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The War of Ideas in the Middle East
For an accurate definition of the term Chutzpah, see this article in the JPost:
link to jpost.com
Between this and the White House's groveling over the "settlement" issue, today's events are nauseating.
I'm stocking up on Pepto Bismol and Tums as we speak.
“The supporters tend to be fake religious Jews who think the bible gives them a deed to the Hebron hills.”
True. There are initiatives already to "reclaim" land that supposedly belonged to 19th century Jews in Jordan. If the authenticity of the deeds is as good as the authenticity of the deeds often put forth by colonists in East Jerusalem when taking over the homes of Palestinians, then it's a safe bet that neither Jordan nor the ICC would respect them - unlike the Israeli Supreme Court.
While a reading of the transcript is enough to establish who's running things behind the scenes, watching the video brings a whole new dimension to the meaning of the word "pathetic".
Kelly, the DoS spokesperson, embodies the very essence of The Lobby's grip on the US government. There's a term in Hebrew for such characters, smar-toot, meaning, (dirty) rag - one with which you wipe all kinds of muck and dirt. That's the essence of the Israel-US relationship. Israel commands, the US abides like a docile dog on a leash.
Everything the Obama administration has done so far goes in direct opposition to his rhetoric and all his exhilarating speeches.
Chaos, I honestly don't know why you still bother with him. He's clearly got some identity issues. Considering he's already retarded - as Borat might say - I wouldn't hold my breath.
I vote for deliberately subverting them. Someone once said that the best way to conceal a lie is to hide it between two truths.
I get the impression that's exactly what McConnell is attempting to advance in this piece. If this is what passes for analysis from a Pat-Buchanan-wannabe, then his contribution is nothing but noise.
Does McConnell know that Jews owned about 7% of the land at the time and the partition plan allocated more than 60% of entire Palestine to Jews? No one in their right mind would accept such a partition, a partition that was backed by Britain, as well.
Here McConnell reveals his ignorance. Both the US and Britain supplied Israel with emergency shipments of hardware during the so-called six day war.
In addition, Arab states did not start the war, which McConnell seems to be implying here, but merely signed a defense pact amid a climate of Israeli threats to attack.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
~Yeats
Well, at least he recognizes the difference between the two.
.
That's odd considering how both the Republicans and the Democrats have been wedded to the Israeli line for decades.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
~Yeats
So here we have a US government official, paid for by the US tax payer, representing the US in Latin America, but in essence working for Israel.
They are going on witch hunts.
Similar "movements" are popping up in Israeli academia to muzzle and harass any faculty member who dares to voice criticism of Israel's policies, a la professor Neve Gordon.
link to counterpunch.org
I wonder if Clinton is getting some kickbacks from Saban for his whoring around. Or perhaps he just hopes that some fawning shiksa will give him the Lewinsky of a lifetime.
Someone should inform Israel that without America's constant multi-billion dollar injections, Israel would collapse faster than you can say "delusions of grandeur".
That is the height of Zionist self-entitlement. Too bad Hitler is dead. He would have been proud to see how the victims of his atrocity have adopted his philosophy and world view.
I was organizing my bookmarks when I came across an article titled: "How Israel Helped to Spawn Hamas ".
I thought it might be of interest to some readers so here is the link:
link to online.wsj.com
Your post doesn't make sense.
Who's the Islamphobe? Do you know what the term itself means?
Who was interjecting?
What exactly are you offended by?
Leaving cryptic posts hardly makes your case stronger.
Much in the same way that Bush was the founding father of the new democratic republic of Iraq when he attempted to
installsupport Chalabi for presidency.Unfortunately, that's one of the reasons the BBC's management reprimanded and reassigned their longtime Jerusalem corespondent, Jeremy Bowen, after his reports from Gaza showed entire neighborhoods leveled. He dared mention the heavy emotional toll such a tragedy had on the people there. He now covers Iran-related issues.
Rhetorically speaking, why should any US president be with [them] at some core emotional level in the first place? Shouldn't he be neutral, both in his heart and in his mind?
Yup. A practice that dates back at least four decades.
Thanks for the link. I'll have to watch that.
Have you seen Frontline's expose on torture and Taxi to the Dark Side?
They're both good documentaries regarding this issue.
link to pbs.org
link to imdb.com
Absolutely. I was trying to keep my post short without going into too many details and tangents. But, the point you brought up is certainly valid and bears repeating.
But that's the difference, potsherd. Targeted assassinations against Hamas or other Palestinians in the area are usually carried out by aircraft, from a helicopter hovering overhead. It's clearly within the airspace under Israel's immediate control.
In Mughniyah's case, he was assassinated in Syria. Israel never admitted to actually assassinating him. So we still don't know for sure. And, Syria did not say who they suspected to have carried out the assassination.
The difference between the so-called "detainees" at Guantanamo Bay, Eichmann and those killed by "targeted assassination" - extrajudicial execution - is the role each of those actors play in the political arena.
Israel tried Eichmann in a court of law because it served a political purpose. The specter of a Nazi war criminal being treated with dignity and humanity by the people he helped ethnically cleanse earned Israel the respect of many countries and people in the western world. It helped perpetuate the image that the victims were able to rise above their victimizer and his crimes and show their respect for international law. All this, of course, took place in 1961, that is to say, after the genocide Israel had carried out in 1948 against Palestinians.
In contrast, targeted assassinations are a clear violation of international law, and the collateral damage often incurred by such actions is a public relations nightmare. But, targeted assassinations enable Israel to kill anyone it perceives to be a threat, whether that perception is well founded or not. And since such action often takes place far from TV cameras it makes it all the more lucrative for Israel to use.
The main difference between Eichmann and the prisoners at Guantanamo is the so-called War on Terror. In the current climate, having those "enemy combatants" tucked away on some remote island is good PR capital for the US government. The mere existence of the prison at Guantanamo Bay helps the government perpetuate the image that these are the worst of the worst criminals, possessing special skills and powers, so vicious that they pose a mortal danger even when they are locked away in a concrete cell surrounded by armed guard and steel bars.
At the same time, it helps the government justify the cracking down on civil liberties here at home. Eichmann, besides being tried for his crimes, served to further legitimize Israel's legal standing in the eyes of the world. But, should the same be done with Guantanamo prisoners, the government stands a chance of having its own lies exposed and the perceived threat of an off-shore prison lost as a propaganda tool.
As far as justice and jurisprudence go, Eichmann's case is ideal. There was solid evidence to convict him. The same can't be said about the "enemy combatant" prisoners. One would think that the lack of evidence against them would have been enough for the government to simply "target assassinate" them as is currently done using drones. But, then they would cease to serve as a propaganda tool.
I don't keep tabs on the current goings-on in the Knesset (It just doesn't interest me and I don't care honestly), but if Barak stands to gain from the collapse of Netanyahu's coalition - if and when that happens - then these statements are not unusual. In that context they can merely be described as "laying the groundwork".
Philip, when you use such phrases as
and
You are doing yourself and this fine website a disservice.
Readers who do not frequent this blog on a regular basis will not understand all these inside jokes and sarcastic quips. Instead of broadening your base, you end up creating a niche forum, exclusive to a select few who understand where you're coming from. In some respect it's similar to the way chat room abbreviations like "lol", "brb", "rotflmao", "imho" and "ymmv" may alienate others who are not familiar with these acronyms.
I must admit I have made that same mistake a few times, but I resolve to avoid such mistakes.
Does that theme park also have
one of these?You know, for authenticity's sake.
This is how it's done:
I believe that
a Jewan Aryan is a unique flavor of human.Fixed it.
MY COMMENT: Call me a cynic, but perhaps it was the “vehicle” for a very successful fundraiser accumulating ten times or more the cost of the memorial mostly from gullible Americans. I wonder what the excess funds will be used for.
Which begs the question, why now? Why did it take Israel 8 years to put up a memorial, in Jerusalem no less?
The other question lingering in the back of my mind is, will the Israeli government use the memorial for PR purposes much in the same way the Yad Vashem memorial is used now days -- where every foreign diplomat or VIP is taken on the obligatory visit to Yad Vashem? Do you remember Obama at the Western Wall?
Perhaps the September 11 memorial will be used by Israel to bolster support in the US for keeping Jerusalem - all of Jerusalem - under Israeli sovereignty. Keep in mind that Israel doesn't need to prove anything to any US government, but should US government strategic interests in the region shift, a 9/11 memorial could be used to appeal directly to the American public.
And he claimed there was a direct correlation between the willingness of British MPs to criticise Israel, and the size of the Muslim minority in their constituencies.
Avi Shlaim writes:
On 2 June 1948, Sir John Troutbeck wrote to the foreign secretary, Ernest Bevin, that the Americans were responsible for the creation of a gangster state headed by "an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders" .
Source: The Guardian, January 7, 2009
And he claimed there was a direct correlation between the willingness of British MPs to criticise Israel, and the size of the Muslim minority in their constituencies.
Avi Shlaim writes:
On 2 June 1948, Sir John Troutbeck wrote to the foreign secretary, Ernest Bevin, that the Americans were responsible for the creation of a gangster state headed by "an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders".
Source: The Guardian, January 7, 2009
"One difference, terrorism wise, between Iran and Israel is that Iran is working furiously against US interests and Israel is working in favor of US interests."
I have a bridge between Alaska and Russia I'd like to sell you.
If the Iranian government were as pro-American as the Shah
Seeing as the US is a democracy, then the fact that the Shah was installed by the US after the US toppled a democratically elected government in Iran is the very definition of "anti-American".
The US doesn't need Iran for there to be anti-American actions. America manages to go against its own ideals without any outside help.
If there were justice in the world, she would have placed him in handcuffs. But there isn't, so she didn't.
I was being facetious. I think we need a sarcasm tag here seeing as I made the same mistake in another post.
Students are a threat to Israel.
link to static.rnw.nl
OK, I realize now your post was actually tongue in cheek sarcasm.
Well played, my friend. Well played.
We’re talking about a massive increase in Palestinian representation in the Israeli government itself. I mean, what could be better for the Palestinian cause?
All things being equal, Israel stands to gain from annexing the West Bank and its native population. The Palestinians will provide Israel with cheap labor and low cost goods. At the same time, the Palestinians will be treated the same or worse than their Palestinian brethren in Israel under Israel's own discriminatory laws.
In fact, this plan would enable Israel to reap the fruit of economic inequality while avoiding the issue of the right of return.
In essence, Israel could very well maintain the covert institutionalized system of discrimination while abolishing the overt system of discrimination - Jewish only roads, for example - while being met with very little criticism from the international community.
After all, once the military occupation ends and Palestinians in the West Bank become citizens, who's going to intervene in what would be considered Israel's internal politics?
Am I the only one who's infuriated by the likes of her who are born in the US, having nothing to do with Israel they move there and before you know it they're dictating to the native Palestinians - who are under a military occupation - their future? It strikes me as arrogantly racist.
As long as everyone follows the law
Israel's Basic Law will most likely remain in place. As a result, the Palestinians in the West Bank will retain the same status Palestinians in Israel do today, namely that of second class citizens.
Nolan? what camp are you in?
Like RW, you too, exhibit the same binary thinking. That is your weakness and until you overcome it you'll always find yourself lurking in the margins.
On what team am I? I'm on the side of truth, justice and equality.
By the way, you try your darnest to avoid answering the question about your current residence and/or place of birth. If it's Brookline, Massachusetts that too is OK.
You should stay out of this discussion as you were neither born in the holy land nor do you live there or have any direct ancestral links to it.
Unless full justice is applied, you’re still punishing the Palestinians
If every Palestinian is allowed to return to his home and regain his property - or if reparations are offered - are they still being punished?
Sins of the fathers.
Many of those who came in the 20th century from outside historical Palestine are either in their late 80s or have already passed on.
So, what you propose would punish a generation (or generations) that had nothing to do with their parents' actions. It's similar in a way to punishing the 20 year old child of an illegal immigrant in the US for the actions of his parents who brought him here when he or she was 3 and lived in the US illegally ever since. They too have basic human rights. link to alternet.org
The only just solution at this juncture is to treat every human being equally while addressing the issue of Palestinian refugees who were driven out of their homes as part of the ethnic cleansing policies and the issue of Arab Jews who were either pushed to leave due to discrimination or persecution.
Goldstone was supposed to be the gate keeper as it were, the one guy who could put out a milder report than what the commission had called for, but Israel used him as a scapegoat. In a twisted way, the old adage somehow applies here, "No good deed goes unpunished".
Oh well. In ten years time when Israel is on the brink of collapse, it'll be fun calling Levy and telling him "told ya". Keep delaying the inevitable because it serves your personal interests today.
In essence, what Levy is saying is this: "Let me be clear, I'm a pompous little prick".
Is it possible that Chomsky is afraid? Mearsheimer and Walt suffered greatly after they published their book. Perhaps Chomsky just doesn't want to be persecuted by The Lobby. He gets a lot of grants from the US government. Will those grants still be there if he went against AIPAC?
Otherwise, the only possible explanation is Chomsky's own ideological beliefs.
This is a theme that has been repeating itself for time immemorial; the good benevolent colonizer speaks on behalf of the colonized.
It's similar in a sense to the unspoken rules practiced in the chain of command structure. The line level employee is never to have access to top management. The mid-level supervisor speaks on behalf of the line level employee and will take that employee's grievances up with top management. That way the mid-level supervisor can maintain his control over the line level employee, because access to top management threatens that supervisor's position and power.
It's too bad that many mental health conditions go unreported, especially in the case of the delusional guy from post #1.
And here I thought this was the 21st century where international law sets the tone for all nations seeking legitimacy, but it seems Israel and its supporters - see #1 - keep thinking they're in the 1st century and that the world operates on a first-come, first-served, might-makes-right system. If that's the case, then surely they should have no objection should a more powerful entity drive Israel into the sea. After all, the delusional still think we are all colonists.
I know some people in my camp hate Israel. I don’t.
So you love it like a parent loves a child who's addicted to drugs, spends weekends in jail and has 4 DUI convictions?
This fact points to one source for the deterioration we’re seeing: The new government in Jerusalem.
Yes. Let's keep peddling the the lie that the deterioration is the responsibility of the Likud government and Netanyahu. Last I checked, it was Olmert and that witch of his, Livni, who slaughtered so many children.
It's the same farce perpetrated on the American public, "Republicans are bad" "Democrats are good", "Now that Bush is out of office, things will change dramatically, Obama might even stop global warming in its tracks."
Some people desperately pretend that there is a difference for the alternative is just too bleak.
It's time to call it quits for the day. Ignore my post above.
Ignore my post above.
The entire Hebrew University campus at Mount Scopus is built in occupied east Jerusalem on post-1967 land. So, the proposed wall will essentially be - yet again - dividing occupied land into two parts, one where Jews only reside and another where those pesky Palestinians reside.
What could Montgomery Alabama have looked like in the 50s had the white built walls to "protect" their neighborhoods from blacks?
There goes the neighborhood.
Goods produced in the West Bank by whom, by Palestinians?
Anyway, boycotting Israeli goods produced in the West Bank is not the same as boycotting companies that invest in the West Bank.
Comparing Israeli goods produced in the West Bank to companies that invest in the infrastructure of the occupation is like comparing a mole hill to a mountain.
That's a token "gesture" by J Street. It doesn't even begin to address the multi-billion industry that feeds into the West Bank colonies.
He's like buttah' on a roll. .. :)
Well, it didn't take very long for this to happen:
link to commondreams.org
I think this qualifies for tragic comedy.
called three Israelis who were convicted of killing three Arabs and maiming two Palestinian mayors in car bombings “heroes.”
Will the killers' early release be decried in the same manner that Samir Quntar's release was decried despite his serving 30 years in prison?
How about Samuel Sheinbein who killed a man in Maryland, hacked the body into pieces and put the parts in a garbage bag only to flee to Israel and escape extradition?
He will be eligible for parole in 2013.
There is NO justice in the world.
How do you expect them to criticize such an organization when the MSM itself is complicit and the power is concentrated in the hands of five media giants?
link to libreria.sourceforge.net
I think there's an island nation somewhere in the pacific that recognizes Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem, but I could be wrong :))
I'm sure the absurdity of Rahm's arguments escapes him. Being raised by a terrorist sure left an impression on him.
No. With most of their lands taken by force and used to build more colonies, the Palestinians are expected to move to the basement, it's the same acreage, but underneath the colonies [/snark].
the false hope that this measure will eventually overwhelm Israel and lead to its demise.
The same bullsh*t lies all over again. Nice framing of the one-state idea by the son of a terrorist.
It illustrates the hypocrisy of "If it happens to us, it's true. But, if it happens to them, we reserve the right to call it a myth", regardless of the number of casualties or the methods by which people were killed.
Here's an idea for an exercise in illustrating hypocrisy, call the AJC and ask them whether it's true that Jews were actually killed during the Holocaust, then say, "It doesn't make sense because in a war there's so much confusion and it's hard to tell who did what to whom". Ask the AJC to explain whether the testimony of many Palestinians regarding their experiences in Gaza is pure fabrication. Ask them if they are prepared to throw the blame for the existence of the Jabalia Concentration Camp on the Palestinians as is usually the case with Hasbara.
Shmuel,
Thanks for sharing that. You make a good point about the property issue.
Not to nitpick, but the two sentences below seem to contradict each other. Did I miss something?
but the (unwilling) exodus of the bulk of Baghdad’s Jews is presented as having been ordered by the Iraqi government, following the establishment of the State of Israel. The Baghdadi Jews in the book blame the Zionists for the destruction of their community and their way of life.