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Total number of comments: 33 (since 2010-12-29 22:46:14)

pronomad

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  • US women's stunning goal shatters prejudice
    • pronomad July 12, 2011 at 2:12 am with 1 replies

      I think that MRW has a point, but the blogroll has been a great help to me ( and others, I suspect). I usually check in on anywhere from 10-15 of those links when I'm finished scouring Mondoweiss; I might not have discovered some of these writers had it not been for the MW connection. Perhaps a little pruning is in order, though, as some blogs have not been updated in quite some time.

  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar decides to pass on Jerusalem Film Fest following 'Nakba Day violence'
    • pronomad July 1, 2011 at 5:58 am

      Saudi Arabia, whatever its failings, is not a fascist state. It does not fetishize its military; it does not claim that Saudis are superior to other Arabs, other nations, or people in general; it does not seek to enlarge its territory by military means; it does not seek a return to a glorified/mythologized past, etc. Israel, on the other hand....

      And of course Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would have visited: as a Muslim, he has a religious obligation to go to Mecca if he can; what of it? Plenty of Catholics (and others) visit Italy and the Vatican; does this mean they support pedophile priests, or Berlusconi's unending immoral escapades? Does it mean that Catholic pilgrims are "anti-feminist" because the Church won't allow female clergy?

      Are you seriously going to argue that Israel doesn't discriminate against women, doesn't discriminate against Jews, doesn't discriminate against (Palestinian) Christians?

  • With one signal -- 1967-- Obama decides to take on Netanyahu on the Arab Spring
    • pronomad May 20, 2011 at 2:19 pm with 1 replies

      Smoke and mirrors. Why should the Israelis be so upset about "1967 borders with agreed land swaps" when they still get the "unshakable ally and BFF talk? When they get BO's backing for a religious supremacist state ("the national homeland of the Jewish people"); the death of ROR ("two states side by side, Israel for Jews and Palestine for Palestinians"); complete, utter and craven support for a continued Israeli hold over all of Jerusalem; the assurance that international forces will never be allowed to intervene or police the conflict as is done elsewhere in the world (Israel should provide security for itself by itself -- Palestinians can now also say goodbye to the Jordan Valley); a pointed message that the US will do whatever it can to sabotage the effort for recognition at the UN, and failing that, will work to make ensure that "recognition" has as little practical impact as possible.

      Who knew that Netanyahu was such a good ventriloquist?

  • Desmond Travers on Geo Mitchell: Irish-American Diaspora wanted an end to the troubles, Jewish-American Diaspora hasn't opened its eyes
    • pronomad May 18, 2011 at 11:23 pm

      Dear GuiltyFeat,

      My experiences at home were pretty much standard for my generation; thankfully, things are much better these days.

      I believe that Israeli free-to-air broadcasts are subtitled in Hebrew and Arabic, but the for-pay broadcasters (Yes and Hot) are different. It's not that Arabic subtitling isn't available, but while Hebrew and English subtitles are almost always available, and Russian frequently available, Arabic is hit-or-miss.

      In my adult experience racism rarely manifests in loud and visible ways. Most of the time it's through subtle actions that most others wouldn't notice because the actions aren't directed at them or the acts themselves seem innocuous, but one develops a sixth sense after a while: eyes following you around a store, or having salespeople “casually” tail you or otherwise make sure you're within visual range; the assumption that you wouldn't be interested in high-quality goods and/or don't have the funds to pay for them; having someone who clearly arrived after you attended to first, etc. Women holding their purses closer or “coincidentally” crossing the street when they see you walking in their direction; being stopped for “driving while black” in a “white” area. Being told that you should accept a lower grade for classwork similar to higher-graded fellow students because “these things are going to happen and you just better get used to it” (not so subtle, that). These days, more enlightened attitudes prevail (although, given what has crawled out of the woodwork since Obama's inauguration, it appears a lot of crap was forgotten but not gone). Nonetheless, I think that greater interracial/inter-ethnic familiarity and interaction has brought us a long way forward.

      While racism can sometimes be equally subtle in Israel, I find it generally much more institutionalized and overt than in the US; it slaps one in the face all the time if one is paying attention. As an example, I used to spend a lot of time in Jerusalem's Old City, and got to know all four Quarters pretty well. I was struck by the street-cleaning regimen: motorized street sweepers in the Jewish Quarter what seemed like every day; motorized sweepers 2-3 times a week in the Christian and Armenian Quarters, supplemented by manual labor; and manual labor only in the Muslim Quarter. Or having a green traffic light for four seconds for traffic coming from an Arab neighborhood, but seventy-five seconds for traffic coming from a Jewish neighborhood (yes, I timed it). Or the fact that for years the only ATM in the Old City was in the Jewish Quarter. Or constant delays, endless bureaucratic excuses, and regular short-changing when Arabs try to collect state benefits to which they are entitled.

      I have spent a good bit of time in all the countries you mentioned, and can't say that I have ever felt singled out because of my complexion. I have had people make rude comments about my status as an “infidel” but these incidents have been very few and far between. In general, I've always felt comfortable and welcome in Arab countries.

      People in both cultures ask questions that many Westerners might find invasive: Arabs tend to ask about your private life (age, marital status, number of children (unmarried and/or childless couples beware!), etc. but are generally glad that you are visiting their country. Israelis, on the other hand, all seem to be subcontractors for the security services. Small talk between a medical tech and me WHILE UNDERGOING AN EXAM: where do you work? where do you stay in Israel? why are you staying in an Arab neighborhood? do you know many Arabs? how did you meet them? how long have you been here? how long are you staying? Sheesh, she never even asked me what sites I had visited or if I was enjoying my stay.

    • pronomad May 18, 2011 at 12:26 pm

      All TV and movies are NOT subtitled in Arabic. I canceled my YES cable subscription because I was tired of the embarrassment of having Arabic-speaking friends or relatives over, and not being able to switch to Arab subtitles (of course, Hebrew, English, and Russian are all available).

      "I don’t believe [racism] is significantly worse here than in other countries I’ve visited." Hey, I grew up black in the US (still am, BTW :-)), and my family and many friends have experienced a sh**load of racism in our lives. As an adult I've traveled throughout Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, and in my experience Israel wins the racism sweepstakes hands down. I have never been anywhere else where I was viewed with such suspicion, where I was "randomly" selected for questioning so frequently, where I was stopped so often and asked to show my papers, where I have been asked point-blank "what are you doing here and how long are you going to stay?"

      Have you ever noticed how government offices in Jewish areas have protection from the elements, and chairs for clients to use while waiting; not so much in Arab areas. Have you ever been told that you must be mistaken and that you "couldn't possibly" be entitled to "preferred client" at the bank (until they took a look at your account balance)?

      True story: I was driving in Jerusalem a few years back with a friend of mixed Arab-European heritage. We were approaching our (Arab) neighborhood when we were stopped by the police. They had obviously mistaken him for a Jewish Israeli and wanted to warn us that the neighborhood we were about to enter was "dangerous" and "full of Arabs."

      Unfortunately, Israeli racism is alive and doing very well.

  • The New York Times's shameless Nakba distortion
    • pronomad May 16, 2011 at 9:40 am with 1 replies

      And so it continues; Radio France Internationale's coverage of yesterday's clashes categorized the Nakba in the same way. Amazing how the media can report on "refugees" approaching the "border", and not make the connection between their refugee status and the Nakba.

    • pronomad May 15, 2011 at 10:10 pm with 8 replies

      Not just the NYT. I'm extremely disappointed to see that Al Jazeeera English, in reporting on Egyptians demonstrating in front of the Israeli embassy in Cairo, is also describing the Nakba as mourning "the day Israel was created." Puzzling; one would expect an Egyptian reporter and native Arabic speaker to be well aware of the true significance of the word.

  • Flotilla massacre all over again? Israel kills 8 Nakba demonstrators at borders
    • pronomad May 15, 2011 at 4:56 pm

      So you want us to believe that after decades of receiving top-flight military equipment, the IDF is afraid of shouts and rocks? Jeez, if they're that wimpy, why don't we call in the Big Bad Wolf to huff and puff, blow the fences down, and sort out the conflict once and for all?

    • pronomad May 15, 2011 at 2:57 pm with 5 replies

      Hasbara alert; these people were not "infiltrators" as the term is generally understood: they didn't enter surreptitiously or with hostile intent. But since the term can have such nefarious connotations, Israel likes to use it in a variety of circumstances; it sounds so much more threatening than "protestors."

      According to an IDF order from last year, an infiltrator is "...anyone who enters the West Bank illegally...as well as a person who is present in the area and does not lawfully hold a permit....The order's language is both general and ambiguous, stipulating that the term infiltrator will also be applied to Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, citizens of countries with which Israel has friendly ties (such as the United States) and Israeli citizens, whether Arab or Jewish. All this depends on the judgment of Israel Defense Forces commanders in the field." (link to haaretz.com

  • And they scream when a street is named after Yihia Ayash in Gaza
    • pronomad May 11, 2011 at 3:00 pm

      You're welcome :-)

    • pronomad May 9, 2011 at 4:27 pm with 6 replies

      And how exactly did Hamas enter into the discussion? Wasn't the main point of this thread about the irony of an Israeli state-sponsored institution (named after a terrorist) honoring a terrorist organization? Nice try at deflection though.

      On the stats, who's got the sillier argument: you, with your contention that we're overestimating the significance of the Irgun because they were a tiny percentage of the population, or me with the argument that citizens of those cities, if informed that there was an armed group in their midst dedicated to violence against civilians and others, and which outnumbered the forces of law and order, would be wise not to underestimate them even if they represented a tiny fraction of the population as a whole?

    • pronomad May 9, 2011 at 2:03 pm with 4 replies

      hophmi: "...the Irgun, a tiny organization that represented a fraction of the Yishuv...." Actually, not so tiny; Irgun membership ranged from a few hundred to a few thousand; during the WWII period, it probably numbered at least 2,000 - 2,500, while it was estimated to have had 4,000 members in 1947.

      Now, a thought experiment: Jewish population of mandate Palestine in 1941 = 471,000, so with an Irgun of 2,500 members, that's .0053 of the population. Let's look at US cities with roughly equivalent populations:

      Atlanta (420,000): .0053 = 2,226
      Atlanta Police Department: 1,600 officers

      Kansas City (460,000): .0053 = 2,438
      Kansas City Police Department: 1,400 officers

      Sacramento (486,000): .0053 = 2,576
      Sacramento Police Department: 800 officers

      Now, let's go wild:
      New York City (8.2 million): .0053 = 43,460
      NYPD: 34,500 officers

      Yep, those pesky fellers from the Irgun; just a tiny group of rowdy hooligans; don't pay 'em no mind....

      “Critics of the Irgun have seen it as a terrorist organization." Right you are: these critics include the world Zionist Organization, the State of Israel, which branded them a terrorist organization in 1948 after the assassination of Count Bernadotte, and passed a Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance as a way to target them, Hannah Arendt, and Albert Einstein, but what do they know?

      "The Democratic Party was started by Andrew Jackson. The Democrats must be advocates of killing Native Americans." Well, no; Democrats have moved on from those early days and leave Native Americans alone these days. However Likud, which grew from Herut roots, still holds tight to its racist, expansionist, nationalistic, and oppressive ideology.

  • Palestinians do not need to be taught incitement of hatred. The occupation is their teacher
    • pronomad April 24, 2011 at 4:39 pm

      Embarrassed? Not at all. I'm no expert, but I at least know that "Galilee" and "Negev" are not cities. Caesaria? Haifa? Akko? According to my history books none of these cities were founded by Israelites, and until the rise of Zionism, none of them have had a majority (or even a significant minority) Jewish population, or experienced Jewish rule, since well over a thousand years ago. Tel Aviv? While it's true that TA is not an "ancient city, it expanded over the remains of a number of pre-existing Palestinian villages.

      So, what exactly makes theses places "Israeli" cities except for the mass influx wrought by Zionism? And why shouldn't the (Palestinian) people who were, until recently, living there call them by the Arabic names in use for centuries? Palestinians don't "consider" Israeli cities as Palestinian cities; they recognize (and resist the fact) that Israel is consciously trying to uproot and supplant Palestinian names, culture, history, and identity.

      As for Jerusalem, I hadn't noticed that Palestinians were claiming it; last I heard they were willing to share it and settle for the "eastern" part. Claiming the entire city seems to be an Israeli thing....

    • pronomad April 23, 2011 at 11:05 pm with 9 replies

      Jonah writes: "...why do the Palestinians persist in their daily education of hatred against Israel and the Jews – in the media, in schools and mosques; and why do they name the streets of their cities after Palestinian terrorists, and why – finally – do they continue to consider Israeli cities Palestinian Arab cities ….?

      Old, tired hasbara, debunked time and time again (see link to lawrenceofcyberia.blogs.com
      about the myth of incitement in the PA educational curriculum.

      As for naming streets after terrorists: pot, kettle, black. How many Israeli streets, public squares, institutions, etc. are named after moral and ethical luminaries such as Begin, David Raziel, Jabotinsky, etc., not to mention the infamous "Gandhi's road", named after an Israeli minister who advocated the "transfer" of Palestinians?

      And now to the issue of cities: would you be referring to cities such as Sderot (previously known as the Palestinian village of Najd), or perhaps Ashkelon (previous known as the Palestinian village of Al-Majdal), or maybe Lod (previously known as al-Ludd), or...well, you get the idea.

  • Help bring Al Jazeera English to U.S. airwaves
    • pronomad February 7, 2011 at 2:58 pm

      I love Al Jazeera. I too have been a devoted viewer since they went on-air and go through withdrawal when I come back to the US; thank God for Livestation. However, I'm of two minds about their being available in the US. While I would love to get the same penetrating coverage from AJE that I expect no matter whether I'm in the US or not, part of me wonders if we wouldn't end up with an "Al Jazeera USA" feeding us the same pablum that we have now, such as the latest doings of the phenomenally untalented Kardashians or other Hollywood luminaries, penetrating and insightful analysis from the world of yachting and golf, endless coverage of the slightest change (or not) in the weather, and the seemingly boundless appetite for school shootings, car chases, and other crime stories, just to stay "competitive."

  • Some are born great, some achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon em, and some have none of the above
    • pronomad February 7, 2011 at 3:56 am with 1 replies

      Five years of study, three four-year universities, two junior colleges, and a degree in journalism, culminating in a barely coherent entry hardly recognizable as English. Why people continue to take this empty shell seriously continues to astound me.

  • All paperwork was in place for the 8 and 9-year-olds to see the beach, and permission issued...
    • pronomad January 18, 2011 at 2:05 pm

      Thanks for this Jeff. Actually, the situation with traffic lights can be even worse than you describe; I recall that at Jerusalem's French Hill/Shu'fat junction a few years years back, multi-lane traffic coming from the Israeli side had a green light for about 70-75 seconds to pass, while the single-lane traffic from the Arab side had only about 4 seconds before the light switched from green to red.

      Many also do not realize that Israel openly discriminates in favor of Palestinian Christians; I've seen Palestinians allowed to pass at checkpoints, or allowed to "cut" the line, etc, ahead of other Muslim compatriots once the soldiers noted a "Christian" name on the ID. Similarly, permit restrictions are normally lifted for Christians from the West Bank during Christmas and Easter (sometimes for weeks), allowing them to spend the holidays with relatives in Jerusalem, while permit restrictions are usually tightened for Muslim holidays, preventing young Muslim men from entering the city to worship, visit family etc. with their spouses and children.

  • The first fight was, I'm sick of lecturing Arab women on how they dress
    • pronomad January 16, 2011 at 11:14 pm

      I'm with you on this one Phil. There's a lot of misinformation out there (boy, if only I had a nickel for every time I had to confirm that no, all Arabs are not Muslim), and when the opportunity presents itself, well, it's hard to resist. Some people talk sports, some people talk books...you talk Mondoweiss, and we are the better for it.

      Of course you're passionate; can't have a revolution without emotion.

    • pronomad January 16, 2011 at 10:58 pm

      "Islamic society has really devolved in the last couple of decades." Now there's a broad (and loaded) statement. What's your definition of an "Islamic society?" A society with a Muslim-majority population, e.g. Algeria, Senegal, Indonesia? Or a society that is "fundamentalist" in the Western, pejorative sense of the term, e.g. Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia? Or is it a society that is religiously "moderate" (again from a parochial Western view), but with the Muslim Brotherhood gaining strength in the background, e.g. Egypt, Jordan? Muslim society is not monolithic; just as "Christian" societies vary from North America to South America to Africa, so too do Muslim societies differ.

      Many of these societies have been feeling as if they are under attack from the West for decades now. Most are living through difficult times, whether in economic, political, social, or military terms. Under the circumstances, it's not unusual for a population in distress to turn to religion for strength and to make sense of their situation. Why does a focus on outward signs of religious expression imply societal "devolution" or backwardness to you?

      "I’m guessing no matter how sympathetic every single commentator on this thread is to the Palestinian cause, not a single one of them would voluntarily want to live in an Islamic society." And you would be wrong. There are quite a number of expats living all over the ME (ever been to Dubai?); I'm one of them. There are many more like me who came, fell in love with the culture, and stayed. Sure, I've run across the occasional anti-Western and/or anti-Christian bigot, but they are far outnumbered by the everyday people of all faiths who have no problem living with each other.

  • Thanks National Geographic, Palestine needs to be travelled to
    • pronomad January 12, 2011 at 10:34 pm

      Hey, easy on the felafel; there's nothing better than ka'ak ou felafel and coffee to start the weekend. :-)

      Actually, these days it would be pretty difficult for religious tourists to miss the suffering of their Palestinian brothers and sisters, particularly if going to Bethlehem. All tour buses buses enter through the infamous Gilo checkpoint, with the wall staring you in the face as you cross into the city. Once inside, one can't help but notice how the wall truncates streets, abuts what would normally be lovely homes and yards, and isolates businesses, and there are any number of shuttered shops as you snake through the city on the way to the holy sites.

      On the way back, it's even worse, many buses will go right past the Intercontinental Hotel ( a really wonderful old structure) on the way to/from souvenir shops, and at the end of the block? A huge, gray, ugly wall, with the "prison door" for the bus to pass through. Of course, if any are unaware enough to try and cross back into Jerusalem on foot, they'll get the full-on Border Police treatment; no humiliation spared.

      It's the same if one is touring Jerusalem; it's hard not to notice the presence of the Border Police in and around the Old City, especially around holidays, settlers being escorted by armed guards as they traverse the Arab quarter, etc.

      While some tourists are clearly at a loss on how to process this info, a significant number of the ones I have met have been shocked at the reality, and I'll bet the word is spreading back home, slowly but surely.

  • Mossad chief's statement removes Iranian nuclear threat (Will the 'Atlantic' report it here?)
    • pronomad January 10, 2011 at 4:21 pm

      This story was first reported in Haaretz last Friday (link to haaretz.com
      Besides Dagan's comments, what I found most interesting was the historical revisionism re Mossad under his leadership, especially this: "During his term, Dagan restored the Mossad’s reputation as an omnipotent organization whose reach extends to the ends of the earth − a myth that has contributed to Israel’s deterrence."

      Dagan took over in 2002; since then:
      2004 -- New Zealand passport scandal;
      2006 -- colossal intelligence failures in the lead-up and execution of the war on Lebanon;
      2008 to date: Lebanese security and intelligence services arrest a stream of Israeli spies;
      2010 -- Dubai fiasco, which is likely why Dagan's term was not extended;

      Mythmaking in action.

  • 'J Street' honorably opposes McCarthyism in Israeli civil society (but what about ethnically-cleansed Palestinians?)
  • More on Joel Greenberg and his rabbi father
    • pronomad January 9, 2011 at 2:54 am with 1 replies

      Richard, please. NYT: Ethan Bronner, Isabel Kershner; WaPo: Howard Schneider, Joel Greenberg, (not sure about Janine Zacharia); NPR: Linda Gradstein. Remember the series Phil ran a while back with the journalist Felson (?? - hope I got the name right) and his recounting of the old-boy network in the Jerusalem news bureaux? Are you seriously contending that membership in the tribe is not one of the critical determinants in being assigned to the I/P beat?

      “...I doubt that an American English-speaking Jewish reporter would be particularly effective at reporting on Iranian politics....” Well, that's a pretty extreme example; I doubt an American would be very effective in North Korea either. But I don't see why an American journalist, Jewish or otherwise, couldn't report from almost anywhere else.

      “On Israel/Palestine, it does not make sense to have only a Jewish reporter addressing issues in Egypt, or Gaza, but very much makes sense on Israeli political issues.” NO NO NO; why can a Jew not cover events in Egypt? (I seem to recall Ben Wedeman doing a pretty good job of it for CNN International.) Now, it's possible that an Israeli Jew might have some awkward moments for historical reasons, but other nationalities would likely have a different experience.

      I'd really like to know why you think a Jewish journalist is uniquely qualified to cover Israeli political issues, as compared to non-Jews. What does one's religion have to do with it? Would you accept it if I were to tell you that news coming out of Afghanistan or Pakistan couldn't be fully trusted unless reported by a Muslim-American? Of course not.

      This idea of Jewish journalistic exclusivity, that somehow only Jews can really, truly understand the intricacies of the Israeli mind is, quite frankly, nonsense; the sooner we dispense with this notion, the better. What are these incredibly complex “I/P” issues anyway? National security? Military affairs? Justice, economic development, internal security? Political infighting? Refugees, immigration, religious tension? Racism, sexism, crime? Resolving historical wrongs visited upon a segment of the population? So far, I'm not seeing anything unique here; practically every country on the planet is grappling with most or all of these same issues.

      Israeli and American bigwigs are forever trumpeting how the US and Israel are both special countries, that we share the same values, we see eye-to-eye, we're on the same side, fighting the good fight; unshakable, unbreakable bond; best friends forever. Well, then, if we're such soulmates, it shouldn't matter if a journalist is Jewish or not, correct?

    • pronomad January 8, 2011 at 4:23 pm with 7 replies

      Exclusion of ex-IDF soldiers is a double-edged sword. People distrusted Greenberg as ex-IDF until more was revealed about his personal and family background. Would readers here have had the same reaction to an article written by Akiva Eldar? Noam Sheizaf? Yossi Gurvitz? Probably not. The real solution to this problem is to broaden the correspondent pool by posting non-Jews/non-Israelis as reporters; break the old-boy/girl network. Why must this be the only country where reporters have to be members of the tribe?

  • Who cares whether Jawaher Abu Rahmah had a previous condition?
    • pronomad January 7, 2011 at 9:09 pm with 2 replies

      Right.

      Pronomad: "Judge, I'm suing eee because I was paralyzed after being struck by some bullets fired by him that were flying around my neighborhood during a drive-by."

      eee: "It's not my fault; I wasn't aiming at him, but I shoot up that neighborhood every Friday."

      Judge: "So, Pronomad, you didn't know bullets were dangerous?" (Bangs gavel) "Next!"

  • Jews leave three D.C. turrets. Yes it matters
    • pronomad January 7, 2011 at 8:41 pm

      Kathleen: if this was directed to me, no; let's just say I'm from somewhere south of the Mason-Dixon line. :-)

    • pronomad January 7, 2011 at 8:39 pm

      Yikes Phil; having just reread your original post, I see I was responding under the influence of a massive brain fart. As for discussing the Jewish presence in the Establishment, I think Sean had it right in his comment above: you and your blogger colleagues are in the vanguard on this. The MSM cannot be counted on to do the job for fear of the backlash, but there's a big virtual world out there. The MSM can no longer control the flow of information or the terms of the debate. The more people recognize that what they are being fed just doesn't feel right, they more they question what they thought they knew, the more likely they are to end up here or at one of your blogroll links. The more they learn, the more they'll want to know; the more they know, the more this discussion on Jewish influence will break into the open. At that point, it won't be “redbaiting” but just a cold hard look at the powers- that-be behind the “I/P industry,” no different than focusing on tobacco companies or gun manufacturers.

    • pronomad January 7, 2011 at 12:54 pm with 5 replies

      I don’t know, Phil. Obama’s a smart guy; it’s hard to believe he or the key players on his team were unaware of the power or reach of the Israel lobby. How is the departure of Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod going to change facts on the ground? If Team Obama couldn’t get anything from Netanyahu with key players operating in a “Jewish world,” how are things going to be better when they’re gone?

      Last I checked, Dennis Ross is still prowling around, the Republican leadership is still rabidly pro-Israel, key Democrats are still on-side, George Mitchell is grasping at straws, and we’re telling the PA that pursuing diplomatic recognition and a UN resolution on a settlement freeze are “unhelpful”. Meanwhile, Netanyahu tells the world that really, he’s ready for peace and a settlement freeze, it’s just that the PA won’t cooperate, AND is ballsy enough to request the release of the most damaging spy of the last half-century within days of publicly giving us the finger. As Bill Clinton famously said: "who's the f***in superpower here?"

      Why doesn’t Obama take SOME steps to express his displeasure? There are a number of actions that would send at least a symbolic message and which are not subject to Congressional approval: why not ask the Justice Dept. to look into the tax-exempt status of pro-settler groups? Too radioactive? OK, how about delaying the delivery of some military supplies? Why not cancel a military exercise or two? Come on, man, you’re the POTUS; show some spine.

      Re NPR: great, the top news executive is gone: is the average viewer (who actually thinks they’re getting “balanced, objective” coverage) suddenly going to hear Terri Gross, Scott Simon, Robert Siegel et al. correcting guests who claim that Iran has a nuclear weapons program or wants to wipe Israel off the map? Will NPR send reporters into the WB to get stories and investigate, or will they continue to sit in Jerusalem and robotically parrot what IDF/MFA spokespeople tell them? Will we ever hear a report from the region from a reporter who’s not Jewish, hasn’t served in the IDF, isn’t married to an Israeli? How about (gasp?) posting a reporter of Arab origin? Or any other ethnic origin? Will we be hearing more about the arrest and detention of “Palestinian Gandhis”?

      I recognize that progress is being made in the trenches: BDS IS gaining traction, groups like JVP, SVP, and others etc. are out making a difference. This blog, and others, are reaching people and providing a great education on the history and the issues (hey, that's why I'm here). But we NEED some sign of life from the man at the top; flowery speeches and soundbites won't do any more.

  • Skeptical 'Washington Post' report on teargassing death is written by reporter said to have served in Israeli army
    • pronomad January 6, 2011 at 11:56 pm

      You're an Israeli, serving in your national military, in a country with mandatory conscription. Service in the US military is voluntary, and these days American journalists generally don't hide their service; if anything, they will slip it in if they can as a means of enhancing their credibility.

      Of course military service is not a predictor of bias; however, given that this country has been at war for over a decade now in the ME and elsewhere in the Muslim world, I for one would like to know which ME reporters have volunteered to serve in the Israeli military, why they chose the IDF over the US military, and why they think that this fact should be concealed from readers. Would WaPo/NYT editors give a similar pass to Iran correspondents downplaying Iran's "quest" for a nuclear bomb who had served in the Revolutionary Guards?

      I would not automatically discredit someone's ME opinion or writings because of service in the IDF, but it sure raises a red flag if they hide it from me.

  • Why does Israel ban Gazans from recycling?
    • pronomad January 7, 2011 at 11:46 am

      eee: During WWII, the Allied strategic bombing campaign was two-pronged: targeted raids against sites with military significance (factories, infrastructure, military bases, etc.) and “area bombing” designed to literally destroy enemy cities, such as the massive raids on Hamburg, Dresden, and Tokyo..
      What the IDF has done is different; undoubtedly farms, dairies , and bakeries were destroyed during WWII area bombing raids, but these raids were indiscriminate: they targeted anything in their path. The IDF, by contrast, is targeting chicken farms, flour mills, dairies, etc. The rules of war require that military force be used in attacks on military objectives: how does one justify these types of targets as military objectives? What do they have to do with the “war effort”?

  • Bil'in Popular Committee produces 4 eyewitnesses to Jawaher Abu Rahmah's teargassing
    • pronomad January 4, 2011 at 8:52 pm

      Yonira,

      Are you seriously trying to claim that the Israelis don't have a well-earned record for mendacity?

      Using places of worship to store weapons: just have a read of the first paragraph of link to lawrenceofcyberia.blogs.com
      regarding a Mandate-era weapons cache discovered in a synagogue

      Using ambulances for military purposes: take a look here (link to lawrenceofcyberia.blogs.com
      at the famous example of the IDF backtracking on their claim that an UNRWA ambulance allegedly being used to ferry rockets, as well as two examples of the IDF using ambulances to ferry troops on operations.

      Off topic but my all-time favorite so far regarding this Israeli tactic; I think the titles speak for themselves:

      1) link to haaretz.com

      2) link to haaretz.com

  • Never again? Elderly Palestinian women called 'whores' on Yad Vashem tour, while racism explodes across Israel
    • pronomad December 30, 2010 at 10:51 pm

      So you're saying that the Germans would have taken over, but somehow Palestinians would have still been in charge, eh? Do tell, how does that work exactly? I'm sure present-day Palestinians would love to know....

    • pronomad December 30, 2010 at 10:17 pm

      "Most of those that act cruelly themselves, or have others act cruelly on their behalf, literally do not know of the pain and struggle that is occurring and that Palestinians are willing to forgive (hopefully)."

      What is it about Israelis that you think they must be treated with kid gloves? It is not our role to help Israelis "not feel attacked; they needn't feel that way because THEY ARE NOT THE ONES BEING ATTACKED. Why must we continually hold Israeli hands and gently lead them to the truth? Do you think that the woman really doesn't understand that calling another woman a whore is painful? that settlers don't understand Palestinian attachment to the land when they prevent them from reaching their fields or burn down their olive groves? When they evict them from their homes?

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