Underlying this unease is the unhappy realization, once again, that for Israel the rules are different.
Whereas once observers would have used this lopsided equation to say Arabs care about each prisoner only 0.00097371 percent as much as Israelis care about theirs, today it seems that critics only see Israel as 0.00097371% justified in using force.
Israel is supposed to be the geopolitical equivalent of a monk, defying nature, overriding its protective impulse. Israel is always on probation, with its legitimacy contingent on good behavior and passive resistance, no matter how evil the instigation.
The world, it seems, wants a defenseless Jewish state...
...
A defenseless Jewish state would not inconvenience the Arab world’s Western appeasers.
A defenseless Jewish state, of course, would be an overrun Jewish state, but, these days, taking responsibility for the implications of your political posturing is passé.
A country’s right of self-defense is as basic as an individual’s right to be free. For nearly two millennia, Jews could not defend themselves. Centuries of oppression followed, resulting in the Holocaust in Europe, and, ultimately, mass expulsions from the Arab world. Yet in only doubting one country, Israel, when it defends itself, world opinion is reverting to the traditional status quo, trying to keep Jews defenseless.
As the leader of a mature democratic state which makes tough decisions and defends itself, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu owes his citizens some straight talk. He and the Israeli leadership must stop lying and claiming that “Israel does not negotiate with terrorists.” Israel negotiates and caves in again and again. When states countenance dishonesty they lose credibility, be it with unenforced speeding laws, epidemic zoning violations, or repeatedly-crossed red lines.
Israel needs a new doctrine, one based on reality, not fantasy posturing
FP: I have long argued that neither the world nor the Jews have learned the lessons of the past. The world has transferred its anti-Semitism to Israel and the Israelis still have the instinct for wishful thinking in the face of genocide, and appeasement of the goyim.Whereas once observers would have used this lopsided equation to say Arabs care about each prisoner only 0.00097371 percent as much as Israelis care about theirs, today it seems that critics only see Israel as 0.00097371% justified in using force.
Israel is supposed to be the geopolitical equivalent of a monk, defying nature, overriding its protective impulse. Israel is always on probation, with its legitimacy contingent on good behavior and passive resistance, no matter how evil the instigation.
The world, it seems, wants a defenseless Jewish state...
...
A defenseless Jewish state would not inconvenience the Arab world’s Western appeasers.
A defenseless Jewish state, of course, would be an overrun Jewish state, but, these days, taking responsibility for the implications of your political posturing is passé.
A country’s right of self-defense is as basic as an individual’s right to be free. For nearly two millennia, Jews could not defend themselves. Centuries of oppression followed, resulting in the Holocaust in Europe, and, ultimately, mass expulsions from the Arab world. Yet in only doubting one country, Israel, when it defends itself, world opinion is reverting to the traditional status quo, trying to keep Jews defenseless.
As the leader of a mature democratic state which makes tough decisions and defends itself, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu owes his citizens some straight talk. He and the Israeli leadership must stop lying and claiming that “Israel does not negotiate with terrorists.” Israel negotiates and caves in again and again. When states countenance dishonesty they lose credibility, be it with unenforced speeding laws, epidemic zoning violations, or repeatedly-crossed red lines.
Israel needs a new doctrine, one based on reality, not fantasy posturing
Indoctrination and Attack Follow Schalit Deal
A female would-be suicide bomber, recently released under the prisoner exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, encouraged a crowd of Gaza schoolchildren to follow her violent example. Wafa al-Biss was serving a 12-year sentence for an attempted suicide bombing in 2005, in which she exploited permits allowing her to receive medical care at an Israeli hospital.
"I hope you will walk the same path we took and God willing, we will see some of you as martyrs," al-Biss told a group of children, before mentioning her plans to pursue her educational goal of a degree in psychology. "We will pursue our struggle and (Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu) knows that. Arrests will not deter us from our strong battles and confrontation in the face of Zionist arrogance in the land of Palestine."
The children responded by chanting, "We will give souls and blood to redeem the prisoners. We will give souls and blood for you, Palestine."
Meanwhile, the Israeli army prevented a stabbing attack Wednesday by a Palestinian woman in the town of Gush Etzion. The woman pulled the knife as she approached a group of Israeli soldiers and civilians, and shouted "Allahu Akhbar" and "Kill the Jews." She was subdued before anyone was hurt.
She told security forces at the scene that she had waited until after the prisoner exchange deal to carry out her attack, ostensibly to avoid interrupting the release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners for the one kidnapped Israeli soldier.
FP: One example of Israel’s failure to think strategically: there is realization that released terrorists will return to murder, but not that they will serve as inspiration, role models and terror instructors to the youth."I hope you will walk the same path we took and God willing, we will see some of you as martyrs," al-Biss told a group of children, before mentioning her plans to pursue her educational goal of a degree in psychology. "We will pursue our struggle and (Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu) knows that. Arrests will not deter us from our strong battles and confrontation in the face of Zionist arrogance in the land of Palestine."
The children responded by chanting, "We will give souls and blood to redeem the prisoners. We will give souls and blood for you, Palestine."
Meanwhile, the Israeli army prevented a stabbing attack Wednesday by a Palestinian woman in the town of Gush Etzion. The woman pulled the knife as she approached a group of Israeli soldiers and civilians, and shouted "Allahu Akhbar" and "Kill the Jews." She was subdued before anyone was hurt.
She told security forces at the scene that she had waited until after the prisoner exchange deal to carry out her attack, ostensibly to avoid interrupting the release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners for the one kidnapped Israeli soldier.
Lee Smith: Looming Threat
Why hasn’t the Obama Administration made more of the fact that the Iranian plot recently disrupted by U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials included the bombing of the Israeli embassy in Washington? It’s true that the Saudi ambassador to the United States was identified specifically as an assassination target, but the threat was the same against both the Saudi and Israeli embassies—which means that in addition to hundreds of Sunni Arabs dead in Foggy Bottom, there could have been hundreds of dead Jews in Cleveland Park.
…
Amid all the different theories concerning the Iran plot—that the Iranians aren’t really behind it because they’re too smart, or that it was orchestrated by a rogue element of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards looking to embarrass Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—it is perhaps most useful to look at this recent effort as the final test Iran will face before it gets a nuclear weapon. Seen this way, it is clear that the White House wouldn’t want to highlight Israel’s spot in Iran’s crosshairs, because no matter how many times President Barack Obama tells Israeli officials and Jewish audiences that an Iranian nuclear bomb would be unacceptable, his administration’s real policy position has just been exposed. A demand for more sanctions against Tehran in response to an operation intended to slaughter hundreds of American allies in the U.S. capital—in a series of attacks that would have also caused hundreds of American casualties—makes it clear to everyone, especially the Iranians, that Washington isn’t going to do anything serious about stopping Iran’s nuclear-weapons program.
FP: What a surprise! Iran can practically do anything these days without consequences.…
Amid all the different theories concerning the Iran plot—that the Iranians aren’t really behind it because they’re too smart, or that it was orchestrated by a rogue element of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards looking to embarrass Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—it is perhaps most useful to look at this recent effort as the final test Iran will face before it gets a nuclear weapon. Seen this way, it is clear that the White House wouldn’t want to highlight Israel’s spot in Iran’s crosshairs, because no matter how many times President Barack Obama tells Israeli officials and Jewish audiences that an Iranian nuclear bomb would be unacceptable, his administration’s real policy position has just been exposed. A demand for more sanctions against Tehran in response to an operation intended to slaughter hundreds of American allies in the U.S. capital—in a series of attacks that would have also caused hundreds of American casualties—makes it clear to everyone, especially the Iranians, that Washington isn’t going to do anything serious about stopping Iran’s nuclear-weapons program.
RNC: Why don't Dems decry 'Occupy' anti-Semitism?
The Republican National Committee attacked Democrats on Wednesday for staying silent about “extreme anti-Semitic, anti-Israel comments” reported at the Occupy Wall Street protests.
RNC communications director Sean Spicer blasted top Democrats for voicing their support for the demonstrations even as some of the protesters make “anti-Semitic, anti-Israel comments,” according to a memo first reported in “Morning Score” on Wednesday.
Spicer pointed to President Barack Obama, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Steve Israel for turning a “blind eye” to the language used by some individuals at Occupy Wall Street. Where’s the outrage?” Spicer wrote.
…
In the memo, Spicer linked to three different videos documenting the comments he referred to. In one from the conservative group Emergency Committee for Israel called “Hate at Occupy Wall Street,” several demonstrators are shown making comments such as “Jews control Wall Street” and “You can’t even speak English? You Israeli? Go back to Israel.” A sign saying “Hitler’s Bankers Wall Street” also appears in the clip.
In another clip from ReasonTV in Los Angeles, a woman says: “I think the Zionist Jews who are running these big banks and our Federal Reserve… need to be run out of this country.”
The last clip referenced by the RNC was filmed in Chicago and is called “Occupy Chicago Joins Destroy Israel Anti-war Peace March.” It features a man saying, “Israel is beginning to be seen as the criminal pariah state that it is.”
FP: In times of crisis politicians are too politically shrewd to rob the OWS crowd from the traditional scapegoating the Jews; better to channel their discontent away from themselves, who are enablers to Wall Street. Which only goes to show that insofar as this tradition goes, the US is in no way different or exceptional. It’s universal.RNC communications director Sean Spicer blasted top Democrats for voicing their support for the demonstrations even as some of the protesters make “anti-Semitic, anti-Israel comments,” according to a memo first reported in “Morning Score” on Wednesday.
Spicer pointed to President Barack Obama, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Steve Israel for turning a “blind eye” to the language used by some individuals at Occupy Wall Street. Where’s the outrage?” Spicer wrote.
…
In the memo, Spicer linked to three different videos documenting the comments he referred to. In one from the conservative group Emergency Committee for Israel called “Hate at Occupy Wall Street,” several demonstrators are shown making comments such as “Jews control Wall Street” and “You can’t even speak English? You Israeli? Go back to Israel.” A sign saying “Hitler’s Bankers Wall Street” also appears in the clip.
In another clip from ReasonTV in Los Angeles, a woman says: “I think the Zionist Jews who are running these big banks and our Federal Reserve… need to be run out of this country.”
The last clip referenced by the RNC was filmed in Chicago and is called “Occupy Chicago Joins Destroy Israel Anti-war Peace March.” It features a man saying, “Israel is beginning to be seen as the criminal pariah state that it is.”
Jonathan Tobin: Shalit Deal is No Harbinger of Peace
The debate about Israel’s decision to pay an exorbitant ransom to secure the release of kidnapped solider Gilad Shalit continues to rage, with many still lamenting the release of more than 1,000 Palestinian terrorists. But the real danger from this deal is not, as some have stated, that it will encourage terrorism, because Hamas needs no encouragement on that point. Rather, it is the false narrative promoted in some quarters that the deal legitimizes Hamas as a peace partner, and Israel should be pushed to open talks with the terrorist group.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said yesterday he thought the Shalit deal ought to inspire hope for the moribund peace process. The theme was taken up in earnest by Israeli left-winger Uri Dromi in today’s International Herald Tribune in which he argues that not only does the exchange prove Israel can and will deal with Hamas (despite its identity as a bloodthirsty terrorist group), but it may prove to be a harbinger of a new round of negotiations in which Hamas will take its place among the peacemakers. Nothing could be further from the truth, both in terms of Israeli intentions and that of the Palestinians.
FP: Precisely as I predicted. And who, if not the French/Sarkozy and Israel’s left.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said yesterday he thought the Shalit deal ought to inspire hope for the moribund peace process. The theme was taken up in earnest by Israeli left-winger Uri Dromi in today’s International Herald Tribune in which he argues that not only does the exchange prove Israel can and will deal with Hamas (despite its identity as a bloodthirsty terrorist group), but it may prove to be a harbinger of a new round of negotiations in which Hamas will take its place among the peacemakers. Nothing could be further from the truth, both in terms of Israeli intentions and that of the Palestinians.
No comments:
Post a Comment