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“. . . cautiously recommended . . .” My New York Journal of Books review of The Wall: A Modern Fable. For further notes on the novel see my examiner article.
“. . . cautiously recommended . . .” My New York Journal of Books review of The Wall: A Modern Fable. For further notes on the novel see my examiner article.
via 972mag.com Photo: Future president of Israel Chaim Weizmann and Emir Faisal of Greater Syria, 1918.
"We could continue to stick with what are considered the foundations of our perceptions of the self or the Jewish other. We could go on and call Zionism and Israel a considerable variety of names. But what we must to do is move on, refresh the concepts of the Palestinian question so that they are capable of conversing with the inextricably intertwined Jewish question, and create new outlooks that will open horizons for reconciliation between the two nations."
The Hamas authorities once again forgot that the neighbor/occupier to its east is crazy. Fact: Over Shabbat, Hamas' military wing fired more than 50 mortar shells at Israel. Or perhaps it didn't forget: Perhaps it merely thought the Palestinian people in Gaza were ready for another high-tech Israeli onslaught, for another Israel Defense Forces video game in which children playing on a roof are identified as lookouts and sentenced to death. ...
A Palestinian carries an injured boy into Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, after Israeli tank fire struck a home on March 22, 2011
Photo by: Reuters
Though they didn't denounce those 50 mortars, Palestinians who are not Hamas supporters did give them a political interpretation. This wasn't "the attacked party's right to respond" (or, more accurately, the fly's right to play Ping-Pong with the elephant ), but a clear message to young Palestinians, reinforced by the brutal suppression of their demonstrations: You aren't in Cairo or Tunis, so stop pestering us with theories about a smart popular struggle in our emirate.
But the neighbor/occupier to the east is crazy. It's wrong to provide it with pretexts that would enable it to once again put Gaza's children and old people through an ordeal like Cast Lead, or even one half as bad.
So for all those who demonstrated in support of the Gazans when they were trapped under Israeli fire, all those planners of past and future flotillas, this is your moment to raise your voices and say clearly: The Qassams merely feed Israel's madness. It is not the Qassams that will ensure the Palestinians, both in and out of Gaza, a life of dignity. It is not the Qassams that will topple the Israeli walls around the world's largest prison camp.
Read the entire article on haaretz.com
Encountering Peace: Abbas, man of peace
Mar. 21st, 2011 05:19 pm Check out this article I found at jpost.com
Palestinians have agreed to concessions which make the two-state solution possible and desirable. With leaders like Abbas on the Palestinian side, it is criminally irresponsible not to end the conflict.
The past two days have witnessed some Israeli reaction to settler fundamentalism. On Sunday (December 13 2009) evening, Defense Minister Ehud Barak finally stood up to a mutiny-inciting IDF-affiliated rabbi. This morning (December 15 2009) Haaretz published a scathing exposé of how Israeli and US taxes fund Yitzhar’s Od Yosef Hai yeshiva, publisher of Baruch Hagever, an ode to Cave of Patriarchs murderer Baruch Goldstein, and, more recently, the “Handbook for the Killing of Gentiles.”
( Read more... )The comparison to neo-Nazis and skinheads is not hyperbole. Internal terrorists pose as great a danger as external ones, and that applies to all countries.
The past two days have witnessed some Israeli reaction to settler fundamentalism. On Sunday (December 13 2009) evening, Defense Minister Ehud Barak finally stood up to a mutiny-inciting IDF-affiliated rabbi. This morning (December 15 2009) Haaretz published a scathing exposé of how Israeli and US taxes fund Yitzhar’s Od Yosef Hai yeshiva, publisher of Baruch Hagever, an ode to Cave of Patriarchs murderer Baruch Goldstein, and, more recently, the “Handbook for the Killing of Gentiles.”
( Read more... )The comparison to neo-Nazis and skinheads is not hyperbole. Internal terrorists pose as great a danger as external ones, and that applies to all countries.
The Gilo announcement—more than just an announcement
Lara Friedman at Americans for Peace Now writes in to correct me about the nature of Israel's Gilo announcement...Lara makes another important point:
I know this may see far down in the weeds but it is important stuff and worth getting right, especially when we are dealing with an issue where people rely mostly on gut impressions (like, "but this is just construction inside Gilo! How can that be a problem?!") rather than facts (like, "this is construction on new ground that expands the footprint of Gilo toward Wallajeh and dovetails with another plan for a huge new settlement straddling the Jerusalem/West Bank line")
This is fundamental: There are plenty of arguments over how to define Gilo and other "new" neighborhoods, but this expansion appears to have little to do with how one defines Jerusalem's borders; it's about spilling over into the West Bank.
The Gilo announcement—more than just an announcement
Lara Friedman at Americans for Peace Now writes in to correct me about the nature of Israel's Gilo announcement...Lara makes another important point:
I know this may see far down in the weeds but it is important stuff and worth getting right, especially when we are dealing with an issue where people rely mostly on gut impressions (like, "but this is just construction inside Gilo! How can that be a problem?!") rather than facts (like, "this is construction on new ground that expands the footprint of Gilo toward Wallajeh and dovetails with another plan for a huge new settlement straddling the Jerusalem/West Bank line")
This is fundamental: There are plenty of arguments over how to define Gilo and other "new" neighborhoods, but this expansion appears to have little to do with how one defines Jerusalem's borders; it's about spilling over into the West Bank.
Palestinian Arabs' Jewish ancestry:
Aug. 13th, 2009 08:32 pmTracing the Tribe: The Jewish Genealogy Blog: Israel: More 'hidden' Jews
Many if not most Palestinian Arabs are descended from Jews who were forced to convert to Islam over the past one thousand years. There are numerous stories of Arabs remembering Jewish customs and knowing of specific ancestors who converted. Apparently most Jews did not leave Judea after the two wars against Rome, and centuries later when forced by Muslim rulers to chose between conversion and exile they converted.
Palestinian Arabs' Jewish ancestry:
Aug. 13th, 2009 08:32 pmTracing the Tribe: The Jewish Genealogy Blog: Israel: More 'hidden' Jews
Many if not most Palestinian Arabs are descended from Jews who were forced to convert to Islam over the past one thousand years. There are numerous stories of Arabs remembering Jewish customs and knowing of specific ancestors who converted. Apparently most Jews did not leave Judea after the two wars against Rome, and centuries later when forced by Muslim rulers to chose between conversion and exile they converted.
A temporary Mideast deal could break the stalemate - The Globe and Mail
Israeli President Peres' proposal deserves consideration.
A temporary Mideast deal could break the stalemate - The Globe and Mail
Israeli President Peres' proposal deserves consideration.
