Commenter Profile

Total number of comments: 33 (since 2011-12-22 04:05:25)

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• 'NY Times' relays Israeli threat to attack Syria
  • frankier May 16, 2013 at 9:09 am

    Thanks... quelle surprise :)

  • frankier May 15, 2013 at 6:12 pm

    Of course it "made it" and not it "did it"

  • frankier May 15, 2013 at 5:59 pm with 1 replies

    Of course it did it to the NY Times...
    It only shows the kind of restraint the Israeli government can exercise in spite of being surrounded by "mortal enemies." Of course, the real question is the one I posed in my post below. But no one will ask that question to Israel.

  • frankier May 15, 2013 at 5:12 pm with 2 replies

    You have to wonder why, after all the finger pointing Israeli officials have done about the atrocities committed by the Assad regime to exculpate themselves from the atrocities committed during the last Gaza campaign, isn't Israel toppling the Assad regime anyway...

    I guess that Israel really likes the Assad regime as it has done pretty much nothing to regain the Golan Heights. Syrian rebels... mmhhh... who knows what kind of trouble would they bring if they gained power.

    Most likely, Israel does not give a hoot whether the people in the neighboring countries suffer at the end of dictators installed or supported by either side of the iron curtain.

• International Criminal Court opens preliminary investigation into attack on Mavi Marmara
  • frankier May 15, 2013 at 7:22 pm with 5 replies

    Annie, I hear you... but what do they gain by it? I am not saying that their action is not right... I am just playing the devil's advocate...

  • frankier May 15, 2013 at 6:03 pm with 20 replies

    I am not familiar with the politics in Comoros, but I am used to look at the motivations behind the actions of governments around the world. What does Comoros gain by going to the ICC? Why now? Why after the news of a potential payment to the family of the victims who choose to settle with Israel?

    Comoros is not the wealthiest economy on earth, quite the opposite... are they trying to create some leverage with Israel and try to bring them to the negotiation table for a monetary settlement? A legal question I would hope someone can answer is if the referral to the ICC can be withdrawn once filed.

    I may be totally off-target and Comoros is acting with the best intentions, but I think we should question or at least have a conversation about the motivations underlying Comoros' action.

• 'Newseum' folds under pressure, will not include Gaza cameramen in program honoring fallen journalists
  • frankier May 13, 2013 at 11:30 am with 1 replies

    Quelle surprise...
    I wonder who are the donors of the newseum...

• Latest Geller ad seeks to mute criticism of Israeli apartheid
  • frankier May 11, 2013 at 9:33 pm

    Yes, please, let's "stop aid to certain Islamic states". Let's see how long before the "lobby" starts calling around asking not to...

  • frankier May 11, 2013 at 9:30 pm with 3 replies

    Actually, they are relying on the ignorance of the American citizens, most of whom are ignorant about the dynamics in the ME and don't know that countries like Egypt, and Jordan receive "aid" to play nice with Israel.

• Land swaps in Israel/Palestine (and a bridge for sale in Brooklyn)
  • frankier May 2, 2013 at 12:38 pm with 5 replies

    Enough of this 2-state solution malarkey. One-state solution is the "solution". Israel pushed it to the point of no return with the settlements expansion and now the only sustainable way forward is a democratic state with one vote for each citizen. End of story.

    Now... making it happen... that is the real challenge.

    They can go about it in two ways:

    a) the South African way -> apartheid first with lots of blood shed then a country in which reconciliation is problematic due to the enormous resentment from the blacks. Economic conditions stagnant for several decades. A uphill road to reconciliation.

    b) A new way (cannot think of any situation where this happened) --> Acceptance by the minority (the current Israeli) that they need to share the land and the benefits of a democratic state with the existing majority (the Palestinians). The easy way to reconciliation as Israel could cut its military budget from the current >4% of GDP to maybe 1% and dedicate the freed up resources to integration and reconstruction.

    Alas... I am not optimistic and I think that option a) will be the way they will go about this. Neither party (especially the current Israeli) believe that they need to do anything about this. They status quo is all right. They barely see the Palestinians and the "dirty" work is done at the fringe of their society by the IDF.

    So sad...

• Andrea Mitchell asks Michael Oren 7 questions. How many mention Palestinians?
  • frankier April 29, 2013 at 9:07 am

    ... and, oh, Ambassador, one more question... Is white phosphorus considered a "chemical weapon"?

  • frankier April 29, 2013 at 1:08 am with 1 replies

    The pertinent question would have been:

    "Ambassador, Israel currently occupies illegally the Golan Heights. Given the relatively acquiescence of the current Syrian government for the last decade, how do you think a new government, assuming Assad is removed, will act? Will they engage Israel militarily for the return of the Golan Heights? What would be Israel reaction in such an event?"

    That, assuming that Andrea knows that the Golan Heights are regarded as aan illegaly occupied territory under international law.

• U.S. ambassador to UN says 'huge part' of her work is defending Israel
  • frankier April 25, 2013 at 3:23 pm with 3 replies

    Jeez... I wonder what would people think if she had said:

    "We will not rest in the crucial work of defending France’s security and legitimacy every day at the United Nations"

• A story that even 'hasbara' cannot explain
  • frankier January 30, 2013 at 6:40 am

    Annie, thanks for the opportunity to clarify my comment.

  • frankier January 30, 2013 at 6:32 am

    ToivoS - You misread my comment... I am not providing any hasbara. I was not justifying Israel policy (or the US one). Quite the opposite. I was just pointing out that the US had a similar shameful program.

    The principles behind eugenics should not be a value in any society.

  • frankier January 29, 2013 at 5:45 pm with 2 replies

    Annie, I was being a little sarcastic and referring to the eugenics programs that were run in the US up to the early '70s. The introduction to the article in the link covers summarily the eugenics programs in the US. The sterilization of the Ethiopians seemed like eugenics to me.

    I should have put a smiley face next to my statement, but I felt the topic was too serious for that.

  • frankier January 29, 2013 at 3:49 pm with 7 replies

    "[support for Israel is based on "shared values"]"

    ... but this is a shared value...
    link to uvm.edu

• Robust debate? Murdoch apologizes for London 'Times' cartoon of Netanyahu as bloody obstructionist
  • frankier January 29, 2013 at 3:52 pm

    ... which part of the cartoon the Israeli ambassador claims is not accurate?...

• Obama will go to NY to see Letterman-- but not Netanyahu
  • frankier September 15, 2012 at 3:39 pm

    Watch out for some impromptu meeting between O. and N. following O. bowing to some "pressure"...

• DNC chair: 'I bring my love of Israel to work every day' and our platform is more pro-Israel than GOP's
  • frankier September 8, 2012 at 10:41 pm

    Any other congressperson who had said: ”I bring my love of [any other country] to work with me every single day” would be accused of treason... The love she needs to bring to work is only the love of the U.S.A..... It is just surreal that the American people see this debauchery on both sides and do or say nothing... But wait... this is the country that elected GW not once, but twice!!!

• Israeli minister lashes out at South Africa as 'apartheid state' merely for seeking labeling of goods from occupied territories
  • frankier August 23, 2012 at 5:30 pm

    The severity of the problems might not be acute for the average Israeli, but it sure is for ALL of the Palestinians... It is a matter of perspective, isn't it?

  • frankier August 23, 2012 at 5:28 pm

    "they are living in a fantasy world"
    Their fantasy is becoming more and more a reality and is enabled by the acquiescence of a portion of the international community and the direct and explicit cover provided by some countries.

  • frankier August 23, 2012 at 12:35 pm with 9 replies

    I guess the relevant question is whether the goods come from territories that are deemed "occupied" under international law. That's what the Israeli government should focus about: is there misrepresentation by the S.A. government?

    But we know the answer...

• 127 new US immigrants to Israel join the army
  • frankier August 14, 2012 at 2:08 pm with 3 replies

    Wasn't US law that a US citizen would forfeit his/her citizenship by serving in a foreign army?

• Jon Stewart on Romney's painfully oblivious racism against Palestinians
  • frankier August 1, 2012 at 3:03 pm

    "Romney says this about Mexico and Ecuador and hopes to get Latino votes?"

    ... of course, it does... All Latinos know that once you cross the border, the air you breath changes your culture... come on... you surely know that !!

    It seems to see Bush all over again!!

• To understand the history of Palestinian dispossession look to the words of Zionist and Israeli leaders
  • frankier July 31, 2012 at 2:21 pm with 5 replies

    The quotes included in his letter are very powerful. Without doubting their authenticity, is there a place or does anyone know of a place where there is a reference to the actual documents containing the quotes? Thanks!

• 'We well understand' what you're experiencing -- Netanyahu to Colorado
  • frankier July 22, 2012 at 12:00 pm

    “It’s very good. [...] Well, not very good, but it will generate immediate sympathy.”

• 'Americans for Peace Now' says Presbyterian measure could stoke 'global anti-Semitism'
  • frankier July 5, 2012 at 2:28 pm with 6 replies

    "By targeting Israel rather than the occupation[...]"... Not sure what is the logical step used to dissociate Israel from the occupation... It is widely documented and acknowledged that the state of Israel supports the occupation...

• 2013 US budget: 'difficult cuts' for Americans, jackpot for Israel
  • frankier February 21, 2012 at 10:29 pm with 4 replies

    Besides the (misconstrued and irrelevant) argument that Israel is the only democratic ally the US have in the Middle East, the other often used (and equally misconstrued and irrelevant) argument to justify the aid to Israel is that such aid is a minuscule percentage of the US budget. Of course, these explanations are pushed and provided by the politicians who are under the influence of the AIPAC.

    The solution is to ban all private money from the US political process. This would neutralize the ability of private and/or foreign interests to influence or direct the US political process. The ban should be, of course, supported by extremely severe penalties.

• Israeli spokesman Mark Regev grilled on CNN International over Khader Adnan
  • frankier February 20, 2012 at 5:22 pm with 4 replies

    The only thing I could hear from Regev was that all "modern democracies" now hold people indefinitely to protect themselves from terrorism. That option was available in the criminal codes of most continental democracies up to the mid 80s. After that, most laws changed that approach and re-recognized due process and moved away from a prosecutorial and secretive approach. Thanks to Israel and the US, that approach has now become acceptable and almost desirable.

    On Iran.... If it weren't such a serious matter, one would just laugh for days on end. Hearing that "Iran has a consistent track record of breaking the rules [...] They break all the rules. This regime that has no respect for the international convention, normal behavior, [...]" is just too cacophonous in the light of Israel regards and consideration of the international law and the treaties it adheres to... just surreal.

• The end of the 'two-state solution' is the beginning of a more just future
  • frankier February 20, 2012 at 5:31 pm

    It is just sad to see that the process of realization of the inevitable one-state solution will have to go through the pain and suffering of both people involved. It is unfortunate to have to acknowledge that, just like in South Africa, the process will not be clean and it will most likely that few other decades. To use another more recent analogy, the hubris and self assurance that characterized the Tunisian, Egyptian, and Libyan, and most likely Syrian, dictators, will be shared by the current Israeli government and some of its people. I hope to be wrong, but by the time they are ready to cut a deal, it will be too late for a balanced solution.

• Carter: US backed Egyptian dictatorship for 30 years to preserve Israel treaty
  • frankier January 13, 2012 at 12:09 pm

    Jimmy Carter is only stating something that everyone with a little knowledge of foreign affair issues knows already. The cost of supporting Israel is enormous and often unjustified not only from an ethical and moral point of view, but from an economic one as well.

    Cost of supporting (whatever that means) Israel to US tax payers (2011 and projected 2012 figures):
    link to state.gov

    Military Aid to Israel:.....$2,775 Million $3,075 Million
    Military Aid to Egypt:.....$1,300 Million $1,300 Million
    Military Aid to Jordan:.......$300 Million $300 Million
    Total............................$4,375 Million $4,675 Million
    Total Military Aid...........$5,520 Million $6,550 Million
    % to Israel..........................50.3% 46.9%
    % to Isr+Eg+Jord................79.3% 71.4%

    This counting only direct military aid to Israel, Egypt, and Jordan!!! If one were to include Iraq and Afghanistan, we would be close to 100%!

    And here in the US we are splitting hair as to how to pay for health care and social security! When will the US people wake up?

• Santorum is a one-stater-- he says all of West Bank is Israel
  • frankier January 4, 2012 at 9:42 am

    Santorum is basically advocating that the US government endorses a violation of a tenet of modern international law, that is no territorial expansion through wars. AIPAC's money (i.e., US taxpayers money) at work at its best...

Showing comments 33 - 1
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