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Total number of comments: 10 (since 2009-09-15 07:35:25)

dgs

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  • US loses stealth drone over Iran - accident or mobile jamming?
    • dgs December 7, 2011 at 4:45 pm

      Ahhh, Israel sharing advanced military technology with China, now there's something to threaten to cut of 2.8 Billion $s of aid about!
      Wikipedia: Israel China Relations Controversies

      "Israel's increasing defense cooperation with China has caused concern in the United States, ... Israel cancelled the sale to China of the Israeli-built Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) in 2000 in wake of pressure from the U.S., which threatened to cut off USD 2.8 billion in yearly aid if the deal went through.[18]"

      I really hope we or the unexpected can make the Palestinians matter enough before its too late.

  • US flotilla passengers begin fast at US Embassy in Athens
    • dgs July 3, 2011 at 6:05 pm

      Turkey conducted a preliminary investigation of the allegation of sabotage of the boat that was docked in Turkey, and declared that the boat was definitely NOT sabotaged in Turkish waters, and that the inspection of the damage likely did NOT result from sabotage.//per Haaretz July 2.

      Richard Witty spots incontrovertible truth in Turkish Flotilla sabotage investigation! There are many reasons that the Turkish report would say these things, not least because concluding that the boat had been sabotaged in Turkish waters could imply a breach of Turkish sovereignty, for which most fingers would point at Israel; I would expect there would be significant pressure, both domestic and international, to avoid that. It also does not seem far fetched to believe that the additional suggestion in the report that the damage may not even have been the result of sabotage--the fact that the damage done to one of the other boats in Greece was virtually identical makes it pretty hard to think that it arose out of general wear an tear, and I presume no-one is going as far as to suggest that the Flotilla participants did it themselves for some kind of gain?!--is also part of whatever deal has been done. The US, Israel (and others) have had a year now to work out the best way to neutralise Turkish government support for Flotilla type initiatives and they seem to have been fairly successful).

      If they reach sea, the boats will then be minorly sabotaged and towed to port in Israel, where participants will be detained, the letters will be delivered.

      Its all about the letters Richard! I wonder if they would read them first and release a sprinkling of selected and possibly invented quotes to show the world the true nature of Flotilla participants and supporters?!

      That the flotilla did not mention Hamas in its targets for dissent, only Israel, is the disaster.

      Are you trying to suggest that if the flotilla had targeted Hamas as well as Israel that it would not have been resisted to the same extent? Mostly ignored by the mainstream media to the same extent? That you might have been here lamenting the fact that the US Flotilla has been so effectively blocked, rather than writing the startlingly disingenuous comment that you have? I would think that anyone familiar with your postings on this site would find that incredibly hard to believe, and I don't think for one minute that you really believe what you have written.

      The blockade of Gaza is entirely dependant on Hamas’ policies and behavior.

      This may or may not be the case, but it is an irrelevance. The blockade is collective punishment (of mostly minors as it happens)--There has been enough revelations by now for the UN, ICRC and many other bodies (Israeli and international) to be satisfied of this--and therefore illegal under international laws to which Israel is (supposedly) bound; it is therefore Israel's responsibility to end it regardless.

      It is often convenient to forget that the blockade of Gaza started a good deal before the election of Hamas (though it became considerably more severe after that). It has also clearly strengthened Hamas, and so if the aim really is to weaken them, as has often been claimed, then the policy has so far been self defeating. (I actually think the aim has been more at further radicalization, to try to guarantee a next generation of Palestinians can be more effectively dehumanized, allowing Israel a freer hand in planning and implementing whatever in her view the end game must be--Further mass expulsions? Israel's supporters in the West are also of course right at the forefront of efforts to dehumanize Muslims/Arabs in general, which fits in nicely with this as things conflate; and I guess this is likely too an unstated Western interest as otherwise things might just get too expensive on planet earth one day.

      If it changed its policies and behavior, permanently, not just as a temporary tactic,

      You know as well as anyone that politics (publicly at least) deals mostly with the short to medium term and is fundamentally about power: if Israel was interested in peace--I suggest that currently it has no reason to be (as not having peace continues to be a boon for her expansionism) and is not--there would be a REAL peace process right now; proposals such as Hamas's numerous offers of a 10 year hudna/ceasefire--10 years is a long time in politics--in return for an end to the blockade and a withdrawal to something as close as possible to the 1967 lines (which pretty well go straight down the memory whole in the west, if they even get as far as needing to) would be taken seriously; given that Palestinians are *human and what Zionism/Israel has subjected them to over the last century, the need for magnanimity--that seems like your kind of word!--in the face of the occaisional but inevitable breaches to any accepted agreement that would occur would be fully appreciated; as would be what the impact on Palestinian society of Israel holding to its side of such a deal and acting in good faith for 10 years would very likely be: those advocating a return to violent conflict would be far fewer, and significantly marginalised--as you (unrealistically given *) regularly seem to demand should be the case now--a real mood for reconciliation would likely have emerged; discussion of federalisation could even be on the horizon (something which would provide a fairly painless way of dealing with the refugee issue).

      especially if authority over Gaza were in the hands of the democratically elected PA, in a peace treaty with Israel, then it would be done.

      Democratically elected PA takes power --> democratically elected PA is in a peace treaty with Israel! So simple! Maybe you would like to elucidate on what happens in between! Did Israel do anything, or was it up to the Palestinians to work miracles on her?

      Seriously: you know very well who the democratically elected (Hamas majority) PA is/was--the mandate has by now run out of course--and why/how the Hamas take over/exclusion of Fatah occurred. Have you treated us to your opinion on those in the US and Israeli governments who thought instigating a Fatah (strong man Dalyan) led coup to rout Hamas was a good response to satisfactorily free and fair elections before (an exercise for the interested to find that?).

      We will NEVER recognize Israel

      You could dig out many parallel quotes from Israeli's who hold far more power than Hamas, and many more parallel statements from the mouths of the resistance in almost any documented struggle against injustice throughout history. You and Israel know very well that NEVER in these contexts almost never means never. It is simply a convenience (and sadly effective propaganda when you hold as much sway on the narrative in the West as Israel and her supporters do) to play dumb to that fact.

      Sorry (to readers who got this far) for any facetiousness in the above, despite taking the time to respond, I think the above comment is Richard Witty at his most obviously disingenuous, performing a simple exercise of giving a public airing to some easily digested, if-you-don't-scratch-them-they-sound-reasonable to the uninitiated, talking points, presumably in the hope that the odd soul might stumble across and take something away from them.

  • The night refuge
    • dgs June 3, 2011 at 3:49 am

      It would be interesting to know if the figures include people who have gone e.g. Russia -> Israel -> Germany, in the last 5-10 years. (Not that Zionist lobbying for restricting Jewish immigration to anywhere but Israel/Palestine is anything new!)

    • dgs June 3, 2011 at 1:51 am with 6 replies

      Reminded me of this, from some years ago now:

      http://articles.sfgate.com/2005-07-31/news/17383681_1_soviet-jews-jewish-agency-russian-jews

      New rules for Jews immigrating to Germany Angered by loss of newcomers, Israel reportedly sought change
      July 31, 2005|By Jay Bushinsky, Chronicle Foreign Service

      "The Israeli government, concerned about the declining number of Russian Jews emigrating to Israel, has persuaded Germany to institute unprecedented measures restricting the influx of Jews from the former Soviet Union, according to several Israeli officials.

      Prompted by an intense behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign waged by Israel, new immigration rules would grant residence only to Jews from the former Soviet Union who are under 45, fluent in German and financially stable. The rules, announced late last month, do not include Jews from other non- Soviet countries or any other ethnic or religious group. They are expected to take effect at the beginning of next year.

      'This is the most optimal response we could have expected from the Germans,' said Shai Hermesh, treasurer of the Jewish Agency, the nongovernmental organization in Jerusalem that sponsors and facilitates immigration to Israel.

      Israeli officials, who asked not to be named, said the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was angered by the fact that nearly twice as many Soviet Jews had immigrated last year to Germany -- the country responsible for the Holocaust during the Nazi era -- than to the Jewish homeland. In 2004, more than 20,000 Soviet Jews arrived in Germany in contrast to only 11, 000 to Israel, Hermesh said. ..."

  • 'Is this is what the most moral army in the world does!?': An American student describes being shot by the Israeli military during a peaceful demonstration
    • dgs May 14, 2011 at 1:25 am

      Radkelt, I don't think piotr was serious until he said so after his convincing arguments!

      "...
      Seriously, this is absolutely awful, and I have full admiration to Christopher and the villagers."

  • 'And along come the Israelis and knock their house down'
    • dgs August 2, 2010 at 2:41 am

      I think Phil would be the first to admit that he occaisionally jumps in too quick, and gets something wrong. I too am guilty of jumping in too quick here, as I went straight to the video. (Maybe you only read the text?)

      Anyways, in the context of what Phil wrote your comment takes on new sense. But no harm done, having some more ICAHD info in the thread is not a bad thing.

      On Al Jazeera English: my experience has been that the articles they do on demolitions invariably contain an interview with Jeff Halper or a similarly engaged Israeli, usually with a connection to ICAHD; and that the figures they use are invariably in line with those that ICAHD provide.

      Again what you have said seems fair in the context of what Phill wrote, and a wrong (but fair mis) interpretation of the English in the video, but from my experience of Al Jazeera English's coverage of this topic it is not a basis to be suspicious of their statistical accuracy against that of an organisation they seem frequently to rely on.

      Whether there is any real basis for doubt of their statistical accuracy elsewhere, I am not sure; I do know there are plenty of people out there who would happily "find" such a thing if it didn't exist.

    • dgs August 1, 2010 at 4:25 am

      WJ:

      The report does not say 20,000 homes demolished in East Jerusalem. It says 20,000 Palestinian homes have been demolished since East Jerusalem was occupied in 1967; this is certainly inline with ICAHD figures that Jeff Halper (ICAHD founder) gives in his talks.

      Not much time now, but a quick look at the ICAHD site turns up:

      ICAHD estimates that some 24,972 Palestinian structures have been demolished in the Occupied Territories since 1967, based on information gleaned from the Israeli Ministry of Interior, the Jerusalem Municipality, the Civil Administration, PCHR, OCHA and other UN sources, Palestinian & Israeli human rights groups, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, our field work and other sources. Last updated on 7 April 2009.

      Or, from Tikkun's review of Jeff's recent(ish) book:

      Halper empowers his readers when he informs us that Israel destroyed over 20,000 homes in the Golan Heights in 1967 to make way for settlements, and over 18,000 Palestinian homes since then; and that five agencies of the Israeli government currently have power to demolish homes for various "reasons," none of which has anything to do with security.

      20,000 Syrian homes to boot!

      I agree the statement could have been less misleadingly put, but that's hardly unusual in News Broadcasting mainstream or otherwise, and more likely carelessness than that anything else.

      "Nonetheless, accuracy in reporting is a value as well"

      I would suggest that Al'Jazera English's reporting on the IP conflict is a good deal more accurate than the MSM reporting (particularly in the States); not ideal, in the post-modern world where truth sits exactly halfway between what I and the other guy thinks, I know, but would you not agree?

  • NYT uses Edelman obit for Holocaust kitsch, and leaves out the pro-Palestinian angle
    • dgs October 7, 2009 at 1:02 pm

      sorry not sure what happened there... never used the comment formatting before.

    • dgs October 7, 2009 at 1:00 pm with 1 replies

      The only good/useful anti-zionist is a dead anti-zionist??!! link to thejc.com

      He was an anti-Zionist champion, believing that Jews should promote and advance their culture as part of the state in which they live.
      ...
      The Israeli Foreign Ministry also released a statement: "The Jewish people and the State of Israel are mourning the death of the last surviving leader of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Marek Edelman was one of the commanders of a rebellion which salvaged human dignity at the Holocaust's time of complete darkness."

      Former head of Israel's parliament and former Israeli ambassador to Poland Shevah Weiss said: "I'd like to offer my condolences to Marek Edelman's family, to the Polish nation and to the Jewish nation. He was a hero to all of us"

      Ian Kelly, an official spokesperson for the United States expressed sympathies and confirmed the United States "stands with Poland as it mourns the loss of a great man".

      Karen Pollock, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, commented: "Marek Edelman was a courageous man who showed immense bravery in the face of great adversity, and his selfless actions demonstrate to future generations the importance of standing up against injustice."

  • MSNBC airs Greenwald saying Israel flouts NPT and 'slaughters' neighbors
    • dgs October 6, 2009 at 4:05 am

      The name of the segment was actually "IRAN: DEFIANT BUT HOW DANGEROUS?"
      Displayed on the desk (next to the repeating missile footage) is however the intriguingly different "title": "IRAN: DEFIANT BUT DANGEROUS?" -- with the "how" ommitted (and also the question mark barely visible!) Innocent mistake? Or do they really play these games?!

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