Juan Cole says, Give Emanuel a chance, don't judge him by his father. Fair enough. He adds sensibly:
Or they can dither, in which case a permanent Apartheid situation is
inevitable, which I think the world community will find completely
unacceptable over time and which might well spell the end of Israel
(just as in-you-face Apartheid spelled the end of the old South African
government).
This is brilliant and true. But Cole then appends a Chris Matthews' interview with congressional candidate Rahm Emanuel and John Fund of the Wall Street Journal in 2002, about Bush's endorsement of a Palestinian state, where Matthews touches on the Jewish vote (not a word about Jewish money of course). I find the interview deeply demoralizing. Emanuel says the Palestinians aren't ready for a state. They have to prove themselves as partners first. I find this truly sick-making. (And I'm sure Juan is in agreement, from stuff he says).
Did Pakistan have to prove itself? (Huge ethnic cleansing) Did India? (Huge ethnic cleansing) Did Kosovo? (Involvement with ethnic cleansing) Did Israel? (Substantial ethnic cleansing, continuing to this day)
This is all you need to know about the Middle East. Pakistan, India, and Israel have had states for 60 years. Kosovo for 1 or 2. But Palestinians must prove themselves. And Emanuel was demanding that proof in 2002, so they've had another six years of not being able to prove themselves. As Henry Siegman has written, the peace process is a "scam" that has provided cover to Israeli expansion. Obama surely knows this.
(Thanks to the oceanic Sky Redoubt for the tip…)
