Palestinians often complain that the US is “biased” toward Israel. This could be because their fundamental belief is that all of the land between the Jordan and the Mediterranean belongs to them. So they see any recognition of Israel’s legitimacy as ‘biased’.
But if we stipulate that Israel is is not going away, then we can make a good argument that the US position — particularly as articulated by the Obama Administration — is strongly biased toward the Arabs.
Here’s a recent account of Secretary of State Kerry’s diplomatic effort:
-
“Kerry is trying to pave the way for relaunching the peace process. He is serious and we encouraged him. He made progress and we hope he can conclude a deal in the coming week,” said one [Palestinian] official.
While Israel would not explicitly commit to returning to its 1967 lines, negotiations would be based on a May 2011 policy speech by President Barack Obama. That speech called for a border based on the 1967 lines, with modifications based on mutually agreed “land swaps,” while also urging the Palestinians to recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. Abbas has repeatedly rejected Israeli calls to recognize the country as the Jewish state, fearing it would undermine the rights of Palestinian refugees displaced from properties inside Israel.
Kerry’s plan also calls on Israel to release about 100 of the longest-held Palestinian prisoners in its jails in several stages, and envisions a $4 billion international investment plan, conducted in various stages, to develop the struggling Palestinian economy.
The idea would be that within six to nine months the sides could pursue an agreement on all outstanding matters, including final borders, the fate of Palestinian refugees and resolving the competing claims to east Jerusalem.
Let’s leave aside all of the practical problems, like the fact that Abbas can’t speak for Hamas, the fact that there is no way to ensure that the Arabs would keep any bargain once Israel withdraws, the fact that Palestinian ideology calls for continued ‘resistance’ until ‘all of Palestine’ is ‘liberated’ (and ideology trumps development), the continued Arab insistence that the descendants of Arab refugees are Israel’s problem, and last but definitely not least, the instability of Syria and Egypt. Let’s just look at the implications of Kerry and Obama’s approach to borders.
Historically, Israel — or rather, the Jewish people — had a prima facie claim to the land in question, as expressed by the Palestine Mandate. The land remained disputed while under Jordanian control after 1948, when both sides agreed that the armistice lines had no political significance.
But after 1967, when it finally came to physically possess the land, Israel agreed to relinquish some of the disputed area to the Arab nations in return for a peace treaty, by accepting UNSC resolution 242.
One can argue, and one might be right, that Israel should have told the UN to go to hell, annexed all of Judea and Samaria, and expelled those Arabs who would not agree to be loyal to the state. But that didn’t happen.
Somewhere in the years since 1967, the intent of UNSC 242 that an Israel-Arab peace settlement would include “secure” boundaries for all states, and that Israel is not required to withdraw from all territory captured in 1967, seems to have been forgotten.
The Obama Administration has taken the radical position that all of Judea and Samaria belongs to the Arabs, and that they must be compensated for any land outside the 1949 line that becomes part of Israel! This contradicts the commitment the international community made to the Jews when the Ottoman Empire was dismantled, the consensus that the 1949 lines were not borders, and the intent of UNSC 242. This is what I mean when I say that the US is biased in favor of the Arabs.
The administration position is much more pro-Arab than that of the Bush Administration, which recognized that any border agreement had to be based on the Jewish and Arab populations, and not arbitrary lines (and which also rejected ‘right of return’). Unfortunately, the State Department, in a significant betrayal of its ally, haswalked back statements to this effect made by President Bush.
So much for living up to commitments.
@ Canadian Otter:
Dear otter,
This morning I had a similar experience as you’ve described. I was trying to post a comment on the Michael Oren’s idiotic comment regarding Hussein, thread.
I tried twice, but just like you described….it got zapped.
I am thinking it might be the old laptop I was typing from (everything types as small case…) vs typing from the iPad (I hate its ‘thinking for you’ feature) where, so far, I have not been ‘zapped’.
Not a computer savvy (and that’s quite an understatement), but I thought maybe that is the common denominator…
Anyways,
Just a thought…
🙂
corrie and family gave comfot to jew killers. no empathy here for existential enemies. no jew should participate in painting nazi propaganda as moral. they might as well support goebbels.
Why stop there??? Is there no monologue written somewhere about eichman’s memoirs, or some similar garbage, that some ohhh ‘sensitive, open minded’liberal flunkie could put into a play for the multi-culti crowd? (Spit!)
God, I find that as I am getting older I tend to get crankier and very reptilian as far as this subject is concerned.
The driver of that bulldozer should have finished the job started by lt. col. Shalom Eisner and paint “NEXT?” on all five sides of the bulldozer!
@ yamit82:
What do you think of chamish, alot of it very convincing,
another amazing story that makes sense regarding Hiss and organs
who knows in collusion with
and ends with the assertion that Peres not jewish
http://barrychamish.com/Newsletters2012/stinger1.html
excerpt from link about a letter to chamish
Dear Barry:
There is a member of our Shul whose father knew Shimon Peres’ family while growing up in Lodz, Poland. The father told his son (my friend) that Shimon’s mother was not Jewish that’s how he ended up in a Jesuit school. If you want to verify this let me know and I can provide you with a contact name and number.
If true, and I can only stand beside the veracity of the source, than the President of Israel isn’t even Jewish.
@ the phoenix:
@ bernard ross:
Play about slain activist Rachel Corrie opens in Jerusalem
Politicians threaten theater with funding cuts, but mayor says city ‘does not censor content shown in any artistic performance’
further to my last post. the following excerpt from the above link explains some animosity that wasnt explained. this stuff makes sense but is it true? Sure seems realistic, beleivable and true to human nature, plus strong on detail.
@ the phoenix:
@ yamit82:
@ Canadian Otter:
I m reading these chamish article, which read better than spy novels, and stumble on one involving pollar, peres, irancontra,bush. wonder if you people have seen this one
http://barrychamish.com/Newsletters2012/Iran_Contra1.html
@ bernard ross:
PRECISELY!
And once you’re in this mode…. It is very easy to come up with a whole bunch of “hmmmm… Now that I think of it,… How come _________?”isms
yamit82 Said:
Bless your little O’heart!!!!!!!
http://youtu.be/wIhKt-aDMvM
yamit82 Said:
another unbelievable story. what arrogance, and it appears to be acceptable arrogance.
@ yamit82:
From your keyboard, to God’s ears, yamit.
the phoenix Said:
So Whats new?
the phoenix Said:
That’s a more complicated question.
Short answer The Israeli right are not very bright.
The right are not by nature revolutionaries and too many follow the lead of stupid corrupted state employed rabbis on one side and secular right-wingers have no charismatic leaders to rally behind or our dysfunctional system has made it impossible to for those not close to the centers of power to change anything. There isn’t I believe a unified political vision of all those on the right either which makes it easy for divide and conquer against them by those claiming to be be on the right as well as the left. The right believes they can change things through the ballot and there lies the problem. It’s Fixed against them and they till now refuse to entertain the options.
You know Israel is a quasi police state which makes it near impossible to mobilize and organize a real opposition.
4-7000 zealot Jews once forced the once Mighty British out of Israel. Today there may be some 100,000 such Zealots in Israel. That’s potentially enough strength to create the potential for real change. I believe it’s only a matter of time and circumstances.
@ yamit82:
This goes far beyond the concept that “everyone is entitled to his own opinion”. For, God Forbid, these Hebrew speaking nonjews would slice and dice the land till the end, and finish what begin and Sharon started.
An ounce of prevention is ALWAYS better than a pound of cure, so, again, WHY is there no unity among the nationalist Jews against this blatantly obvious internal threat???
@ yamit82:
What these numbers mean to me, is that the GOI is not representing nor speaking for the Israeli Jews. So, the next question, would be, why are they still in office???
@ the phoenix:
Israeli elite founders and most of their progeny never wanted an independent Jewish state. They wanted to remain a protectorate of Britain.
To that end they didn’t want most of the religious Eastern European Jews either and worked to see that they never got out of Europe in favor of those like themselves like German Jews but not Polish and Russian Jews.
Ironically it was those who never sought or wanted a sovereign Jewish State are those who succeeded in Running it.
It is obviously apparent that they want nothing to do that smacks of Judaism,or reminders of Jewish history. They walk amongst us but they are cosmopolitan neo- Hellenist in their social, political and cultural World View.
@ yamit82:
Dear yamit,
If ANYONE were to be asked to read two of the links you’ve provided (al dura and the major bible era find) and ANY article written by chamish (rabbin’s assassination, raful’s ‘drowning’, zeevi’s assassination, gush katiff, sharon, Peres, the Vatican, etc, etc ETC), the inevitable conclusion is that there is a very active Trojan horse LOADED with Manchurian candidates, that is working nonstop to eliminate Jewish Israel….
I would have NEVER thought such a possibility even exists, but once described, and facts were irrefutably pointed out, and how they connect and interrelate to each other….it is almost impossible to go back to the status quo ante.
Monday, July 8, 2013
58.0%:—–37.3% Israel should not show flexibility to renew talks (Peace Index – June 2013: Israeli Jews)
@ Canadian Otter:
Is the State Hiding a Major Bible Era Find?
Makor Rishon says authorities are keeping lid on what may be a royal castle from David’s time.
@ bernard ross:
@ the phoenix:
Why Did IDF Not Share Al-Dura Video?
Newest testimony in Al-Dura case raises the question: where was the IDF while others fought to clear Israel’s name?
Citing Egypt, Feiglin Calls Army Radio a ‘Threat to Democracy’
If Egypt is any example, Israel must immediately remove Army Radio from control of the IDF said MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud)
Another comment on moderation.
POLICE OFFICER EXPRESSES REMORSE – After 8 years since Gaza Disengagement, retired police officer Meir Ben-Ishay, who commanded operation’s police forces, visits Gush Katif museum, expresses great remorse: ‘Wound is still open’ – Brigadier General (res.) Meir Ben-Ishay expressed sorrow for his part in uprooting settlements, and revealed that he and hundreds of policemen and soldiers were struggling to overcome the trauma behind the pullout to this day. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4403048,00.html
This report is not the complete picture, I’m sure, but it seems as if he is concerned about the trauma suffered by the officers, while what it is really needed is strong voices against another disengagement. Maybe someone could organize these officers into some sort of support for those opposing another disengagement. There is a real threat of a Disengagement Part 2.
the phoenix Said:
Please don’t. I read nurkalehs links and references and they were all anti semitic and anti Israel. although there are similarites with chamish there are great differences. Chamish deals in events and facts and nurkaleh dealt only in conspiracy theories with no supporting arguments or evidence. It is possible that certain facts of chamish may be right but ocnclusion wrong both regarding an immediate event(rabin) or shabtai masonic conspiracy. the only reason i would read chamish is because he presents in a logical fashion whereas nurkaleh presented only conspiracy without explanation or support. I reserve opinion right now on chamish because I dont know enough facts directly or indirectly. A good novelist can take facts and create fiction, anything is possible. Certainly he has made the highly implausible appear possible, on first glance.
@ bernard ross:
Like yourself, I found these writings to be just INCREDIBLE!
From what I have read, the was nothing that triggered my bs alarm…
I feel that I must extend a heartfelt apology to nur’kaleh…. At the time, I viewed his writings as just harmless babble …. Now… I am not so sure.
Anyways I do hope other posters could weigh in their input
This is very troublesome and worrisome, and there is just TOO MUCH shhhhhhstuff, for it to be ‘a coincidence’
Yamit? Shy?
@ the phoenix: I realize that i did download it, but only got as far as table of contents. I just now went to the links to chamish re the Yemenite children, Haza., occult, shabtai,rothchild, Freemasons, etc. In reading a bit of each I am overwhelmed by the implications. there is a lot to read, I dont know how much I can read in the short term but I would be interested also in other input regarding Chamish. It reminds me of what shacalnur was saying so I assume he was on the same page. His articles are mind boggling and incredible and if true makes everything absurd. the yemenite children is unbelievable to think that this is true, yet it reads credibly. Have you discussed this with others who are familiar with the material?
Canadian Otter Said:
is it true that they did this to those children?
My talkbacks 3 and 10 have been posted. Number 10 refers to the issue of fear as a weapon to control society.
You can see how fear works in the US itself – where citizens’ fear of being put on a no-fly list can be enough to make them toe the line. And at the top too, with officials implementing policies due to blackmail, bribes, whatever.
I’ve always believed that the only hope rests in acting in large groups, with diffused leadership. In spite of organizational problems, it would provide safety in numbers and less chance of being misled by corrupt leaders. One good example was the demonstrations against infiltrators. ~~~ Govt, IDF, border police, they had all been ‘helpless’ in containing the tide for years, but those large crowds made them find a way somehow and now the tide has been reduced to a trickle.
@ Canadian Otter:
Dear otter,
I stumbled upon Barry’s writing by reading somebody’s comment posted here. This was a while back.
I have very little reason to doubt what he wrote, and the scary part is that this train wreck in slow motion depicted by the goi actions AND lack of, seem to be following the exact “script” that Barry has unveiled.
And there is not a word of indignation or protest nowhere to be heard!
Saw a lady reporter, a muslima in full ‘regalia’ speaking fluent Hebrew and advising the people of Israel to ‘take to the streets and follow the example of the Egyptians, if they are not happy with their government/Netanyahu…..’
I was thinking to myself, how sad that the best advice coming our way is from a Muslim, who obviously knows and understands the people, and the government .
How incredible that the Jews with ALL their Nobel prizes for medicine and physics and yadayadayada…can actually be so STUPID!
@ bernard ross:
You were in the heat of the action with the marrow guy…. 🙂
Here it is again:
http://barrychamish.com/books.htm
Click on the. “Bye bye gaza” button to down load.
@ the phoenix:
Was this the link, Phoenix?
http://www.barrychamish.com/newsletters2012/ofra_haza1.html
Chamish helped to expose the crimes against the Yemenite children. That’s something that really affected me when I read about it.
the phoenix Said:
where is it?
@ bernard ross:
Again, 1000% correct!
Did you get a chance to read the link I sent you?
It was exposing this very same premise… The REST to he ‘iceberg’, if you will….. 😉
My reply to Bernard and Phoenix has been zapped by Spam Filter. Not even in moderation. Wow.
@ the phoenix:
@ bernard ross:
There is another ingredient in this fatal brew: fear. Israeli security services are regarded as the best in the world. They have their methods to make people comply – gentle and otherwise – and they know how to control each new generation of leaders, even when they are barely in their teens.
The fact that Yesha youth have been kept busy with harmless activities such as building on hilltops and planting trees, or pointless but self-destroying ones such as “price tag” – where they can be neutered with a police file and threats – goes to show how clever those security agencies are. It goes without saying that they have infiltrated everywhere.
Isn’t it strange that after so many years of abuse, settlers still don’t have a true organization to represent them? And no effective leadership? Why would that be? What happens to those who try to organize them?
Canadian Otter Said:
Why indeed, and who will follow through to demand explanations and investigations of those who gave the order? all of our chats are meaningless because the Jews are repeatedly undermined by jewish insttitutions and no one is interested in following through, hokding the guilty accountable and purging theiim from the rolls of the jewish people. Perhaps there is a jewish fifth column, I doubt it is negligence or incompetence.
Your question is most excellent and at the heart of most problems.
Who will hold the guilty party accountable: BB, Feiglin, Bennett, Lapid, Yacimovitch, Barak,Shas, Gantz, Yaalon, ad infinitem, not one voice from all the BS so called reps of the people ……Where the hell are you, are you all just a bunch of BS opportunists?????
Where are the protest tents for this?
Ted, what do you say?
Everything else is pure, shameful BS.
the phoenix Said:
I dont give them that much credit. I lean more to corruption in the form of money, power, extortion, blackmail: bought, paid for, aided followed by blackmail and extortion. an age old tried and true technique. There appears to be an abnormally high level of corruption among top Israel leadership over the decades. every minute there is a scandal about a leader. experience teaches that what is revealed is a tip of the iceberg.
Just think, why would the IDF do this:
It has been revealed that the IDF had watched the Al Dura video just weeks after the shooting, but refused to speak out and defend the country’s honor and IDF innocence.
“It is not clear why the IDF did not make the whole video public showing the IDF did not cause Al-Dura’s death.” Others were left to defend Israel, while the IDF sat on the video – http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/169750#.UdwP76FraM8
This is nothing less than a scandal. – Why would the govt and IDF deliberately allow the defamation of Israel and the IDF?
@ bernard ross:
Totally agree!
There is something sick, perverse, revolting about these traitors to their roots who would give away their heritage for a fake smile and a perfidious approval from the goyim.
This is Esau selling his birthright for beans!!!
Incredible!
The time has come for the Jewish nationalist blocs of the present governing coalition in Israel to rein in Netanyahu from deal-making with Kerry or any other Washington-based personality that would result in Israel and the Jewish nation permanently losing significant portions of Eretz-Yisrael west of the Jordan River.
The key players in such a move would include the following key players in the governing coalition, according to Aron Heller, an Associated Press reporter who seems to know the political and policy-making scorecards in Jerusalem:
1) Danny Danon, deputy defense minister who was recently elected head of the Likud convention with about 86 percent of the votes, and was subsequently elected chairman of the Likud Central Committee.
2) Ze’ev Elkin, deputy foreign minister.
3) Yuli Edelstein, Knesset speaker.
4) Tzipi Hotovely, deputy transportation minister.
5) Yariv Levin, coalition whip.
I had found Heller’s report on MyWayNews.com, a useful website noted for its straight reportage and lack of pop-up advertisements. As soon as I read it and had mentally digested what I think was the current significance of that report, I emailed the link to Ted Belman, suggesting that he post it to Israpundit for the benefit of its many readers. Perhaps Ted did not see the email. In any case, no coverage about the Heller report has appeared on Israpundit.
So here is the link that the rest of you can use, and hopefully, help mobilize some action to block the current prime minister from using his dominance of the present government of the State of Israel to possibly betray the land rights of the Jewish nation and the permanent strategic defense needs of the Jewish state:
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/israel-lawmaker-emerging-main-foil-netanyahu
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
My comment is under moderation. It was in agreement with Bernard Ross.
I agree with Bernard Ross #1. – Writers like to blame the US, the EU, the UN, the Arabs…. but too often neglect to shine a light on the main culprit, Israeli politicians and their dangerously pro-Arab policies. Blaming the US has become a Pavlovian reaction, instigated by your own politicians and their friends. (“Pressure”, remember?) ~~~ It’s not just this current Israeli government that is to blame. There has been an ongoing bias towards appeasement and sacrificing Jewish land and Jewish rights for years. This goes way beyond what would be allowed by any self-respecting country.
Everyone needs to compromise sometimes, but Israeli authorities have shown an utter contempt for the country’s honor and security and for the people of Israel and their heroic fighters. ~~~ Headlines show an Israel in a voluntary state of subjugation and taking blame for every insult it is thrown at it. At the same time authorities have consistently refused to take other countries to task for their violations of international law regarding Israel’s right to the land, and the Arabs themselves for their virulent anti-Semitism and violation of previous agreements. ~~~ The threat of Iran is being used by your politicians to cloak themselves in an aura of nationalism, while they betray you in every other aspect of defense military, diplomatic, strategic, PR, land ownership, and more.
By shifting the blame towards the US in particular, writers are helping Israeli politicians to continue to play their game of deception. Unless intellectuals find the courage to expose that game, the country’s fate will continue to fall into the hands of those all over the world who want to see Israel dismantled.
There are people in Israel who believe the country was in the wrong for surviving.
Stupid Jews! Its folks like them that Kerry is trying to attract. He knows the Arabs won’t budge an inch.
Its a national tragedy!
As does the GOI
If Israel ignores those commitments then why wouldn’t everyone else”
The principle betrayer of the people of Israel has been the successive govts of Israel. It has never even complained about the libel that jewish settlements are illegal. It calls in no ambassadors to object to their libels or to their reneging on prior commitments to the jewish people. the world takes its cue from the behavior of the state and the people of Israel. There is one culprit who must be accused: The govt of Israel and the people of Israel. They do nothing to advance and protect the interests of the jewish people. The jews need to stop whining about everyone else and focus on why the govt of israel does nothing to defend the rights of the jewish people and the citizens accept it. Until that changes it is hopeless because the world will always point to Israel and say “they are not complaining or disagreeing” How can an Israeli GOI not hang its head in shame if it cannot even call in ambassadors to protest their libels and demand they cease. it cannot even go to the UN and demand it honors its charter to the Jews.