A group of former European heads of state and foreign ministers have sent a letter to Catherine Ashton advocating some important steps in the Israel-Palestine conflict, and included a surprisingly sharp rebuke of US policy. I report here for IPS.
Posts Tagged ‘Middle east’
“How Can The Jews, Of All People, Do This?” Easily.
Posted in Jewish Community, Jewish State, tagged Abe Foxman, AIPAC, Anti-Semitism, Becket, Benjamin Netanyahu, David Duke, Gaza, Gilad Atzmon, human rights, Israel, Jewish State, Jews, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, Middle east, Occupation, Palestine, Palestinians, Peter O'Toole, pro-Israel, Richard Burton, West Bank, Zionism on March 19, 2013 | 3 Comments »
“How can the Jews, of all people do this?”
The West Bank Separation wall, covered with graffiti
I hear this too often when discussing the dispossession and occupation of the Palestinian people. It’s a tiresome line. Sure, I understand that on the surface this seems a reasonable question. But one doesn’t have to look very far to see that it isn’t.
Oppression and suffering don’t necessarily lead to a greater sensitivity to these things. We see this on a personal level, as well as on a larger scale. The victim of child abuse may well grow up to become an abuser. The victim of sexual abuse may also react to such an experience by repeating it on someone else. Many such people do not repeat the cycle, but many do.
Similarly, some large groups of people face discrimination and then bring it to others. Puritans faced discrimination in Europe, came to “the New World” and visited worse upon the native population, on slaves, and as time went on, on various other ethnic groups. Power changed hands at different times in Eastern Europe, and discrimination against one group or another continued to flourish. Shi’a have faced great discrimination in the Muslim world, and this has not brought about an egalitarian government in Iran. Hutus were once the majority treated like a minority in Rwanda. The Nazis rose to prominence on the strength of wounded German pride after years of economic deprivation in the wake of the First World War. The examples are legion. (more…)
The Future of Jewish Activism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Anarchists Against the Wall, B'Tselem, Israel, Jewish activism, Middle east, One-State Solution, Peace Now, Two-state solution on March 13, 2013 | 1 Comment »
My readers might be interested in this interview of me at Fair Observer. I was interviewed by a wonderful young activist and writer, Heba Al-Adawy, some months back. You might find it interesting.
Lessons for Obama
Posted in Camp David, tagged Benjamin Netanyahu, Bill Clinton, Camp David, Clinton Parameters, Egypt, Ehud Barak, Fatah, Hamas, Israel, John Kerry, Middle east, Occupied Territories, Palestine, Right of Return, Saudi Arabia, Southern Lebanon, Taba, United States, Yasir Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin on February 8, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
In this week’s piece at Souciant, I look at the lessons Bill Clinton’s mistakes at Camp David II hold for Barack Obama today. Many of the conditions have changed, of course, but 
Clinton’s mis-steps, as well as what he did right, hold general lessons that Obama must keep in mind if he ever decides to seriously re-engage in this issue.
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