President Obama... Stand up for Egyptian Democracy, Now is your chance

Though the initial Arab Spring protests received a great deal of coverage, except for a few diaries, the recent turmoil in Egypt has generated little discussion here. But now things in that nation have taken a turn for the worse.

After successfully navigating a minefield in the flare-up of violence (with the help of U.S. Secretary of State Clinton) between Israel and Hamas, Egyptian President Morsi was on the way towards helping Egypt regain it's role as a regional power broker. But then... the other foot came down.

President Morsi, then went on to try to change the Egyptian revolution and subsequent elections which had swept him (and his religious cohorts) into power in the wake of the deposing of Egyptian Dictator Hosni Mubarak. Morsi, decided that to "save democracy" he had to destroy democracy. More to the point, he declared himself free of constraints in ruling and had a new constitution drafted.

However, many people in Egypt didn't particularly like this action and have taken to the streets in an attempt to defend their newly found democratic rights. In recent days, pro-Morsi demonstrators and anti-Morsi demonstrators have clashed with a number of people winding up dead, over 700 people injured, the Presidential palace barricaded, and the Presidents family evacuated from their home.

So here is the news from today:

Egyptian protesters broke through a barbed wire barricade keeping them from the presidential palace in Cairo on Friday and some climbed onto army tanks and waved flags. Up to 10,000 protesters had been penned behind the barrier, guarded by tanks that were deployed on Thursday after a night of violence between supporters and opponents of the Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, in which seven people were killed.

The two camps in the country's divide appeared at a deadlock, after President Mohammed Morsi gave a fiery televised speech Thursday night denouncing his opponents and refusing to call off a referendum on a draft constitution promulgated by his allies, even as he appealed for dialogue. The opposition rejected talks, saying he must first cancel the referendum and meet other demands.

Both sides seem to be seeing this as a fight for Egypt's future. Pro-Morsi demonstrators had this to say"

"Egypt is Islamic, it will not be secular, it will not be liberal," the crowd chanted in a funeral procession filling streets around the mosque. During the funeral, thousands chanted, "With blood and soul, we redeem Islam," pumping their fists in the air. Mourners yelled that opposition leaders were "murderers." 

One hardline cleric speaking to the crowd denounced anti-Morsi protesters as "traitors." Another declared that they will not allow Egypt to become "a den of hash smokers."

"We march on this path in sacrifice for the nation and our martyrs," a leading Brotherhood figure, Mohammed el-Beltagy, told the crowd. "We will keep going even if we all become martyrs. We will avenge them or die like them.

As prime benefactors of Egypt, the U.S. can and does have a role to play here. As we did during the overthrow of the Dictator Mubarak, and with the subsequent Egyptian elections we need to put our weight behind the democratic process that the Egyptians set in motion in the first place. While one can understand why the President would "play his cards close to the vest", what with things in the Middle East Region taking continually more dangerous turns, it is also important that the President let the Egyptian people know that he (and the United States) stands on the side of Democracy. 

President Morsi was and still maybe the democratic choice by the people of Egypt, however, just because that happened does not mean that as the democratic choice of the nation he has the power or right to destroy the very democracy that put him into power. I would bet, that had people known what he was going to attempt to do (though history should have been a guide given his background with the Brotherhood) he would not have been able to forge the coalition of liberals AND Islamists that he did to win the election in the first place.

So for President Obama, I believe the administration (and our nation) should stand up forcefully and publicly and be counted as a voice urging President Morsi to reconsider the path he seems to be on and to scrap his new constitution and attempts to destroy the budding democracy that Egypt is trying to build. Just as we fought voter suppression here in the U.S. when Republicans tried it, shouldn't we reflect that in our relationships with our allies? I urge everyone here to write to congress and let the Egyptian people know that we stand with them in their desire to preserve Democracy in their nation.

President Obama, President Peres at AIPAC: U.S. and Israel share common visions in Mid-East

Speaking at the AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) annual conference speakers U.S. President Barak Obama and Israeli President Shimon Peres reiterated their message that the U.S. and Israel share views and goals not only on Iran but on peace in the Middle-East between Israelis and Palestinians.

Speaking on the U.S. and Iran, President Peres , who received a lifetime achievement award from AIPAC, had this to say:

"President Obama made it clear that the U.S. will not permit Iran to become nuclear," Peres said, adding that Obama has also made it clear that "all options are on the table".

Then going on to talk about the relationship between the U.S. and Israel Peres had this comment:

"Mr. President, I know your commitment to Israel is deep and profound," Peres said. "Under your leadership, security cooperation between the U.S. and Israel has reached its highest level (vb1 emphasis).. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a friend in the White House. He reflects the values that make American great and make Israel secure. Thank you President Obama on behalf of my people."

According to a recent Jerusalem Post poll, the Israeli people seem to agree with him as they (like their diaspora Jewish brothers and sisters here in the U.S.) favor President Obama over ALL of his Republican challengers.

President Obama



speaking right after President Peres added the following:

"We all prefer to resolve this issue diplomatically," Obama said in an address at the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC's policy conference in Washington. "Having said that, Iran’s leaders should have no doubt about the resolve of the United States, just as they should not doubt Israel’s sovereign right to make its own decisions about what is required to meet its security needs. I have said that when it comes to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, I will take no options off the table, and I mean what I say."         

"That includes all elements of American power. A political effort aimed at isolating Iran; a diplomatic effort to sustain our coalition and ensure that the Iranian program is monitored; an economic effort to impose crippling sanctions; and, yes, a military effort to be prepared for any contingency."

Unlike his Rightwing opponents though both here in the U.S.and in Israel the President urged caution and responsible action:

"Already, there is too much loose talk of war," Obama said. "Over the last few weeks, such talk has only benefited the Iranian government, by driving up the price of oil, which they depend upon to fund their nuclear program. For the sake of Israel’s security, America’s security, and the peace and security of the world, now is not the time for bluster; now is the time to let our increased pressure sink in, and to sustain the broad international coalition that we have built. Now is the time to heed that timeless advice from Teddy Roosevelt: speak softly, but carry a big stick."

Again, even the Israeli public agrees with President Obama as ONLY 19% of them favor a strike on the Iran happening without U.S. backing.     

As for the Presidents messages of Peace and the Two State Solution, President Peres had this to say:
         

"The Palestinians are our neighbors for life," Peres said. "Peace can and must be achieved. A peace based on a two-state solution, a Jewish state - Israel, and an Arab state - Palestine."

"We want to preserve an Israel that is Jewish, democratic and attractive. I meet from time to time with President Abbas and PM [Salam] Fayyad. They need and want peace. I believe that peace is possible. They are our partners for peace. Not Hamas."

Apparently President Peres did not get the memo from Republicans, ODS'ers. Israeli Rightists and U.S. ChickenHawk bloggers that the P.A. will not make Peace with Israel. Now, in fairness to that group (although g-d knows, they don't deserve it) the Palestinian Authority IS making peace negotiations difficult with their insistence on the full return of East Jerusalem and their refusal to curb the rampant anti-Semitism in their ranks, NOT to mention their continued efforts to bring Hamas into their government. Yet, so far the attempts to bring in Hamas have resulted in failure and the P.A. has still admitted it's willingness to go to the table and hammer out a Peace deal.

In this passage though I think President Obama "nails it" (so to speak):

"I make no apologies for pursuing peace. Israel’s own leaders understand the necessity of peace," Obama said. "Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, Defense Minister [Ehud] Barak, and President Peres – each of them have called for two states, a secure Israel that lives side by side with an independent Palestinian state."

"I believe that peace is profoundly in Israel’s security interest. The reality that Israel faces - from shifting demographics, to emerging technologies, to an extremely difficult international environment - demands a resolution of this issue. And I believe that peace with the Palestinians is consistent with Israel’s founding values - because of our shared belief in self-determination; and because Israel’s place as a Jewish and democratic state must be protected."

YES! Exactly,  because it vital to protect Israel as a Jewish, and Democratic State. And as the great statesman Abba Eban and others have stated that Israel can only be Two of the Three following things:

1. Israel can be a Jewish State

2. Israel can be a Democratic State

3. Israel can be a State from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea

The President gets that in the long term interests of Israel - it must maintain it's Jewish character while recognizing that it's Palestinian neighbors also have the legitimate right to self determination.

Meanwhile, back in Israel, never one to be left out of the spotlight, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman had told reporters that "Israel will decide independently whether to strike Iran". If that is the case (and it certainly is Israel's right to do that), then I guess that they will also decide if they want U.S. aid in that strike as well. Perhaps the Foreign Minister should listen to 81% of his people when they tell him... DON'T STRIKE W/OUT THE U.S.

Now the question hinges on what will PM Benyamin Netanyahu say. Further what will the meeting on March 5th (tomorrow) bring? We are in for a few very interesting days as the AIPAC conference continues along and Israeli and U.S. leaders meet.

One other important thing of note: In Iran today, President Ahmadinejhad has met with defeat at the polls. While the choice was between hard line candidates Ahmadinejhad's candidates were soundly defeated by those supporting the Grand Ayatollah Khameni. What does this mean for everyone else? Not a lot in the sense that the new group coming in are just as dedicated to Iranian Nuclear Power and regional hegemony as Ahmadinejhad HOWEVER, they are far more rational than the President who many in Iran consider a "loose cannon" (my words).

Also with relation to Iran - not only do their proxies in Hizbollah control the Lebanese/Israel Border but according to the Washington Post (as reported in Haaretz) there are Iranian advisors on the ground in Syria aiding in the slaughter of it's own citizens by Dictator Bashar Assad.

BREAKING: UNVERIFIED - Wikileaks - reporting Israel Destroyed Iranina Nuke Facility

This morning I woke up, opened up my Facebook and saw this staring at me from an Israeli Friend of mine. So... I had to check it out.
Yep, you read that headline right. No snark here. Wikileaks released a report claiming that Israeli and Kurdish Fighters destroyed the Iranian Nuclear Facility where weapons were being developed
According to Haaretz:

The mega-leaks website, WikiLeaks, has partnered with the hackers cooperative Anonymous, to publish internal emails of the American strategic intelligence company Stratfor. In one of the hacked emails, Stratfor officials discuss information obtained from one of their sources who reports that Israeli commandos, in cooperation with Kurdish fighters, have destroyed Iranian nuclear installations.....

....In one of the emails from November 2011, Startfor officials discuss the explosion at an Iranian missile base near Tehran and quote a source who "was asked what he thought of reports that the Israelis were preparing a military offensive against Iran. Response: I think this is a diversion. The Israelis already destroyed all the Iranian nuclear infrastructure on the ground weeks ago."

One company analyst responded dismissively to the possibility of an Israeli attack having already taken place, asking: "How and when did the Israelis destroy the infra on the ground?"

According to Wikileaks there is much more too this story, involving Oil prices, military alliances and so forth with regards to Russia, the E.U. and India.

In the email, an Israeli intelligence source was asked about Defense Minister Ehud Barak's comment "the more the merrier" following the mysterious explosion that killed at least 17 people at an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps base near Tehran in November 2011. At the time, Iran claimed the blast was an accident, but US blogger Richard Silverstein said that Israel was the mastermind.

"I think this is a diversion. The Israelis already destroyed all the Iranian nuclear infrastructure on the ground weeks ago," said the Israeli source. "The current 'let's bomb Iran' campaign was ordered by the EU leaders to divert the public attention from their at home financial problems."....

Stratfor - the company who's email has been hacked said the following:

Some of the emails being published "may be forged or altered to include inaccuracies; some may be authentic," the company statement said.

According to the leaked emails, Europe and China would suffer from an Israeli attack on Iran (according to wikileaks) but that the Saudis and the Russians would benefit greatly. One can see the Saudi's but the Russians?
Again, this is an unverified report. HOWEVER, in any case it boxes Iran in a serious way. If they act on or accept this report, it means they acknowledge that they were indeed developing a nuclear weapon in a direct contradiction to their claims of the opposite. IF however, they deny this happened and that there was simply an attack on a Revolutionary Guard base then they are admitting to the world that Israeli and Kurdish forces were able to penetrate their most secure compound and wreck havoc. So much for their bellicose threats of retaliation, not too mention what message this sends to the Iranian People.

It will be interesting what Julian Assange says this afternoon when the documents are fully released.

BRILLIANT!!!

Here is a great piece of information from the Obama Administration about it's relationship with Israel.

Despite what those with ODS (Obama Derangement Syndrome) screech, the President has been a true friend to both the Israeli and Jewish people.

Please take a look at this video and pass it along

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/izUkZpTft2w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

It is hard to argue with the facts in this case.

One thing I noticed in the film was the speech from Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon (Yisrael Betainu). I admit that I had a hard time believing that he would be in praise of the President. SO I searched for that speech and found it. Here is an excerpt from the Jerusalem Post.

"Obama remains committed to Israel as a Jewish state and even demanded answers from the Palestinians regarding the reconciliation deal with Hamas," Ayalon said at a cultural event in Holon.

"The president stood up for Israel's right to self-defense," Ayalon added, as well as "the need for defensible borders and the end to [all] claims."

The deputy foreign minister continued, "It is clear from Obama's speech that no agreement will be forced upon Israel and that unilateral measures will fail."
With yesterday's victory of the hardline Islamists in Egypt (the Muslim Brotherhood got 38% and Salafist al-Nour got 29% of the popular vote), Israel's security needs become that much more paramount. Ensuring that the new rulers of Egypt adhere to the Peace Treaty (which no one is sure yet what they will do) is of Prime Importance. Particularly with Hamas/Egyptian ties growing and Hamas/Iran-Syria ties diminishing. Hamas is most likely going to try to provoke something unless the Egyptians rein them in.

The President and his administration have done everything possible to affect this - though American leadership has not met with the Salafists (who have been compared to the Taliban). According to the administration, their course of action (and this makes perfect sense) is to judge what the Egyptian Government actually does and base policy decisions on that. But unless they are "in the game" they have no way to affect change. As the article cited below mentions... the U.S. is heavily involved for precisely this reason as well as has been involved in getting assurances from the Egyptians.

Referring to a recent on the Muslim Brotherhood member interview with Al Hayat, where he said that the treaty with Israel is not binding, Nuland said: "We’ve seen this press report. I would say that it is one member of the Muslim Brotherhood. We have‬ had other assurances from the party with regard to their commitment not only to universal human rights, but to the international obligations that the Government of Egypt has undertaken."
         
The U.S. official added by saying that, "as we’ve said again and again, not only with regard to Egypt but with regard to other states in that region in transition, we expect that legitimate parties will not only support universal human rights, but will also continue to support international obligations made by their governments they have made commitments to us along those regards, and as I said, we will judge these parties by what they do."

Nuland's comments came after last month top Egyptian opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei told Iran's Fars news agency that the United States is engaged in secret talks with Egypt's ruling military council geared at ensuring that the country's democratically elected regime will maintain its peace treaty with Israel.

"The negotiations were completely secret and confidential," ElBaradei told Fars, adding that what the ruling military indicated "said was that the talks were about bilateral and mutual relations, but I believe that Americans wanted to ensure that the deals signed between Egypt and Israel will remain intact if Islamists ascend to power."
Anyhow, Please take a look at the video - or the link that is posted. It is campaign material and so should be viewed in that light - but it is very effective and it is all true.

WELL DONE BY TEAM OBAMA!

Republicans Betray Israel and Jewish People, Seek One State Solution to Conflict in the Middle East

The RNC has continued to show how the Republican Party is no friend to either the Jewish People or the State of Israel. In their latest move the RNC has done the unthinkable and endorsed the One State Solution as a plan for Peace in the Middle East.

Here is the text, plain as day:

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the members of this body support Israel in their natural and God-given right of self-governance and self-defense upon their own lands, recognizing that Israel is neither an attacking force nor an occupier of the lands of others; and that peace can be afforded the region only through a united Israel governed under one law for all people.

AND when questioned by blogger Mitchell Plitkin about it had this to say:

Me: Dear Ms. Costa,[...] I just wanted to check with you that this was in fact an officially adopted RNC resolution. Can you please let me know? Thanks.
Costa: Yes it was adopted unanimously by the RNC last Friday at our winter meeting in New Orleans. Cindy

The text of the resolution is as follows:

AN RNC RESOLUTION TO COMMEND THE NATION OF ISRAEL FOR ITS RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

WHEREAS, Israel has been granted her lands under and through the oldest recorded deed as reported in the Old Testament, a tome of scripture held sacred and reverenced by Jew and Christian, alike, as the acts and words of God; and

WHEREAS, as the Grantor of said lands, God stated to the Jewish people in the Old Testament; in Leviticus, Chapter 20, Verse 24:  “Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey”; and

WHEREAS, God has never rescinded his grant of said lands; and

WHEREAS, along with the grant of said lands to the Jewish people, God provided for the non-Jewish residents of the land in commanding that governance must be in one law for all without drawing distinction between Jewish and non-Jewish citizens, as contained in Leviticus 24:22, and

WHEREAS, the Nation of Israel declared its independent control and governance of said lands on May 14, 1948, with the goal of re-establishing their God-given lands as a homeland for the Jewish people; and

WHEREAS, the United States of America, having been the first country to recognize Israel as an independent nation and as Israel’s principal Mideast ally, has enjoyed a close and mutually beneficial relationship with Israel and her people; and

WHEREAS, indeed, Israel is the United States of America’s greatest friend in the Mideast; and

WHEREAS, the roots of Israel and the roots of the United States of America are so intertwined that it is difficult to separate one from the other under the word and protection of almighty God; and

WHEREAS, there are those in the Middle East who have sought to destroy Israel from its inception as anation; and

WHEREAS, those same enemies of Israel also seek to destroy the United States of America; and

WHEREAS, the United States of America and the nation of Israel have enjoyed cordial and mutually beneficial relations since 1948, a friendship that should continues to strengthen with each passing year.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Republican Nation Committee that the committee by this resolution commends the nation of Israel for its relations with the United States of America.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the members of this body support Israel in their natural and God-given right of self-governance and self-defense upon their own lands, recognizing that Israel is neither an attacking force nor an occupier of the lands of others; and that peace can be afforded the region only through a united Israel governed under one law for all people.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate Leadership and each of the legislatures of the states within the United States of America with the request and recommendation of this body that a similar resolution to that stated herein be proposed within their respective bodies.

And there you have it ladies and gentlemen... the One State Solution. Now, one can safely assume that the Republican version of the One State Solution and the Palestinian version of the One State Solution are very different takes on the same thing.

The Republican version calls for something similar to what Israeli Rightists, in the YESHA and National Union envisage for a One State Solution. I assumes that Israel will annex all of the territory that is the West Bank of Jordan and incorporate the Palestinian population there into it's own. Strangely enough this is also something called for by the hard left of the Palestinian polity though for very different reasons. BUT, the idea behind the Republican Resolution is to say in short: "G-d gave all the land to Israel, we like Israel, so all the land is theirs to do as they see fit".

So how is this a "betrayal" of Israel? Only in that it would destroy Israel in almost every way. Let's look at some scenario's:

Scenario One: Israel annexes all of the West Bank and Gaza Formally.

Assuming that Israel then absorbs the Palestinian population the demographics of Israel change radically. Currently Israel as a nation is 75.2% Jewish and 20.5% Arab. Israel's Jewish Population stands at  about 5,865,300 individuals and Israel's Arab Population stands at about 1,597,300 individuals. If one includes the West Bank, and Gaza, the demographic mixture changes to: 5,749,000 Arabs/Palestinians and 5,865,300 Jews. Now current birthrates favor a quick transition from Israel being a Jewish State to becoming a Palestinian State with a large Jewish minority. Given that Israel was created to be the State and National Homeland of the Jewish People this makes the future of Israel problematic.

Remember the RNC Resolution calls one law for all people without distinction. So Israel, as a democracy would then become a Palestinian Majority State. Just how long does anyone think that a Palestinian Majority State would be run as the National Homeland and State of the Jewish People? Five minutes... Ten minutes...

ALSO, Hoq' ha shvut - IF, the Jewish Law of Return (a cornerstone law regarding Israel) would still be in effect then Palestinian Right of Return would also have to be in effect. That would reduce the Jewish % of the population even further.

FURTHERMORE... No has asked the Palestinians if they even want this situation though secular, leftist Palestinians and their supporters have this as their agenda for the obvious end result.

Scenario Two: Israel annexes only the West Bank and leaves Gaza on it's own.

This would mean that he total population shifts to about 5,865,000 Jews and 4,149,000 Palestinians then living in Israel with 1.6 million Palestinians STILL living in Gaza.

First, off while this would maintain a Jewish majority, that figure would go from a 75% - 21% split to 58% - 42% split. Given Birthrates and immigration, that demographic would be shifting rapidly.

All of this of course does not even take into account that the Palestinians are not being asked if they agree with this. In all honesty, I can't really see that in the case of this scenario. Though Palestinians are not (as a polity) currently favorable to Hamas, they do favor unification for their polity and do consider Gazans as Palestinians. A population split like this almost guarantees civil war. And the fact that majorities in either polities reject this notion, this is a recipe for disaster.

Scenario Three: Meir Kahane's Dream Come True

NOW... let's say the Republicans don't really mean this and they mean to say... This land is all Jewish, then what happens to the people of the West Bank and Gaza Strip? Does Israel simply move them? Ethnically cleanse them from their homes? Where do the Palestinians go? Do they go to the already established State of Jordan (as Arye Eldad of National Union proposes)?

What would doing that do the character of the State of Israel as a "light unto nations" or as a Modern Western Democracy as was envisioned by it's founders? Does that "light unto nations" mean driving millions of people out of their homes? OF COURSE NOT!

Not too mention that it would set off a regional war that would threaten to widen into World War III. The second Israel started to forcibly transfer population, the surrounding nations (and I believe Russia) would immediately take action. At BEST the E.U. would put full economic sanctions on Israel, and I cannot see how the U.S. population would tolerate this.

Should the population NOT be transferred but just decide to annex the territory and keep the population as less than citizens then the Republicans would be obligated to take action against Israel as this would run counter to their insistence that "One Law" would apply to all.

Oh and for those out there who really want to channel Rabbi Kahane and Kach... Jordan is not Palestine. It was recognized as a separate nation and NOT part of the mandate early on. And Jordan currently is really Israel's last friend in the region. Israeli and American Rightist calls to get Jordan recognized as the homeland of the Palestinians (which it is not) is the fastest way to completely destroy that peace treaty. A peace treaty that has greatly benefited both sides.

Here is a key passage from Israel's Declaration of Establishment:

THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

ON THE OTHER SIDE.... President Barak Obama and the Democratic Party fully supports the traditional American position of Two States for Two Peoples (and rightly so). Both sides need to have their legitimate rights to self determination recognized. The Jewish People in Israel and the Palestinian people in Palestine. The Two State solution is the only possibly peaceful way forward (and that is not guaranteed with the level of militancy that exists on both sides at this time) and while it may not be ideal for either side it is the best option for both peoples.

Given this declaration by the Republicans anyone who thinks that voting for them is better for than voting for proven friend of the Jewish people and Israel, our President Barak Obama, needs to have their heads closely examined. This Republican declaration is a straight up call for the destruction of Israel and a blow to the soul of the Jewish people.

World's Oldest Hate Increases As We Enter Another Year

Getting into the season, here's sufganiyot (donuts) representing each officially documented antisemitic hate crime recorded in the United States of America just over this past year (as of October 2011) -

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We'd need a lot of oil to fry those up. Perhaps even enough to run America's energy needs for a week? If only that energy could be directed towards aims other than the centuries-old game of hating Jews, of course. The age-old problem, eh? The world's oldest disease.

Jump with me below the fold.

President Obama... Good for Jews - Good for Israel

As the election season heats up, there is an attempt by the Republican Party to peel off Jewish voters from the Democratic Party and crack the Presidents second most loyal voting group. Jewish Americans voted for President Obama in droves in 2008 with 78% of our vote going to help the President's election.

Since then, Republicans have used all manner of slander as well as outright lies to make the President seem like an enemy of the Jewish people and an enemy of Israel. They rely on outright racism, pretty catch phrases and worn out cliches to try to scare American Jews into voting against the best interests of our community.

However, these distortions still can't hide a record of President Obama that speaks volumes indicating his friendship and support for the American Jewish community.

Let's take a quick look at some of things:

First of all there is the tired Republican cliche that President Obama has "radical friends" and associations with those who would be anti-Jewish or anti-Israeli. One of these is that President Obama is friends with and takes advice from noted anti-Zionist Rashid Khalidi. Relying on "some professor that knew President Obama at the University of Chicago" they state that he was friends with the President on a personal level, implying that Khalidi was an advisor to Obama. Of course the President denied this saying:

"You mentioned Rashid Khalidi, who's a professor at Columbia," Obama said. "I do know him because I taught at the University of Chicago. And he is Palestinian. And I do know him and I have had conversations. He is not one of my advisors; he's not one of my foreign policy people. His kids went to the Lab school where my kids go as well. He is a respected scholar, although he vehemently disagrees with a lot of Israel's policy."

Now whether Senator Obama liked Mr. Khalidi on personal level or not is one thing. But clearly, Mr. Khalidi was not an advisor nor to the President. Indeed, here is what Mr. Khalidi had to say regarding President Obama's record on Israel in an interview with the Israeli news paper Haaretz:

Q. Finally, on the issue of your relations with President Obama

A. I don’t talk about that.

Q. Are you disappointed with him?

A. I had low expectations and my low expectations were more than fulfilled. He’s done considerably worse than I would have expected. But I never assumed that this would be someone who would be able to break the whole mold of American politics. And he didn’t. Quite the contrary. This has been an Administration that on certain key issues has been almost as bad as and sometimes even worse than the Bush Administration.

Oh well, so much for those worried that President Obama was carrying water for the "radical" Rashid Khalidi.

Now, it would be very simple for me to pick apart Republican lies piece, by piece, by piece. BUT, instead I would like to focus on the positives and not give their lies the print they certainly don't deserve.

For instance, for the first time a U.S. President has declared month of the year Jewish History Month. That right, President Obama declared May, 2011 to be Jewish History Month. Here is the Presidential proclamation:

......This same spirit is found in the countless Jewish Americans who, through their every day actions, work to provide a better life for future generations by joining hands with all who seek equality and progress. This month, we remember that the history and unique identity of Jewish Americans is part of the grand narrative of our country, forged in the friendships and shared wisdom between people of different faiths.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2011 as Jewish American Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to visit www.JewishHeritageMonth.gov to learn more about the heritage and contributions of Jewish Americans and to observe this month with appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies.

(See the whole proclamation at the link listed above)

What more, can our community ask. We have a President that actively promotes Jewish culture in America. Want more... the President started and still hosts Presidential Seders. YEP that's right. For the First time as a candidate in 2008 and forward the President brought Passover to the White House.

Top aides like David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett will attend, but so will assistants like 24-year-old Herbie Ziskend. White House chefs will prepare Jewish participants’ family recipes, even rendering chicken fat — better known as schmaltz — for just the right matzo ball flavor.

If last year is any guide, Malia and Sasha Obama will take on the duties of Jewish children, asking four questions about the night’s purpose — along with a few of their own — and scrambling to find matzo hidden in the gleaming antique furniture.

That event was the first presidential Seder, and also probably “the first time in history that gefilte fish had been placed on White House dishware,” said Eric Lesser, the former baggage handler, who organizes each year’s ritual.

Ok... so let's see.... so far, the President declares a month of the year Jewish Heritage Month, and hosts seders as well as beginning it as a White House tradition. That hardly sounds like an enemy of the Jewish people. In fact that sounds like a good friend.

Of course we also have the Chairman of the American Jewish Congress Jack Rosen saying this:

American Jewish Congress chairman Jack Rosen, who hosted Obama fundraiser at his private home, acknowledged the concerns generally in his introduction of the president. But Rosen praised the president’s record.

“America’s never been as supportive to the state of Israel” than since Obama took office, he said.

Now, let's look at the Presidents record with regards to Israel. Earlier in the article we saw that a leading anti-Zionist considers the Obama administration worse than the Bush administration with regards to their goals. That hardly fits with Republican lies regarding the President. But lets look at what the Israelis say regarding the President.

First we have noted anti-Zionist and Israel hater (just kidding) Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on the current administration.

Fareed Zakaria: You know that there are people in the United States who’ve criticized President Obama for not supporting Israel strongly enough. Do you believe that President Obama is a very strong supporter of Israel?

Ehud Barak: He is extremely strong supporter of Israel in regard to its security. Traditionally, the president will support Israel in keeping its collective military edge and taking care of its security needs. But this administration is excelling in this. And it could not have happened without the immediate direct support of the president. So I don’t think that anyone can raise any question mark about the devotion of this president to the security of Israel.

What is that not enough for one... well let's see what Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu had to say about the President after he supported Israel in it's quest to stop the Palestinians from unilaterally declaring Statehood at the U.N.:

"I would like to express my gratitude to the president of the United States, Barack Obama," Netanyahu said. "I asked for his help. This was a decisive and fateful moment. He said, 'I will do everything I can.' And so he did. He used every considerable means and influence of the United States to help us. We owe him a special measure of gratitude."

or this from the Prime Ministers office on April 16, 2011:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his deep appreciation to US President Barack Obama and the American Congress, and said: "Approving the transfer of $205 million for the Iron Dome will help protect Israeli citizens against rocket attacks from Gaza."  

"The US' enduring commitment to Israel in decisive times is a testimony of our shared values and the longstanding ties between the two nations," said Netanyahu in a statement published by the Prime Minister's Office.

Still not good enough... how about the Israeli people themselves:

While in 2010, fewer than half of Israeli Jews polled expressed favorable views of Obama, 54 percent of Israelis expressed a favorable view of the American president. Thirty- nine percent expressed negative views, the same percentage that say that they are discouraged by the administration’s policy in the Middle East.

Finally, we have The Presidents actual record on Israel.

First of all in terms of sheer aid to Israel the President has pushed through legislation assuring Israel of American levels of aid through 2018. This does not include his extra funding of $ 205 million for Iron Dome. A system that is working to protect Israelis now from rockets from Gaza. This is up and above pledged aid in the regular U.S. arms package. Would someone who is NOT a true friend of Israel do that?

Further, the President has worked tirelessly to bring real peace to the Israeli people. He has stuck to and reiterated the American position for the last 44 years that there be Two-States and that Israel has a permanent home in the Middle East. He has backed up his words with deeds (see the above paragraphs). When his critics lie about his insistence on 1967 borders they are doing just that... lying. President Obama did not say that. He spoke of secure borders based on the 1967 but WITH MUTUALLY AGREED LAND SWAPS. He realizes that Israel has security and historical rights to some of the land gained in the Six Day War. He has repeated that. That has been an American (and Israeli position - witness Taba, Oslo, Annapolis, the Olmert Negotiations) for years. Our President merely stands by that.

In the end, there can only be one conclusion. That President Obama is good for the Jewish People and good for Israel. To say anything else simply is to not speak the truth.

Shalom.

Hey Newt - Learn some history!.

Anyone who knows I/P knows that I am a supporter of the existence of Israel as the National Homeland and State of the Jewish People. I am proud to be called a Zionist and I believe that the Jewish people have a very legitimate right to self-governance in their own National setting.

That said.... I cannot accept, condone, or support the idiocy of Newt Gingrich and his latest bigoted comments regarding the Palestinian people as an "invented people". The gall of this man to pander to the worst elements of the American Jewish and Evangelical Christian polity seems to know no bounds.

What brings on this rant? An interview that the Republican nominee gave to the Jewish Channel.

In that interview Gingrich (and notice I don't use the word "Mr.") had this to say:

Gingrich differed with official U.S. policy that respects the Palestinians as a people deserving of their own state based on negotiations with Israel. 

"Remember, there was no Palestine as a state. It was part of the Ottoman Empire" until the early 20th century, Gingrich said.    

"I think that we've had an invented Palestinian people who are in fact Arabs, and who were historically part of the Arab community. And they had a chance to go many places, and for a variety of political reasons we have sustained this war against Israel now since the 1940s, and it's tragic," he said.            

Unbelievable.... Like when people of good conscience stood up to Israeli non-Zionist Shlomo Tzand and his garbage regarding the Jewish people as an "invented people" so should people of good conscience stand up to Newt Gingrich when he claims the Palestinian people are an "invented people".
Now it is true that there has never been a nation of Palestine and the district has been controlled by outside forces (Ottomens, Romans, Arab Caliphates etc.... ) that does not mean that the people inhabiting that area for thousands of years do not have their own distinct cultural patterns that while Palestinians are Arab peoples they are their own distinct nationality within that group.
Here is a brief history on Palestine:

The term Peleset (transliterated from hieroglyphs as P-r-s-t) is found in numerous Egyptian documents referring to a neighboring people or land starting from c.1150 BCE during the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt. The first mention is thought to be in texts of the temple at Medinet Habu which record a people called the Peleset among the Sea Peoples who invaded Egypt in Ramesses III's reign.[9] The Assyrians called the same region Palashtu or Pilistu, beginning with Adad-nirari III in the Nimrud Slab in c.800 BCE through to emperor Sargon II in his Annals approximately a century later.[10][11][1]  

Neither the Egyptian or Assyrian sources provided clear regional boundaries for the term.The first clear use of the term Palestine to refer to the region synonymous with that defined in modern times was in 5th century BC Ancient Greece. Herodotus wrote of a 'district of Syria, called Palaistinê" in The Histories, the first historical work clearly defining the region, which included the Judean mountains and the Jordan Rift Valley.[12][13][14][15][16][17]  

Approximately a century later, Aristotle used a similar definition in Meteorology, writing "Again if, as is fabled, there is a lake in Palestine, such that if you bind a man or beast and throw it in it floats and does not sink, this would bear out what we have said. They say that this lake is so bitter and salt that no fish live in it and that if you soak clothes in it and shake them it cleans them," understood by scholars to be a reference to the Dead Sea.[18]  

Later writers such as Polemon and Pausanias also used the term to refer to the same region. This usage was followed by Roman writers such as Ovid, Tibullus, Pomponius Mela, Pliny the Elder, Dio Chrysostom, Statius, Plutarch as well as Roman Judean writers Philo of Alexandria and Josephus.[19] Other writers, such as Strabo, a prominent Roman-era geographer (although he wrote in Greek), referred to the region as Coele-Syria around 10-20 CE.[20][21] The term was first used to denote an official province in c.135 CE, when the Roman authorities, following the suppression of the Bar Kokhba Revolt, combined Iudaea Province with Galilee and other surrounding cities such as Ashkelon to form "Syria Palaestina" (Syria Palaestina), which some scholars state was in order to complete the dissociation with Judaea.[22][23]

So while there was no formal Palestine as a nation it was certainly regarded as a separate district within the ruling polity and it's people were considered a unique people. Further, food, use of language and cultural customs were all developed along those lines.
But Newt doesn't just make his bigoted comment... he doubles down with claims that Palestinians had many places to go in the conflict with Israel and didn't take advantage of that. Well, again Newt's vaunted history degree fails him. As history shows us the exact opposite was the case. After rejection of the U.N. Partition by the Arab Polity in 1948 and the loss of the War of Independence, the Palestinian people that left, or were forced out of their homes had no where to go except to squalid refugee camps to be abused by their brethren in other nations.
Like those racists who say "Well the Jews could always have left Germany", Gingrich should know that the Palestinians could not just up and leave their homes and have many places to go. While I believe that fighting the War and not accepting the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 was a tragic mistake, one need not minimize the trauma of that War and it's aftermath.
With this statement Newt Gingrich shows just how unfit he is to be the leader of the United States. I say this as a Zionist, and supporter of Israel. We don't need or want racist meme's and bigotry to support the maintainence of Israel. We want a President who understands that Peace between Palestinians (and Arabs overall) and Jews is the priority and that real measures that increase both people's security and well being are what will accomplish that goal.
Please join with me in turning away from Gingrich's comment and towards supporting secure States for both the Jewish and Palestinian people.

Shalom, Salaam, Peace.

PROGRESSIVE ZIONIST FRY'D DAZE

Our first story today comes from Haaretz and Maan both.

It comes out of news last night that had stated Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu had offered Palestinian Authority President a Settlement Freeze on all government construction. This offer was rejected by the Palestinian Authority which cited that most of the construction was done by private contractors so really, they are saying that it would not be much of a freeze at all.

Palestinians confirm Israel offered partial West Bank settlement freeze in return for talks

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Friday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered to freeze government construction in West Bank settlements as well as construction on government land there in return for an agreement by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to resume direct peace talks.

Erekat told the Associated Press that the proposal was offered to the Palestinians via a third party and that the Palestinians rejected the proposal because it only applied to government construction and most settlement construction is carried out by private contractors.

"If Netanyahu wants to resume negotiations, he has to say that settlement building will stop. Either it stops or it doesn't stop," Erekat said.

During this, Palestinian President Abbas has reportedly threatened to resign if there is no diplomatic progress during the next three months.

Our second story is from Maan News where there are conflicting news stories regarding President Abbas regarding unification talks with Hamas. First there is a report that the date for those talks has not been set: Fatah: No date set for meeting with Hamas

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- No date has been set for President Mahmoud Abbas' meeting with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal to discuss national unity, Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad said Friday.

Al-Ahmad, who heads Fatah's reconciliation delegation, told Ma'an that the meeting would be held after the president's regional tour.

He said Abbas initiated the meeting with Mashaal to implement the reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo in May to end years of bitter rivalry between Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and Abbas' Fatah party, which heads the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

The president also hoped to discuss Palestine's future with Mashaal, who leads the Hamas movement from exile in Damascus.

Abbas left for Cairo on Friday to meet with Egypt's military ruler Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

However... in these "non-existent meetings" Report: Abbas to offer January elections

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas will propose elections in upcoming meetings with Hamas officials, Time Magazine reported on Thursday.

"We're suggesting January, because the law requires 90 days notice," Abbas' spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah told Time.

The reconciliation agreement signed on May 4 by the president's Fatah party and Hamas set out plan for a unity government of technocrats, the release of political prisoners and holding of elections.

Implementation has stalled as the sides dispute the candidates for the joint government, notably current chief of the Ramallah-based government Salam Fayyad, whom Hamas rejects.

Today's Maan online seems confused however.... For instance, they are reporting that the Palestinians are unaware of Israel's offer for a partial settlement freeze but as we see above they have responded. Either way... interesting developments could be afoot.

Next we have the leader of Hizbollah Sheikh Hasan Nasrallah promising: Next war with Israel will start in Tel Aviv

The next war with Israel will start in Tel Aviv, not on the northern border, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned on Friday, the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper reported. “If Israel decided to wage a war against Lebanon, we will not only break the Israeli soldiers’ bones, we will smash them,” Nasrallah was quoted as saying during a meeting with Hezbollah members.

"The war would be waged without any red lines, and [Hezbollah] would in return commit to the new equations,” Nasrallah said.

“[Hezbollah] has many surprises that will change the face of the region,” he added.

And there we have it more bloviating from the hidden leader of Hizbollah... This part: "The war would be waged without any red lines" is telling. Fortunately this is like a monthly occurance for Nasrallah who generally more than anything likes to hear himself sound tough (all while hiding from the Israelis). Oh the Irony.....

Finally.. spurred on by the events in Libya and the fall of Moammar Gadhafi the Syrian Protest movement is sparked. Gadhafi's killing fuels Syria's Friday protests

The killing of Libya's Muammar Gadhafi fuelled demonstrations across Syria after Friday prayers that called for the ouster of President Bashar Assad, braving a heavier than normal security presence, activists and residents said.

Syrian forces shot dead on Friday at least 13 anti-Assad protesters, according to activists and residents.

Most of the killings were in the central city of Homs and in Hama to the north, scene of some of the largest military operations in a crackdown on the seven month uprising, where a nascent insurgent movement has also emerged, they said.

"Gadhafi is finished. It is your turn now Bashar!" shouted demonstrators in the town of Maaret al-Numaan in the northwestern province of Idlib, according to one witness.

Please feel free to discuss and bring in stories that are relevant to the M.E.

PROGRESSIVE ZIONIST FRY'DAZE

This first story saddens me a great deal. At first I was outraged... and honestly I still am but, there is more to this than meets the eye. Nothing in the vandals past excuses this action but it does place it in context of the conflict. Tel Aviv: 'Price Tag' in Rabin memorial

First reprisal following Shalit deal? The memorial for Yitzhak Rabin in Tel Aviv was vandalized Thursday night. The words "Price Tag" and "Free Yigal Amir" were spray-painted on it.

Eye-witnesses reported that the perpetrator was arrested by Tel Aviv municipal guards. The suspect is Shvuel Schijveschuurder, 27, from Givat Shmuel whose parents were murdered in the Sbarro restaurant terror attack in Jerusalem in 2001.....

.....Nadav, an eye-witness, saw the man vandalizing the memorial. "I began crossing the junction towards him as he was finishing writing and pouring white paint. A municipal security guard chased after him. He entered a taxi and was forcefully taken out of it."

 According to the eye-witness, the guard asked the suspect "why did you do it?" and he replied: "You don't know who I am, my family was murdered." He was then taken into questioning.

This is part of the fall-out from the deal for Gilad Shalit. There are names on the list of freed prisoners who are mass murderers and people are rightly concerned about their release. However, the IDF and the Shin Bet say that they feel that this deal makes sense and that the security risks will not be increased with the prisoners who are slated for release.
These despicable "Price Tag" attacks have been on the rise with the recent vandalization of Arab cemeteries in Jaffa

Some 25 tombstones were vandalized at two Jaffa cemeteries belonging to Muslims and Christians. The messages “Death to Arabs” and “Price tag” were spray painted on the graves.

Police forces arrived at the site and launched an investigation into the incident, but no suspects had been arrested for the time being. The acts prompted Jaffa residents to hold an emotional rally on Jaffa's streets Saturday evening.

President Shimon Peres condemned the vandalism acts at Jaffa’s Christian and Muslim cemeteries, referring to them as “despicable acts that disgrace us and contradict the moral values of Israeli society.”

The hard right seems to now be expanding their hatred and trying to add "fuel to the fire" in an effort to forestall any efforts at peace.

But it is not only the Israeli right that is upset. According to German intelligence: Iran could try to sabotage Gilad Shalit swap deal, mediator says

Iran could still try and sabotage a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas that would set Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit free, top German intelligence officials said on Friday, adding that the situation will continue to remain "fragile" until Shalit's arrival in Israel.....

Speaking to reporters in the Berlin headquarters of German intelligence (Bundesnachrichtendienst, or BND), the officials expressed their satisfaction with the completed deal, and from their contribution to its completion, adding, however that the situation was still "fragile" until the terms of the deal take place on the ground.

The German officials especially stressed their fear of an Iranian move to sabotage the deal's execution, claiming that Iran, who wields significant influence on Hamas, was not happy about the Israel-Hamas agreement.

Related to that: Haniyeh: Gaza paid 'dear price' to free prisoners

Ismail Haniyeh said Friday that "Our people today will harvest the fruit of one destination of Jihad and steadfastness. "Gaza has paid a dear price of blood and martyrs and agonies in actions the occupation had carried under the slogan of freeing Shalit," Haniyeh told a crowd of worshipers before prayers in a Gaza City mosque.

"The great Palestinian people paid all that price in order to free the prisoners because we believe that the value of man is derived from the value of the homeland."

Israel will release a list of prisoners to be released in the beginning stages on Saturday. The first part of the exchange is to happen on Tuesday... I think many on both sides will be waiting with "baited breath" to see how this works out.

The first part of the exchange is to happen on Tuesday... I think many on both sides will be waiting with "baited breath" to see how this works out.

Our second story: Palestinian Authority cuts ties with pro-Palestinian U.S. lobby over criticism of UN statehood bid

The Palestinian Authority has cut ties with a major U.S. pro-Palestinian lobby on Thursday, in what seemed to be continued fallout over the group's conspicuous criticism of a Palestinian move to gain recognition in the United Nations.

The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) had been a key link between the Palestinian leadership and the U.S. administration in recent years, especially due to the lobby's moderate political stance, and as a result of the friendship between the lobby's head, Dr. Ziad J. Asali, and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad....

....However, the sound relationship between the PA and the ATFP began fraying over efforts by the head of the Palestinian delegation to the U.S., Ma'an Erekat, to distance the pro-Palestinian lobby.

Those tensions increased dramatically, additionally, over the Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN late last month, a move Asali openly criticized for its potential to mire relations with U.S. President Barack Obama's administration.

Currently the Palestinian Authority is on the full diplomatic offensive with the U.N. after reports of Israeli continued building in East Jerusalem

JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israel has formally submitted plans for a new settlement neighborhood of 2,610 homes in annexed East Jerusalem, Peace Now said on Friday.

East Jerusalem's first new district in 14 years, Givat HaMatos, lies within Bethlehem's original municipal borders and will cut off the West Bank city from East Jerusalem, the group said.

Peace Now said building up the neighborhood, standing between Israeli settlements Gilo and Har Homa, was "a game changer that significantly changes the possible border between Israel and Palestine."

"Unlike recent plans that caused controversy in Gilo and Pisgat Zeev which expanded the footprint of existing neighborhoods, the new plan creates an entirely new footprint of a new Israeli neighborhood in East Jerusalem," Peace Now said in a statement.

The Palestinians have repeatedly said that they will NOT sitdown and negotiate with the Israelis as long as they Israelis continue to build in the West Bank.
SO rather than enter direct negotiations with the Israelis Official: PLO will apply to join UN agencies

RAMALLAH (Reuters) -- The PLO will apply for full membership of as many United Nations agencies as possible as part of push to advance national interests, an official said. The plan is likely to generate more criticism from the United States, which has pledged to veto a Palestinian request last month for full membership of the United Nations, if it comes to a vote in the Security Council.

The drive for membership of the UN agencies, prepared over the past two years, is part of a plan to get ready for statehood, said Omar Awadallah, who heads the UN department at the foreign ministry.

"Our policy is now towards gaining membership of all international organizations, and specialized organizations of the United Nations as a full member," he told Reuters in an interview. "We are not looking for confrontation, we are looking to secure our rights," he said.

Anyway, there is a lot here to discuss so please do and let's keep this substantive and productive.

BREAKING: SHALIT DEAL!!!!!!

Breaking... Both Haaretz and Al-Arabiya are reporting that are reporting adeal reached between Hamas and the Israeli Government for the release of Gilad Shalit.

According to Haaretz:

How it happened / The breakthrough that led to the Shalit:

David Meidan, the top Israeli official in charge of Shalit talks, has been spending the last few days in Cairo, contemporaneously with senior officials in Hamas' military wing. Both sides agreed to show flexibility one last time in order to seal the deal.

On Sunday, Netanyahu convened an eight-hour Forum of Eight meeting which lasted until 4 A.M., a meeting the very existence of which was placed under gag order. Ministers who attended the meeting refused to reveal any of the issues discussed.

On Monday, the diplomatic-security cabinet was assembled to discuss the details of a possible Shalit prisoner exchange deal.

Despite all of those meetings, Netanyahu insisted on the deal being approved in the widest cabinet forum possible. At 6 P.M. Tuesday, ministers received a message informing them of an emergency meeting.

Some of the ministers were not even informed as to the subject of the meeting, with Netanyahu personally calling others to update them and ask for their support as the deal comes to be approved by the government.

and from the folks who broke the story at Al-Arabiya

Israel has agreed a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas to secure the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who will be “coming home” in a few days, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday.

“We have concluded arduous negotiations with Hamas to release Gilad Shalit. He will be coming home in the next few days,” the prime minister said in a nationally televised address.

Shortly after the announcement tens of thousands of people flooded into the streets of northern Gaza to celebrate the deal that will see Palestinian detainees freed in exchange for Shalit.

In a statement, Hamas said tens of thousands of people were taking part in celebratory rallies after a deal that is expected to see hundreds of Palestinians released in exchange for the captured Israeli soldier.

Azay YOFFEEE - This is great that Gilad will come home....

Shalom

Shlomo Avineri "Drills one out of the Park"

In today's Haaretz, Columnist and Professor Shlomo Avineri hits a "Home Run" (a column that is so, so very right) when he says that there is No Realistic Chance at Permanent Middle East Peace.

I would quote this article in full but I believe I could run afoul of copyright infringement so I will simply print the following:

Even those, like myself, who believe that the settlements are a political and moral mistake, would be naive to believe that a democratic government can easily evacuate hundreds of thousands of settlers; that the Palestinians will give up the right of return; that a slogan like "Jerusalem, capital of two states" can resolve the tangle of problems involved in the city's status; or that the Palestinians - who do not believe the Jews are a nation - can accept the State of Israel as the nation-state of the Jews
.
We must change our approach and understand that there is now no chance of a permanent agreement. There is only one way forward, as in Cyprus, Kosovo and Bosnia: lacking a realistic chance of negotiations on a permanent status agreement, diplomatic efforts must be invested in alternative arrangements - interim agreements; confidence-building measures; unilateral (but mutually acceptable) steps; and continued pragmatic cooperation on the ground.

In political jargon, it is a transition from the failed attempt to attain a comprehensive solution to partial steps of conflict management with the final goal of "two states for two peoples" constituting the diplomatic horizon. The parties agree to an endgame on principle, but are aware of the difficulties in attaining it now.

Avineri is absolutely correct here. The Palestinian Polity is simply not ready for compromise as recent comments from President Abbas and Ambassador Areikat show, not too mention the lunatics in Hamas.

But that doesn't let the Israeli Government off the hook either. It's not like the Likud and their Righist buddies in the coalition are dealing in good faith either. Right now, neither side is at a place where they want to end the status quo, which is too bad because the status quo is toxic for both Israelis and Palestinians.

As Avineri says:

"....Pious talk of a final agreement in a year or two is no substitute for realistic policy which takes into account the serious state of affairs on the ground. Only those without unrealistic utopian illusions can promote both Palestinian and Israeli interests simultaneously and assist both peoples to emerge, very slowly over time, from the harsh grip of the conflict"

After having dealings with both One State anti-Zionists and Super Nationalist Zealots I can honestly say that Avineri nails this one. Neither of these two groups that dominate the blogosphere (and their reflected compatriots on the groun) seem to care one bit about the the other side and what is really at stake. By promoting this kind of myopia both sides can feel smugly comfortable but honestly contribute nothing towards a solulton except hard feelings.

Thank you Prof. Avineri for this great article

Progressive Except for Palestine: The Real Meaning

There comes a time when every movement needs to look within itself and face some ugly facets of it's being. Any ideology at some point creates problematic situations particularly as it grows in size and adherence. Look at the implementation of Communist ideology in Russia or China, look at what unbridled Capitalism brought to the United States in it's earlier "Robber Baron" era and what it's adherents are trying to do now.

Just as these two ideologies fail so does the ideology of "Progressivism" when it hits the ugly reality that is the Israeli / Palestinian conflict.

Yesterday on Daily Kos we got to see this first hand. In an article that rightfully criticized Israeli handling of an attack by settlers (some of whom were off duty police) on left wing activists, what I consider anti-Progressive elements moved into the article to claim the false equivalency of comparing the Israeli Government to the Nazi Regime of Germany from the thirties to the mid forties. In this story so called "progressives" (though they are hardly that) made or fully supported this analogy. Their only objection to this analogy was that it was "unhelpful" to the discussion and served as a distraction so that their message was muddied. However, they were more than happy to have someone who called the Israelis "Nazi's" continue to partake in their little discussion as long as this person didn't make the "unhelpful" comparison. Not only that but one of the leaders of this group made a Nazi analogy himself, he doubled down by supporting a comment saying that the current Israeli Government was equivalent to the German Government of WWII.

What was sad and disappointing here was that many so-called "progressives" and "human rights" activists not only turned a blind eye to this rhetoric but actively engaged in lying, and defamation to support their friends making those statements. Here are supposed progressives calling other progressives "Israel first trolls" and "pro-occupation users" all the while whistling in the air as one of the most offensive meme's imaginable passed by.

Only one person of these so-called "progressives" said anything about how wrong this was. Only one.

Now, aside from the obvious offensiveness of making comparisons between the genocidal Nazi regime and the Government of Israel, it takes an amazing leap of illogic to even make an allusion toward this. The Nazis brutally murderd millions of people (including 6 million Jews) in an attempt to eradicate the Jewish people from the planet. As I said yesterday in the article in question on Daily Kos:

Here is what the Nazi's did:

After systematically denying the humanity of entire ethnicities they took members of those ethnicities and tossed them into Concentration Camps (the lucky ones) were they were fed 850 calories per day and forced to do heavy slave labor. The unlucky people were shipped to DEATH CAMPS where they were systematically either worked to death, were starved to death or were gassed to death (or burned to death), where they then turned into lampshades, soap or other fine household items. Some were medically experimented on and then killed.

Both the "lucky" and "unlucky" victims of the Holocaust were shipped to these camps in Cattle Cars with little to no ventilation, no food, no water, no bathroom facilities and no place to sit for days on end....

Nothing, the Israeli government does resembles anything remotely even approaching this. Yet so-called "human rights activists" merely sat on their hands and allowed the demonization of Israel and it's supporters continue unabated.

Similarly "progressives" and "human rights" activists gladly will take assistance from the most vile anti-Semites (just take a look at the sewer that is mondoweiss.net to see what passes for progressive commentary) if they can help them in their cause. They happily suck up nonsense spewed by Paulbots (supporters of Texas Rep. Ron Paul (R) who is the farthest thing from Progressive there is but they love him and all is forgiven due to his favoring of  U.S. withdrawal from the Middle East) or known bigot and lunatic Lyndon LaRouche. That "progressive website" they so love features such luminaries as Holocaust denier Gilad Atzmom, and Holocaust Revisionist Jeffrey Blankfort (it was the Zionists fault), amongst the usual neo-Nazi and racist cranks that populate that site. What is disappointing is that the progressives trying to get in front of this issue blindly turn away or make excuses for this all in the name of "the cause".

But enough on that, but these so-called "progressives" put their support into a Palestinian Polity that has absolutely ZERO progressive credentials. They support some mythical One State solution where Palestinians will happily protect Jewish rights all while ruling in a perfect democracy. Of course, the fact that the Palestinian and Arab polity has never exhibited anything remotely resembling this is besides the point. These "human rights" activists don't care. They are happy to overlook that the people they want to turn over the government too, have a law on their books stating that anyone selling land to Jews will face the Death Penalty. They overlook or try to excuse the Palestinian Authority President who said that the Occupation of Palestinian land had to end and then stated that the Occupation was from the founding of Israel. They overlook a PLO Ambassador that stated that Jews and Palestinians could not live together and that any Jew living in Israel since the Occupation started would not be allowed to stay. Somehow that gets ignored.

Then these so-called "progressives" miss or make excuses for the other part of the Palestinian polity that is made up of religious quasi fascists that suppress their people with impunity and carry out acts of terror. But none of this matters. I constantly ask these so-called human rights activists what is it about the Palestinian Polity that is Progressive. Generally they cannot name anything. But they don't care because really being progressive is not on their agenda. They may talk about some mythical One State Solution that has the support of exactly...no one. Well no one outside of a small group of Utopians. Well, that or simply a Palestinian State where Israel ceases to exist.

So where is the Progressivism here?

Now on the Israeli side, true progressives speak up against the growing nationalistic sentiment that is changing the very democratic character of the State. True progressives speak up for Social and Economic justice in the Israeli polity. While the demands of the "tent protests" were not as coherent as they could be, they spoke to a frustration that the average Israeli feels (just look at the support levels throughout the country for the protests) with neo-conservative destructive economic policies of Prime Minister Netanyahu and his cronies.

As to social justice, not only does a true progressive ask for social justice for Israelis but also for Palestinians that live in Israel and in the Occupied Territories. This does not mean that one supports the Palestinian bid to end Israel and true progressives recognize the legitimacy of the Jewish people to self-governance. But it does mean that minorities within Israel need to be treated as full citizens with full civil rights.Whether or not the Arab/Palestinian side supports this doesn't matter, it is what we do for ourselves that does matter. It is how we define ourselves within the Zionist framework

For the Occupation.... a true progressive works for a Two State solution where both the Palestinian and Jewish people have safe and secure nations based on historical precedent and current realities. I believe a true progressive stands against increased settlements and the continued encroachment on land that really should be Palestinian Land or that realistically will be Palestinian land come any "reasonable" Two State Solution. I think a true progressive does not do this because it empowers Palestinians, only they can do that for themselves. I believe a true progressive does that because of a moral sense that promotes the legitimate self governance of the Palestinian people. It comes from a stance that we should ask for others what we ask for ourselves.

Again, however all of this has to be done in a way that fosters real progressive ideas such as gender equality, protection of LGBT people, freedom of religion, press, and speech . It can't just support some vague Utopian idea that will have no progressive outcomes whatsoever.

Anyway, that is what I am discovering about progressivism and P.E.P. which is very much in evidence though not in the way most people mean it. The real progressive supports both peoples legitimate rights to self governance and respects the full rights of all people involved. The real progressive does not turn away from the racism and hatefulness that pervades one side or the other just for political expediency.

SYRIA Threatens Regional War

Though it is not talked about much, what is turning into a Civil War in Syria is now threatening to become a regional conflict.

Today.. Bashar Assad the brutal Syrian Dictator that threatened Israel and the United States were it to be attacked by anyone (not necessarily Israel or the U.S.) seeking to end the slaughter and repression that the dictatorship is currently engaged in regarding it's citizens.

According to the Israeli Daily Haaretz Online, Assad: Syria will shower Tel Aviv with rockets if attacked by foreign powers

During a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Assad was quoted by the Iranian semi-official news agency Fars as saying that Syria would not hesitate to strike major Israeli cities if it was attacked.

"If a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, I will need not more than 6 hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv," Assad said.

In addition, Fars reported indicated that the Syrian president told the Turkish FM that he would also call on Hezbollah in Lebanon to launch a rocket attack on Israel, adding: "All these events will happen in three hours, but in the second three hours, Iran will attack the U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf and the U.S. and European interests will be targeted simultaneously."

Now as Haaretz indicated this comes on the heels of comments made by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan regarding sanctions against the Assad regime, and at a time when Turkish troops are mobilized for an "exercise" in South Eastern Turkey. The manuvers in Hatay involve the 39th mechanized infantry brigade and 730 reserve soldiers. The 39th is part of the Turkish Second Army VI Corps
Anyhow, there are also many Syrian refugees (approx. 7000 in Hatay one of whom is the Highest ranking Syrian Military Defector; Colonel Riad Asaad:

Colonel Riad al-Asaad told Turkey's state-run Anatolian news agency he had been the target of a Syrian military crackdown in the Rastan region near the city of Homs, but had escaped.

"We live in a safe place in Turkey," he said, thanking the Turkish government for giving him refuge. Anatolian's report was datelined Hatay in southern Turkey, where 7,000 Syrians have fled to escape Assad's crackdown on protesters.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who has predicted the Syrian people will "sooner or later" overthrow Assad, his former friend, said he would unveil plans for sanctions against Syria after he visits Syrian refugees in Hatay in the next few days.

Turkey also announced a nine-day military exercise in Hatay, a territory long claimed by Syria, starting on Wednesday.

So given Turkey's commentary (which is making Syria nervous), rather than go after the people threatening him, Assad wants to attack a civilian target Tel Aviv (which he says his forces and Hizbollah forces can do within six hours of an attack on him) AND with his allies Hizbollah and Iran want to attack not only American shipping but other Israeli civilian targets as well. Great.

One question one might also ask is what role Hamas would play here? It's political leadership is headquartered in Damascus and despite reported difficulties between Khalid Meshaal and the Assad regime Hamas is still ensconsed in Damascus. Just today Gaza militants attacked an IDF convoy but there were no casualties.

I think the main question then becomes, if Syria and it's allies (Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran) try to ignite a regional war with the U.S. and Israel what do other countries do? I mean attacking Tel Aviv would not be an unpopular move in the MENA region BUT, would it be welcome enough to save the brutal Assad regime? Israel, off course would then fight back. At this point would Assad be able to position himself as a great defender of regional pride, or would people see through this obvious ruse and do the right thing (condemning Syria for this and standing against Iran's regional ambitions)?