Another war against Gaza is being increasingly discussed in Israel. And why not? Who would stop them? Washington? Hardly: Israeli chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi said on Tuesday that Israel’s next battle would be waged also on Gaza Strip and would include confrontations in densely-populated areas. During a graduation ceremony of a new batch of…
Showing all posts tagged United States
Let the peaceful spirit of the 20th century wash over the Middle East
The famed Israeli peace activist Jeff Halper is making (important) friends in the strangest of places: Anyone who owns a radio probably knows the song “Turn, Turn, Turn” (To everything there is a season) very well. A number of versions of this song have become permanent fixtures on the play lists of most popular music…
Israel is falling apart; most Jews don’t want to know
Finally, the Americans are starting to tire of the Middle East conflict (even if they blame both sides for the impasse, oblivious to the clear power imbalance between Israelis and Palestinians). Here’s Thomas Friedman in the New York Times: Today, the Arabs, Israel and the Palestinians are clearly not feeling enough pain to do anything…
Palestinians are on their own and Washington will never help
Tony Karon in The National on the dawning realisation by the US-backed Palestinian Authority: The sad truth dawning on Ramallah, now, is that there will be no salvation from Washington. Not now, possibly not ever. A sad truth, perhaps, but the kind that can set free those who recognise it. In the shocked aftermath of…
Being critical of the state is our duty, says Chomsky
Noam Chomsky in the Guardian: Anti-Americanism is a pure totalitarian concept. The very notion is idiotic. Of course you don’t deny other crimes, but your primary moral responsibility is for your own actions, which you can do something about. It’s the same charge which was made in the Bible by King Ahab, the epitome of…
US government says Israel is an intolerant nation
Shock, horror: Israel dismally fails the requirements of a tolerant pluralistic society, according to a new report from the U.S. State Department. Despite boasting religious freedom and protection of all holy sites, Israel falls short in tolerance toward minorities, equal treatment of ethnic groups, openness toward various streams within society, and respect for holy and…
Love for Israel is for one primary reason (hint: it ain’t morality)
Who says money doesn’t buy slavish support for Israel (via Mondoweiss)? According to the Center for Responsive Politics, pro-Arab organizations have spent $70,000 on lobbying efforts since 1998, while pro-Israel groups have spent $5.8 million within the same period. Excluding trips within the United States, members of Congress travel most frequently to Israel.
Washington Post accuses Arabs of being unreasonable, hold the phone
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting notes the almost daily bias in the American media against the Palestinians (it’s their fault that they dare call for a settlement freeze in the West Bank?): Today’s Washington Post (11/2/09) notes the White House’s apparent softening towards the Israeli side in Mideast negotiations (the headline is “Israel Putting Forth…
It’s the US and Israel that remain isolated, not us
As the UN voted today to endorse the Goldstone report on Gaza – note the countries that sided with Israel, the US and Australia: how many client states can you count? – William Blum in his regular Killing Hope newsletter reminds us how isolated the US and Israel remain on another key human rights issue:…
How to kill all those Arab terrorists in one, painless attack
Aluf Benn in Haaretz needs to know whether America loves Israel for its brutal methods of managing “terrorism”. Please Washington, he seems to be saying, please love us. They already do, nearly to breaking point: It would be interesting to know if Obama, who is due to decide on the future of the war in…