White House/State Dept. Continue to Refuse to Condemn Egyptian Military

The violence is escalating in Tahrir Square with the military and security forces cracking down on protesters, with upwards of 35 killed. As usual when dealing with an intransigent, human rights-abusing ally, the administration has just called for “restraint on all sides” which is code for “we don’t want to denounce the disproportionate force used […]

Israel Continues to Illegally Withhold Palestinian Tax Revenue as Collective Punishment

These funds are not international donations but rather tax revenue that legitimately belong to the Palestinian Authority. Pretty much the entire world, including the EU and US, have demanded requested that Israel turn over the funds. Of course, Israel, being the great ally of the US, Europe, Scandanavia that it is, has once again thumbed […]

US-Supported Egyptian Military Dictatorship Imprisons Egyptian Bloggers and Activists

Clearly, the US has decided that stability is more important than democracy and human rights in Egypt. For decades we’ve been very close with the corrupt, elite Egyptian defense forces all the while turning our backs while they entrenched themselves in every aspect of civil and economic society. That they detained, tortured and killed anyone […]

Chutzpah: Bibi Netanyahu to Demand Quartet Change Mideast Peace Plan Statement

After the US and our allies have spent the past however many months running around arm-twisting and cajoling the world to deny the Palestinians any recognition at the United Nations, after the US has intervened on behalf of Israel with regard to deteriorating ties with Turkey, Jordan and Egypt, after the US President gave a […]

Why The Two State Solution is Dead

One of the problems with the administration’s foreign policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is that it increasingly ignores reality in favor of political expediency. The so-called “peace process” has become a time-honored endeavor for many, many Presidents and while 15-20 years ago there actually was the possibility of creating two states along lines that would […]

Palestinian Authority Rejects Quartet Proposal

The so-called Mideast Quartet issued a statement yesterday that was, quite frankly, insulting to the Palestinians. The Palestinians have rejected it. Given the stakes at the UN, you would think the US would allow the Quartet to actually issue something substantive for once but given the administration has tacked far to the right on Israel, […]

Israel LOVES Obama’s Speech at the United Nations

And well they should. After all, the ultimate goal of perpetual occupation, circular negotiations, continued settlement expansion and American protectionism has been achieved. To hear President Obama speak about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one could be forgiven for thinking that Obama has adopted the philosophy of right-wing Likud. Israel’s far, far, far-right racist Foreign Minister, Avigdor […]

The Price of Israel

There is a good article over at Foreign Policy about how most countries, including our European allies, are pretty much fed up with the United States’ constant pandering to even the most damaging, de-stabilizing Israeli dictates. The irony of course is that in doing Bibi’s bidding, the Obama administration is, in essence, validating right-wing Likud […]

Turkish-Israeli Ties Deteriorate Further

Unfortunate but totally preventable: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey was “totally suspending” defense industry ties with Israel, after downgrading diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. “Trade ties, military ties, regarding defense industry ties, we are completely suspending them. This process will be followed by different measures,” Erdogan told reporters […]

Israel Lobby Gives Clinton & Obama Their Marching Orders

Over at Politico former AIPAC spokesman, Josh Block, argues that President Obama and Secretary Clinton better damn well get on top of this Palestinian statehood thing! Of course, Obama and Clinton are on top of this issue to such a degree that it begs the question, if the statehood declaration is only symbolic and largely […]

Israel & Palestinians Were Holding Secret Talks…Until Bibi Stepped In & Stopped Them

Yeah, he’s a real peacemaker, that Bibi Netanyahu: Coming up to September and the UN bid by the Palestinian Authority, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu claims that the Palestinians refuse to negotiate with his government, and therefore urges the world to oppose their diplomatic moves, “in the interest of peace.” Many echo this talking point: […]

State Dept. Press Corp Calls Out Administration for Being a Wimp on Israel

You know it’s pretty bad when even the U.S. mainstream media realize the administration cowers in the face of Israeli intransigence and the power of the Israel Lobby. Here is an excerpt from the press briefing and notice that a) for once they ask good questions that deserve an honest answer and b) they don’t […]

Israel Just Approved Plan to Build Thousands of New Homes in Occupied East Jerusalem

Haaretz has the story here. I’m sure the U.S. media will be all over this story, right? I’m sure the Obama administration will denounce this flagrant disregard for international law. HAHAHAHA, just kidding! It’s interesting that the Obama administration is spinning like a top and expending a significant amount of diplomatic effort in order to […]

The Arab Spring Comes to Israel…

And Bibi Netanyahu is terrified because it’s not Arabs taking to the streets, but the Israeli middle class. Here’s a nice big shout out to the folks in Israel who have managed to get their leaders re-focused on a domestic agenda that revolves around middle class priorities. Good for them. In case you weren’t aware, […]

Israeli Defense Minister to Meet With Secretary of State. Again.

Ehud Barak will be in Washington tomorrow to meet with just about everyone with a title. Gee, when was the last time Salam Fayyad or Abu Mazen got an audience with all these Cabinet Secretaries? Not recently. Of course, they are in the in the dog house for daring to do something the U.S. doesn’t […]