hirsi Ali misuses Samuel Huntington

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Michael Desch

This WSJ piece by Ayaan Hirsi Ali on the late Harvard political Scientist Samuel Huntington and his widely discussed “Clash of Civilizations” thesis get’s Sam only half right: She is correct that Huntington thought that the future of world politics … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine, Middle East | 20 Comments

The disconnect

Posted on July 30, 2010 by Michael Desch

There’s a very important piece in Haaretz today: Pre-state Jewish undergrounds enjoy a renaissance among settlers. In recent years, interest in the pre-state Revisionist underground movements has grown among West Bank settlement youth. By Chaim Levinson Dozens of people crowded … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine, US Politics | 39 Comments

It’s not India

Posted on July 11, 2010 by Michael Desch

In an opinion piece in today’s Times, Nicholas Kristof undoubtedly offers sensible advice for the Palestinians, both tactically, and morally, to pursue nonviolence in their struggle with the Israelis. But it is probably useful to remember the famous vignette attributed … Continue reading →

Posted in Beyondoweiss, Israel/Palestine, US Politics | 44 Comments

Beinart and Mearsheimer now closer to one another than Frum (and wait–Who’s Jewish?)

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Michael Desch

I was struck watching a Canadian television broadcast of John Mearsheimer, David Frum, Peter Beinart, and Derek Penslar (University of Toronto, Jewish history) called "Israel’s Newest Critics," that the real outlier in the four was not Mearsheimer but Frum who … Continue reading →

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

The myth of Israeli strategic genius

Posted on June 4, 2010 by Michael Desch

The botched Israeli naval commando raid on the Gaza Freedom flotilla has a lot of people scratching their heads. How could Israel have made such an ill-advised decision to try to storm the ship the Mavi Marmara with 600 peace … Continue reading →

Posted in Gaza, Israel/Palestine, US Politics | 26 Comments

Liberal Zionism, oxymoron

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Michael Desch

The biggest flaw in Peter Beinart’s admittedly very important NYRB piece is his failure to recognize that Liberalism and Zionism are at root inconsistent. There are two reasons for this: First, like all nationalisms, Zionism privileges the group over the … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel Lobby, Israel/Palestine, US Politics | 53 Comments

Desch: Bloom misses the historical shift re anti-Semitism

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Michael Desch

Harold Bloom’s review of the new Anthony Julius book on Antisemitism in England in the New York Times book Review is a landmark in the increasing absurdity of the whole concept of anti-Semitism. To conflate classical anti-Semitism, which was based … Continue reading →

Posted in American Jewish Community, Israel Lobby | 272 Comments

Status quo is not OK

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Michael Desch

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel/Palestine | 21 Comments