In a disingenuous ‘NYT’ column Roger Cohen presents a fawning interview of Tzipi Livni and blames the Palestinian Authority for the Spring 2014 collapse of peace negotiations. The article is a recitation of standard Israeli talking points and fails to include Palestinian or American viewpoints which squarely put the failure of negotiations on continued Israeli settlement construction.
Ma’an News reports: ” Israeli forces on Tuesday suppressed a peaceful march calling for ‘Christmas without occupation’ in Bethlehem. Demonstrators marched to the Israeli military checkpoint in northern Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas and hand out gifts to children in the area. Marchers held up signs reading: ‘Jesus came with a message of: Peace, Freedom and Justice’ and ‘We want Christmas without occupation.’ Israeli forces prevented demonstrators, some of whom were dressed as Father Christmas, from reaching the checkpoint and fired tear gas at the crowd. Several people were treated at the scene for tear gas inhalation. Mazen al-Azza, an activist with the Palestinian National Initiative, told Ma‘an that the march had a peaceful Christmas message, but ‘Israeli soldiers did not miss the chance to suppress it by assaulting journalists and peaceful demonstrators.'”
It used to be verboten to suggest that the Israel lobby helped drive the disastrous decision to invade Iraq. Now James Mann says as much of the neoconservatives. And Chris Matthews says the same of Hillary Clinton.
Yesterday we posted a holiday greeting from the Israeli military. It was rather understated and we thought we could help them spruce it up a bit.
Facing a breakaway movement of idealistic Jews who are open to criticism of Israel, Hillel International announces a smartphone app that equates statements against Israel with anti-Semitism and hate speech
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach says he stopped taunting demonstrators last Saturday because he couldn’t be filmed on Sabbath. The religious claim sounds flimsy and is not borne out by the videotape. He kept shouting even knowing he was being filmed.
Alaa Radwan is 22 years old and has already lived through three wars in the Gaza Strip. She says there are lessons to be learned from everything, even war: “My grandmother one day told me that everything has a good side and a bad side, even a war. Everybody knows the dreadful face of wars. Those who have experienced wars, like Gazans, know best! “What good side, for God’s sake, could be in a war or a siege?” I stood still and asked myself. After three bloody Israeli wars, I found out the answer!”
An IDF Hanukkah greeting features a masked Israeli solider holding a drone while they light a menorah.
Gabriel Snyder, editor of the New Republic, said new writers “will be diverse in race, gender, and background.” The magazine “can no longer afford to represent the views of one privileged class, nor appeal solely to a small demographic of political elites.”
Fired artistic director Ari Roth says security escorted him from Washington DC Jewish center after he bucked its edict not to present any plays about Israel and Palestine