Commenter Profile

Total number of comments: 1207 (since 2012-02-05 13:56:59)

Soviet Union born, Israeli raised , Jew, Humanist, Liberal, Zionist ,Nationalist, , IDF reservist , Cast Lead participant and many other things

Showing comments 200 - 101
Page:

  • Reflections After the Harvard One State Conference
    • OlegR March 15, 2012 at 4:33 am

      /Given its significance in relation to issues surrounding the “Jewish state”, it seems rather like an issue that requires a resolution sooner than later./
      Maybe, but it is nevertheless an internal issue at the core of Jewishness.
      It's significance to issues surrounding the “Jewish state” is artificially inflated
      and overrated by interested parties as i attempted to demonstrate during this exchange with you.

      /How does requiring a religious conversion make the law more inclusive? It seems to me that it would be more apt to exclude a vast number of people./

      The law does not require conversion it requires you to be a Jew or related to Jewish people (i am simplifying it for arguments sake) and conversion is one of the options to get there, a very unlikely one.
      Compare it to other repatriation laws.I remind you they are not universal
      laws they are exclusive and preferential by nature.
      I can't be Irish or Armenian no matter what i do therefore i will never be qualified to use their repatriation law.
      You on the other hand should you in honest decide that Judaism is the only way to go and that Jews are your people will be eligible under the law.(How the hell would they check it is another issue that i don't think rises very often).

      / I’m trying to understand how Jewish is supposed to be like any other nationality, especially if a religious component is part of the identity./

      I never said that being Jewish is like any other nationality there are obviously
      differences stemming from the different history of every other nationality.
      How is being a German is the same as being an Armenian ? They have
      such different histories.Who are Russians ? Polish religion is overwhelmingly
      Roman Catholic is this not part of their national identity ?

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 7:58 pm

      “How about a Jew who converts to Islam?”

      There a few aspects of to question
      1)How the Jewish Orthodox religion will look at him ?
      Assuming that it was not a forced conversion then the answer seems to be obvious but it is not so.
      There were different opinions by various religious authorities over the ages.
      The predominant ones is that he is still a Jew though a bad Jew a sinner.
      If he should ever repents he will not have to go over any religious conversion rituals.What about his children is a matter of further debate.

      2) How will he look upon himself, will he consider himself a Jew anymore ?
      That depends on the individual.

      3) How i a secular Jew will look at it?
      The answer is that unless he states otherwise he is a Jew that converted to Islam.
      A strange matter but not any of my business.

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 6:55 pm

      "I’m far from being the only person in the world who “gives too much weight” to the religious component in the Jewish identity."

      True but in anyway this is an old internal Jewish debate that has gone for 2000 years now and will continue for the foreseeable future.

      /and unjust (I refer to it as religion-supremacist rather than racist)/
      Why do you object so to the religious component ?
      If anything it's more inclusive then just ethnic or cultural.
      I presume that you are secular just as i am so it's presence may look weird,
      an anachronism.
      Would you feel better about the law if those converted to Judaism would
      be exempt from the law and it would only contain an ethnic connection
      to the Jewish people ?
      If you are not a Jew why would you care how Jews define them self or what criteria they use ?

      In any case at the current state of events the numbers of converted to Judaism that use the law are minuscule.

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 2:58 pm

      / Embracing secular Jewish culture is sufficient, yes? A child born to a non-Jew who has a strong cultural affinity to Jewish culture will be Jewish, yes?/

      If he considers himself to be a Jew then yes in my eyes he is a Jew.
      It's what in the head that counts.

      The difference between you and me that you give too much weight to the
      religious component in the Jewish identity.Some Jews would agree with
      you, i don't.

      Regarding repatriation laws
      I have shown that
      1) There are numerous national countries that have them.
      2) Those laws are made for the sake of various Diaspora members
      that these countries regard as kin.
      Each country decide for itself what is the identification procedure for
      applicants.

      Singling out the Israeli repatriation law as something unique and because
      of that unjust (usually the claim is that it's racist)
      is well, hypocritical.

      If someone wishes to argue the validity or morality of all repatriation laws
      or the whole idea of national countries than that's another discussion.

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 12:18 pm

      /Are you suggesting that one can be a Jew without either being born of a Jew or converting to Judaism?/

      No i am suggesting that your initial premise
      / (e.g., born to a person of a particular faith or conversion to a particular faith)./
      is erroneous.
      It's being born to a person of a particular nationality/ethnicity / strong cultural affinity or conversion to a particular faith.
      When in my eyes the "conversion to a particular faith" part though still sometimes relevant as a matter of technicality is an anachronism.

      Not every Jew will agree with me obviously.
      But never the less i was born to persons of no faith at all
      (And they too were born to persons of no faith at all) and yet i am
      a Jew.

      /You haven’t shown that at all./
      I believe that i have shown sufficient evidence and arguments to support
      my claim.
      The readers shell decide by themselves.

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 10:52 am

      / (e.g., born to a person of a particular faith or conversion to a particular faith)/
      Well this is your own interpretation of what being a Jew means.
      This debate is an old one and will not be resolved here by you and me.

      The founders of Israel were overwhelmingly secular.
      They certainly did not share you point of view on the matter but they did
      not elaborate it in the original draft of the law.

      My reply is that being a Jew has ethnic, cultural and religious aspects.

      Just like being a Serb probably means that you are either secular or
      Orthodox Christian and being a Croat or Irish that you are a Roman Catholic
      that just how the cultures developed.

      In any case that is beside the point.
      As i have shown
      the Israeli repatriation law is not unique among nations.

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 9:55 am

      OH you sad little troll

      "ACCORDINGLY, WE, the members of the National Council, representing the Jewish people in
      Palestine and the Zionist movement of the world, met together in solemn assembly today, the day of the
      termination of the British mandate for Palestine, by virtue of the natural and historic right of the Jewish
      and of the Resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations,

      HEREBY PROCLAIM the establishment of the Jewish State in Palestine, to be called ISRAEL.

      WE HEREBY DECLARE that as from the termination of the Mandate at midnight, this night of
      the 14th and 15th May, 1948, and until the setting up of the duly elected bodies of the State in
      accordance with a Constitution, to be drawn up by a Constituent Assembly not later than the first day of
      October, 1948, the present National Council shall act as the provisional administration, shall constitute
      the Provisional Government of the State of Israel.

      THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open to the immigration of Jews from all countries of their
      dispersion;       will promote the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; will be
      based on the precepts of liberty, justice and peace taught by the Hebrew Prophets; will uphold the full
      social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of race, creed or sex; will guarantee
      full freedom of conscience, worship, education and culture; will safeguard the sanctity and inviolability
      of the shrines and Holy Places of all religions; and will dedicate itself to the principles of the Charter
      of the United Nations."

      Regarding your feeble attempt the passage talks about CITIZENS
      ie those who already hold this legal status.
      This has nothing to do with immigration policy of the state.
      Once you are a citizen you are equal in the eyes of the law.

      Now go and bother somebody else i don't intent on feeding you anymore today

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 9:29 am

      /Those other laws repatriate people who were citizens or descendants of citizens of those states./

      Here are a few refuting examples.
      Armenia did not exist as a sovereign state since the middle ages (or even before) and until 1991.
      Their law applies to all of the Armenians in the Diaspora including those
      that never lived or had relatives in the new Armenian state.

      Ireland,
      attained sovereignty in 1922
      /Separately from this right, the Irish minister responsible for immigration may dispense with conditions of naturalisation to grant citizenship to an applicant who “is of Irish descent or Irish associations”, under section 15 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1986. /

      Poland the last time they got independence was let's say 1945 though some
      would argue that it with the collapse of the Soviets
      /Poland
      From the Constitution of Poland, Article 52(5): "Anyone whose Polish origin has been confirmed in accordance with statute may settle permanently in Poland."[26]/

      India
      independence in 1947
      "
      A Person of Indian Origin (PIO) is a person living outside of India and without Indian citizenship, but of Indian origin up to four generations removed. It is available to persons of Indian origin anywhere in the world as long as they have never been citizens of Pakistan or of Bangladesh (a reservation excluding Muslims who joined Pakistan during or after the 1947 partition). This unusual type of citizenship by descent is an intermediate form of citizenship in that it does not grant the full portfolio of rights enjoyed by Indian citizens."

      Russia (Which Russian state shell we take here as a starting point?)
      "Russia offers citizenship to individuals descended from Russian ancestors who can demonstrate an affinity for Russian culture and, preferably, speak Russian. Concern about Russia's shrinking population prompted the program. Officials estimate that 25 million members of the Russian diaspora are eligible for citizenship. The Foreign Ministry has sent emissaries to countries around the world to urge the descendants of Russian emigrants to return home.[27]"

      It goes on and on and it's all based on ethnicity and cultural affinity that goes way back before most of these states were independent or even existed in their current form nothing to do with some past citizenship which is a legal status that didn't exist for most of those countries

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 8:37 am

      Eljay
      The state of Israel is established as a national state for the Jewish people. Therefore all Jews in the diaspora are considered kin.
      Hence the repatriation law that you know as Hok HaShvut.

      This is a useless argument if you want to argue that this i not so.
      Or that it's somehow very different then all those other repatriation laws
      in various countries that i have brought to you attention (Ps the list
      is only partial obviously)
      I believe i made my point it's enough for the readers to make their own mind.

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 7:18 am with 30 replies

      link to en.wikipedia.org

      Armenia
      Article 14 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia (1995) provides that "[i]ndividuals of Armenian origin shall acquire citizenship of the Republic of Armenia through a simplified procedure."[1] This provision is consistent with the Declaration on Independence of Armenia, issued by the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Armenia in 1989, which declared at article 4 that "Armenians living abroad are entitled to the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia".

      [edit]Belarus
      Citizenship act of the Republic of Belarus (2002) states that permanent residence term requirements may be waived for ethnic Belarusians and descendants of ethnic Belarusians born abroad.

      [edit]Bulgaria
      According to the Constitution of Bulgaria, Article 25(2): "A person of Bulgarian origin shall acquire Bulgarian citizenship through a facilitated procedure."[2]

      Chapter Two of the Bulgarian Citizenship Act is entitled "Acquisition of Bulgarian Citizenship". The first section of that chapter is entitled "Acquisition of Bulgarian Citizenship by Origin", and provides at article 9 that "[a]ny person ... whose descent from a Bulgarian citizen has been established by way of a court ruling shall be a Bulgarian citizen by origin." Separately, article 15 of the Act provides that "[a]ny person who is not a Bulgarian citizen may acquire Bulgarian citizenship ... if he/she ... is of a Bulgarian origin".

      Ethnic Turks who were born to refugees or immigrants from Bulgarian lands (and thus have Bulgarian origin) also have a right of return.

      [edit]People's Republic of China
      Chinese immigration law gives priority to returning Overseas Chinese — ethnic Chinese who were living abroad. As a result, practically all immigrants to China are ethnic Chinese, including many whose families lived outside of China for generations.

      The mainland Chinese government encourages the return of Overseas Chinese with various incentives not available to others, such as "tax breaks, high salaries and exemptions from the one-child policy if they had two children while living abroad".[3]

      The "rights and interests of returned overseas Chinese" are afforded special protection according to Articles 50 and 89(12) of the Chinese Constitution.[4]

      The term Overseas Chinese may be defined narrowly to refer only to people of Han ethnicity, or more broadly to refer to members of other Chinese ethnic groups. As a result of this ambiguity, people who are not Han Chinese but were born in China and subsequently left, including refugees, are not necessarily eligible for the same preferential treatment.[citation needed]

      [edit]Croatia
      The Croatian law on citizenship (Zakon o hrvatskom državljanstvu), article 11, defines emigrants (iseljenik) and gives them privileges by excluding them from certain conditions imposed on others.

      The Croatian diaspora makes use of this to obtain dual citizenship or to return to Croatia.

      [edit]Cyprus
      In the proposed Annan Plan of 2004, the right of return was to be severely limited with respect to Greek-Cypriot internally displaced persons/refugees to districts such as Kyrenia, Morphou, Famagusta and parts of Nicosia, despite judgements of the European Court of Human Rights in cases such as Loizidou v. Turkey, and numerous UN resolutions recognizing the right of return. Two referendums on the Annan Plan were held in April 2004, separately along ethnic lines, id est a single referendum where each citizen would be afforded a single vote was not allowed to the citizens of Cyprus. The Annan Plan was overwhelmingly rejected in the Greek-Cypriot referendum.

      The right of return continues to remain a stumbling block to the settlement of the Cyprus problem.

      Finland
      The Finnish Aliens Act provides for persons who are of Finnish origin to receive permanent residence. It is usually Ingrian Finns from the former Soviet Union who exercise this right, but American, Canadian or Swedish nationals with Finnish ancestry are eligible.

      The Finnish Directorate of Immigration states on its Returnees webpage[8] that;

      Certain aliens, who have Finnish ancestry or otherwise a close connection with Finland, may be granted a residence permit on this basis. No other reason, such as work or study, is required in order to receive the permit.
      Receiving a residence permit depends on the directness and closeness of Finnish ancestry. If the ancestry dates back several generations, a residence permit cannot be granted on this basis.
      People who may be granted a residence permit based on Finnish ancestry or close connections with Finland can be divided into the following three groups:
      former Finnish citizens:[9]
      persons of other Finnish origin. This group includes the persons who have at least one parent or grandparent who has been a native Finnish citizen.[10]
      persons from areas of the former Soviet Union. The group includes persons who have been determined to be of Finnish nationality by Soviet or post-Soviet authorities or who have at least one parent or two grandparents who have been determined to be of Finnish nationality in official documents, e.g., in their internal passports. Also all persons who were transferred between years 1943–1943 to Finland from areas occupied by Germany and were subsequently returned to Soviet Union or who served in the Finnish Defence Forces during the Second World War qualify. To qualify for permanent residence permit, the persons in this group must have a basic knowledge of spoken and written Finnish or Swedish. The knowledge is tested in pre-immigration training and in a subsequent language test. In addition, they must have a pre-arranged permanent residence in Finland, but the labour authorities assist in finding an apartment.[11]

      Germany
      German law allows persons of German descent living anywhere in the world the right to return to Germany and claim German citizenship (Aussiedler/Spätaussiedler "late emigrants"; de:Aussiedler). As with many legal implementations of the Right of Return, the "return" to Germany of individuals who may never have lived in Germany based on their ethnic origin has been controversial. The law is codified in Article 116 of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, which provides access to German citizenship for anyone "who has been admitted to the territory of the German Reich within the boundaries of December 31, 1937 as a refugee or expellee of German ethnic origin or as the spouse or descendant of such person".[12]

      Ireland
      Irish nationality law provides for Irish citizenship to be acquired on the basis of at least one Irish grandparent. Note that for the purposes of Irish nationality law a person born anywhere on the island of Ireland (including Northern Ireland) is considered "Irish." A person born outside of Ireland with entitlement to Irish citizenship through an Irish-born grandparent may pass that right on to her or his own children. To do so, however, that person must register her or his birth in Ireland's Foreign Births Register prior to the children's births. Irish law also automatically grants citizenship at birth to any Individual born abroad to a parent born in Ireland, without the need to register with the DFA prior to the granting of citizen's rights like holding a Irish passport

      Separately from this right, the Irish minister responsible for immigration may dispense with conditions of naturalisation to grant citizenship to an applicant who "is of Irish descent or Irish associations", under section 15 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1986. With rare exceptions the applicant must be resident in the island of Ireland before applying for naturalisation.

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 7:16 am with 1 replies

      link to en.wikipedia.org

      "Repatriation laws have been created in many countries to enable diasporas to immigrate ("return") to their "kin-state". This is sometimes known as the exercise of the right of return. Repatriation laws give members of the diaspora the right to immigrate to their kinstate. Repatriation laws serve to maintain close ties between the state and its diaspora and gives preferential treatment to diaspora immigrants."

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 11:38 am with 40 replies

      /In the end the Greater Israel will become a democratic state whose policies will be dominated by a Palestinian majority/

      Basically it will become another Arab state with a large Jewish minority,
      seems so attractive to the Jews.
      Yes i think i am convinced.

  • @IDFSpokesperson tweets inaccurate video and fake civilian casualty statistics
    • OlegR March 15, 2012 at 5:56 am

      You forget that in each case i a lay part of the responsibility on Israel
      as well.The exact proportion of this blame is something that i judge
      in each and each case.
      And obviously being an Israeli i am not entirely
      impartial.

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 12:01 pm

      Don't quote out of context eljay
      that's not very nice.

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 11:52 am

      /,witness the Israeli fixation on their schools being bombarded/

      Yes we get really annoyed,imagine that.

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 11:10 am

      /Since the Hamas government is some two years past its sell-by-date now, and no new elections have been held, then arguably the people of Gaza are *not* responsible for the administration in charge of the Strip. /

      Nope sorry either the people in Gaza still support Hamas or they don't
      and then they have the fine example of Tahrir in front of them.

      /They and their govt have ensured the conditions for elections are impossible to achieve./
      Sorry Israel is not responsible that the Ashaf and Hamas can't get
      their act together.

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 11:03 am

      /imilarly, when the Palestinians strike first, responsibility for the deaths of other Palestinians falls on Israel that uses indiscriminate and highly discriminate weapons against them./

      It falls on the Palestinians that initiated the conflict in the first place
      and on Israel if they were not careful enough.

      The question as always who is right who started and who carries more responsibility
      but that as always is a matter of perspective personal
      preference and debate :)

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 10:56 am

      / If it is okay to blockade Gaza for the threat posed by rockets (and I don’t think that’s the only reason for the blockade–it was also to discredit Hamas by making Gazans suffer), then it would be okay to blockade Israel for the much greater violence and oppression they inflict on Palestinians./

      If some country feels that they want to blockade us then they are welcome
      to try but obviously this also has consequences.

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 10:25 am

      /The degree of responsibility that citizens bear for the actions and policies of the governments they elect can be a little tricky:/
      I agree to that but that's the nature of our imperfect systems.

      /Of course, citizens who did not vote for those in power certainly cannot be held responsible,/
      I can't agree with that.As long as you didn't offer a viable alternative
      and convinced enough people to change the government then
      you bear some responsibility. That's just the nature of the game
      in my opinion.(I believe activism is just about that)

      /voters cannot be held responsible for the actions of extra-governmental actors./
      Again depends on nature of those actors if the government allows such chaos
      for it's on political reasons then the government has responsibility.

      Hamas does not want an escalation but they just can't tell Jihad to
      cease fire immediately they are caught in their own rhetoric about
      Resistance therefore they act against their own and their population
      best interest.

      The same can be argued about Israel and the settler movement.
      in both cases the burden of responsibility is on the governments
      and thus eventually on the voters

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 10:13 am

      /and if Israel were subjected to a Gaza-style blockade as severe as what Israel and Mubarak’s Egypt did to Gaza, you and your government would undoubtedly see it as an atrocity and an act of war and I don’t doubt the word “terrorism” would come into it./
      I can't answer a hypothetical question such as this i don't have your prophetic
      skill , but.
      If we would have lost civilians in the latest exchange
      the responsibility for their death's especially since we made the first strike
      (even justifiable and a preventive measure)
      would lay on the Palestinians that use indiscriminate weapons
      against us.
      On our government that failed to provide adequate protection or alternative
      solution to the situation (even if the options were limited or they had to choose
      the lesser evil )
      And ultimately on me as a voting citizen in a free democratic state.

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 9:43 am

      /you guys
      Please feel free to address me in the singular./
      Point taken.

      /Are you arguing that Israeli civilians are legitimate targets because some of them voted for Netanyahu? I certainly hope not.
      /
      No i am saying that citizens of democratic countries share responsibility
      for their elected government actions.That's what makes them different
      from subjects of dictatorships that have no say in those matters.

      If you vote a dangerous lunatic to be the PM and support all of his decisions
      then you can partly blame yourself that he starts a war half way across the world and you start receiving your loved ones in body bags.

      Freedom to choose you leader carries with it the burden of responsibility.
      It's true to Israeli it's true to the Palestinians.

      That does not mean that the rules of war do not apply to you if you are
      a civilian.

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 9:09 am

      / or the collective punishment of civilians for things they have not done and over which they have no control./

      A small matter of debate here.
      Aren't you guys always argue that Hamas legitimately won the elections
      in PA and that they are the genuine democratic article chosen
      by the Palestinian people as their leaders.

      You can't have the rope both ways on this one.
      If you are correct and BTW (i tend to agree they won the elections fair and square) then the people that voted them into power share some responsibility
      for their elected government actions just as we Israeli citizens share
      it for ours.

    • OlegR March 14, 2012 at 8:31 am

      /Do you believe that Israeli actions vis-à-vis Gaza (and Lebanon) have always been concerned exclusively with protecting Israeli lives, and have never had any other motives or even knowingly endangered Israeli lives?/

      Yes i do believe so. That said , does not mean that all of those actions
      were smart or well executed or even achieved those goals.But yes
      i don't doubt the intentions behind them.

      /Were there more rockets or fewer rockets before Israel’s latest extrajudicial executions?/
      The question is irrelevant if those extrajudicial executions prevented
      terror attacks from the Sinai desert that had the far greater potential to inflict
      casualties then those rockets.Not to mention complicate things with Egypt.
      /Will Israel’s recent attacks put a stop to the rockets? /
      No but that does not mean other alternatives would work better.

      /Has the collective punishment of a million and a half Gazans done the trick so far?/
      The idea is not the "collective punishment of a million and a half Gazan" the idea is preventing their elected Government (Hamas) from acquiring
      more power, weapons, supplies.As long as they are pressured their effectiveness
      is hindered.

      /Have Israeli actions put the residents of the south more or less at risk, and do the politicians and generals really care?/
      The first question that can only be answered if you have all the facts which
      neither you nor i have.
      /and do the politicians and generals really care?/
      A matter of debate certainly but in general i would say yes they do.
      If you want specifics then you need to provide names.

      /? Or did they merely put Israeli (and Lebanese) lives at greater risk, for reasons that had little to do with “security for the north”? I think Shimon Peres and Ehud Olmert know the answer./
      A matter of speculations and convictions.
      Fact 1) Since the withdrawal from the security strip in Lebanon in 2000
      Hizbollah established an extensive presence on our border
      Kidnapped or killed in ambushes 13 Israeli soldiers (some kidnapping attempts
      failed).
      Fact 2) Since 2006 war Hizbollah has actively refused to engage Israel on any level
      besides it's usual rhetoric.The Lebanese army is in charge in the southern
      Lebanon and an international UN forces are deployed on the south to
      ensure the situation continues.

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 6:41 pm

      Thank you eljay
      It's nice to see that people can rise above their
      convictions even if the truth is uncomfortable.

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 2:15 pm with 3 replies

      link to littlegreenfootballs.com

      Check the dates.
      Enjoy.

      nice try though.

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 11:11 am with 58 replies

      I am sorry moderators that this little piece of truth seems to offend you.
      Should i start doubting the general good will of this site ?
      You can edit and remove this exchange but show my argument.
      This is not something that you can hide this fake image story is widely known
      by now and will not go unnoticed.

      /The image is of a child killed in 2009 (warning the photograph is graphic), a death inaccurately attributed to this weekend./

      2006 actually died in an accident (she fell from a swing) not by Israeli fire nor during any hostilities.
      That’s the difference Allison.
      In this case the IDF shows an illustrative video of Palestinian rocket fire.
      In which the Palestinians fire rockets at Israel.

      While the “pro-Palestinian activists” showed a photo of a child that died in an
      accident in 2006 and attribute it to the IDF fire during the last days.

      It’s the difference between and illustrative video released by IDF and a blatant lie by the “activists”.

      link to honestreporting.com

      “Further research revealed that the photo was taken in 2006 by Reuters, and that the girl, initially thought to have been killed in an Israeli air strike, was injured by falling off a swing. When confronted with this information, Alzeer stated that the photo was taken last night and forwarded to the press that day.”

      This is the link to Honest Reporting site
      about who released the image

      link to honestreporting.com

      “Khulood Badawi happens to work for the OCHA – the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs where, according to a UN Contact List, she works as an Information and Media Coordinator.

      A Google search reveals that Badawi has a history of activism in a range of pro-Palestinian non-governmental organizations, some of them radical and politicized. While this background may not in itself disqualify her from a career with the UN, it is absolutely unacceptable that a UN employee working specifically on dissemination of information to the media and public tweets malicious and false information to libel Israel.”

      When contacted by phone Badawi refused to make any comments
      on the issue saying that she “is not interested in further comments”

      The OCHA said they are looking into it.

      I guess Allison didn’t have this information.

  • Report from the Saturday morning settler 'real estate tour' in Hebron
    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 5:53 am

      With a slight difference where the SS would have took
      all of the Palestinians in Hebron to some nearby quarry
      and gunned them down with machine guns.

  • 'I refuse to join an army that has, since it was established, been engaged in dominating another nation': Interview with Israeli refuser Noam Gur
    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 12:24 pm

      /And yet you use the language of the colonial master. They are Palestinian./
      They call me a Jew not an Israeli (Because they are Israeli as well)
      i call them Arabs.
      Don't try to be holier then the Pope.

      /Let’s see – right of return./
      We are talking about Israeli citizens where would you want them to return to?

      /, they do not receive the wide range of benefits, including larger mortgages, partial exemptions from course fees, and preferences for public employment and housing./
      This argument does not fly.
      They also don't spent 2/3 years of their life running around the hills
      or endangering their lives.They can spend that time working
      studying etc.

      A country is allowed to give benefits to certain occupations especially dangerous ones.
      The Arabs are not forbidden to join the service and some of them
      (the Bedoins , the Druze) do and not all of the Jews
      serve as well.

      /They, they, they – Somehow I think that “they” get the point. Palestinians are second class citizens whom you, and Israel society view as the “other” to the point where you can’t even speak the word “Palestinian”./

      They are not second class citizens in the eyes of the law
      and their defacto imperfect status changes for the better on the ground all the time.
      Would you feel better if i called them the Palestinian Arabs citizens of Israel because that's the full title?

      /You have taken up the white man’s burden – as you have “changed” them for the better./

      I didn't say for the better i said more like us.(And we are more like them as well obviously)

      I just love it when people attribute to me their own prejudices.

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 11:47 am

      Yes i guess you are right

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 11:17 am

      /Were Israel to recognise the principle of conscientious objection/
      Israel releases pacifists from duty there are probably other recognized
      exceptions.

      /It’s abut actively refusing to serve, as opposed to merely getting out of it./
      Yes i get her point of view.She wants to make a seen statement
      and in the 80's she would have.
      But now nobody cares, the whole gesture is meaningless to almost everyone
      except Noam and her parents.

      ps.
      10x for the article

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 10:42 am

      Page not found LeaNder, anything interesting there
      i have not read enough about the subject of Jews in the Tzarist army.

      And yes the point of discussion had little to do with the actual history.

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 10:38 am

      Shmuel
      Those who are unwilling to serve (whatever reason they have) won't serve with little to no repercussions.

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 8:24 am

      /Apparently there is no stigma to Arabs not serving./
      It's the other way around actually.They get a stigma as collaborators
      by some in their surroundings.

      It is unreasonable to expect for Jewish citizens in Israel to feel resentment
      towards the Arab citizens over the issue of Army draft since our conflict
      is with their kin.
      There is resentment that they are not nearly enough contributing to alternative service in the Police (in their local communities for example that suffer from a high crime rate) the Hospitals
      Fire brigades etc.

      Regarding the Tzar comparison
      There is a slight difference between being forcefully drafted into the
      army of state that actively persecutes your people and denies you civil
      rights and being drafted to defend your own state where you are
      an equal citizen and whose ideas and ideology you share , and feel obliged
      to protect.
      I am sure you are smart enough can get that.

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 8:00 am

      They are not alien neither inside nor outside.
      Inside they are in a weird situation due to split loyalties ,
      but nonetheless they have full rights by the law even though their situation and integration into Israeli society must be improved.
      They are not the same as their brothers on the outside.
      They have changed and became a lot more like the rest of the Israeli
      whether they want to admit it or not.

      Outside they are in an ongoing national conflict with us which is yet to be resolved.

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 7:52 am

      Where ?
      I have no problem with refusniks or pacifists.

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 6:19 am

      A small nudnik correction
      /Jewish ultra-orthodox men and females are exempt/

      They (the men that is ) are not exempt they are getting a reprieve if they declare that they want to study in eshiva, they renew this reprieve each year
      until the age of 28 (i could be wrong about the exact number) otherwise they are obligated to serve like the rest of us :)
      And thanks to Edna Arbel this is about to change into something new
      but that's a whole different (state / religion) issue.

      The Arabs are exempt but they can volunteer if they wish to do so.

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 6:16 am with 2 replies

      What,
      saying that she is not a hero and not a martyr and that
      the consequences of her actions will have minimal impact on her future
      is controversial now?

      I am sorry but it happens to be the truth.

      Refusniks had a hard time in the 70's the 80's and the 90's when Israel had
      a more socialist (all for one one for all) unity oriented society.
      But with the current individualistic culture that we live in
      she will get more grief in her life for being a queer than from this.

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 5:48 am with 3 replies

      When did you do your bit Newclench?

  • MJ Rosenberg: why he is trying to stop the next war
    • OlegR March 12, 2012 at 12:28 pm with 2 replies

      /There are no ‘good’ people offended by Israel- firster, only guilty people ./

      If a woman is accused in witchcraft then you shell cast her into the lake.
      If she drowns then she was innocent but if she floats then she is guilty
      and must be burned at the stake.

  • Israeli right wing's vision for West Bank annexation (to 'pull the rug out from under apartheid accusation')
    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 10:53 am

      "What that a google translation"
      :) English is not my native language, what's your excuse?

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 8:08 am

      Revolutions of the peoples whole narrative and perspective
      the don't come up from thin air and the good wishes
      of some well meaning delusional liberal Americans.

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 6:46 am

      Ok let's play a mind game.

      Israel goes looney and offers the following.

      1) A single state with it's symbols agreed upon both parties (the hymn changes the flag changes two official languages arabic and hebrew (it's already the case btw)) and reflects both peoples cultures.

      2)One man one vote new elections to a new parliament.
      and a new Democratic Constitution in the best traditions of the liberal west a total segregation between religion and state.

      3)Reparations to everybody that got hurt during the conflict on BOTH sides.
      refugees and all.

      4)The Ror is in.

      5)The IDF is renamed and reorganized to reflect the nature of the new state.

      But.
      Nobody moves nowhere, the settlements stay where they are.
      Jews get full access everywhere just as the Arabs are.
      The Jews take responsibility for their actions since 1948 included the
      Arabs take responsibility for theirs.
      No liability to any of the former Israeli leaders (Politicians Army Shin Bet etc )decision makers.No liability to the Palestinian leaders (Militants etc).

      The prisoners are all released (even the Bastards from Itamar).

      The Arabs have to continue and live with a large 5.5 million Jewish minority
      in a state that is not an Arab national state but something closer to the values
      of democratic France.
      All of this new status quo is enforced effectively by the US and Europe
      upon an agreed time frame lets say the next 50 years.

      How many Palestinians would agree to such a solution ?
      How many Israelis ?

      How about you the commentators on this site?

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 5:18 am

      A big difference to 50000 Arabs though.

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 5:17 am with 3 replies

      A lot of words pathos and citations as usual Hostage.

      If there is a complete separation of territories when on
      the annexed the residents get full citizenship and the rest is
      declared undisputed Palestinian land by Israel then there is no
      basis for the apartheid claim. (Not that it has a lot to go on now
      since the Judea and Samaria are not annexed to Israel therefore there is
      no issue of discrimination to citizens of the same state just the issue
      of the legality of settlements).

      Any way all of this discussion is mute since the proposal
      to annex the C areas does not address the issue of the Arab population in Jerusalem.

    • OlegR March 13, 2012 at 5:09 am

      /That revolution better take place pronto./
      Not likely to happen.
      It would require a 180 turn in the whole Palestinian narrative.

  • MSM jailbreak: Chris Hayes devotes 2 hours to conflict with panel of 2 Zionists and 2 Palestinians
    • OlegR March 12, 2012 at 11:21 am

      /Was Egypt attacking to retake the Sinai only, or to destroy Israel as Mizrahi said?/
      Most Israeli historians that i have read agree that the initial goals of the
      war by (Egypt) was to retake the Sinai desert or part of it.

      That does not mean that should the attack was to become a bigger success that these plans would not have changed, but that is pure speculation.

    • OlegR March 12, 2012 at 10:51 am with 1 replies

      That opens to discussion the meaning of the word "side"
      in Barghouti's eyes.

      If a settler (Goldstein comes to mind as a remotely possible analogy) would have done anything close to that little piece of horror to whose "side" would Barghouti's contribute it to?

    • OlegR March 12, 2012 at 9:15 am with 6 replies

      A nice talk nothing unusual to my ear but maybe all of this talk is tabu in the US
      which is surprising to me.

      Meanwhile my girlfriend tells me that another grad rocket fell near a hospital in
      Ashdod (her sister works there).
      Beer Sheva where my parent live is targeted as well.
      About 30 grad hit since this morning some were deflected by Iron Dome
      some are falling in open territory.

      That's the problem with the guys in Gaza they feel obliged to say the last word
      so they keep on firing till the last second before some truce takes effect
      risking that they actually get a "successful" hit and get
      the whole of Gaza into Cast Lead 2.0 something that nobody wants at the moment.

    • OlegR March 12, 2012 at 8:41 am

      /On the other hand, when Jubrea started talking about growing up and her family getting blankets at night for the casualties foreseen due to the bombings/

      She was talking about 1991 when Iraq fired scud missiles at Israel.

  • Israel is sucking up all the oxygen in the White House
    • OlegR March 11, 2012 at 6:28 pm with 2 replies

      /Of all the issues to be bipartisan about, why would support for a country with abysmal human rights policies that is run by a moron be the one that brings Congress together?/
      Here is a thought,
      maybe those policies are not that abysmal and it's not run by morons?

  • Israel's bogus case for bombing Gaza obscures political motives
    • OlegR March 11, 2012 at 6:13 pm with 1 replies

      Gideon Levy (to whom i have a great deal of respect)
      is wrong.

    • OlegR March 11, 2012 at 6:08 pm with 31 replies

      /Militant factions in Gaza have responded to the Israeli assault by launching several homemade rockets at Southern Israel, leaving two injured and no one dead./

      I guess you could get away with saying that 100+ rockets can be called several without being called a liar.

      /Eliat attack last year, the attackers were not from Gaza as Israeli government spokespeople initially claimed -- they were Egyptian. /
      How does it prove again that the attack wasn't planned IN Gaza by
      Resistance Committees.

      /Bloggers Idan Landau [Hebrew only], Richard Silverstein and Yossi Gurvitz also marshaled evidence shredding the army's case against Gaza./
      Well that proves it clearly if bloggers say it is so then it must be true.

      And the rest of the article is a pathetic conjuncture of conspiracy theories
      based on the author's prejudices.

  • Israel strikes Gaza, killing 11, injuring 16
    • OlegR March 12, 2012 at 11:00 am

      Levy did not provide any evidence to support his claims
      he just as he always does expresses his own opinion.
      I am expressing mine.

      You make the choice of believing him on the basis that he is an Israeli
      journalist and that his views support perfectly your own preexisting opinion.
      That's all there is to it.

    • OlegR March 12, 2012 at 9:32 am

      The fact that an Israeli journalist says something without backing it
      up by some concrete facts but by just giving his opinion (left right it does not matter ) that does not
      give his words any additional credibility or added value over
      something that i or any other Israeli have to say.

      This tactic "Look even the Israeli/Jews think this and that then it must be true" is way over abused by the liberal/left/radical's when they
      comprise their arguments.

      If you (Shmuel in this case ) think something then give us your opinion not somebody else's to whom you attribute some sort of authority.

    • OlegR March 12, 2012 at 5:42 am

      Well if Gideon Levy says it's so then sure it must be true.
      Come on.

    • OlegR March 11, 2012 at 7:24 pm

      Well yes actually,
      each side uses it as part of it's propaganda
      i am not really interested in that.

    • OlegR March 11, 2012 at 10:13 am

      /mndwss, they didn’t send him back to nablus because presently israel isn’t killing people w/drones in nablus. /
      Yes and we want too keep it that way.
      And inhabitants of Nablus will probably agree with me.

      /assassination as a pretext to slaughter gazans when ever they get a sadistic urge to pulverize a civilian population. /
      Yes yes we are all sadists and just can't get without our pound of
      Palestinian flesh once in a while.

      /and then not only break the deal but use it to their advantage (so resourceful) to kustify more and more death./
      So vile so diabolically conniving.

      Ps.
      Break the deal.
      I don't thinks that when we released those guys we promised them
      immunity forever ever no matter what.

    • OlegR March 11, 2012 at 8:16 am

      /by sending him to gaza they can use his assassination as a pretext to slaughter gazans when ever they get a sadistic urge to pulverize a civilian population/

      By they you mean who exactly ?

    • OlegR March 11, 2012 at 8:13 am

      Then you shouldn't feel so upset when we retaliate back
      it also human nature.
      Oh yes i forgot you are cheering for their side (Islamic Jihad in this case
      Hamas so far preferred to sit this round out)

      And please don't pull the "But you started it first" argument
      because it will not lead us anywhere.

  • Advice to Zionists from a fellow loser
  • Anthony Shadid was shot by an Israeli soldier, he said
    • OlegR March 9, 2012 at 12:48 pm with 3 replies

      / I believe the single bullet was fired by an Israeli soldier, though I never saw him. I believe he thought I was Palestinian/

      I believe that he was fired by a Palestinian though i never saw him.
      I believe he thought Shadid was an Israeli.

      What's the point of this article?

  • NY activists protest Batsheva Dance Company performance in Brooklyn
    • OlegR March 8, 2012 at 4:46 pm with 1 replies

      Roger Waters appeared in Israel a couple of years ago,
      made a lot of money the hypocritical bastard.

      Boycotting Batsheva now guys that's the spirit
      you go get those evil Zionists in their leotards.
      How dare they put on shows.

  • 'New Republic' says Obama 'detests' Netanyahu and treats him shabbily
    • OlegR March 8, 2012 at 6:20 am with 2 replies

      /It’s like dealing with some different species./

      So basically you are saying Israelis are not human.
      Ok.

    • OlegR March 8, 2012 at 6:10 am

      /Netanyahu isn’t even popular in Israel./
      Nope he is quite popular among the majority of Israelis for the lack of a better alternative if for nothing else.
      The mass media detest him that's true.That is where all the trash talk about him
      comes from.He has his flaws obviously but they are way exaggerated.
      Especially if you read Harretz that's like judging the qualities of a democrat candidate to presidency by watching Fox news.

  • Jon Stewart's Triple Threat
  • Netanyahu gives genocidal bible story to Obama
    • OlegR March 8, 2012 at 4:27 pm

      /Some religious nuts celebrate Purim by spitting at Armenians./

      I think you are referring to some Ultra Orthodox nutters in Jerusalem.
      They are spitting on Armenian priests (or just priests i don't think that the nationality was mentioned in our press).
      The accent here is on the word priest.One of those priests recently
      refused to turn the other cheek and gave the idiot a thorough beating.
      Which i might add in no case can be viewed as an act of antisemitism.
      Furthermore those religious nutters are from the Anti Zionist
      hug Ahmedinajad type i believe.

      /Recently Israel sold more than billion dollars worth of advanced weapons to opponents of Armenians./
      I guess Armenians didn't have enough money then.

    • OlegR March 8, 2012 at 4:16 pm

      Thank you Hostage for illustrating the validity of my comment above to Hophmi so
      fast.

      It's funny though that you an Anti Zionist would continuously wave and claim to be true part of a conspiracy theory (a silly one) by the the most right wing settlers and their supporters that there are in Israel (i mean really Kiryat Arba).
      And do it just because what they claim in your eyes helps your cause
      and ideology.
      Normally you wouldn't believe a single word from any of those sources
      if they were claiming something that might make the Palestinians look bad.

      And we the Zionists on this site (well i am at least i don't know about the other guys)
      are having to call your (and their) BS.

      I just love this little irony.
      Keep at it you have to lie only once to ruin all that credibility
      you probably worked hard to establish on this site.

    • OlegR March 8, 2012 at 3:41 pm

      I doubt he will budge Hophmi,he will just keep repeating what he already said
      over and over and loitering the thread with more and more
      dubious sources and citations hoping that eventually the readers will
      tire or maybe forget how it all started.

      I guess this is his MO makes him look credible so people don't call
      his BS to often.

    • OlegR March 8, 2012 at 3:20 pm

      I don't think we are totally innocent ,
      a lot of Israelis don't think that either.
      But
      we do not think we are totally guilty as well, not by a long shot.

    • OlegR March 8, 2012 at 9:37 am

      /B.S. OlegR, you’ve provided a link to an MFA website that only provides extracts – There is no link there to the full Hebrew text of the report./

      True and i stated that fact when i provided the links.

      /I’ve provided readers with two citations to the Shamgar Commission’s report from individuals with earned PhDs who are both fluent in Hebrew./

      I am sorry i didn't know that a PdD and a knowledge of Hebrew
      add to the credibility of someones claims.
      I guess that's why Chomsky is so popular.(But let's not go there)

      "an article by Haggai Segal entitled “A failure to inform” appeared in the “Jerusalem Post” pointing out facts which the press conveniently omitted to report."

      Hagay Segal was part of the "Jewish Underground" in the 1980's
      he was convicted for acts of terrorism against Arabs and spent 2 years in jail.

      He also was part of the management team of the before mentioned Arutz 7.
      Somehow it's hard for me to believe that you would consider anything he says
      as truth under any other circumstances.He also did not provide proof .
      And the source that quotes Hagay Segal that you have provided
      chaimsimons.net is again a the collection of a Rabbi Living in
      Kiryat Arba aka (Religious nut cases
      prone to conspiracy theories on which most ideological settlers look with discomfort )

      /Why don’t you provide a link to the whole report of the Commission or provide a citation to a reliable source which says the articles from Lehmann, Simmons, Arutz Sheva, or the Jerusalem Post misrepresented the contents in question? /

      I am sorry you are the one that went that road by citing dubious
      sources that provide no basis for their claims.
      And you are the one that refuses to acknowledge your own mistake.
      I believe that the burden of proof lies on you in this case.
      I am merely showing our readers (if we actually have readers)
      that so far your claims are unsubstantiated.

      I don't need to disprove every accusation that somebody makes
      since i can be accused of anything.I only need to ask what's the basis
      of your claims.

      If you are having trouble with Hebrew i am sure you have some Israeli
      friends that can help you with that.

      So please don't tell me to STFU.
      Get the readers a link to the full report and substantiate your claims.
      So far as everyone can see you haven't.

    • OlegR March 8, 2012 at 4:32 am

      So basically "Arutz Sheva" which is a religious right wing channel
      (Think righter then Fox news) quotes claims
      by residents of Kiryat Arba aka (Religious nut cases
      prone to conspiracy theories on which most ideological settlers look with discomfort )
      claiming there is an An additional section, as yet uncited
      which no one has ever seen anywhere.

      Come on Hostage that's evidence, be serious.
      You got this one wrong , let it go and move on.

    • OlegR March 8, 2012 at 4:21 am

      /It came from an article on the website of the late Dead Sea Scroll Scholar and President of Lehmann Trading Corporation, Manfred Lehmann, not from some settler nut case. /
      Yes i expected that you took it from that site.It popped up almost first on Google.
      But it does not provide any links to the actual report either.Hebrew or otherwise.
      So where the quote came from is still a mystery.
      The reputation of the gentlemen in question
      "Dead Sea Scroll Scholar and President of Lehmann Trading Corporation"
      has no relevance to the issue.
      You are quoting a source that provided no links to the primary document
      or any links at all and state that he is reputable enough for you.
      Obviously you are welcome to believe him if you want.
      But like i said this
      Undermines your own credibility

    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 5:40 pm with 6 replies

      Aman was supposedly from the seed of Amalek
      thus explaining his hostility to the Jews.

    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 2:52 pm

      To Mooser
      I did not get upset on the receiving end of mortar fire during Cast Lead
      i doubt i will here :)
      Besides what would you do without somebody representing our point of view here ,
      agree with each other all the time?

    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 2:48 pm

      worker bee
      No the point is not promoting war
      The point for this whole charade is to make sure Iran gets more and more
      political and diplomatic pressure to cease their nuclear program.

    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 2:45 pm

      /you make the hilarious accusation against Phil for CITING NETANYAHU./

      You have some trouble reading or with understanding .
      I'll try again
      Phil did not only cite Netanyahu he made a remark of his own
      " in giving him the Bible story that ends with mass-murder of Persians."
      Not only this is a perversion of the story it'self.
      Specifically this part of the story throughout history has been widely used by antisemites to accuse Jews of being
      revengeful people with genocidal tendencies.

      I have provided some links below they are still waiting moderation.

      This is what made me wonder why would Phil go this way.

    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 2:20 pm with 22 replies

      “The investigation verifies the claim of the residents of Kiryat Arba that Goldstein acted to forestall a massacre.”

      A link please to this quote in the official report because so far i could
      only find it on a few ultra nut right wing settler blogs , they don't provide
      any links either.
      Ah and here on mondoweiss where you appear to routinely use it in arguments.
      Damaging to your credibility Hostage.

      I shell have to pay closer attention to your links.

      Here are EXCERPTS FROM THE REPORT on official Mof site

      link to mfa.gov.il

      "Chapter 10. Epilogue

      The massacre at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron was a base and murderous act, in which innocent people bending in prayer to their maker were killed. It is an unforgivable act, which caused inconsolable grief to the families of the fallen and injured victims, several of whom were permanently disabled.

      The massacre was one of the harshest expressions of the Jewish- Arab conflict.

      We were asked to investigate the massacre and to determine findings and draw conclusions regarding the circumstances related to it. Thus, in our investigation, we covered the circumstances surrounding the massacre and its results, and we also dealt with certain general issues which, while not directly related to the massacre, were part of the circumstances indirectly related to the event. We discussed these issues in an effort to remove every obstacle and impediment to, and to assist in the maintenance of, the just administration of government.

      We presented the lessons which must be learnt from this tragic incident so that, as far as possible, the repetition of criminal acts such as these can be prevented. We made a series of recommendations meant to assist in returning things to normal both in the Tomb of the Patriarchs in particular, and generally in Hebron.

      Let us hope that our inquiry and our report will indeed contribute to that end."

    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 1:36 pm with 16 replies

      Look at the links i provided below.

      ""Then, too they wanted to wipe us out," Netanyahu reportedly told Obama in giving him the Bible story that ends with mass-murder of Persians."

      In this sentence Phil implies that Netanyahu wishes
      mass-murder of Persians and repeats the old antisemitic allegations
      connected to this holiday.

      The labeling that you use is more descriptive of yourself then of me.

    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 1:27 pm with 3 replies

      link to sweetliberty.org

      link to revisionistreview.blogspot.com

      link to maskofzion.com

      Well here are recent examples.
      If you know Russian i will direct you to other sites as well.

    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 1:12 pm with 11 replies

      /Christian Zionist friends/
      I don't have Christian Zionist friends.

    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 10:46 am with 66 replies

      /Netanyahu gives genocidal bible story to Obama/

      The Purim story was used for centuries in classic antisemitic propaganda
      and blood libels.
      You sure you want to go that way Phil ?

  • 'LAT' takes unexpected dig at 'pro-Israel types'
    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 9:54 am

      The more i read you Phil the more i get the feeling that your business is a lot more
      with the american Jewry leadership (AIPCA, the lobby ,ADL, Dershowitz, and whatever
      else you have there not very versed in it) and the american Jews version of Zionism
      than it is with Israel.
      Got that same feeling from reading Finkelstein.

  • At last a leader, Obama fingers 'Israeli interest' in war
    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 1:52 pm

      All of them includes myself Citizen, you should probably check who you
      are talking to before you actually do :)
      Regarding the issue at hand i would suggest everybody to relax
      Not Obama nor Israel have any plans (overtly) attacking Iran anytime soon.
      Covertly the war is raging for some time now.

      This is nothing but a show which is meant to create more diplomatic
      and political pressure on Iran.Israel will hold the gun on the table
      and play the mad paranoid guy part, US will play the responsible adult.
      And the "world" will impose more and more pressure. Friendly
      (China , India, Russia) and otherwise (sanctions,embargo,etc)
      until either the regime cracks and tones down or we get Iranian Spring.
      That's the plan at least.

      The only way the gun on the table will fire is if the Iranians
      panic and try and breach the gap that they still have left before they get a usable weapon.(That means assembling a missile carried warhead)

      They usually are not the panicking types.
      Though the sloppy job's that they pulled in India and Thailand lately
      somewhat baffled a few of our "military experts".

    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 9:26 am with 9 replies

      Funny how everybody sees what they want to see in his speech.
      The mark of a great politician (not to be confused with statesmen).

  • A Palestinian student asks, 'Can I go on Birthright?'
    • OlegR March 8, 2012 at 9:53 am

      Yes the debate about the need of a constitution
      is ongoing so far the religious parties has effectively blocked all
      attempts at legislation of a formal constitution.
      BTW this has nothing to do with the Israeli Arabs.

      Our law system currently have a number of Basic Laws
      that effectively act as a protoconstitution.
      Obviously this is not enough.

      link to en.wikipedia.org

      specifically look into the

      link to en.wikipedia.org

    • OlegR March 8, 2012 at 4:57 am

      /There is no such thing a s Jewish nationality. There are Jews who do not have Israeli citizenship.
      There is only Israeli nationality - which privileges Jews over non-Jews./

      Are you by any chance claiming that being a Jew only has meaning in
      the religious context ?
      I think Phil might disagree with you on that one.

      /Why do Jews get special privilege over Christianity or Islam?/
      Wrong comparison ,
      Hamas likes to make that claim that Jews
      are not people but a religion , Ultra Orthodox Jews believe that obviously,
      but that doesn't mean that Liberals such as yourself should take their point
      of view just because it suits your political goals.

      /There are Jews who do not have Israeli citizenship./
      There are Irish who never set foot on Ireland.
      Italians that have never been to Italy.
      The list goes on.

      /Israeli Arabs are second class citizens. They are not equal citizens./
      They are according to the Law. Is their status perfect, no.
      Should we do better , yes.
      Are we working on it , yes.
      Is it enough , not at the moment.
      BTW is everything peachy with African Americans or Latinos (is it PC to say
      Latinos) in the US ?
      Does it mean they are second class citizens?
      How about the Native Americans?

    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 9:29 am with 3 replies

      /If I were Jewish I would go to places associated with the Baal Shem Tov. That is real Jewish history. Zionist history is a fairytale./

      Jews your home is Europe where you have magically appeared a few centuries
      ago.

    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 9:13 am

      I have been by Russian / Italian /Spanish ones.

      And yes as long as we are in a National conflict with the Palestinian
      Arabs and given it's history yes Arab nationals will receive more scrutiny
      then everybody else entering the country.

      The possible repercussions of a mistake should this scrutiny
      not be implemented (As demonstrated in the recent American history)
      outweigh the temporary discomfort any Arab feels while flying through
      BGU.

      The classic example of choosing the lesser evil.

    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 9:05 am

      /There is only one truth/

      Agreed, but no narrative holds the whole of it.

    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 6:45 am with 3 replies

      You have your narrative we have ours.

    • OlegR March 7, 2012 at 4:55 am with 1 replies

      Nope the issue is as always two conflicting national movements.
      The Palestinians nurture the national identity in their youths
      we are in our's.
      For now we have more political and military power then they do.
      You can argue that we abuse this power and this is something that we can
      talk about and even find points of agreement.
      But when the argument is presented in absolute terms from the perspective of only one narrative like in this
      article then there is no point in any dialog.

      You believe that Zionism is the root of all evil.
      Fine.

  • Red flags over Gaza: Palestinian leftists rally for Hana Shalabi
  • Let there be light: Life in Gaza without electricity
    • OlegR March 5, 2012 at 6:34 pm

      Better that Palestinians sit in the dark than get Israel of the hook.
      Nice logic.

    • OlegR March 5, 2012 at 10:58 am with 3 replies

      /Although the Egyptian military — which continues to rule the country after the revolution — has agreed to begin discussing longer-term solutions, such as tying Gaza into Egypt’s energy grid, some reports say any such actions are contingent on a unity deal between Fatah and Hamas (still an elusive goal, despite many meetings)./

      Interesting.
      A welcome development if it actually happens.

  • Watch live video from OccupyAIPAC
    • OlegR March 6, 2012 at 9:50 am

      Well , that's a start.

    • OlegR March 4, 2012 at 7:19 pm

      /tell me you have got to be kidding. if you think this ‘free syrian army’ is organic you have your head in the sand. it’s about as organic as iran’s green revolution, or did you forget the state department under the auspices of the cheney daughter funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into that ‘revolution’ and the twitter flurry began after jpost published two ‘iranian’ twitter accounts that just happened to start that same day./

      You know annie what is the best thing about being born in Russia ?
      You get to know Russian , have some knowledge of the culture.
      You get to enjoy many worlds this way.
      They have elections there today did knew that.They are going to elect
      Tzar Putin for the next 12 years.Now i have had many discussions
      with Russians over the years.Left and right fascists and liberals.
      And i have watched the recent elections campaign very closely.

      The main argument that Putin supporters are pulling out is that the 'West'
      is against Russia that the US state department is staging "orange revolutions"
      all over the world that they are destabilizing regions inciting loyal citizens
      against their rightful god given 'elected' leaders.

      Seems to me that you and they have a lot in common.
      Same rhetoric ,same logic the same level of argumentation
      the West is to blame , US is to blame,Britain is to blame , Europe is to blame
      Israel is to blame.

      / i notice how you are not even acknowledging the various links @ MOA i’ve posted./
      Ok let's get that on clear once and for all.
      I am reading your links just as i have read the robert fisk article which was quite good thank you for that.
      Sending links from Haaretz to me is a bit absurd i read it on a daily bases.
      (A bit of advice, you want to know more about Israel.
      Start reading the opinion articles in Maariv and Yediot .
      These are the biggest newspapers in Israel unlike Harretz which is
      an elitist very liberal agenda driven newspaper widely read by the remnants
      of the Israeli 'Peace Camp' may he rest in peace.Finkelestein's claim
      that it's "the most influential paper in Israel" is a gross mistake or a lie
      among many others.)

      But i am straying from the subject at hand.

      1)Please don't provide me links to your own articles they are tiring to read
      just send me to your direct source.
      2) I am not doing this for a living i am not an 'activist' i don't get payed
      by Misrad HaHutz i don't have time for "link wars" where you drop
      on me a bunch of links and expect me to refute them or show
      you some other evidence or whatever and than prove to you
      that my links are telling "The Truth" and yours can't be trusted.
      This never gets you anywhere just wastes good bytes.

      /yeah, i am so believing you care about syrians/not./
      Never said i did care about Syrians (It's hard to care about citizens
      of an enemy state).I certainly don't like hearing about what happens there and i hear quite a lot. And i don't like hypocrisy, especially one
      coming from the liberal camp ,i kinda expect them to be better
      than everybody else (they certainly profess that they are).

      /in a cage perhaps, like all good arabs./
      No, that strikes me as your own private fantasy.

      Ps.
      I am still waiting for a reply about the right to self determination
      which you (and everybody else) so far have ignored.
      Do Palestinians have the right to self determination ? Yes/No
      Do Jews have the right to self determination ? Yes/No

    • OlegR March 4, 2012 at 6:23 pm with 2 replies

      /No hypocrisy. You get who you can. Why should we ignore Israel just because we can’t get North Korea?/
      Have you tried getting North Korea or Russia o China?

    • OlegR March 4, 2012 at 6:22 pm with 3 replies

      By the amount of words you have written and the passion it seems to me that i kinda hit a nerve there.
      Still no amount of words that you write will change the fact
      that Surya (y pronounced strongly BTW that's how you pronounce it in Arabic not your your English Syria ,talk about knowing the natives and respect ha Cliff)
      get's a tiny fraction of coverage in the liberal left blogospehre in comparison to I/P conflict while the body count there skyrockets.

      /No they do not. And until you can prove that they have, you should put a cork in it./
      Yes they do Cliff you know they try no to look too closely at it the get so confused as annie have written above
      /the situation in syria appears more complex to the outsider. people are still putting the pieces together/
      You get it they are putting pieces together.

      You can turn it and twist it anyway you like but in the and
      this is hypocrisy nothing else.

    • OlegR March 4, 2012 at 11:17 am

      /oleg, the situation in syria appears more complex to the outsider. people are still putting the pieces together
      whereas the situation in palestine has been going on for decades and is completely transparent at this point, there’s nothing complex about understanding what’s going on there./

      What a wonderful illustration of my point.
      Such a pity for people at Bal el Amar that until Annie gets her bearings straight they would all probably be dead or worse.

      / the ‘collateral damage’ would be enormous. the US instigated a civil sectarian war in iraq. i think the people over there should work out there own problems./
      Oh they are in Syria and very 'efficiently' from the looks of it.
      Strange that for some reason you think that meddling in Syria would
      be a bad idea but meddling in Israel/Palestine (Like imposing your view
      of justice on Israel) is a good one.
      No contradictions no doubts.

      /what a big coincidence all the israel supporters are so concerned about syrians while they are chugging along for decades imprisoning millions of arab palestinians/

      Maybe we are diverts but still what about those Syrian civilians getting
      pulverized?
      Oh i forgot you just don't have enough information yet.

    • OlegR March 4, 2012 at 10:27 am with 7 replies

      Not a bad article actually.
      The guy knows his neighborhood.
      And knows history (As far as i can tell).
      Sees it in shades of gray not in black in white.

      What i am wondering why some people loose the sight of all of those shades of gray when the matter relates to Israel/Palestine and revert to
      all black and white vision.
      (I mean all of them both from the left and the right ).

Showing comments 200 - 101
Page:

Comments are closed.