Washington Post Editorial Board Urges War with Iran

I’m sure that the WaPo editorial board, not to mention its owners, will be urging their children, nieces, nephews and partners to go enlist in the US military for this latest proposed act of US aggression: THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION pledged that Iran would suffer painful consequences for plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington […]

One Brutal Regime in Libya Down, Another One Rises

I just did a quick search of the major US mainstream media websites and as of yet, there is no coverage of this. But luckily our friends across the pond in Britain are on top of it: Thousands of people, including women and children, are being illegally detained by rebel militias in Libya, according to […]

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 […]

The Logical Result of a Militarized Police Force in a Nation Where Civil Disobedience Against the Ruling Elites Has Never Been Tolerated

Am I talking about Egypt, Bahrain or Saudi Arabia? No, I’m talking about the US and the overzealous and disproportionate response by the police (and the politicians urging them on) to the Occupy Wall Street protests (see also here):

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 […]

Why Does the GOP Suck at Foreign Policy?

Honestly, it’s embarrassing. Via Think Progress: And then there is Mitt Romney making a campaign promise to hand over the keys to the Oval Office to Israel: he actions that I will take will be actions recommended and supported by Israeli leaders. I don’t seek to take actions independent of what our allies think is […]

Foreign Policy and Military Hypocrisy Towards Iran

The Secretary of State, President, politicians from both parties and pretty much everyone else, have all been running around condemning Iran’s purported nuclear weapons program (despite having only minimal, sketchy, politicized evidence of its existence) all the while giving our nuclear blessing to some other countries- Pakistan, India, and of course, Israel. Never mind that […]

The Real Question No One Is Asking: Were Sarkozy and Obama Right About Netanyahu?

All the teeth-gnashing and pearl-clutching from the usual suspects after French President Sarkozy and President Obama were overheard on an open mic complaining about how difficult Bibi Netanyahu is to work with and how Sarkozy doesn’t trust him, misses the point. Here’s what the knee-jerk Bibi defenders don’t want to discuss- were Sarkozy and Obama […]

I’m Baaaaack! WTF Happened in the Middle East While I Was Gone?

Ok, so it’s been a while. Thanks to all of those who left comments and sent emails of support to me over the past two months- much appreciated. I’m very slowly getting back into the swing of things- or at least trying to- so I am going to restart posting here but honestly, I don’t […]

Hiatus

I left a message over at the other blog but I’ll leave one here too. I won’t be blogging for the next couple of weeks- I have some medical stuff to attend to but hopefully I’ll be back around mid-November. Take care and check back then. ~Stacy

Are We Witnessing the Beginning of a Change in Discourse on Israel-Palestine?

It goes without saying that for the past 30 or so years in the U.S., real debate about our policy on Israel and Palestine is almost non-existent in any real sense of the word. The media, politicians, commentators etc. stick to one theme- unwavering, blind, unquestioning support for Israel no matter what, even if it […]

Every Media Outlet Proclaims Israel Accepts Quartet Statement to Return to Negotiations Without Preconditions But Leaves Out Israel’s Demand for Preconditions

This is so frustrating but predictable. I did a search of major news sources- Washington post, MSNBC, NYT, Reuters and even read the State Department press briefing from yesterday and with the exception of the Israeli Daily Haaretz, all are reporting Israel will return to negotiations based on the Quartet statement and is urging the […]

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 […]

How The Israel Lobby Stifles Debate and Dissent on Campus

This is an interesting article over at Al Jazeera and it gives some insight into why the Israel Lobby is so effective at stifling dissent on college campuses. The media largely ignores these efforts, presumably because it is unseemly and flies in the face of academic freedom and freedom of speech. Also, it is interesting […]

How A Strong Sovereign Should Respond to a Slap in the Face From an Ally

While the U.S. rewards Israel for each public and private slap in the face leveled at the President, German Chancellor Angela Merkel demonstrated the appropriate response after being taken for granted by Bibi Netanyahu: German Chancellor Angela Merkel took Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu harshly to task Friday over last week’s decision to approve 1,100 housing […]

Washington Post: Support for Palestinians at UN is Anti-Semitism *updated*

The Washington Post is certainly working overtime to get Israel’s message out. Between Jackson Diehl, Richard Cohen, Jennifer Rubin and Fred Hiatt, it’s hard to tell who is a more effective hasbarist. In a guest commentary over at the WaPo, Robert Bernstein makes an argument that ends up minimizing true anti-Semitism as it tries to […]

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 […]

Another Day, Another NYT Ethan Bronner Scandal

And you know what that means for Bronner- probably a promotion. This isn’t the first time Bronner’s objectivity/ethics has been an issue for the NYT Public Editor.The last time was when Bronner’s son was serving in the IDF. The Public Editor at the time, Clark Hoyt, took the position that Bronner was a fine reporter […]

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, […]