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The War of Ideas in the Middle East
I have always thought that Scooter Libby's note to Judy Miller about the "aspens turning" referred to the Aspen Institute/Aspen Strategy Group rather than to aspen trees. The last time I looked at the list I saw Susan Rice and David Sanger on it but I don't remember what year it was.
I appreciate this type of detail and I don't want to be inaccurate or articulate a position that is not helpful. But you are talking about stock divestment and I guess I was thinking about citizen decisions on their consumer spending.
I did boycott the Motorola phone offered to me for free in September 2010 when I switched from iPhone to Android and I told the Verizon salespeople why I was doing it. I quit my Israeli hairdresser cold turkey because he was spending my money in Israel. I won't buy anything from any musicians who perform in Israel.
My spidey sense on the Google/Motorola deal was that the consumer products were being subsumed under the Google brand , which is golden, and that this was at least in part related to heading off the effects of a consumer boycott on Motorola phones. I could be wrong. And this Technion thing gives me the same feeling. It feels like googlewashing.
I do know that if and/or when I ever have to quit Google, it's going to be really hard, especially their search and their browser. Google just won the browser wars, after entering the market so late, and that was an amazing accomplishment, among so many others. As to search, Duck Duck Go just doesn't do it for me. Regardless of how hard it would be for me though, I will quit Google as soon as I am convinced of the case. This Technion thing is certainly helping to make the case.
Do you think it is more accurate to say that Google bought the portion of Motorola that was a target of a consumer boycott efforts?
If you'll notice, Google also bought Motorola.
"Grapes and dates packaged in the settlement were all labelled ‘Produce of Israel’."
The lying all the damn time is really audacious. Just another reason why one must boycott everything from Israel--because they lie in all of their labeling. There simply is no other choice.
Obama told AIPAC that he won't allow Iran with nuclear weapons rather than that he won't allow Iran to be nuclear-capable. So, Obama is marginally better unless he lied.
The American people need to be told that Iraq's cost was in excess of $3 trillion and that Iran is 3x the size of Iraq. The cost of Iraq was $30,000 per household. That makes me sick.
Another part of the Israeli pushback on this was to present to CBS the Newsweek story, "The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World," by Ayaan Hirsi Ali published in February 2012. So that was clearly a placed story in Newsweek, which is of course owned by the AIPAC bag lady and ex-Congresswoman, Jane Harman.
All of the usual suspects are pimping the Newsweek story arguments to counter the CBS piece.
Poor Jane. She's caught in the thick of Israeli scandal yet again.
link to thedailybeast.com
Anyone think this announcement that we got North Korea to stand down their nuclear weapons without going to war might have something to do with countering AIPAC and Netanyahu and their push for war? I do.
link to guardian.co.uk
Well, mine are Van Hollen, Mikulski and Cardin, and I live around the corner from Van Hollen, but you are saying the chances are not good of any success, right? Even on the issue of the US starting an unnecessary war in Iran? Arrgh!
Thanks for your reply though.
You are brave and awesome. What would you suggest the average citizen do to help with this whole situation?
This really points up how brave one still has to be to take on these battles because the shunning and campaigns of destruction still work very well.
Dershowitz is going after Media Matters too with a vengeance until they fire MJ Rosenberg. He adds a new twist--criticism of AIPAC is antisemitic and disgraceful.
link to nydailynews.com
A belated welcome back to you, Phil. I sure missed your posts during the "lull."
Interesting viewpoint but I think most of this is just advance CYA by the media and more, much more, will be needed to slow down the push for war. In addition, Peres has denounced the comments you just attributed to him and says that all options are on the table.
I see the Israeli-neocon strategy (and those sources like the NYT telling us that Israel can't do it alone) as trying to make this the responsibility of the the U.S. I also think the allusions to the fact that Israel can't do it alone without using nuclear weapons (which Mondoweiss astutely picked up in the New York Times) is just the opening salvo in another Israeli blackmail scheme against the U.S, which probably is deeper and deadlier than we know, using nuclear threats and more.
And now AIPAC is gearing up to swarm Capitol Hill to get full buy-in on that new congressional resolution that would change the redline on the Iran issue "as a matter of vital national security (for the U.S.)" from preventing Iran from having "nuclear weapons" to preventing Iran from having "a nuclear weapon capacity," which arguably means we have already reached the new redline and so war is immediately warranted. They are also insisting that Iran be prohibited from any nuclear enrichment at all and that Iran cease its anti-ballistic missile program entirely. Also, containment as a legitimate strategy is to be prohibited.
Then you have the concerted takedown of CJCS, General Martin Dempsey, on his important statement that an Israeli attack would be imprudent and that the Iranians are rational actors--by Netanyahu ("statements (of Dempsey) "serve Iran"), Richard Haas, President of CFR (questioning Dempsey's judgment and his failure to defer to Israel), John McCain and Lindsay Graham (on foreign soil in Israel and deferring to Israel over the US military), and Newt Gingrich specifically blasting Dempsey last night as incomprehensible at the specific behest of Moderator John King, with all of the candidates except Ron Paul jumping on the bandwagon for the U.S. to gear up for war against Iran. Col. Pat Lang expects for the neocons to push for Dempsey to be drummed out of his position, as Eric Shinseki was for his heresy against the neocons in the run-up to the Iraq war. The push appears to already be on.
And won't it be too late for cynical observations if AIPAC gets the Congressional buy-in to their Iranian resolutions in three weeks time at the AIPAC conference with their 10,000 lobbyists descending on the Congress?
Isn't it time right now for the people who want to prevent this catastrophic war to call and write their representatives every day (as was done with healthcare) to counter the AIPAC push and also to defend our own military against the fifth column aligned against them?
Is an effort to get a call-in and letter writing campaign to Congress and a twitter campaign to prevent the US being forced to go to war with Iran something Mondoweiss and other like-minded influential blogs could get behind?
This is a harder campaign than healthcare because there is an (inchoate?) fear that one's name will be entered on an anti-Israel or anti-semitic blacklist. But it is so important and it is really past time to start.
With all due respect to those making journalistic observations that we are being railroaded into war again, it will not be enough to stop what is happening without a more concerted effort to petition the government, just as AIPAC and its fellow travellers do so successfully.
MJ Rosenberg told me a few years ago that the only way to influence my Maryland Congressman Christopher Van Hollen on this issue, unless I had hundreds of thousands of dollars to lobby him, was to accost him in his driveway at home and embarrass him, which I just can't see myself doing. Considering how much experience Rosenberg has and that this is how desperately he views the situation, I find it utterly depressing and almost hopeless.
I hope someone savvier and more organized than me comes up with some ideas to stop this march to war. I will jump in with both feet, even if I end up on a dreaded "list."
I read somewhere that the hardcore ziocons don't trust Romney to bomb Iran, especially one Bill Kristol. Newt obviously made a promise that he would do it. Therefore, I won't be surprised if he wins the nomination and we then have the dirtiest, nastiest election in history.
I was at a big Obama rally outside of D.C. last month at which Wasserman-Schultz keynoted. The reception to her was markedly anemic whereas all of the other party luminaries got a rousing reception. I think the rank and file of the Democratic party is not too pleased with her Likudness. On the other hand, perhaps they just remember her campaign against Obama. But my distinct feeling was that it was the former...
Dual loyalty -- Let's not forget that Martin Indyck actually had his security clearance suspended while he was the U.S. ambassador to Israel--apparently for sharing classified documents with Israeli officials, no biggie right?
link to wrmea.com
Surprisingly, the right wing Daily Mail is running some very incendiary articles about the Israel connection right now.
They have one article saying that the real fear was that Werritty was being run, wittingly or not, by Mossad and that Liam Fox may have therefore been a useful idiot for Mossad.
They have another quoting a pissed off venture capitalist donor to the slush fund, who says he's afraid the classified specs for a highly propietary defense application that he showed to Fox and Werrity might have ended up being "pirated" by the Israelis, because that's what the Israelis do.
Also, Werrity apparently spoke a little Farsi and was going into Iran and running meetings with opposition leaders like a spy, but not at the direction of the British government.
Another brave one--Robert Downey, Jr., says the blackballing of Mel Gibson should stop.
I know this is off-topic but when is Mondoweiss going to address the huge scandal that the recently deposed Liam Fox's blackmailable obsession was largely being bankrolled by the Israel Lobby in Britain? Hedge-funders, private equity guys and weapons dealers and most of them connected to BICOM, the British AIPAC?
To be fair, your commenters (especially Annie and Kathleen) have been expressing concern for some time about Toria Nuland's marriage to Kagan and work with Cheney. It always comes up in the threads with partial transcripts of Matthew Lee's questions at State Department press conferences. This is who they got rid of P.J. Crowley for.
I feel that I was on the same questioning path that you were and have been reading this site almost since it started. You really gave voice to my questions and you have done so very much to provide the answers. Thank you. You're an excellent journalist and a very brave man, Philip Weiss.
Israel was asked by Japan to wait for a request for help, as were all countries, and Israel has not been invited. But they're going anyway, doggone it, even if they have to do it by sneaking in through South Korea and not through any official channels. link to jpost.com
Today, the Weinsteins won their MPAA appeal overturning the R rating for Miral. link to hollywoodreporter.com
I so much agree that the news round-up is excellent, Seham. Very nice work.
This is slightly off-topic but have you all given any thought to putting Moon of Alabama on the blogroll? I had literally forgotten about it until you mentioned it in this post.
Whoa. Great link in so many ways, Annie, because I had no idea that Moon of Alabama and b were back online.
Haunting and beautifully done.
As a Washingtonian with members of my family also making homelessness their life's work, I really admire this story and understand the author's frustrations. I hope she publishes more here about her work and her passions.
Me too. I'd love to hear more of your story, Mohammed.
And wasn't Uzi Urad declared persona non grata and tossed out of the country by the Bush Administration as a result of all of this? Then Netanyahu brought him back into the country into high level meetings with Clinton and maybe even Obama by naming him National Security Advisor. Who else in the world acts like this?
Moon of Alabama and Whiskey Bar were probably the most outstanding blogs ever in my mind. They caused me to have a cataclysmic awakening. I have a CD of the archives which is one of my most treasured possessions. I just wanted to pipe up and give those blogs the massive appreciation they deserve and acknowledge how much they contributed to my education, just in case those who are reading this had anything to do with them. Thank you.
The dignified little girl in the film, Mona, bears a striking resemblance to Natalie Portman. I'd like to see this film finished.
I agree and I believe the IDF itself made it go viral. Makes me sick.
Elton John played the gay-hater Rush Limbaugh's wedding too, for a million dollars.
Finally, someone understands who/whom!
Of course he is trying to change their hearts and minds. When enough people "get it" like Phil and so many others did, they will start making their voices heard. Surely you realize that this forum is all about changing hearts and minds in the American Jewish community, don't you?
PG. Trying to help solve the Israel problem is the very definition of "a life."
That is also what the hosts and justice-minded commenters of this board are doing. It is important work and you will be informing those who receive your flyers that Israel's behavior is no longer acceptable to a great many American people. It is no different, really, than picketing the ZOA or AJC when they meet in NY or AIPAC when they meet in Washington. Or posting little signs on Costco displays of Israeli products so people will know what they are buying and have a choice to refrain.
Ignore the very abusive Schwartzman, who is ill-mannered, to say the least.
I can only assume that, based on his opposition to the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan, Witty will likewise be opposed to a war on Iran, right?
Think Progress picked this up from Phil. link to thinkprogress.org
Good catch on this admission of Goldberg's. It is Freudian no matter that he may later try to say that's not what he meant.
They store these thing up for diversions and to put a chill on the press. The "interview" where Helen said these things was weeks ago. I can only imagine that this will in fact put a chill on the press.
Dr. Henochowicz is extremely wealthy, connected and respected inside the beltway and all over this country. Add that to the fact that he and Emily are actually Israelis and they have certain insider advantages the Corries didn't have, plus the Corries have paved the way.
They seem very very angry. They removed Emily out of the Israeli medical system as soon as humanly possible.
So much for wealthy parents allowing their children to go to Israel in connection with their studies for any reason. It's way too dangerous.
Well it looks like the Henochowicz' are not going to take what happened to Emily lying down and they already have a lawyer to sue Israel. Further, it turns out that Emily's father is originally from Israel and Emily herself is actually an Israeli citizen.
link to haaretz.com
I hope you will tell us more about what you've learned Cheryl and I'm so sorry about what happened to Rachel, a true hero.
The Klaxons and the Gorillaz also just pulled out of a Tel Aviv festival and Sweden just cancelled a military conference because an IDF official had been scheduled to speak.
And they killed an American citizen with 4 bullets to the head, one to the chest. That is some kind of strange "self-defense" right there.
Apparently the demonstration in NY today in front of the Israeli consulate that Phil posted earlier was far more well-attended than the counter-demonstration in front of the Turkish consulate. link to timesunion.com
When are we going to find out whose citizens Israel killed in the Memorial Day Massacre besides those in Turkey?
The secret-level clearance is not very high. Even I had it at one time. They just prosecuted a dual Israeli-US citizen who was working under a secret-level clearance doing translations, in fact, in Silver Spring and he's going to jail. It was ideology not money in his case. The problem is severe and Witty's arguments are not prevailing, because there is a long and sordid history of abuse. Witty and his pals can object all they like. Their arguments are not prevailing and security clearances are being denied, even to non dual citizens. That's what a pattern of abuse will get you, eventually. The dual loyalty argument is no longer a so-called blood libel--not when it comes to the national security of the United States.
Dude, Israel is talking about attacking Iran against the direct orders of the United States. Kass should be put on the polygraph today. I doubt she could pass it just based on her answers to past events. She sounds like she gets all torqued up with Islamophobia, which is also no longer acceptable to the US military, as the canning of Graham by the Pentagon richly illustrates. It's better to get rid of her now than to wait and bust her for espionage. Better for her, better for us and better for Israel.
We just can't be too careful in light of the fact that Israel is trying to figure out how to attack Iran against the policy and command of the United States.
Sorry for my atrocious grammar.
Whoa. Lustick's paper is one of the bleaker prediction's of Israel's non-future as a colonial enterprise I've seen to date. He predicts /observes that Israel will become as a pariah state before it fails, just as all modern colonial states, including apartheid South Africa, who have not ENTIRELY obliterated the indigenous population have failed before, ring even truer today.
So that's what they do at Dennis Ross' Jerusalem People Planning Institute--plan on the complete obliteration of the indigenous population. Good to know.
Absolutely. I don't know as much about this stuff as you all do but isn't it becoming sort of obvious that Israel's plan for Gaza may be to empty out the population into Egypt and then retake Gaza? Or was that already obvious?
Look at this Haaretz article from early 2008 where the fence was bulldozed down and 700,000 people poured into Egypt. link to haaretz.com
Does this mean that the real purpose of the fence the US is helping to build is to prevent Israel from engaging in ethnic cleansing in Gaza?
Your arguments seems entirely contrary to the arguments that were made for holocaust reparations. But you know that, of course.
I meant contrary to the Clinton parameters not "under the Clinton parameters."
I hope someone writes up the current babbling about why, under the Clinton Parameters, Israel needs to maintain a military presence on the border and simply cannot leave such a function to international peacekeepers. Is it the water, the ability to impose a blockade at a moment's notice or both?
link to huffingtonpost.com
Yes. The Israelis know. Thus, applying their own standard of guilt with respect to the holocaust, they are all absolutely guilty of the crimes against the Palestinians.
It won't be long until the Wittys, the yoniras, the eees and their ilk either cringe in shame at what they've supported or try to hide it. There won't be any hiding from it though, because they've established their guilt on the record.
That would be up the Security Council and the compensation formula would be vastly different than the "title claims" type of scheme you are contemplating.
The world has now woken up to Israel's unmitigated theft in these matters due to Israel's obvious intransigence and perfidy that the Netanyahu government has fully exposed. The chances for justice for the Palestinians have increased.
I think Kane and Cobban and the rest are trying to ensure the best and fairest deal for the Palestinians.
There is an interesting piece in the Politico by Laura Rozen describing the Administration's thinking on the critical error that Netanyahu made in renouncing the Road Map. According to Dov Weissglass, the Administration has interpreted the renunciation of the prior agreements to also make null and void any prior understandings during the Bush Administration about settlement blocks being incorporated or grandfathered into Israel. So all that settlement treachery with Elliott Abrams and his back room deals regarding "facts on the ground" in respect of which Ariel Sharon said "we get to keep every hill we grab" is up in smoke.
link to politico.com
Um yeah. Otherwise you would endorse the elevation of these issues to the Security Council so that world power could be harnessed to avoid any more war, death and misery. Instead, you state that there will be war, loss of life and even more expulsion if the right of return is not forfeited.
I expect that the Security Council would deal with the right of return based on a compensation formula based on current market values.
I wouldn't think a humanist such as yourself have a problem with resolving these issues by resort to international law. Yet you do.
Israel hasn't cooperated for over 60 years. Elevate first the E. Jerusalem issue to the Security Council in order to stop the settlements. Israel will probably start another war over it. At that point, all of the issues should be elevated to the Security Council. The US veto will be withdrawn and the entire issue will be decided under international law.
It is sad to see Witty the humanist endorse war to prevent the application of international law. Says it all, I think.
Oh. And according to the State Department in 2000, another 32 people had their security clearances suspended in addition to Indyk. I wonder how many of them are working for Ross right now?
link to fas.org
Ross' first paper for WINEP called for appointment of a "non-Arabist Special Middle East envoy" who would not feel guilty about our relationship with Israel. He is agitating as we speak that he replace Mitchell as the Special Middle East envoy on the grounds that Israel can't be expected to make peace without trusting the US government representatives.
This is an important fight.
Did you guys know that Martin Indyk, while he was US ambassador to Israel, had his security clearance pulled in 2000 for passing secrets to Israel? Of course, AIPAC didn't skip a beat. These guys are seriously making chutzpah a dirty word.
Well I guess we'll see what happens when Petraeus accepts the 2010 Irving Kristol award at AEI on May 6.
The persuasive means to stop Israel's expansionism is that the Quartet, meaning the US, Russia, the EU and the UN, have agreed to recognize a Palestinian declaration of their state within 24 months in the absence of a peace agreement. In other words, the world has already been persuaded. The world will undertake a lot more persuasive acts within the next 24 months--starting with the withholding of OECD membership in May. In fact, nothing will go Israel's way until there is peace.
Jones actually said that Obama understood that Netanyahu needed to stay in Israel for Holocaust Day, which is a whole new reason Netanyahu can't come. Then it occurred to me, wasn't Netanyahu just celebrating Holocaust Day in January at another ceremony?
Here's the link PG. It was in my first comment up there. link to turcopolier.typepad.com
By the way, Pat Lang seems to be all over the place on whether there will be military action on Iran. Last month, he was sure that the resolution was a policy of deterrence but he just gave an interview where he said there will be military action. Depressing. link to turcopolier.typepad.com
eee
I'm afraid you are dreaming that Israel is going to be getting into the OECD this year and I suspect that Israel is raising the expectations of her citizens in order to further fuel their ressentiment when she is denied. Remember that membership requires a unanimous vote of all 30 members. The EU has explicitly said they will use all trade sanctions at their disposal in order to force Israeli-Palestinian issue.
I'm just saying that's what a commenter on Lang's site said in January and Lang pre-approves what comments he allows to be published.
I think it's pretty clear that Israel does not actually have the tactical nukes to "do" Iran. Isn't that what the nuclear bunker busters that we won't give them are all about? But that's not really a secret, is it?
The denial of visas to nuclear workers is more serious to Israel than I first thought. A commenter on Colonel Lang's post on Israeli spying said this in January:
"It seems that the Israeli nuke toys are in decline, as in they messed up their Dimona reprocessing with an 'accident' that has put them in gridlock as far as reprocessing for their nuke warheads. That appears to be their main impetus behind the Israelis shuddering regarding Iran having even a modicum of nuclear ability (civilian power or otherwise) as the Iranians at a point will 'get ahead' of the Israelis and then the Israel bully will no longer have a billy club with which to threaten others (including our U.S.).
Israel therefore sets its sites on stealing our U.S. nuke tech and other U.S. advancements to try and negate their Dimona 'accident'. D.C. would be well advised to kick out and close off all Israeli access to 'all' U.S. nuke tech R&D that is going on."
I hadn't heard about that.
Numerous government reports have detailed the Israeli spying problem in the US, particularly troublesome for a supposed ally. In fact, dual Israeli-US citizens are being denied security clearances as well. I view the denial of visas to Israel's nuclear workers as trying to clean up some of the well-acknowledged spying problems. link to turcopolier.typepad.com
And also that Israel is particularly guilty of applying the principle of collective guilt to populations. The day is coming when people will look at Israelis as criminals for doing nothing to stop the crimes of their government. That's just the way the world works. It's already happening here in the DC suburbs. People aren't so quick to volunteer that they are Israelis or former members of the IDF. It's not very cool anymore.
In further answer to Don, I would also add that one of the holocaust principles is that the population of Germany and, indeed, much of the the world, was just as guilty of the holocaust as the actual perpetrators if they knew or had reason to know and did nothing. These are essentially moral, not merely political, questions.
I think BSD was more persuasive when he pretended to be disingenuous. Interestingly, Israel herself has also ripped the mask off and dug into intransigence.
That 2003 Guardian article contains the following passage:
"Members of the Sharon government have bridled at the efforts of Tony Blair and UK officials to try to mediate between the two sides. At one stage journalists were briefed that Israel regarded the Foreign Office as having an 'Arabist' bias."
If I recall, our own neocons were using the exact same "Arabist" argument used by the Israeli government to purge expertise from the US government in connection with the Iraq war. Strange that.
Israel needs to cut a peace deal tout suite because stories like this have extraordinary resonance and completely shift the perceived equities in the Middle East. As with the Iraq war, I am beyond angry that I was lied to for so long. It won't be long before the entire country feels as I do and there will be hell to pay for those who continue to lie.
I'm happy Richard finally got some credit. He deserves it.
Mark my words, cynical ones. The US government and the rest of the world have decided to end Israel's colonial experiment gone so awry that it endangers the entire world. The US military considers Israel's actions over the years towards the Palestinians to be nothing short of immoral and disgusting. That is the problem with the US military having been allowed to train the Palestinians. They were bound to consider their point of view. And they did. That's why the neocons want the mission stopped.
Petraeus is more dangerous to Israel than BDS. BDS can be written off to misguided hippies and anti-semites. Petraeus not so much.
Petraeus and BDS aren't light years apart at all. The goal of both Petraeus and BDS is for a credible and just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Petraeus adds another important dimension to BDS--it is a profoundly patriotic cause, in addition to being socially just.
Yonira obviously hasn't looked at the video of the event. It wasn't an ambush on the border. Major Peretz directed an incursion into the interior of Gaza that even the IDF admitted violated the rules of engagement and was a mistake. It was all reported in the Israeli press. I would also add that the nonexistent ambush was not used as an excuse by the Israeli government for the subsequent air raids on Gaza. The stated excuse for the air raids was a rocket fired into Ashkelon, although there is actually some reporting that the stated excuse was a false alarm.
Please note also that France condemned the air raids and the UK and the US expressed concern.
Each of Israel's violations of international law is now being closely observed, catalogued and reacted to by the world community. I would imagine that the Israeli government is starting to be gripped by panic and paranoia. The Goldstone Report, after all, is still coming down the tracks.
Thank you for this fantastic interview with Phil Weiss. I pray for him to make more media appearances.
Now that the neocons are not in charge of our foreign policy, I have some scant hope that we might be starting to do that. That may be part of why the UK cancelled their own "special relationship" with us as well. It leaves Israel standing alone as a special case to be examined realistically.
I very much agree that the US has no interest in war against Iran or enabling an Israeli attack. But I firmly believe that Israel would drag the US into such a war by hook or by crook if they can. Phony evidence, false flag events, etc. Israel wants Iran smashed and broken just like Iraq. Sanctions will never satisfy them.
I would imagine that our military and intelligence services are working overtime on preventing Israel from "getting it while they can." I imagine our allies are doing the same.
This is a very dangerous situation. I have a feeling that is why Hillary Clinton said she felt like she was dealing with another Bay of Pigs.
I honestly think that the reason that Israel is suddenly being so aggressive and demanding of a war on Iran is to "get it while they can" before the US wakes up and reevaluates the relationship and/or the US loses its ability to impose its will on the world. There is every indication that they intend to drag the US into World War III in the Middle East. This makes them the most dangerous country on the planet.
Just today Caroline Glick published an opinion piece in the Jerusalem Post basically saying eff Obama, let's go wild on settlements, attacking Iran, etc. link to jpost.com. An Yedeoth Ahronoth published an OpEd advising that Israel attack Iran with nukes in view of Obama's betrayal. link to ynetnews.com
This has got to stop.
Not only that, they have a place to escape to if they are caught committing a crime and Israel has no extradition treaty with the US. I don't know if anyone recalls a case from 1997 where a 17 year old escaped from Silver Spring, MD to Israel after he killed and dismembered a friend of his and Israel would not give him up. They tried him in Israel and gave him 15 years and I doubt he served that. Then there are the Agriprocessor people from Iowa who escaped and are wanted by us for human trafficking and Israel tells us they can't find them.
The ability to escape to Israel without being subject to extradition for committing all manner of crimes gives new meaning to the term "insurance policy."
I came across this great line by Ali Abunimah. I'd like to see a panel on this problem at the next ASIL conference:
"But the question for the real international community - made up of people and movements - is whether we want to continue to see the still very incomplete system of international law and justice painstakingly built since the horrors of the Second World War and the Nazi holocaust dismantled and corrupted all for the sake of one rogue state."
link to voltairenet.org
Well. Along comes the Vatican to cry that the accusations against the Catholic Church are just like anti-semitism.
Sometimes you surprise me with the maturity and originality of your thinking. I have not see others hitting this theme nor had I thought of it. I'd like to see others pick it up. It's quite persuasive.
This is a classic piece of Israeli whining about how they fear Obama is going to impose a peace settlement on them and how unfair it all is. Because he is going against all those agreements that Israel cheated on and said they wouldn't follow anyway. And because he is going behind their backs and talking to their allies, especially Germany, who they now won't be able to extort anymore. link to haaretz.com
link to haaretz.com
Fifth paragraph down.
The Quartet (which means the US, the EU, Russia and the UN) has backed the plan to declare a Palestinian state in 24 months. Amidst all the hubbub, Israel seems to have missed this fact.
Ross already hied himself over from the State Department to the NSC when it became apparent that we would be running Iran policy from the NSC. Now he wants Mitchell's job so he is planting more things about Mitchell in the press. He should be fired for this.
Andrew Sullivan on Dennis Ross. No mercy.
link to andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com
Laura's post from 3/18 suggesting George Mitchell be replaced with Dennis Ross so that Netanyahu has a back door entree to the President is here:
link to politico.com
Laura Rozen tarted up her post at Politico to implicitly accuse George Mitchell and his people of launching a dual loyalty charge at Dennis Ross. Trust me, this is Dennis Ross trying to use Laura Rozen to get rid of George Mitchell.
Last week, Laura and Dennis tried this line: The whole problem is that Bibi doesn't have a good line into the Administration to work out problems. Wouldn't we solve the problem by replacing George Mitchell with Dennis Ross?
It was Dennis Ross who proudly helped negotiate the disastrous partial settlement freeze. Lately, he has been angling for George Mitchell's job. Is it any wonder? It seems a high-placed U.S. official (cough, George Mitchell, cough) leaked that the U.S. is seriously considering abstaining on a possible UN Security Council Resolution on East Jerusalem. link to news.bbc.co.uk
Is it possible that Dennis Ross is becoming a security risk to the United States?
Looking on the bright side:
Israel came for fighter jets and bunker busters and left with cargo planes.
Israel is thoroughly unhappy with our performance at the UNHRC. link to commentarymagazine.com
The Arab League may be making a rapprochement with Iran because of Israeli intransigence. How's that for the headaches Israel is causing us among our allies. That alone should be enough to raise this to the Security Council. Since our position is clear, we would not veto.
For all you cynics, I think there is a possibility that the Israeli/Palestinian issue may be referred to the U.N. Security Council if Netanyahu does not accede to Obama's demands. The UNHRC held a settlement vote today and there was only one blocking vote-the U.S. The UK actually voted for sanctions. I really do think that Obama may be thinking of elevating this issue to the Security Council.
Some Israeli MK's today called the British anti-semitic dogs for expelling their Mossad man.
I disagree. The UK has said that they will not allow a replacement Mossad chief back into the country until Israel makes a public declaration that they will never misuse British passports again, ever. Such a declaration would mean that Israel admits to the crime.
It is said that Israel will likewise be sanctioned by Ireland, Australia, France and Germany.
At last year's AIPAC, Medea Benjamin climbed up on a chair and started protesting and they hauled her out.
Well Medea Benjamin is probably safe. I wouldn't be at all surprised if AIPAC sued her, though, for Code Pink's false flag attack.
I fear Mossad will come looking to carry out a targeted assassination on whoever did this. Does that make me paranoid?
Speaking of new balance, see this LA Times headline today:
"Israeli military kills Palestinian teen after fight over West Bank well"
link to latimes.com
Another pressure point should be to start calling out for Israel to disgorge all of the accused felons it is shielding from extradition to America. That's another thing that is "special" about the relationship. Israel won't extradite criminals that flee there like other allies. Having a right of return with no extradition is another aspect of moral hazard that is not good for law and order in this country. Does anyone recall the case in the 1990s where Israel refused to disgorge a kid who had dismembered a friend of his in Silver Spring, MD? Israel is shielding 2 guys wanted in the agriprocessor human trafficking/immigration fraud case right now and we want those guys very badly.
Israel knows this. I submit it is why the Florida fraudster Rothstein fled to Morocco instead of Israel. He was too high profile and fleeing to Israel would have invoked hideous publicity.
It will be interesting if Israel gets its coveted invitation to the OECD in May. Also, the EU just cancelled a meeting with Lieberman.
Oops. I mean unraveling the lies.
Thanks for rubbing it in David. MRW noted in a comment recently that it can't be good for Israel that a lot of unemployed people now have the time to look into these issues and I would second his comment. The process of unraveling of the truth about Israel resembles the unraveling of the truth about the Iraq War. The fact that both of these cases involve the same cast of actors, down to and including the New York Times and the Washington Post, is really disturbing.