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 […]

US Brags About Denying Palestinians Legal Redress for Israel’s Human Rights Violations

I just got an email from the White House with bullet-points highlighting all the wonderful things the U.S. has done at the United Nations. There was a section on Israel. Here it is: Defending Israel Standing up for Israel at the UN: The Obama Administration has consistently and forcefully opposed unbalanced and biased actions against […]

Israel’s Claim That Terrorist Attacks Came From Gaza Called Into Question

I’ll admit to feeling sort of vindicated by this story in the independent Israeli mag +972 after being verbally taken to the woodshed by a liberal American Rabbi on Twitter yesterday who felt the need to school me about how Hamas was responsible for the terror attacks in Southern Israel last week. All I was […]

Gaza: And So It Begins

It really began yesterday with a massive Israeli air assault but it has continued throughout the day and night today. The tragic murder of eight Israelis has brought out the full force of the Israeli military. While it goes without saying that Israel has a right to defend itself, this seems less like self defense […]

Israel Doesn’t Seem to Know Who is Responsible for the Terrorist Attack

But despite this, Gaza is being pummeled. from The Real News Network: From War in Context: The Kalashnikov is the most widely available weapon on the planet. According to Jane’s Infantry Weapons 2009/2010 this rifle is in use in over 70 countries. An estimated 20% of all firearms available worldwide are of the Kalashnikov family. […]

Call Senator Leahy to Thank Him for Taking a Stand on the IDF’s Human Rights Abuses

Finally, someone in Congress who is willing to take a stand: U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy is promoting a bill to suspend U.S. assistance to three elite Israel Defense Forces units, alleging they are involved in human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Leahy, a Democrat and senior member of the U.S. Senate, […]

Israel’s Next War

There’s an interesting article over at the Israeli site +972 about how Benjamin Netanyahu tends to try to increase his domestic popularity when he’s in a jam by engaging in military action. The author makes clear that contrary to the popular mythology, oft repeated by U.S. leaders and the media, Israel has started many of […]

It’s Time to Stop Chasing the Peace Process Unicorn

As someone who believed in the peace process and the two state solution, it’s not been easy to reach this conclusion, but all the evidence points this way. Earlier this month I wrote several posts about how the Mideast Quartet had become little more than a vehicle for the U.S. and Israel to strong-arm their […]

The State Dept. Has to Speak Out About This NOW: Israel Taking Unilateral Action to Prevent Contiguous Palestinian State

We hear a lot in the media, from our government and from commentators about how the Palestinians are undermining the peace process by taking “unilateral” action by going to the United Nations in an attempt to have a Palestinian state recognized by the international body. Both Secretary Clinton and President Obama have repeatedly denounced the […]

Some Rare Good News: Unprecedented Security Cooperation Between Palestinian Authority and Israeli Defense Forces

When we briefly put aside all the rhetoric, propaganda and finger pointing on both sides, there have definitely been improvements in the relationship between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. One thing that helped improve the relationship was the death of Yasser Arafat, who continued to play both sides- he said publicly what people in the […]

Why the Israeli Anti-Boycott Law is a Slap in the Face to Democracy

Israel’s right-wing government passed a law which penalizes any Israeli who engages in, or speaks about, boycotting Israel or the Occupied Territories. For example, if an Israeli urges artists to not have a concert in Jerusalem, that individual could be sued in civil court and under the law, the person bringing the suit does not […]

Just What We Need: Another Analysis of Egypt From Israel’s Perspective

The great thing about this Newsweek article is that it is unapologetic in letting us know that all that really matters with the Arab Spring is Israel. Whenever you hear the Israel Lobby and all their media watch groups (like CAMERA) complain about the anti-Israel press, just keep in mind that they know damn well […]

I Hope the US Government Stands Firm Against This New Threat to Israel’s Existence!

Now that Israel, Greece and the U.S. have bullied the Flotilla activists to such a degree that some have been arrested and it appears the Freedom Flotilla will simply not happen this year, Israel is on to the next big threat to its existence- pro-Palestinian activists flying into Ben Gurion airport and announcing they want […]

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting Calls out Ethan Bronner. Again.

The folks at the media watchdog group FAIR have their hands full with Bronner. Keeping an eye on his stenography could be a full-time job. One of Bronner’s frequent themes is that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He “reports” this frequently. What/who are his primary sources? The Israeli government. Bronner does his best […]

How Israel Uses It’s Total Control of Access Points to Prevent Palestinian Rallies

We’ve often discussed the impact it would have if Israeli Arabs began to rally in support of their rights in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. I’ve asked some Palestinians about this and their general sense is that this doesn’t happen for several reasons including a) more than 10 Arabs standing in a group will get arrested […]

Official IDF Website Says Alice Walker Poses Grave Threat to Israel

Ok, not just Alice Walker, but they are particularly focused on the big names who signed up to sail to Gaza. Somebody really needs to help these guys with their propaganda. This is a screenshot of the IDF webpage: Now, I don’t know about you, but even if I totally disagreed with the methods used […]

A Blog Worth Noting: Sleepless in Gaza

I’ve come across a lot of interesting people in the blogosphere/Twittershere and I just wanted to point you in the direction of a blog by a 23-year old young man, Nader K., who lives in Gaza. It’s called “Sleepless in Gaza” with the tagline “venting can be therapeutic” and it’s basically about his life in […]

Shut Up Already, You WON

This J-Post editorial is the perfect example of the peace rejectionist, perpetual victim mindset. The faux hysteria over the Flotilla is long past tedious. The U.S. and Israeli response to the Flotilla shows how Israel is incapable of dealing with anything without blowing it totally out of proportion. Every act, no matter how minor and […]

The Politicization of Terrorism and the Role of the Neocons

It’s pretty obvious by now that whom we deem a “terrorist” is largely political. You would think after some of our disastrous foreign policy blunders such as arming the Mujahadeen, aka Al Qaeda and Bin Laden, during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, being best friends with Saddam for a period when it suited our economic […]

Greek Commandos Prevent US Boat to Gaza from Leaving Greece

Apparently Greece has caved to Israeli and U.S. pressure and will not be allowing the Flotilla to leave Greece. One of the activists on board the Audacity of Hope just tweeted that the Greek Coast Guard has taken over the ship and it’s been impounded. I am so disgusted. Here is a photo from earlier […]