J.J. Goldberg reports on a key moment at that Jerusalem Post conference about Israel in New York last Sunday. I think this is about hubris, the downfall of the lobby. The longtime principle of the Israel lobby is that there must never be daylight between the U.S. government and Israel. Dershowitz invokes that principle. But the crowd could care less. Hubris, pride before the fall. (Though there’s also a dual loyalty reading– Dershowitz urging Jews not to demonstrate it).
Another flashpoint was the caustic, 15-minute attack on President Obama by arch-conservative Jerusalem Post columnist Caroline Glick, who brought parts of the audience to its feet with repeated cheers for her, boos for the president and a standing ovation at the end. Speaking soon after her, Dershowitz angrily warned the crowd against undermining Israel’s relations with Washington by such hostile displays. “Do not ever, ever boo a president of the United States” when “speaking in the name of the state of Israel,” he scolded. The crowd’s response was a mix of polite applause and more angry boos.
I heard about the Glick in another context, she’s calling for the one-state solution. Jerusalem Post:
Caroline B. Glick, Post senior contributing editor, drew cheers from the crowd when she called for permanent Israeli control of Judea and Samaria, saying it was better to keep the Palestinians inside Israel rather than allow them to establish a “terror state.”
She also quoted a Post poll indicating that less than one-third of American Jews believe Obama is a friend of Israel.
The ever-eloquent Alan Dershowitz garnered a standing ovation from the crowd when he appealed to Israelis not to hang their dirty laundry in public, keep internal debates in Israel and, when on American soil, refrain from criticizing standing presidents such as Obama, who was essentially a friend of Israel.
i had a dream of an image this morning before i woke up. it was two marionetes in a typical puppet booth like they have at the fairs. the two marionetes were sparring back and forth, electioneering. one was obama and one was romney. they were both being handled by the same puppeteer.
I think this is about hubris
I agree, and I think it is also what lies at the heart of what Diskin called Netanyahu and Barak’s “messianism”, and what’s been bugging Israel’s generals and chief spooks about the country’s political leadership for quite some time.
I don’t know whether it’s been translated, but there’s a good article in today’s Haaretz, by Reuven Pedatzur, on Israel’s “third generals’ rebellion”.
Who were the nutcases in this audience?
A dream? And also the Dershowitz dream (or noxious fiction) of “Zif Unity” in Israel.
As if.
It is a sad day when Dershowitz is somehow ” a good guy” now for being critical of some unruly, loud critics of the US and President Obama. Dershowitz just wants to keep the “dirty linen” in the closet. Even worse is the affection many MW supporters of Palestinian rights are giving to the ardent Zionist,political military and intelligence members of Israel who are speaking out against the rhetoric and policies of the Netanyahu/Barak gang. Lets not forget the crimes , massacres, torture, ethnic cleansing that they all have all played a significant part. Politicians Peres, Olmhert, Livni, if there was a just world they would be on the dock in Hague. So would the Shin Bet officials and military Officers, Diskin, Dagan, Gantz and others. Much of their criticisms are for political and personal reasons, not for a just “humane” policy toward the Palestinians, of which there cannot be no matter what some American Zionists say to the contrary. And their criticisms of Israel’s Iran rhetoric , war talk, is obviously trying to stop Netanyahu from destroying Israels relationship with Washington and the the Pentagon. So while their critique is helpful, if one does not desire a war with Iran, and I agree it is, lets not forget their history and past actions.