A fascinating feature from the weekend’s Wall Street Journal on the profound troubles facing Jews in Yemen. I often argue anti-Semitism is a phenomenon that is deliberately exaggerated in the West to justify Israeli actions, but these stories seem real and devastating: In his new suburban American home, Shaker Yakub, a Yemeni Jew, folded a…
Showing all posts tagged United States
AIPAC loves Obama and peace does not
A sadly accurate headline from Eileen Read on True/Slant after the Obama administration’s latest cave-in to Israel: Hillary Clinton Makes a New Friend in the MidEast: AIPAC
Young Jews must lead the way or occupation will continue forever
Washington’s capitulation to Israeli demands to allow continued expansion of the occupation is just the latest signal that the Middle East will not be changed by pretty Barack Obama speeches. Mondoweiss outlines what’s at stake and the necessity to increase our grassroots effort to speak above and beyond political spin: At a panel at J…
Don’t think bombing Iran is off the table
Two peace-loving nations get together to discuss poetry and Shakespeare: Nine soldiers from the Ohio Army National Guard have joined 1,000 U.S. troops and the Israeli Defense Forces in joint military exercises in the Mediterranean Sea that include preparation for an Iranian missile attack on Israel. The major air defense drill, called Juniper Cobra 10,…
Obama talks about Israel and kisses her deeply
The Palestinians are slighted once more (and people are still unclear whether Barack Obama is pro-Israel?): Dealing a blow to the Obama administration’s efforts to restart Middle East peace talks, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton failed Saturday to persuade the Palestinian leader to accept an Israeli proposal that would slow but not stop the…
Less and less people dislike Jews, deal with it
With these figures on anti-Semitism surely a good sign, how many Jews truly believe that criticising Israel is anti-Semitic? And how many Jews would like to erect boundaries around “acceptable” debate over the Middle East? Anti-Semitic attitudes in the United States are at a historic low, with 12% of Americans prejudiced toward Jews, an Anti-Defamation…
J Street believes in Israel as a strong Jewish state
The level of delusion in the American community that allows this headline to even exist: J Street holds anti-Zionist conference The organisation itself could not be more conventional in its views on the Middle East.
Dispatch from J Street
My following article is published in the Huffington Post: The Obama administration’s National Security Adviser General James Jones told the “pro-Israel and pro-peace” Israel lobby J Street this week that America believes “Israeli security and peace are inseparable.” The comment received a wild cheer, although similar comments were made during the Bush years. The over…
Jon Stewart tackles Palestine in prime time
Last night’s Daily Show here in the US was a watershed: interviews with Palestinian politician Mustafa Boughouti and Jewish writer Anna Baltzer. On mainstream television the key issues of the Middle East were discussed: occupation, boycotts, Zionism, Israeli expansionism, human rights, Judaism, peace and the role of America. No wonder some Zionists were shocked. They…
J Street pushing a policy that leads to disappointment
My following article appears in today’s Crikey: Antony Loewenstein writes from Washington DC: During this week’s first J Street conference in Washington DC… ”‰—”‰a US-based, “pro-Israel and pro-peace” lobby group that aims to widen the debate over the Middle East… … ”‰—”‰an older woman stood up in a session titled “What does it mean to be pro-Israel?” and…