August 3, 2009

A Plea to Leonard Cohen

And Who Shall I Say is Calling?

By UDI ALONI

“But then my daughter looked me right in the eye, and said in her straightforward way: “Dad, write to Leonard and explain to him why the Palestinians are right to cancel his concert. They don’t have the privilege of free access to culture that we have in Tel Aviv or New York. They’re tired of all the goodwill gestures and the petty benefits we concede to as an alibi for our own dirty consciences. They want justice, and that’s why they are asking: ‘Don’t go and amuse our occupiers, and then come to us with a consolation prize.’” Her words were so simple, so wise, that as soon as I heard them I knew I had to write to you.

Well, Leonard, maybe you should only play in Palestine. Maybe you should open your heart to the oppressed and not to their oppressors. If you cancel your show in Israel, no other self-respecting artist will perform here. At first, the self-indulgent audience in Tel Aviv will be annoyed at those artists and say that they are all anti-Semites. Over time, however, they will come to realize that they cannot gain acceptance in some escapist fantasy as long as the Occupation continues. Israelis will not join the struggle against the Occupation as long as the Occupation doesn’t hurt them directly. Israelis must be told: “The Occupation is not normal. Nothing here is normal, God dammit!”

The Palestinians can afford to miss your show, not because they don’t like you or admire your art, and not because they necessarily believe that art should be political. They simply think that the artist Leonard Cohen should side with the oppressed. So much so, in fact, they are even willing to sacrifice this chance to hear a truly great artist like you so that they too can be like that “bird on the wire,” finally free. Leonard, I just want you to know that even if you did play in Ramallah, you would not be able to give a show in Gaza, because the 1.5 million people living there are trapped in a prison, where no one comes or goes. To paraphrase you, “The walls of this prison still surround them, and they cannot break away.””

http://www.counterpunch.org/aloni08032009.html

71 Senators Tell Obama to Pressure the Arabs

by Hillel Fendel

August 12,‘09  

“No fewer than 71 US Senators – including only six of the 13 Jewish ones – sent a letter to US President Barack Obama on Monday, asking him to press Arab states to recognize and normalize relations with Israel. The effort, led by Senators Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), was promoted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

The 71 signatories included the Senate leaders and whips of both parties, namely, Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.).

The letter states that Israel’s efforts toward peace are not being met with equal efforts by Arab states. A similar letter was sent by 226 House members of both parties last week to Saudi Arabia, calling on its leaders to deepen their commitment to peace with Israel.

Arab Op-Ed: What More Do You Want? We Allow Israel to Exist!
The Hill – a daily Washington paper that describes itself as a “nonpartisan, non-ideological daily paper for and about Congress” -  reported on the letter together with an editorial rebuttal by Dr. Ghassan Michel Rubeiz published in the Dubai-based Khaleej Times. The Hill quotes the editorial as “not[ing] that Arab nations offered a peace plan in 2002 that allowed Israel 78 percent of disputed land” – implying that all of pre-1967 Israel exists on “disputed land” and that the Arab peace plan was magnanimous in “allowing” Israel to exist in these borders.

Responding to the Senators’ call for “dramatic steps” from the Arab countries, Rubeiz writes that the above Arab peace plan in which the Arabs “allow” Israel to exist, was itself a “far reaching and dramatic offer.” The plan also calls for a “just solution” regarding Arab refugees and their millions of descendants, as well as the relinquishing of eastern Jerusalem for the capital of a Palestinian state; in return, the Arab states promise to normalize relations with Israel. 

The Senators’ letter quotes and supports comments by Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the effect that Arab states must do more to end their isolation of Israel.”

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One knows to whom the allegiances of these senators, AIPAC/Israel’s puppets, belong; it does NOT belong first to the People of the USA.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/132847

In such actions the long term outweighs the loss of a few for the desired outcome, sometimes you have to make sacrifice. So is the limb expendable? In a jaded world where heaven awaits it’s zealous children very probably yes.
On self centered nations, I think all mentioned are in the top few really, we could all agree on some form of a top 5.

Yeah, Right, RJ.

All we Jews were licentiously plotting the attack on the WTC right in the midst of where so many of us live.

That makes about as much sense as sawing off the limb you are sitting on. 

Brits have always been much more matter-of-fact about their anti-semitism.  I even had a ship’s Staff Captain (Cruise-ship-ese for X-O) make a crack about Jews to me, knowing I was Jewish—I believe that same clown is now the Captain of the QE2, until Cunard takes it out of service.

Jews being behind 9/11 is about as viable a theory as the idea that Obama was secretly born in Kenya and is some kind of Manchurian Candidate.

BTW, the most self-centered nation is the world is NOT the United States, though we are probably in the top 5.  Number One must go to China, the nation whose own name for itself is Kingdom in the Center (as in Center of the World), usually badly translated as “The Middle Kingdom”.  China’s self-centered-ness goes back long before the New World was “discovered” and long before Marco Polo got there.  This attitude has never changed down the ages.  China is the Center of The World—just ask ‘em.

ITW wrote:
“the ONLY thing to do is use the Doomsday weapon on Israel, “
_____________________________________________________

ITW,
Again you put words in my mouth I didn’t say.
Nobody said anything about using weapons, doomsday or otherwise.
Your sophistry is loosing its luster and have degenerated into blatant drivel unrelated to the issue at hand.
You are , talking about Hitler and England and WWII and bombing cities. What is the connection??!! Nobody talked about bombing here. It is a blatant diversion and obfuscation of the issue.
The issue of the settlements is a very old one, DECADES old. The settlements have been condemned by almost everyone including the UN and there was pleading and offers from each direction including from the Palestinians and Israel neighbors to stop the expansion and all everyone got is mooning by Israel or the middle finger in the air.!!!
So, after all that talking and pleading for DECADES to no avail, it is very logical for the U.S. “if it is serious” is to threaten to withhold aid and political support.
But knowing Obama and his make-believe bullshitting and theatrics, I don’t think he is, as usual,  serious and nothing will happen and the expansion of the settlements will continue.

Folktruther.
I know you are correct, it’s the classic case of good and bad everywhere you look, some areas there’s more of one etc.
There are those on both sides wanting to simply get on with life and each other.
I agree, and it’s not just London, here in the North there is a huge mix of races, some willing some not to mix (includes people all there) and we have alot of mixed cultures representing major powers in this country.
Also England was pretty much bailed out by rich Jewish people the The Jewish Naturalization Act 1753.

Howard, the British have become far more self-centered with the disease of America’s want in recent years, but then that only follows from our days as greedy traders along with the rest of Europe. But we can’t be so self-centered when we give refuge to so many.
How someone can believe that America is not one of the most highly self-centered nations with all the meddling and favouritism they do I don’t know. As a young, strong nation, should they not be the protector rather than the bully, they must take lessons from Mossad.
Believing 9/11 was purely down to terrorist actions well who can comment really, I believe it was a collaboration (especially involving certain Jewish factions), I mean the plan worked didn’t it, paranoid of muslims and arabs, self righteous to the point of being deluded until too late and so patriotic it becomes nationalism.
I mean really Israel simply is the zionists version of hitlers germany.
How many times has Israel broken international laws, treaties and committed awful crimes and walked away shrugging their shoulders ‘huh! wasn’t me’..
And the thing is not all, but a big enough percentage of Israeli’s seem to shrug it off too, untouchable?

What you say, inherit, may be true thinking in diplomatic terms.  But none of this can be done until the American and world people demand it, and it must be made a simple demand to gain resonance with the population.  Something like “SUSPEND ALL ISREALI AID.”

Then the diplomatic response may be as you suggest.
assuming its real, not a sure thing with Obama by any means.

  he can then say, do this, that or the other thing or 1, 2 3.  but it won’t happen if there is not simple demand to evoke pressure.

TD3:

I’ve tried giving you a logical explanation, but you have it in your little brain that the ONLY thing to do is use the Doomsday weapon on Israel, without ACTUALLY TRYING a gradual ratcheting up of sanctions.

This indicates a lack of understanding, and an unwillingness to address or acknowledge that lack of understanding.

Furthermore, you cannot manage to recognize that your methods are NO DIFFERENT than the Bush/Bolton method—and look how well it worked out for them!

People are stupid when they are unable to keep the structure and simple change the context and actors.

For example: Hitler thought that by general bombing of the populace he could demoralize England.  It had the opposite effect (something the Brits and we Americans like to celebrate).

However, when the war was progressing better for the Allies there was a major disagreement between the US and UK commands. The US wanted to engage in strategic bombing of key production facilities—the cut the supply line of the German war machine.  The British High Command argued for general bombing to, you guessed it, demoralize the German people.

The effect on the Germans was identical to that of the British.  They rallied together with more determination not to give in to the enemy.

So this example shows that by not recognizing the same structure with a different context, the same mistake was made.

And you, TD3, are making the same mistake Bush/Bolton made and the neo-con critics are making of Obama when they jump all over him for TALKING to Iran and North Korea.  Your strategy is the same as theirs: One doomed to failure.

Call it “sophist”.  That simply means you can’t or WON’T allow yourself to understand it.  No more.

See, other members of “The Contingent”, like Robert and EH, want to cut Israel off because they don’t give a shit if Israel is destroyed, if we lose any or all influence in the Middle East, if the WORST and most paranoid predictions of a 2nd Holocaust come true.

But they by no means expect cutting Israel off will cause Israelis to kow-tow to the USA.  Why should they? They’ll have been cut off!  They, at least, understand what will happen, and are OK with that.

I, and most of the American people, are NOT OK with that.

RootHenson- It is true that Israelis tend to be Elitist assholes, the inevitable result of the racist opporession of another people.  Britain during its imperialism suffered the same soul disease, although London now appears quite a mix of races and languages.

But not everyone is affected.  We had an Israeli boy stay with us for year and he was quite courteous to everyone and decried the Israli Chuzpah. Of course I don’t know how he turned out, but he didn’t seem that kind of person, being raised in a very large family emigrating from Yemen.

ITW wrote:
“Any parent knows that escalating consequences are how you deal with a child who is misbehaving.  One doesn’t instantly go to the most dire punishment. 
_____________________________________________________

We are not talking about emotionally or mentally disturbed children here. We are talking about sane balanced children who insist cosistently on breaking the accepted rules by all children that are not to their liking.
If after talking and admonishing and requesting to no avail, then the logical thing to do is to threaten to withhold their allowance, take out their toys and ground them. More talking woundn’t work as previous history has proved and shown. OK Mr. sophist.

Root,
I think the British are much more self-centered. By far. And Israel has been around longer than england. Truly.
And 9/11 in the U.S. was certainly a terrorist act. NO? So why does that fact cause you to say Israel should therefore be destroyed?
  Like saying we should destroy, well, let us all see—we all could put in the country of one’s choice for all the relevancy you show on the connection.

Honestly Israel should never have been and in this the 21st century we are letting religious zealots play about with weapons of mass destruction or is it ok to have a Jew/Christian with a gun but not a muslim..
Zionists suicide bombed British troops in the set up of Israel but thats not something we talk about ‘cos that a muslim thing’.
Honestly if 911 was a real terrorist threat why has Israel not been destroyed yet.
I have no respect for Judaism through Israel (yes, I know there are the good people out there).
I spent a short time in Gaza in 1997 as an 18yr old british male,
the Israelis were the biggest set of self-centered, uncaring C~nts i’ve ever met.

TD3:

You just don’t get it. Diplomacy is gradualist by both definition and nature. Bush/Bolton is threats and ultimata.

You demand an ultimatum.  Therefore you aren’t interested in diplomacy and are no different than Bush/Bolton.  And you miss the fundamental fallacy of ultimatum strategy:

Any parent knows that escalating consequences are how you deal with a child who is misbehaving.  One doesn’t instantly go to the most dire punishment. 

Otherwise, what do you do next time?

It’s simply a stupid strategy.

ITW wrote:
“How are you ANY different than John Bolton, Bush’s jackass voice at the UN, other than your targets are different than his were?  Different target, same method.”
____________________________________________________

Again, ITW and his perenial sophistry and confusing facts with wishful thinking.
It is completely different. The ultimatum will not to bomb and invade but just to stop economic and military aid and stop backing Israel politically in the international arena.
Any donor has the right to withhold giving if the recipient misbehaves and spend the money in something against the donor wishes. Sound very logical and no sophistry is here!!!

Israel Evicts Two Palestinian Families

Al Jazeera English Video Report

“Israeli security forces have forcibly evicted two Palestinian families from a contested East Jerusalem neighborhood.

The families have lived in Sheikh Jarrah since 1956 but an Israeli court ruled that the homes belonged to Jewish families.

Al Jazeera’s Sherine Tadros reports from occupied East Jerusalem.”
~~~~~~~~~~~

Click link to watch video:

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article23183.htm

Its a well known route for the AIPAC controlled US News Media & most likely the ADL… “ITS BY WAY OF DECEPTION”.

Click on link to view who these “Fake Al Qeada Actors” really are {a short video}:

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“Fake Al Qaeda Actors EXPOSED! Adam Gadahn & Yousef al-Khattab”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsUtvOW6SR0

August 6, 2009

Visiting US Congressmen pledge support for Israel

JERUSALEM (AFP) – “A delegation of 25 US lawmakers from the opposition Republican party assured Israeli President Shimon Peres on Wednesday of strong congressional backing for the Jewish state.

“To a person, all of… us will tell you that we are here, first and foremost, to reconfirm the message that the US Congress stands staunchly on the side of Israel and its struggle,” said Republican Whip Eric Cantor.

“We are here to figure out how to strengthen the US-Israel relationship.”

Peres warned the visiting lawmakers of the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran.

“What will happen if we do not attain peace? I’m afraid the Middle East will go nuclear,” he said.

“This is a point of no return. It would be a mistake that all of us would regret. We have to stop the Iranians and we have to prevent others from going this way.”

Iran says its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only but Israel, which has the Middle East’s sole but undeclared nuclear arsenal, fears it is cover for a weapons drive, a suspicion shared by the United States.

Washington has expressed readiness to engage Iran on the nuclear issue but has warned that its offer of dialogue is not open-ended.

A similar delegation of 30 Congressmen from President Barack Obama’s Democratic party is to travel to Israel next week.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our American Congressmen must make that “AIPAC” required trip to pledge support for Israel. One does not have to wonder who these spineless clowns represent; they are more concerned about their constituents in Israel & AIPAC’s lobby than the plight of Americans who voted for these Israel/AIPAC’s puppets. 

http://atheonews.blogspot.com/2009/08/visiting-us-congressmen-pledge-support.html

Ed Harges, August 10 at 7:32 pm #

It’s true that Obama has caused some displeasure to the Israerli right, but that is little reason for hope. We are chasing a moving target. Israel’s government Israeli Jews in general are racing rightward towards some terminal racist-nationalist cataclysm. They are to the right of Atilla the Hun at this point.
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I don’t usually agree with you, EH, but in this case I do.  I hope Avigdor Lieberman goes to jail.  He is nothing but a Russian Mafia thug.

Don’t worry TD3—you are wrong even more than FT is.

Where did you study diplomacy?  At the John Bolton/Pat Buchanan School for Big Stick Gun-Boat Diplomacy?

Why is YOUR idea any different than the one Bush and his neo-cons used against Saddam Hussein? That is, hurling ultimata?

How are you ANY different than John Bolton, Bush’s jackass voice at the UN, other than your targets are different than his were?  Different target, same method.

It’s true that Obama has caused some displeasure to the Israerli right, but that is little reason for hope. We are chasing a moving target. Israel’s government Israeli Jews in general are racing rightward towards some terminal racist-nationalist cataclysm. They are to the right of Atilla the Hun at this point.

ITW wrote:
“Since you are generally wrong far more often than you are right, I am encouraged that Obama isn’t going to cave in.”
____________________________________________________

ITW,

You are the one who is wrong. You are seeing what you are looking for and not what is actually out there.
What Obama is doing is one more of his make-belief bullshitting measures that is amounting to nothing as usual.
If he is REALLY serious, all he has to do is pick up the phone and threaten to cut the economic and military aid to Israel and end any political backing to Israel in the international arena unless the settlements expansion stop immediately.  Very Easy.!!!

Folktruther, August 10 at 7:57 pm #

This is a fake controversy natanyahu was building additional settlements when he was invited to the White House.  Since Israeli ethnic cleansing is increasingly against the power interests of the US, Obama has to pretend that he is opposing it.  And fake Progressive truth orgnas go along with the farce.
*****************************************************

I hope you’re wrong and Obama intends to put serious and increasing pressure on the What-a-Yahoo government.

Since you are generally wrong far more often than you are right, I am encouraged that Obama isn’t going to cave in.

This is a fake controversy natanyahu was building additional settlements when he was invited to the White House.  Since Israeli ethnic cleansing is increasingly against the power interests of the US, Obama has to pretend that he is opposing it.  And fake Progressive truth orgnas go along with the farce.