Our Israeli Allies

The fact that most Israelite don’t care enough to know where the settlements are, or care about them at all, seems to be a great reason to bring them up. Not that I care that he addresses the issue at all, imo we should stop giving Israeli’s any money or support.

What’s wrong here…well, I hate to tell you this, but Isreal is NOT OUR ALLY!!!!!!!
An Ally is not your best buddy or whatever. An ally is a country that signs a treaty of alliance with our country. We tried years ago to make this happen and they didn’t want to sign.
Allies don’t operate aggressive intelligencec ops against each other. Allies don’t operate huge lobbies to affect policy towards each other. Allies come to each other’s mutual defense.
You might consider Israel our friend, but they are by no means our ally.

If the Israelis don’t like our policies they can stop taking the foreign aid we give them.

Here we go again. Not knowing what we don’t know because we only listen to people who think like we do. Israeli’s don’t understand how important the settlement issue is to Arabs the same way that white America didn’t get what the Gates arrest meant to Black Americans. It’s visceral, because just like every Black person has a police story, every Arab has a story about losing land and property and having no right of return etc. The settlements are a burning insult to an oozing injury. A continuous reminder of abuses of power real or imagined.

We’ve spent decades talking to Israel and we will continue to talk to them, but to have any credibility in this process, Arabs need to feel that they are also part of the discussion. Just as Black Americans sought validation of their reality about police abuse of power through the medium the Gates outcome, Arabs are seeking validation of their concerns through the settlement outcome. It’s only when all sides feel validated can you being negotiation.

Now perhaps Israel should be ashamed that so few of their population have any knowledge of such an important issue to the other side. In this country, would we tell African Americans that incidents of racial bias is no big deal just because the vast majority of whites don’t have to deal with these kinds of events? Well I guess the answer if yes, so in any event we shouldn’t and they should learn from our mistakes and shouldn’t do it either.

Our relationship with Israel serves no interest for the US, while in fact actually stoking anti-US sentiment in the region. Israel subverts American security on a daily basis by way of spying, sabotage, black-flag ops, and leaking our intelligence to the highest bidder. Israel is not an ally. I see no reason why Obama should have to campaign his initiatives before the Israeli public.

I say make ‘em squirm.

mainstream Israelis rarely have anything to do with the settlements;

I’ve always felt that looking at regional differences in experience sheds a lot of light on viewpoints that are otherwise homogenized into oblivion by out TeeVee culture.

Interesting to note that the US isn’t the only place where that’s an important factor.

An ally doesn’t attack your ships and kill their crew members.

I don’t think a friend does, either.

Israel be another one o’ those subjects tha’ be “off th’ table” – no logical, rational, fact-based discussion allowed!

YARR!

Joe thinks the Arab states should make front-end concessions. But that assumes good faith on the Israeli side. There is no evidence of that at all. If there were any good faith Israel would have responded to the Arab peace plan offering full normalization for a peace deal based on the green line.

Tel-Aviv is very insulated. I was in Israel and the West Bank in 2006 during the offensive against Hezbollah. Around Jerusalem and certainly in the West Bank it was evident that there was an ongoing conflict, security was high, people were talking about it, etc etc. But in Tel-Aviv the city was utterly unphased. The city was bustling. North Tel-Aviv piers were crowded every night with party-goers, club-hoppers, and the restaurants were jam packed well into the night. I heard little to no chatter about what was happening in the north. It was if it was in another land altogether. The Tel-Aviv populace is either strikingly complacent or entirely ill-informed. Either way, the undying flames of hostility in and around the Jerusalem area are in no way indicative of the entire nation of Israel. Most, I believe, simply go about their lives with little to no thought of what occurs in Gaza or the West Bank.

I share what appears to be a common concern other commentators are making. What benefit has Israel as this supposed ally actually brought to us? We’ve allowed our Middle Eastern policy initiatives to be driven too long by certain special-interest groups with a disproportionate impact on our government. I don’t understand logically how we wouldn’t make more of an effort to win the hearts and minds of those who are a great risk to our nation. Try to find the middle ground with them in order to minimize the dangers they pose to us. Instead we seem to repeatedly worry about what Israelis think? WHY? Are they fighting our battles for us – literally? If anything their military efforts against the Palestinians have only done more harm to our goals than any good.

We can no longer let the fear of them screaming antisemitism dictate our foreign policy in the region. Its time we use actual strategic thinking to get the best benefit for us – even if that means not for Israel. Does this mean we do not offer them support, no, we should but that support should be tempered with the realities that its about our interests first. If they want to go it alone, have at it, lets see how they feel when we’re not giving them millions in aid.

$3-$4 billion per year in traceable aid. Not including arms shipments, and numerous other unaccountable perks. The Israel loans (which almost always are forgiven later on and thus become grants) are granted in the beginning of the fiscal year. Israel is the only country to get their aid in one lump sum in the beginning of the year.

” .. You might consider Israel our friend .. “
Maybe not.
* It should be remembered that Israel and the Israelis still owes us a blood debt – for the American blood they wantonly spilled and the American lives they violently terminated in the Mediterranean sea.
[We normally respond brutally to harm that befalls one of our own at the hands of foreigners.]
[We note that those foreign Israelis are good at remembering their blood debt and seeking those who spilled Israeli blood - for decades if not centuries.]

* Not to forget the specter of our sovereign leader (GWB#43) being ordered off a golf course to receive instructions from a foreign sovereign Olmert on how USA must vote at the UN! Yes, Bwana! And it is done!
[In a private moment of reflection, Israeli rabbis may wonder how autonomous is the USA vis-a-vis Israel and whether USA IS in fact a sovereign state - and not a de facto protectorate of Israel.]

And not to forget the ongoing insolence of the rogue state of Israel – whereby dollars of the tax-paying gentiles in USA are provocatively used to build illegal houses in Palestinian territories – totally against USA’s instructions and UN resolutions!
Yet USA has millions of homeless natives. Do the USA taxpayers work for the foreign state of Israel? Is that spelled in our constitution?

If Israel is our friend, then why do we need enemies?

Our Israeli Allies
JK says so. AIPAC says so.
Not the American hillbilly – who votes on details expenditures of the tax-dollars in the state capitals.

Does our constitution state that Israel MUST be our ally or that the imperial needs of Israel, the creature comforts of Israelis and the supremacist ego-trips of those foreigners shall supersede those of “We, the people”? Is funding for shelter and the happiness of foreigners more important to our lawmakers than the pursuit of happiness of more than 30 million currently starving and homeless Americans?

Were Americans asked to vote on the billions of dollars spirited off to Israel – so that these foreigners don’t have to toil for their livelihood but
- laze around in houses built by the beleagured American taxpayer;(*)
- and insult the intelligence of Americans;
- hatch bloody mischief and genocide against the Palestinians;
– and determine what new wars Americans are going to fight on their behalf?

JK, why are they “our allies”? [And don't give us that crap about phantom ties and religious myth.]

* The story is that the billions of dollars the Americans throew at Israel goes into social programs. Indeed, the dollars the Israeli would spend i those social programs are thereby freed to be spent on warmongering and aggression in Palestinian lands. So indeed, USA indirectly enables and funds Israeli adventurism, aggression, crimes against humanity and lip.

Okay, sigh, I’m not playing spob and will take the hit, but am really wondering about the animosity here…and Exiled knows my mostly pacifist views. That aside, (not seriously) are we supposed to just call the whole thing off and send Israelis back to Egypt? Will that make everyone happy? Wasn’t Israel attacked by their neighbors when founded? And 1973? And there was a chance to have a Palestinian state in 1948…but the neighbors rejected it? Why are they fighting? Is it for religious reasons? The Dead Sea? Islam and Judaism worship the same God. I’d really like to know. (I hate ranting, sorry)

Consider this: If the Korean-Americans in USA would likewise vociferously declare North Korea “our ally” then NoKo could go about building their nukes and embark on any aggression they desire with impunity. We would even throw in a few billions of dollars a year for their creature comforts – and cover their backside against the barbarians at the UN.

And if Zimbabwean-Americans take the hint …
And if African-Americans can take the hint …

If Israelis are so disinterested in settlements that they don’t know anything about them, how are they outraged the Obama would demand the issues surrounding them be settled?
We are just seeing Benn reflect the hypocritical tea tantrum that Israel is throwing because it has fallen from being the most important state in our union to the 5th or 6th.

Wasn’t Israel attacked by their neighbors when founded?

It only takes one to start a conflict but it certainly takes two to sustain it across multiple generations. People talk about the amount of foreign aid we provide to Israel but what we don’t discuss is how much that foreign aid depends on them still being in danger.

We are literally paying them to prolong the conflict and avoid peace. Change the incentive and they’ll change the behavior.

,i>” .. We are literally paying them to prolong the conflict and avoid peace. ..
Indeed.
Quite succinct.

The initial fighting in 1948 was due to the fact that Palestine (now Israel, West Bank and Gaza) was partitioned in a clumsy manner, with the bulk of land going to a minority Jewish population. The Arabs living there, in excess of a million, were rightly unhappy with only having 45% of the land while they held a two-thirds majority. Subsequently, Israeli Zionists whose goal was a Jewish state began ‘cleansing’ towns of Arab inhabitants causing a massive exodus of refugees. The neighboring Arab states consequently attacked Israel, but were swiftly beaten. The wars that followed were sometimes instigated by Arab states, sometimes by Israel, yet always ended with Israel’s borders expanding, in violation of the UN Charter and the 4th Geneva Convention. Land acquisition through war is a violation of post-WWII international law. In 1967, Israel instituted its settlement policy, again in violation of international law. The 4th Geneva Convention forbids the transfer of a nation’s civilian population to occupied territories. Gaza and West Bank were soon home to many Jewish-only towns protected by Israeli troops. The West Bank now has 500,000 Israeli settlers in an elaborate network of Jewish-only settlements, linked by Jewish-only roads, and protected by Israeli military, all within the recognized sovereign borders of the West Bank. Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled these settlements illegal, yet they continue. There is also the 18 year occupation of Lebanon by Israel, from 1982-2000 which was a brutal occupation that led to the formation of Hezbollah. So long as Israel remains on land illegally annexed, continues to provide security, capital and resources to illegal settlements on sovereign territory, and blockade the people of Gaza in ghastly conditions there will continue to be irreconcilable issues that lead to conflict.

A quick summary of Israel’s military operations by Professor Stephen Walt
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/01/17/the_myth_of_israels_strategic_genius

Me own “animosity” be regardin’ th’ ongoin’ thumbin’ o’ th’ nose by successive Israeli governments t’ th’ UN an’ th’ rest o’ th’ world, an’ th’ double standard we be employin in regards t’ th’ Israeli government – hand o’er th’ money, mouth’ th’ platitudes, no questions asked!

This be no’ ’bout Isreal’s ri’ t’ exist fer me, bu’ instead ’bout their “ri’” t’ be held t’ a diff’rent standard than th’ rest o’ th’ world. Thar be no open discussion regardin’ th’ actions o’ Israel – it be shut off by our own government, in bed ag’in wi’ another lobbyin’ group – AIPAC.

If th’ Palestinians were killin’ th’ same number o’ Israelis tha’ Israel be killin’ Palestinians, if Palestinians were settin’ up illegal settlements wi’in Israel, ye can be bettin’ thar’d be some hew an’ cry comin’ fr’m th’ US!

Some o’ us be soundin’ harsh, bu’ I be b’lievin’ th’ issue be tha’ it be long past time we stopped supportin’ Israel’s ongoin’ breakin’ o’ international law, an’ ongoin’ killin’ o’ Palestinians! It be long past time we be holdin’ Israel t’ th’ same standard we be holdin’ ev’ryone else, an’ stop treatin’ ‘em li’ they be above reproach – they most definite’ no’ be!

Arrgh!

@JK: …the latest public opinion surveys from Israel are disappointing–but not insurmountable.

The President of the United States has to gain the approval of the Israeli public?

Obama needs to explain his policy to the Israeli public.

And then what happens, Joe?

Or, historically, hasn’t Israel pretty much done what it wanted, regardless of US policy?

The problem is we have done everything to help Israel reach for peace with their neighbors and they continue to kick sand in the faces of the Palestinians.

As far as history, I need to give you the information which is not in the history books. Israel and the Hussein family of Jordan (later Trans-Jordan) reached a secret unsaid deal. Israel was not interest in an separate Palestinian state, which would have been a constant threat to Israel, and Jordan was interested in conquering territory (Jordan offered the Zionists an opportunity to become a part of the Kingdom of Jordan, which the Zionist politely declined). They agreed to a split and only fought over Jerusalem. How else do you explain Israel surviving with a stretch of territory only 10 miles wide?!

As far as 1973, after Egypt and Syria attacked Israel, Jordan asked Israel’s permission to fight against it!? And Israel told them, “yes”?! You can’t make this stuff up! This was all a part of the facade of Jew vs. Arab.

In Israel, the threat from the outside unites Jews who have different backgrounds and different interests. If they did not have the Arabs, they would fight among themselves. For Arabs it is worse, rather than Arab countries focusing on their own internal problems, they use Israel as a scapegoat and a whipping boy. As crazy as it sounds, most governments condone and encourage this insanity!

deconstructive, I don’t think anyone here is suggesting that we turn our backs on Israel, the issue is that because of wars in the Middle East and the war on terror, more and more Americans realize that we’ve conceded a great deal to what Israel wants with no direct benefit to us. I mean for example, i think Israel should keep Jerusalem, its a point I don’t think we should concede, but there’s no reason for Israel to continue to support any settlements that have repeatedly been falted and demonstrated to be illegal, even by UN resolution:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_446

They have no right to these settlements and we shouldn’t back them up on it.

Hey Joe, what grape_crush said….

While there are absolutely many valid opinions being expressed in response to this post, i’m a little dissappointed at the outright resentment of our relationship with Israel. For anyone to flat out state that we don’t have an extremely important and valuable strategic relationship with the Israelis is nonsense. It’s obvious that our relationship with the Israelis causes problems for the US, yet it still provides an important coalition with the only truly functioning democracy in the region. To deny that the benefits of our relationship with Israel outweigh the costs is naive and ignores the fact that we depend on Israel for balance and support in the region.

Ha ha. If we don’t watch out they are going to spy on us and steal our technology.

oh and to expand on that point about Israeli public opinion surveys, maybe the question should be what current American opinion polls suggest about our current policies with Israel. I know Swampland is not suggestive some trend, but I think it’d be interesting to see what Americans feel now, versus 10 years ago. The GOP loves to go on and on about the importance of standing by Israel, as if that is how Americans universally feel, but I have a feeling the sentiment just isn’t there.

Could you actually demonstrate how exactly Israel does this – I’m not saying I disagree with your point – however, its that generalization that allows us to sometimes not look at how easily we bend to Israeli expectation.

It’s about our strategic interests, not theirs, not anyone else’s. We can give a little here and there, but why do we primarily give to them? If what you say is true, then how exactly, specifically do we benefit?

Thanks, exiled, pirate, fhm, and ym. fhm, do you have links on these behind-the-scenes events? I love studying secret deals, that’s where most things get done (alas). We gotta get KT and Jay REALLY drunk one evening for the skinny on their stories’ real backgrounds. And Amy too.

@indepandering: To deny that the benefits of our relationship with Israel outweigh the costs is naive…

Hmmm…Guess I need to find something that clearly defines what those benefits and costs are. Suggestions?

.…and ignores the fact that we depend on Israel for balance and support in the region.

Ambiguous. The US does have other allies in the region, at least nominally. Could you be more specific as to what you mean by ‘balance and support’?

Deconstructiva….

I implore you to read the following…

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/07/gaza-israel-palestine

http://www.ifamericansknew.org/history/origin.html

http://web.hks.harvard.edu/publications/workingpapers/citation.aspx?PubId=3670 (click on the PDF file by Stephen Walt)

http://www.chomsky.info/articles/20090119.htm

http://www.carolmoore.net/nuclearwar/israelithreats.html

It be easier t’ be havin’ a “functionin’ democracy” when ye can be manipulatin yer population t’ be maintainin’ th’ numerical supremacy o’ one religious group. I be understandin’ this were why Israel were founded, bu, t’ be callin’ such a jury-rigged system a democracy be stretchin’ it a mi’.

Fer instance, it took nigh on 200+ years, bu’ we finally have a black president – wha’ d’ ye think th’ odds be in Israel t’ be havin’ a Christian ‘r a Muslim PM – ever?

I’d be acceptin’ th’ term “democratic theocracy”, bu’ democracy? No’ quite.

arrgh.

http://attendingtheworld.wordpress.com/2007/10/07/us-aid-to-israel-aipac-not-in-our-interests/

Thanks Exiled for sharing with everyone. Powerful.

Whoa there, neo…light an’ sprinklin’ wi’ th’ links! Too many a’ one time be overwhelmin’ !

Arrgh!

Sorry for all the posts and links, I tried to submit them as one single post, but every time my post simply disappeared…
~

Independering

So, because Israel is a democracy they are our allies by default? What of Lebanon? Which has an extremely intriguing power-sharing structure between Shia, Sunni, and Christian based on democratic representation?

I be conflicted regardin’ Jerusalem – it would’a been better fer it t’ve been something o’ a world-protectorate instead o’ th’ capital on’ one country based on th’ readin o’ one religion’s sacred book…

It be done now tho – an’ I b’lieve thar needs t’ be a way t’ share it – Muslims be havin’ a legitimate claim based on tha’ standard, too!

Arrgh!

I completely understand the point your trying to make and there’s no way to deny that the Israel lobby has too large of an influence upon the government. And yes, we do have allies in the region (personally i’d rather not depend on Egypt and Saudi Arabia as the go-to players) but I feel that in such a volatile part of the world it’s important to have a friend that shares specific policies as well as interests globally. And while the Israelis continue to advance their own interests which may at times be at odds with Americans, the overall goal of peace and prosperity is a common one. Netanyahu is obviously pandering to the typical right-wing Israeli politics but such a rigid ideology is bound to moderate as the other key players (syria, Hamas, etc.) come to the table ready to play ball. Once we reach that goal it will be an immense achievement, and as long as Israel remains ground zero for Middle Eastern conflict I don’t see how we could ignore such a situation.

Thanks. If you implore me I guess I’ll have to read them all, esp. the guardian, but can I save Chompsky until last? Reading him is sometimes like fusing Palin’s rhetoric with Joyce’s Finnegans Wake.

Haha, yea, read in any order you like. Just a little light reading for the evening

the overall goal of peace and prosperity is a common one…..
.
There’s the part I don’t believe. If you want peace, the first step is to stop fighting. If you want conflict it’s even easier to acheive. Too many people have too much stake and profit invested in continued conflict.

Follow the money.

Like I said, all valid points, just trying to play a little devil’s advocate considering the liberal viewpoints i’ve seen expressed on this issue so far. But anyway…

Israel is definitely NOT our ally by default, but once again to deny our common interests seems a little off to me. And when I see posts drawing comparisons of our support to Israel with hypothetical support to Kim Jong Il, something has to be said. Just like Joe we all have issues with the way the Israelis handle things, in addition to the blind support our government has for Israel, but from a realistic view of foreign policy it would not be smart to alienate one of our strongest supporters and allies.

Independering

In case you were unaware, I am Republican. Opposition to Israel is not a liberal stance. Unwavering support for Israel is a bipartisan initiative which holds sway over the majority of the 535 Congressmen, both Democrats and Republicans. There is no ideology involved in taking Israel to task for its illegitimate stances and its liability to the US. Human rights violations are simply that, no matter what political philosophy you subscribe to.

I don’t see how you can actually believe that the Israelis WANT to continue fighting their Arab neighbors. I understand your trying to say the Military-Industrial complex has too much of an influence in Israel and the United States, but to actually say that the Israeli population is actively seeking ways to continue sending their sons and daughters to their deaths is nonsense.

Frankly, Joe, I read Aluf Benn and have found him interesting and informative. But I don’t get this “gripe”. Israel has been coddled, funded, protected at the UN by our veto and given tons of cash. They have spied on our government and still try to get a spy who is sitting in jail released. Every israeli Prime Minister presses a President on that spy and ask for him to be released. That’s really the limit.

So: question: is Israel and ally or is it a self-centred nation which thinks of us as useful idiots?

“…I feel that in such a volatile part of the world it’s important to have a friend that shares specific policies as well as interests globally.”

Please tell me you’re joking. What the f@ck do you think makes it so “volatile”?

Exiled_At_Home

I apologize for my poor wording, I didn’t mean to imply that it was a liberal stance but rather that this is an issue that is fairly polarized between the left and right wings of American politics. We all know the likes of Bill Kristol and Sarah Palin will take any chance to express their “undying devotion” to Israel.

Hmm, could Jerusalem be a city-state like the Vatican (ironic?), San Marino, or other tiny nations like Nauru? (and to realize Nauru is literally a giant pile of bird poo, but I digress) I doubt Italy has her eye on San Marino. A J-state power sharing council sounds sensible to me.

New here to posting but have followed most here for the past few months. That said, I’m still trying to understand what concrete benefits that the US has gained from its relationship with Isreal. It appears on the surface that we simply chose to side with the people that look like the majority demographic here in the states. Does Isreal guarantee our access to cheap and plentiful crude? Do we really care about what type of gov’t (democracy, theocracy, monarchy, anarchy…lol, etc) runs any of the oil producing middle eastern nations as long as we have access? I don’t believe that we do. Which makes me question what is it about Isreal that is of such strategic importace to the US? Welcome all answers that can enlighten me…

fairly polarized between the left and right wings of American politics

The failure of the left/right labeling to properly account for how people really think is part of the baggage we carry that prevents rational discussion.

It gets even worse when people allow their “team membership” to influence their thinking to the point where they actually argue positions they wouldn’t really believe if they they thought them through.

In any event I recommend http://www.politicalcompass.org/
to at least figure out which ‘side’ of the the left right axis you really belong on.

“is Israel and ally or is it a self-centred nation which thinks of us as useful idiots?”

Well, Israel is clearly not an “ally”, unless the definition is expanded to include “conditional and one-way”. Israel is, like most states, concerned with Israel first, its neighbors last and the rest of the world in order of how they can benefit Israel.
The US is foolish to depend on Israel any more than it would depend on any other middle east state. “functioning democracy” be dam’d. Israel can certainly be useful to the US, and should be treated that way by the US, but this unreciprocated, fawning infatuation is a recipe for disaster in international affairs as it is in interpersonal affairs.

As per the original 1947 UN Partition Plan, Jerusalem is to be an international zone with no single country claiming authority. Jerusalem was conquered, like half of present day Israel, through military annexation. Israel has no legitimate claim to the city of Jerusalem. It is to be a communal city where all three major religions have significant cause to play an active role.

Deconstructiva,

Irony lost…although, I can assume where you’re intending to go with that snark. I have endless rebuttal evidence if you care to go down that path.

Aw c’mon, go for it, toss the red meat history to us, don’t be shy. But read my quote again. You’re assuming snark where there is none (that’s my only hint). We do seem to disagree on many things, yes?

While generally hard-right wingers are more vocal in their unequivocal support for Israel, and certainly there is a large contingency of bigoted fundamentalist Christians, like John Hagee, who decry any criticism of Israel as anti-semitism and who are concrete in their belief that the Holy Land must remain Jewish to fulfill their self-generated prophecies, when push comes to shove, the left is equally culpable in this blindly one-sided support for Israel. Pelosi. The Clintons. Emanuel. And many others. When the time comes for AIPAC to induce Congressional letters attacking even the most-fickle Presidential rhetoric against Israel, the signatures are truly a miracle of bipartisanship. The most recent being the Cantor-Hoyer letter signed by nearly 400 Congressmen condemning Obama’s anti-settlement initiative.

On the other hand, both parties are home to some independent, rational thinkers with regard to Israel. In the GOP, for example, Former Rep. Paul Findley is founder of the Council for the National Interest, the counterpart to AIPAC, albeit substantially less influential. Also, Pat Buchanan, Dick Lugar, and Chuck Hagel are very vocal in their criticism of Israel and US one-sided policy.

I’ll carefully wager that your position is this, and hence your alleged irony:

Jerusalem could be an independent state, similar to that of the Vatican, which would be ironic in the Church harbors inherently anti-Jewish sentiments and yet could be a model for the autonomy of Jerusalem, a largely Jewish city….Am I close?

Neoexile –

Be ye REALLY wantin’ t’ be trottin’ out Pat Buchanan as an example o’ an “independent RATIONAL thinker” o’ ANY sort?

Yer brain’s run into a cloud o’ squid ink if ye really be b’lievin’ THA’ one!

YARR!

In regard to the sole issue of Israel, Pat Buchanan in a voice of independence. Have you heard his commentary on the conflict? I have no doubt that you would agree with him. He once debated Cliff May, President of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, with remarkable clarity on the issue. Buchanan rightly sees Israel as a liability and is courageous enough to voice his opposition to their failed policies and human rights abuses in the charged political climate of anti-Semitism allegations and AIPAC influence. I am speaking solely on this issue, Pirate.

I was struck by this from JK:

“If you believe Obama’s policy is the right one, as I do, the latest public opinion surveys from Israel are disappointing–but not insurmountable. Obama needs to explain his policy to the Israeli public.”

Are Israelis our fellow citizens? $30 billion over the next 10 years, almost all of it to buy weapons, and the president is obligated to soothe hurt feelings too? I know I’m just a rube where such complexities are concerned but here’s a novel idea: do what we want or no mas dinero. If the carrots are delivered like clockwork, the sticks are so much foam.

Here’s another: instead of focusing our resources and will in other parts of the world (e.g. Afghanistan), perhaps they could be marshalled to assist our own failing body politic. 70% of Americans support single-payer–call me idealistic, but perhaps, just perhaps Obama should address his own citizens, explaining why his party, holding all the aces, is about to f@ck them over once again.

That’s disturbing but true about anti-Jewish sentiments, but….. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity all worship the same God / Allah thru different messengers…so why have they all been fighting these centuries (let alone Sunni / Shiite infighting, or the Protestant / Catholic Thirty Years War, etc. etc. etc.)? Was that really God’s intention? God designated verbatim, “Jerusalem, the city I have chosen as the place where I am worshipped” (1 Kings 11:36). So Jerusalem should be critical to all three faiths that worship Him…yet be claimed by none since this is HIS city, no one else’s, made his own from Israel (1 Kings 11:13,32). So perhaps no one should be fighting over it…and since Vatican City is the capital of one of the three faiths, that’s the irony since perhaps no sides should be taken.

…although I can see Christianity laying claim to nearby Bethlehem for obvious reasons…and that city is now under Palestinian rule, yes? So why is the Holy See in Europe and not here? Yes, there’s traveling armies, Avignon, and all that, but why not stick to the original place…or manger?

I agree with most of what you have just said, as far as the city of Jerusalem goes and the equal importance it holds to the three major religions. However, my previous statement was not my view on the matter of irony, it was my attempt to discern your position of irony. Now I am confused, what would be ironic about Jerusalem being an independent state much like the Vatican?

Matt Taibbi today:

“Who among us did not know this would happen? It’s been clear from the start that the Democrats would make a great show of doing something real, then they would fold prematurely, ram through some piece-of-sh!t bill with some incremental/worthless change in it, and then in the end blame everything on Max Baucus and Bill Nelson, saying, “By golly, we tried our best!”

Make no mistake, this has nothing to do with Max Baucus, Bill Nelson, or anyone else. If the Obama administration wanted to pass a real health care bill, they would do what George Bush and Tom DeLay did in the first six-odd years of this decade whenever they wanted to pass some nightmare piece of legislation (ie the Prescription Drug Bill or CAFTA): they would take the recalcitrant legislators blocking their path into a back room at the Capitol, and beat them with rubber hoses until they changed their minds.

The reason a real health-care bill is not going to get passed is simple: because nobody in Washington really wants it. There is insufficient political will to get it done. It doesn’t matter that it’s an urgent national calamity, that it is plainly obvious to anyone with an IQ over 8 that our system could not possibly be worse and needs to be fixed very soon, and that, moreover, the only people opposing a real reform bill are a pitifully small number of executives in the insurance industry who stand to lose the chance for a fifth summer house if this thing passes.

It won’t get done, because that’s not the way our government works. Our government doesn’t exist to protect voters from interests, it exists to protect interests from voters. The situation we have here is an angry and desperate population that at long last has voted in a majority that it believes should be able to pass a health care bill. It expects something to be done. The task of the lawmakers on the Hill, at least as they see things, is to create the appearance of having done something. And that’s what they’re doing. Personally, I think they’re doing a lousy job even of that … these Democrats aren’t even pretending to give a sh!t, not really. I mean, they’re not even willing to give up their vacations.

This whole business, it was a litmus test for whether or not we even have a functioning government. Here we had a political majority in congress and a popular president armed with oodles of political capital and backed by the overwhelming sentiment of perhaps 150 million Americans, and this government could not bring itself to offend ten thousand insurance men in order to pass a bill that addresses an urgent emergency. What’s left? Third-party politics?”

Jerusalem should be the most neutral city in God / Allah’s world since He claimed it for his own (see above), thus making it ideal (and sane) for independence. Vatican City is among the well, honestly, most partisan since its faith is HQ’d there. Similar for Mecca, etc. But again, why have these three faiths fought nearly forever since they all worship the same God? (As you can tell, I’m just not into the war thingy.)

…where’s Amy? If you’re reading this with solemn amusement, Amy, please step in and straighten us both out but easy with the riding crop, please.

[...] the original here:  Do the Israelis Have a Beef With Obama? (Time Magazine) Tags:  are-upset barack barack-obama editor haaretz israeli major-moderate-liberal [...]

First, let me apologize for jumping to conclusions. I seriously assumed your irony statement was invoking the tired allegations of anti-semitism against the Church. In fact, though, the Vatican did more than any other entity to assist the Jews of Europe during WWII, as acknowledged not only by many Jewish leaders of the era, including the future PM of Israel Golda Meir, but also newspapers all across Europe and the US at the time. The NY Times stated on Dec. 15, 1941 that “The voice of Pius XII in the silence and darkness enveloping Europe this Christmas . . . . He’s about the only ruler left on the Continent of Europe who dares to raise his voice at all.”

Pius XII wrote two encyclicals condemning Fascism and Nazism, in 1932 and 1937 respectively. German papers lambasted his papal election, as he was considered an enemy of Nazism. His actions prevented the wholesale rounding up of Italian Jews throughout the war, leading to the conversion of the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Israel Zolli, after the war.

Upon his death, PM Golda Meir stated “We share the grief of the world over the death of His Holiness Pius XII. . . . During the ten years of Nazi terror, when our people passed through the horrors of martyrdom, the Pope raised his voice to condemn the persecutors and to commiserate with their victims”

The more recent trends of accusing the Church of silence/complicity in the horrors of WWII emerged after the 1963 play by Rolf Hochhuth. Ignoring the factual truth, many have since taken up this propaganda and have furthered the erroneous claims of Hochhuth. In a clear case of what C.S. Lewis refers to as ‘historical snobbery,’ the opponents of the Church have ignored 1930-1960, opting instead to take the modernistic accounts of the events of the war as superior to those who witnessed it. It is often overlooked that Pope Pius was supported at the time by the World Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, the Synagogue Council of America, the Rabbinical Council of America, the American Jewish Congress, the New York Board of Rabbis, the American Jewish Committee, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the American Jewish Committee, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the National Conference of Christians and Jews and the National Council of Jewish Women. These organizations revered and respected Pope Pius and applauded the brave efforts of the Church amidst an atmosphere of fear and timidity offered up even by international aid groups during the war.

Jesus, deconstructiva!

Don’t be invitin’ AS into this thing!

YARR!

Thanks, this is really good information to ponder.

Funny…Matt Taibi seems t’ be bein’ able t’ be callin’ bullsh*t bullsh*t…think wha’ could’a been accomplished had KT, Joe, JNS, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, etc.,etc., etc., had th’ testicles t’ve done th’ same whilst it were still matterin’!

It be sad, me hearties, it be ri’ sad!

YARR!

Let me add, however, that what I have just documented in no way suggests that on an individual level Catholics in Europe did not assist Nazism out of fear or personal prejudices. At the time Europe was a hotbed of anti-Semitism, so it is certain that individuals may have supported or aided Nazi initiatives. However, the official position of the Church was one of condemnation of the Third Reich and it’s actions. Pope Pius worked ardently to undermine Hitler and many clergy suffered because of it. The Polish Church hierarchy was particularly targeted by the Nazis because of its role in harboring Jewish refugees. More than any other country, Polish Catholics were dealt a heavy-handed blow and many were subsequently shipped off to their deaths at Auschwitz and other camps.

I be no’ thinkin’ o’ Israel as a liability, an’ if that’s wha’ Pat Buchanan thinks, I be no’ interested in anythin’ else ‘e mi’ be sayin’!

I be thinkin’ o’ Israel more as an arrogant, out o’ control ally, bu’ only ’cause we allow ‘em t’ be.

I be thinkin’ it be fundamental’ important t’ support Israel like we support out other allies – me problem be we give ‘em special dispensation t’ run roughshod all o’er us an’ th’ International community.

An’ we do it at th’ expense o’ th’ legitimate concerns o’ th’ Palestinians, which, in addition t’ bein’ flat wrong, be no’ endearin’ us t’ much o’ th’ Muslim world.

It be time t’ put the carrot away an’ get out th’ stick wi’ regard t’ US money/Israeli settlements, an’ US money/Israeli good faith peace efforts.

I don’t mean t’ be implyin’ nothin’ more, nor nothin’ less!

Arrgh!

I’m sorry but this is crap. I’m not apologizing for Obama but Taibbi is full of it. I’ve been in this town a long time and when have Democrats ever been capable of the kind of lock step obedience that Republicans are famous for. For goodness sake the GOP is as close as we have ever come to our own version of the zombies loose during the night of the living dead. We don’t get to be pissed that we don’t act uniform like the Gop and at the same time mock them for being so devoid of independent thouight.

Let’s not hold Obama to a standard that no Democratic President has ever had to live up to. It’s not like Obama has a magic wand. We the voters have to make them pay for not voting for health care reform, And if the voters in their states didn’t send volumes of letters, emails, phone calls and any other means of communication at our disposal then we have no one to blame but ourselves.

On the issue of liability, I see that as a perfectly reasonable conclusion. Were Israel to adhere to international law and the basics tenets of morality in its dealings with the Palestinians I would suggest that the US should befriend and support Israel. However, as it is clear that Israel never has adhered to such and appears to have no desire to do so, I see no reason for the US to fund such egregious aggression and imperialistic expansion. Israel has served no legitimate interest of the US and has furthered anti-US animosity in the region because we are rightly seen as Israel’s enablers. In this sense, Israel is a liability. An ally should assist us in military endeavors, no? In Iraq or Afghanistan, Israeli military assistance would, under normal circumstances, be expected. However, were Israeli troops to assist in invading an Arab nation our troubles would be exponentially increased. We cannot invoke a military alliance with Israel in the region and as such Israel is a liability. We give, but they have nothing to offer in return. Our problems increase the more we aid Israel. That is a liability.

Sorry Dee, on this call, Taibbi be ri’ on th’ money. Don’t be shootin’ th’ messenger – some o’ us saw this comin’ weeks ago.

An tho’ I voted fer Obama an’ supported ‘im wi’ all me heart, ‘e been offerin’ up one disappointment after another since ‘e were elected.

An thar be a whale o’ a difference b’tween expectin’ lockstep obedience out o’ th’ Democrats, an’ expectin’ ‘em t’ govern effectively. They been best so far a’ bein’ an overhwelmin’ majority unable t’ be doin’ nothin’ bu’ runnin’ up th’ white flag o’ surrender in th’ face o’ a severely undermanned, half-dead sortie.

Th’ voters HAVE been callin’ emailin’ an’ sendin’ letters – we just don’t be th’ ones tha’ be matterin’. See paragraphs 3 an’ 4 fer who DO matter.

arrgh.

Exiled:

Pat Buchanan has a long and sordid history within and without the GOP during it’s heydey of the identity politics, the “patriot” movement, and anti government hatred that eventually led to the bombing of the ERM building.

It is no secret that Pat Buchanan has Neo Nazi ties and is antisemitic – which helps to explain his stance on Israel.

I to suffer from a like ailment as I’m not supportive of illegal immigration even though I’m not even an ounce racist. The bulk of the messengers on that particular subject make it very difficult for others in what is my normal peer group to see me as concerned about resources and jobs rather than race.

I would pick a different hero when considering support for your views. I know I’ve had to disavow (and I don’t mind condemning them in the least!) more than a few of the “messengers” on the other side of the issue.

Sorry Pirate

But you have heard of the saying that corralling Democrats is like herding cats. I am not saying not to hold them accountable for effective government. But at the same time its a bit disingenuous to demand that they all see eye to eye on what progressives want when the party isn’t just made up of progressives. Somebody voted for Max Baucus and it sure as shlt wasn’t me.

Now we see what’s happening to Republicans because the base demands that they stick to one ideology and that is conservative. Now they have barely more than just the nuts left. Democrats used to be like that to back in the seventies or don’t you remember. So instead of making the country see things through a progressive lens the party decided to diversify. Now for better or worse that’s the deal we made and we’re stuck with it. And as Maxine Waters said today, we recruited these fools and now we’re stuck with them. So deal with it because they were in office long before Obama came on the scene. Blame Rahm and Schumer they recruited the blue dogs if you want to bu don’t blame Obama for the hand voters dealt him. And as a report Taibbi ought to know better and where is his outrage for his fellow journalists that refuse to point out the difference between nut bags calling the public option is euthanasia on the house floor and a responsible member of Congress.. And any time you want to rally Baucus in Montana call me I’m game for a road trip.

We really need to get on the issue of global poverty here! The Borgen Project has some good information on the cost of addressing global poverty (www.borgenproject.org).
It only takes $30 billion annually to end world hunger!
Yet… we are spending $550 billion annually on the defense budget.

[...] Joe Klein in Swampland: If you believe Obama’s policy is the right one, as I do, the latest public opinion surveys from Israel are disappointing–but not insurmountable. Obama needs to explain his policy to the Israeli public. He also needs some front-end concessions from the Arab states who will benefit from a Middle East peace deal, starting with Saudi Arabia. Given the recent events in Iran, the election results in Lebanon, Syria’s renewed cooperation and a softer tone from Hamas (and the cessation of missiles fired from Gaza at Israeli civilians), this is a promising moment. But progress will only be made if Israelis understand that a settlement freeze (and, ultimately, a retrenchment) and the peace process that follows are in their long-term best interests. The President needs to address that, especially since Benjamin Netanyahu won’t. [...]

Th’ almost 70% o’ Americans wantin’ a strong public option be th’ progressive wing o’ th’ Democratic Party???

It were President Obama pledgin’ no more “politics as usual”, an’ President Obama tha’ be th’ one responsible fer givin’ us more politics as usual – th’ health care foldin’ be just one o’ several examples since ‘e were elected.

Ye can think wha’ ye want, bu I be holdin’ th’ President an’ th’ Democrats in Congress square an’ full’ responsible fer this meanin’less debacle they be callin’ “health care reform’! It were theirs fer th’ havin’ wi’ th’ support o’ th’ vast majority o’ those they supposedly represent – they be th’ ones responsible fer blowin’ it, an’ I’ll give ‘em no quarter!

YARR!

FISA.

Don’t be askin’/ don’t be tellin’.

Standin’ ag’inst investigatin’ Bush era illegalities an’ crimes.

Continuin’ Bush era secrecy.

Promisin’ then no’ deliverin’ transparency.

Thar be nothin’ ‘e be willin’ t’ spend ‘is political capital on, an’ as a result, ‘e be fritterin’ it away t’ nothin!

I be near complete disgusted wi’ ‘im (an’ th’ whole lot o’ th’ Democrats – spineless cowardly jellyfish th’ whole bunch!) a’ th’ moment!

YARR!

“Health Reform the American Way”

Michael Brenner, Senior Fellow, the Center for Transatlantic Relations, July 28, 2009

“We vaunt American democracy as a stellar model for the world. The bizarre spectacle now on display in Washington as the White House and the Congress tussle over health care “reform” is hardly an advertisement from our prime export product. Consider the following. The nation’s entire medical system is being reshaped by six Senators meeting behind closed doors for weeks. All we know of the proceedings is through puffs of smoke leaking under the doors. The other 529 members of Congress twiddle their thumbs awaiting the conclave’s outcome. The gang of six composes three Republicans and three Democrats from states that cumulatively contain less than 3% of the country’s population. All are more conservative than the large majority of Democrats who control 60 Senate seats and much more conservative than most Democratic Representatives in the House. They have just killed the “public option” that is favored by 72% of the American public. They have also rejected out of hand the provision for financing the costs of the program via a tax on the rich as approved by the key committee in the House. So, too, for the Employer Mandate that has been at the heart of all serious proposed plans until the gang of six decided otherwise.

Where is President Obama in all this? Supposedly he is investing himself and his political capital in a full court press to win support for his epochal program. But the White House cannot say at this eleventh hour just what he wants in the program. A “public option” or not? An employee mandate or not? A tax on the super-rich or not? No one knows. Yes, we can do what? Obama is out there making the case for a phantom program. All we can be sure of is its complexity, a complexity that defies comprehension — much less reasoned assessment of what it would mean in practical terms. Somehow, a brilliant President and the assembled powers of the United States Congress are together concocting something that makes Rube Goldberg look like a minimalist. One cannot avoid the conclusion that the current model of American government needs some redesign before it can capture foreign markets.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-brenner/health-reform-the-america_b_246595.html

Alas deconstructiva, I am incompetent when it comes to links and the sources are long forgotten. I have read the readings of many historians, many of them called revisionists, because they are accused of “revising” history. However, I have read what looked like authenic documentation which was recently released by the Israeli government. Some may say that the documents are simply propaganda. However, I trust these documents since the source of these documents are Israelis.

The whole situation is rather bizarre and complicated. Did you know that the predecessors of Hamas were funded by the Israeli government? The Israeli government allowed Islamic institutions to flourish in the Gaza and the West Bank as a counterweight to the secular PLO (“divide and conquer”). They did not initially view the Islamists as a threat,and when the Islamists became threatening, the Israeli government tried to infiltrate the organization. Their efforts failed, and because of that initial Israeli governmental support, we have Hamas.

The Israelis have created this myth about the state of Israel and the Arabs have done nothing but to nurture the myth. How did these few Jews beat all those Arab armies? Well, Czech arms to the Zionists, arms embargo to the Palestinians, and the other Arab countries fighting for themselves. One war Israeli apologists don’t talk about is the 1956 Suez war. Why? Israel attacked Egypt – against the myth that the Arabs always start the war. Israel was allied with France and England – against the myth that the Israelis always fight alone. 1967 war was about water rights – these were the words of Ariel Sharon in an interview with William Safire. Once again, you can’t make this stuff up. When Israel invaded Lebanon, the Shiites were initially welcomed the Israelis because they hated the Palestinians. Zionists had a long relationship with the Heshemite family of Jordan going back to the 1920s. Why do you think one of them was assassinated by the Palestinians?

I never said any thing close to Buchanan being my hero. I merely pointed out that within the GOP ranks there are those who hold Israel accountable for its injustices. Buchanan is one of them. You are free to speculate on his motives, but I will refrain from denigrating one of the few political figures who offers reasoned criticism of Israel. I am in agreement with his conclusions, regardless of his underlying reasons for reaching them. In the sad state of American debate on the matter, any and all voices who present the truth of the conflict are to be admired in my opinion.

JC

I’ve started reading “The Quiet American,” which I believe was your recommendation. Good read thus far.

LBJ would get this bill through. Just saying. Obama if he wanted to bet his whole presidency on health care could basically grab Baucus metaphorically by the family jewels and squeeze hard enough.

He won’t. I am not suggesting that democrats aren’t hard to herd, but it isn’t impossible. You have to have the will to do it.

Obama sadly doesn’t.

Good to hear N-R. Will be interested to hear your response when you finish. Can’t recommend the Noyce adaptation highly enough either. One of those precious instances when H-wood got it right.

And given your own faith, I’d highly recommend his “Catholic novels”–The Heart of the Matter and The Power and the Glory in particular.

I suggest pirate raids. Start up the Barbary Pirate crews again and have at them!

Yes, I’ve seen the movie adaptation. Very well done, actually. I’m certain, though, that will not make the read any less enjoyable.

As for your other suggestions, I am unfamiliar with them. However, having looked them up, they appear intriguing. I’ll certainly keep them in mind.

Cheers

A very good first question. Too good for a decent answer, in fact.

Israel serves no legitimate interest for the US. Stability in the region is jeopardized by her expansionist agenda and oppressive tactics. Anti-US sentiment is stoked by our allowance of her indignant attitudes towards international law. America is seen, rightly so, as an enabler of Israeli aggression. Israel cannot even assist us militarily in the region because Jewish troops invading an Arab state such as Iraq or Afghanistan would have dastardly consequences. Israel is nothing more than a liability. Throughout the Cold War privileged intelligence we passed along to Israel (and not UK, France, or anyone else) was routinely sold to the Soviets by our dear ally, Israel. In 1973, Israel blackmailed the expeditious shipment of US arms to assist in the war with Egypt with the threat to use a nuclear weapon, known as the Samson Doctrine within Israel, which authorizes the use of nuclear weapons against an adversary that threatens Israeli continuity, not necessarily an enemy that has nukes itself. Top all of this off with Israel’s assault on the USS Liberty killing 34 Americans and wounding another 200 as well as decades of espionage, sabotage and black-flag operations manipulated to dislodge US-Arab relations and Israel has behaved no better than an enemy of the US.

“…you have heard of the saying that corralling Democrats is like herding cats. I am not saying not to hold them accountable for effective government.”

I’m repetitive on this point (I know) but it is very useful to remember that the political battle here (and in most instances) isn’t essentially a Republican vs Democratic fight, it’s a fight between progressives and conservatives – in this case quite literally, the forces that want to make progress in advancing our health care system, opposing those who want to conserve the corporate-controlled status quo. If nothing else, it sharpens the eye to individual actors and actions. Beyond some individual Senators (Kennedy, Kerry, Feingold, Durbin, etc.) who seem to be working hard to try to advance the people’s business, there are also groups like the Congressional Progressive Caucus, who really bust their humps and take their lumps trying to do so. When it finally comes to pitchforks, tar and feathers, I’m hoping the people will forgo checking each others’ voter ID cards and go directly to the walled, gated compounds.

However, I agree this is the ultimate test of Obama, the Democratic Party and of government of, by and for the people. But don’t give up on Obama pulling this out just yet, if for no other reason than the rest of his presidency will depend upon it.

The cold hard facts of the matter:

1) Israel’s land mass is 1/10 of 1% of the Middle East. For those who struggle with mathematics, that means Israel is currently *not* occupying over 99% of the Middle East. That is spectacularly inept “imperialism” by anybody’s standards.

2) Jordan is “Palestine.” It consists of 4/5ths of British Mandated “Palestine,” and was established in 1923 as the Judenrein state of “Trans-Jordan.” The remaining 1/5th was to be split into the Jewish and Arab states. This was proposed in 1937 under the Peel Partition plan, in 1947 (UN), and in 2000-01 (Clinton/Barak). The Arabs refused and chose war instead. Between 1948-1967, Gaza & Judea/Samaria (the ‘West Bank’) were illegally occupied by Egypt and Jordan respectively. During the Six Day War this land was liberated by Israel, it was not “stolen” from the fictional state of “Palestine,” it was captured from Egypt and Jordan, to state otherwise is revisionist history, no ifs, buts or maybes.

3) Israel provides the U.S. with unparalleled levels of science, medical and military technology. This includes the security devices in your subways and airports, to the Intel CPUs that enabled you to post your inane comments on this blog.

Discounting oil (which is finite natural resource), Israel provides more to the U.S. than all 57 members of the OIC combined.

————-
Ending the West’s Proxy War Against Israel

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123171179743471961.html

Despite the media’s obsession with the Mideast conflict, it has cost many fewer lives than the youth bulges in West Africa, Lebanon or Algeria. In the six decades since Israel’s founding, “only” some 62,000 people (40,000 Arabs, 22,000 Jews) have been killed in all the Israeli-Arab wars and Palestinian terror attacks. During that same time, some 11 million Muslims have been killed in wars and terror attacks — mostly at the hands of other Muslims.
————-

“By contrast, when journos like me parachute in”

Do you actually listen to yourself? “Parachute in?!” That’s kind of a grandiose term for: “business class flight to Tel-Aviv” isn’t it? I suspect you picture yourself hunkered down in a bunker, tapping away on a rusty typewriter, constantly seconds away from being arrested by the dastardly IDF!

A MacBook in Starbucks would be more accurate though, right, Joe? With your BBC and CNN allies. Talk about narrow world view.

Oh and finally, I wouldn’t hold out too much hope on Obama. Approval now at 48% and tanking, he won’t have the time or the necessary support to force Israel into a corner.

1) Imperialism, expansionism, whatever you would call it, is not subject to some arbitrary land-mass stipulation. Israel has clear intentions of expansionism over the West Bank. The West Bank is recognized as sovereign Palestinian territory, while not recognized as a state, and as such Israel has no legitimate authority over these lands. And yet, in contempt of the 4th Geneva Convention, the UN Charter, and the Israeli Supreme Court, Israel has provided the means for 500,000 settlers to illegally position themselves within another’s sovereign territory. These settlers are not legal immigrants, they are housed in Jewish-only settlements, paid for by the government, linked by Jewish-only roads, and protected by Israeli troops. This is all illegal. The billions invested in West Bank settlements which snake through the West Bank and disrupt any sovereign rule are clear indications of Israel’s intent to consume and annex the West Bank within its borders. Expansionism.
~
2) Regardless of how much land of Palestine went to Jordan, the issue remains that the 1/5th remaining land was divided unequally between a Jewish minority and a Palestinian majority. What is now Israel, West Bank, and Gaza, when partitioned in 1947, was home to 1.4 million Arabs and 600,000 Jews. Yet, the state of Israel received over 55% of this area. Inherent in the Zionist goal Arabs remaining within the borders of Israel must be driven out to preserve a Jewish state. The injustices that occurred during these tumultuous times included the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Arabs whose families has resided there for 1300 years. Any way you characterize these events cannot overlook that however small Israel is in comparison to the greater Middle East there were still rightful, innocent inhabitants who lived there and were subsequently driven off by the new state of Israel.
~
3) Technological advances by Israel are irrelevant to the issues at hand. They do not nullify human rights abuse. They do not minimize the vast destruction of lives, resources and infrastructure by Israel in Gaza, West Bank and Lebanon. They say nothing of the 1,300 Palestinians killed in Gaza in January in comparison to 13 Israelis. Actually, now that I think about it, technological advancements have only furthered Israeli destruction of Arab lands. The disproportionate loss of life is a product of Israeli technological superiority. Thank you for mentioning this.
~
This is not to say that there are not many other conflicts in the world, or other injustices. However, Israel does not get a free pass simply because other egregious acts are being carried out world-wide. Contrary to your limited perspective, Israel is not facing any undue criticism, in fact, Israel has lasted without more than a harsh rebuke for its crimes against humanity.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/07/29/is_obama_ignoring_israel

Joe Klein: Journalists Have Smarter Read on Mideast Peace Than Average Israelis
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/ken-shepherd/2009/07/29/joe-klein-journalists-have-smarter-read-mideast-peace-average-israelis

What a repulsively vile link. The comments posted are nothing short of absurd. I wonder how many of those depraved souls have actually visited Israel, seen Gaza and the West Bank or spoken to a Palestinian? They are merely hate spewing traitors, the lot of them, more loyal to Israel than their own country. Pathetic.

[...] Joe Klein, who of course argued thus in a longer-winded and softer-sounding manner in his July 28 blog post (emphasis [...]