At Park Avenue Synagogue, former US ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro calls himself a Zionist, and calls Israel a “miracle” and a “jewel” and says its establishment was fulfillment of a centuries-old dream. Maybe we should have known this before he was ambassador?
For the price of 59 Tomahawk missiles, Donald Trump managed to align himself with the DC establishment, recapture corporate media, distance himself from the controversial and fascistic Bannon and as an added bonus, increase his popularity among American Jews and Israelis. His move threw egg in the face at those who underestimated his prowess. Trump’s gambit worked.
The New York Times has run two pieces in the last couple of days arguing that religion has nothing to do with the real world. Passover is offered as a source of mystery, but not as a window on what is happening in Israel and Palestine. The Times is serving the winners, Leon Wieseltier and Shmuel Rosner, in the religious project that is Zionism.
Jonathan Cook reports the Palestinian commemoration of the Nakba in the Galilee may not be held for first time in 20 years, “The annual “March of Return” by Palestinians in Israel, commemorating the Nakba – the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes in 1948, has been blocked by the Israeli police for the first time in its history. The police have denied the organisers a permit, saying there is a shortage of officers to oversee the march. But Palestinian leaders in Israel accuse the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu of being behind the decision, in what they believe is the latest move to silence their commemoration of the events of 69 years ago.”
Perhaps the preface to the Seder should be stated starkly: “What we, as Jews, have done to you, the Palestinian people, is wrong. What we, as Jews, are doing to you, the Palestinian people, is wrong.” Though confession won’t end the occupation, it states clearly the context of whatever Passover narrative follows.
The claim that denying Israel’s “right to exist” is tantamount to seeking the complete annihilation of its (mostly Jewish) people has long sat at the core of Israeli apologia. The Palestinian refusal to recognize a Jewish State is conveniently read as intransigence – a convenient trick from the Israeli box of magic to turn public opinion against them.
The New York Times last ran an opinion piece in favor of Boycotting Israel more than three years ago, by Omar Barghouti. Since then it’s run seven piece against the international campaign. What happened to open debate?
Liberals supported the boycott of North Carolina over the bathroom bill, and it forced North Carolina to change. But those same politicians oppose boycott of Israel, though it’s the only means of ending discrimination there nonviolently.
Palestinian held in vehicular killing of an Israeli soldier is Malik Ahmad Moussa Hamid, 23. A calm and well behaved man, he often spoke of his two best friends, Anas Bassam Hammad and Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Ayyad, killed by Israeli forces in December 2015 while carrying out vehicular attacks.
Virtually the entire establishment has lined up behind him, Obama aides are quietly cheering, Anne-Marie Slaughter finally got what she wanted, Brian Williams found the images of war “beautiful,” and the few Democrats who have challenged Trump, notably Chris Murphy of Connecticut, are hedging by the second, under the glare of Chris Matthews.