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The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil,    but because of the people who don't do anything about it    
Commentary

TitleDescriptionDate
Red Rag column: Holocaust-denial, settler styleGideon Spiro - If Israeli human-rights organizations enjoy the support of Der Stürmer as the settlers claim, then they are presenting Nazi Germany in a new light: as a liberal and humane state that respects human rights activists. From there the path to Holocaust- denial is a short one, for it does not stand to reason that a tolerant state like Nazi Germany would commit genocide. 28/2/2015
A parody - would be highly amusing were it not so sadA.J.E. - Our organization, All Jews Everywhere, wishes to voice our appreciation to Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of All Jews Everywhere, Inc., for speaking on behalf of the Chosen People before the Israel Funding Association (sometimes referred to as the U.S. Congress). 28/2/2015
Netanyahu dwells on Iran threat to win votes Ben Lynfield--Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before Congress about the perceived Iranian threat to Israel’s existence is a trump card. It may divert attention from the economy and high cost of living issues that are the strength of his rivals in the Zionist Camp and enable him to pose as Israel’s security saviour. dn28/2/2015
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Israel`s democracy: `Theatre of the absurd`Waad Ghantous--Reputedly the "only democracy in the Middle East", Israel, according to the advocacy group Adalah Legal Centre, subjects an estimated 1.7 million Palestinian citizens to dozens of discriminatory laws that stifle their political expression and limit their access to state resources. dn28/2/2015
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`The media makes Israeli Jews ignorant of Arab society`Oren Persico - +972 "The head of the Mossawa Center, Jafar Farah, says Israelis have only their media to blame for their ignorance." ca28/2/2015
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An Expensive SpeechUri Avnery - Like Abraham, who was ready to slaughter his son to please God, Netanyahu is ready to sacrifice Israel`s most vital interests for election victory.28/2/2015
A Partial Accounting of the Damage Netanyahu Is Doing to IsraelJeffrey Goldberg - The Atlantic - Ross, the former negotiator, believes that the near-term relationship between the United States and Israel depends almost entirely on the nature of the next Israeli government. “If we see a solely right-wing government, then we have a situation in which even if Bibi seeks to improve things, it will be difficult,” he said. “On traditional defense issues, the relations will be okay, but the impulse won’t be there on the part of the Obama administration to protect Israel on matters related to the delegitimization campaign.[bz]28/2/2015
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Interview With Adam Keller: Israeli Journalist, Dissident and RefusenikPaul Buhle - Truthout - "The settlers would rather destroy their own homes with their own hands than give Palestinians the vote." [bz]28/2/2015
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Netanyahu insists on wrecking Israel`s ties with United StatesEditorial - Haaretz "It seems the Israeli prime minister, due primarily to electoral considerations, is determined to act like a wrecking ball. On the eve of Israel’s election, Netanyahu is insisting on damaging Israel’s most important relationship. His grip on power is shaky, and he’s acting like someone who has nothing to lose." ca27/2/2015
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Why scandals are good for NetanyahuMazal Mualem - Al Monitor - Meanwhile, as incredible as this will sound, the prime minister actually profits from the public and media discourse surrounding his hedonistic lifestyle, his wife’s alleged tantrums and testimony regarding impropriety in his residence. Thus, all the substantive issues on which an election campaign should be based were left behind. These issues include Israel’s crumbling foreign relations, a destructive diplomatic stalemate with the Palestinians, the controversial results of the 2014 Protective Edge campaign and above all, the one issue that most bothers Israelis: housing and other costs of living that have increased a great deal in the six years of Netanyahu’s reign.-rh 25/2/2015
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Interview with Isaac Herzog: `Israelis Are Fed Up with Politics of Fear`Nicola Abé and Juliane von Mittelstaedt - Spiegel International - Iran is a hateful regime that spreads hate. I think that the international community that is negotiating with Iran has to be stern. However, I think one needs to talk, in a quiet, professional manner, without any blame game, but with all options on the table. That is where I differ from Netanyahu.-rh25/2/2015
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Mossad contradicted Netanyahu on Iran nuclear programmeWill Jordan, Rahul Radhakrishnan - Aljazeera - Writing that Iran had not begun the work needed to build any kind of nuclear weapon, the Mossad cable said the Islamic Republic`s scientists are "working to close gaps in areas that appear legitimate such as enrichment reactors".-rh25/2/2015
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PA trapped by tax revenue freezeAdnan Abu Amer - Al Monitor - The Palestinian situation will remain subject to further economic crises while living conditions will continue to deteriorate until the formation of the next Israeli government early next May. No one can guarantee the repercussions of this long period on the Palestinian situation, which is suffering increasing economic hardships in all fields. 25/2/2015
Zoabi`s Case: An Injustice the Court Did Not FixAdalah - The disqualification of Arab parties and candidates has become a predictable feature of every Israeli election for the past decade, and is part of the state`s wider attempts to repress political activism by Palestinian citizens. The CEC`s decision against MK Zoabi thus came as no surprise, nor did the committee members’ constant heckling and incitement during her speech in defense of her right to represent the Palestinian minority in the Knesset.-rh 25/2/2015
In this election, vote for coexistenceHazar Masri-Hussein - Ynet - "Despite the difficult summer the Israeli society experienced, our politicians are avoiding dealing with the issues of racism and Jewish-Arab relations." - id 25/2/2015
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Election scandals and a very European weekAdam Keller - Crazy Country - "However sharp and acrimonious the exchange of verbal blows, commentators (and ordinary people) are increasingly considering the possibility that within some two months we might be treated to the sight of Netanyahu, Herzog and Livni sitting together around a single cabinet table." - id 25/2/2015
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Pro-Israel students launch hate campaign against Muslims, ArabsRay Hanania - The Arab Daily News - "The racist nature of the extremist pro-Israel movement against BDS is widely known, but to be supported by pro-Israel professors and university administrators is an obnoxious escalation in fomenting hate crimes against Muslims." - id 25/2/2015
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White House Brainstorms Netanyahu Snubs: Will Administration Play Its Trumps?Robert Naiman - Truthout - AP reports that the White House is now brainstorming more ways that they could undercut Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu`s planned speech to Congress on March 3, in which Netanyahu is expected to attack President Obama and US-European efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement with Iran. [ak]24/2/2015
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Oslo `Ring of Peace` organizers slammed for Palestine solidarityRyan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills - +972 - “Maybe when people see that the same people who have such strong opinions about Israel also support Norwegian Jews, then that will make an impact,” said Qeaam Ibn Malik, another of the event’s organizers. “More will understand that it is a system that we are fighting, not people of another faith.” [bz]24/2/2015
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An Israeli right-winger`s problem with Denmark Yossi Shain - Y-Net - A dinner at the home of a warm Danish Jewish family, some of them Holocaust survivors. The Danish infrastructure minister, a family friend, was also invited. When I said that my son was in the army, the minister’s wife`s asked: "And you allow it?" Of course, I replied. It`s part of our life in Israel. The tone immediately changed, and a heated argument developed over the "Israeli oppression policy." The Danish minister said some harsh words about the "chauvinistic nationalism" in Israel, and about the Israeli violence and injustice towards the Palestinians and about the destruction of the Israeli democracy. He even noted that Israel`s policy was affecting the security of Denmark`s Jews and said it could lead to anti-Semitism against them. [ak]24/2/2015
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Netanyahu does not speak for all American Jews (COMMENTARY)Rebecca Vilkomerson--Netanyahu, in defending the visit, has indicated that he is coming to Congress to speak as the representative of the “entire Jewish people.” American Jews are largely appalled by the notion that Netanyahu, or any other Israeli politician — one that we did not elect and do not choose to be represented by — claims to speak for us. dn22/2/2015
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Israel Has Neutralized The PA: Hanan Ashrawi David Hearst Interviews-- Israel has systematically targeted Jerusalemites, putting them under a triple siege, and matters in the city have now come to a head, Hanan Ashrawi, the veteran Palestinian negotiator told MEE in an exclusive interview. Among a wide range of issues concerning Palestine, Dr Ashrawi talked of the fundamental flaws of the Oslo Accords, the Jewish state, the UN role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Palestine`s unity government. dn 22/2/2015
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21 years after Goldstein massacre, once-thriving Hebron is a mere memoryAmira Hass-February 25 marks the 21st anniversary of the Goldstein massacre in Hebron, when Dr. Baruch Goldstein entered the Tomb of the Patriarchs and gunned down and murdered 29 Muslims [and injured scores more. dn} kneeling in prayer at the Ibrahimi mosque. This is a chance to examine the routine established since then. dn22/2/2015
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Uri Avnery: Anti-What?Uri Avnery--ANTI-SEMITISM is on the rise. All over Europe it is raising its ugly head. Jews are in danger everywhere. They must make haste and come home to Israel before it is too late. True? Untrue? dn 22/2/2015
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The U.S.-Israel divide on IranDennis Ross--The controversy over Republican House Speaker John Boehner’s invitation to Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress has had the ironic effect of diverting attention from the very topic the Israeli prime minister wants to discuss: the problems with a potential deal on the Iranian nuclear program. Although everyone debates the propriety of the Israeli prime minister challenging President Obama’s policy in such a setting, the partisan nature of the invitation and the timing of the speech — just two weeks before an Israeli election — the substance of the issue has been pushed aside. Why is there such a divide between the United States’ and Israel’s positions, and can they be bridged? [Why anyone would believe that the Iranians are stupid enough to attack a country having 200-400 nuclear warheads puzzles me. dn]22/2/2015
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A glimmer of hope against incitement and racismSamah Salaime Egbariya (translated by Sol Salbe)--Jamal Zahalka promises that the Joint List will remain together for a long time, Dov Khenin tugs at our heart strings, the head of the Islamic Movement speaks of the men and women who make history, and Ayman Odeh, who heads the slate, calls on Arabs members of the Zionist parties to come back home. dn21/2/2015
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Poll predicts rise in Arab turnout for Israeli election and opportunities for the centre-leftBen Lynfield--With Israel’s election less than a month away, a new poll is predicting an increase in voter turnout among the country’s Arab minority, something that boosts chances for the centre-left bloc to upset right-wing hardliner Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. dn21/2/2015
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Analysis: Hamas quietly returns to the Axis of ResistanceRamzy Baroud - Ma`an News Agency "Jointly isolated by Israel and other Arab parties, unaided by the Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas, the Islamic Resistance Movement is once again facing difficult choices, and it seems to be choosing a cautious return to its old camp of Iran and Hezbollah. The maneuver this time is particularly risky." ca20/2/2015
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Anti-Israelism and anti-SemitismAlan Hart - Al-Ahram Weekly "In my view, Sacks and Miller and all who think like them are in complete denial of the link between Israel’s actions, which sometimes amount to state terrorism, and the transformation of anti-Israelism into anti-Semitism. What this link is was put into words more than a quarter of a century ago by Yehoshafat Harkabi, a long-serving director of Israeli military intelligence...Harkabi calls for Israel to withdraw from the Occupied Territories. He argues that the biggest real threat to Israel is its self-righteousness." ca20/2/2015
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Why Palestinians should unite to support Naqab protestsBudour Youssef Hassan - Electronic Intifada "To understand the latest events in Rahat, one cannot view them separately from the wider context of land expropriations, home demolitions and the ongoing persecution of the Naqab’s Palestinians. The protests were not simply isolated responses to police killings. Rather, they were the result of accumulated grievances." ca20/2/2015
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The extremist who could bring Kahanism back to the KnessetRaphael Ahren - Them Times of Israel "Having survived a bid to bar him, Boston-born ultra-nationalist Baruch Marzel is set to become an MK, though his dreams of expelling Israel’s Arabs are seen more as empty threats than actual danger." ca 20/2/2015
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Talking to Isis Could Lead to PeaceRobert Fisk - Information Clearing House - And research by the Queen Mary University of London School of Law and the Berghof Foundation in Berlin strongly suggests that the “listing” of armed groups by governments – often for clear political reasons – prevents what the writers call “peace building”, hindering the host of NGOs, academics, lawyers and others who are trying to explain the benefits of human rights and political moderation to armed groups whose brutal methods have never been challenged.-rh19/2/2015
Leaders reject Netanyahu calls for Jewish mass migration to IsraelPeter Beaumont - The Guardian - But the French prime minister, Manuel Valls – who was speaking after several hundred Jewish headstones were vandalised at a cemetery in eastern France – said that he regretted Netanyahu’s call, noting that the Israeli prime minister was “in the midst of a general election campaign”.-rh18/2/2015
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Interview with Isaac Herzog: `Israelis Are Fed Up with Politics of Fear`Nicola Abe and Juliane von Mittelstaedt - Spiegel Internationao - Israelis really don`t take that nonsense anymore. They understand that Netanyahu is fooling them with a combination of fear and diversion from the real issues. The taxi driver who just drove me said: "Please make sure, that there is no war anymore. The Likud messed up our lives." These guys used to vote for Likud!-rh18/2/2015
Odeh: racist Israeli laws to benefit joint Arab listDaoud Kuttab - Al Monitor - The unified Arab list is expected to see success in the next Knesset elections as a result of discriminatory Israeli laws, according to the head of the joint list of all Arab parties.-rh 18/2/2015
No parity between Zoabi`s democracy and Kahane`s racismOrly Noy - +972 - The constant worshiping of “balance” in the name of some imagined national sanity brought Zoabi – who represented the only party that calls for full equality in Israel – to the same defendant’s chair as the heir to Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose party was disqualified from the Knesset 27 years ago for its outright racism.rh18/2/2015
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Netanyahu: the King of Chutzpah - Bibi`s Bizarre Call for Jews to Flee Europe for IsraelBARRY LANDO - Counterpunch - "Why Chutzpah? Because one of the major causes for the upsurge in anti-Semitic attacks in Europe over the past several years have been the actions of Israel–under Netanyahu." - id 18/2/2015
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Bibi`s speech to Congress could tip electoral scaleBen Caspit - Al Monitor - "Benjamin Netanyahu and Zionist Camp Chair Isaac Herzog are practically in a tie, according to polls, but Netanyahu might tilt the balance with a charismatic speech to Congress." - id 18/2/2015
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Netanyahu called me an ISIS collaboratorCaptain (res.) R. - Ynet - "You and your panic are nothing more than a passing episode. The Jewish hope for a better future is 2,000 years old." - id 18/2/2015
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A campaign promise Netamyahu can keep: The next four years will be worse than the last.Bradley Burston - Haaretz - I`ve given you four years in which we have fought two wars, the more recent the most devastating in years; our economy is moving toward recession; the health care system is in the process of collapse; the educational system has been crippled and hijacked by politics and neglect; the government has stood steadfast against negotiating with anyone, for any reason; and we have initiated an unprecedented string of laws aimed directly at eroding democracy in Israel. [bz]17/2/2015
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Letter: Over 100 artists announce a cultural boycott of IsraelLetter--Along with more than 600 other fellow artists, we are announcing today that we will not engage in business-as-usual cultural relations with Israel. We will accept neither professional invitations to Israel, nor funding, from any institutions linked to its government. Since the summer war on Gaza, Palestinians have enjoyed no respite from Israel’s unrelenting attack on their land, their livelihood, their right to political existence. “2014,” says the Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem, was “one of the cruellest and deadliest in the history of the occupation.” The Palestinian catastrophe goes on.dn15/2/2015
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Against Amnesia: The Cultural Boycott of Israel Matters MTL Collective--We write today from a place of love, as well as hurt, for an art world to which we in part belong. We write for and with our community of friends, colleagues, and mentors — as a Palestinian artist and activist, a British-Jewish Asian professor, and an Indian artist and PhD student, who have been actively involved in two widely reported cultural boycotts. dn15/2/2015
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The 24 Democrats Who Have Refused to Attend Netanyahu`s Speech to CongressZaid Jilani--When House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) decided to invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a Joint Session of Congress on Iran in early March, he probably thought it`d go a lot like it did in 2011. That year, Netanyahu received 29 standing ovations – more than President Obama got during his State of the Union that year. dn15/2/2015
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Lieberman`s peace plan is a subversive, dangerous schemeYuli Tamir--A few weeks ago, Avigdor Lieberman presented his peace plan (once again), which in a nutshell comes down to: “Ariel for Israel, Umm al-Fahm for Palestine.” At the same time, he began to hint that he was involved in a process aimed at ultimately securing a comprehensive regional accord. In response, political pundits and analysts have been trying to decide whether the foreign minister and head of Yisrael Beiteinu is veering rightward or leftward; if he is for or against a regional agreement; and if he embraces or rejects the two-states-for-two-peoples concept. Lieberman is indeed hard to pin down in terms of the familiar parameters for defining right and left, but in any event his plan – even if it is ultimately rejected – is beset by serious problems and could undermine the political situation in ways that, for now, remain unseen. dn 15/2/2015
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AIPAC gnashing their teeth Adam Keller--The invitation to Congress which Netanyahu arranged for himself, behind the back of the White House, brought to the surface the growing gap between Israel and the American Jewish community. The overwhelming majority of American Jews tend to the liberal side of the political spectrum. Several generations of American Jews at the same time tended to render a deep emotional support to Israel, which also expressed their feeling of guilt for not having done enough to prevent to save European Jews.dn15/2/2015
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Managing the conflict the wrong wayGiora Eiland - Ynet - The construction of Jewish homes and institutions in the heart of crowded [Jerusalem] Arab neighborhoods; the halting transfer of funds to the Palestinian Authority; the offensive Israeli comments against American and European officials are some of the examples of what this Major-General (res.) and former head of Israel`s National Security Council considers poor management. [bz]14/2/2015
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My fellow Muslim-Americans, in the wake of Chapel HillSamah Assad--This letter is a token of faith to all of you – if you have been discriminated against for your beliefs before or after Feb. 10, and if you have been, or are, scared to leave your home today. dn14/2/2015
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The rising tide of BDS on California`s campusesOmer Shubert--Stanford isn’t just a super prestigious university, with many graduates working in Silicon Valley. It’s also considered liberal and not too political. The event in the small Hispanic center tells part of the story. The organization is one of 18 campus groups that got together to promote Stanford Out of Occupied Palestine, which aims to counter the school’s alleged contribution to the Israeli occupation. In addition to groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine and the Muslim Student Awareness Network, the coalition includes the Black Student Union, two Asian student groups, and even Stanford Students for Queer Liberation. dn14/2/2015
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Peretz: Netanyahu speech won`t stop agreement with IranMazal Mualem - Al-Monitor "Obama is undoubtedly the American president who has done more for the security of the State of Israel than all of his predecessors. The Israeli public doesn’t know that, because there is an entire network operating here, which is trying to portray him as an enemy of Israel,” said former Defense Minister Amir Peretz, No. 8 on the Zionist Camp Knesset slate." ca13/2/2015
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Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel lends support to Netanyahu`s Congress speechWill Dunham and Doina Chiacu - Haaretz "Wiesel, 86, who has written extensively of his imprisonment in Nazi camps, is the latest to join a fray that has exposed deep divisions among American Jews over the policy and propriety behind a speech in which Netanyahu is expected to criticize Obama`s effort to forge an international nuclear deal with Iran." ca13/2/2015
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In the Grey Zone : Slavoj Zizek on responses to the Paris killingsSlavoj Zizek- London Review of Books - What this also means is that, when approaching the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we should stick to ruthless and cold standards: we should unconditionally resist the temptation to ‘understand’ Arabic anti-Semitism (where we really encounter it) as a ‘natural’ reaction to the sad plight of the Palestinians, or to ‘understand’ Israeli measures as a ‘natural’ reaction to the memory of the Holocaust. There should be no ‘understanding’ for the fact that in many Arab countries Hitler is still considered a hero, and children at primary school are taught anti- Semitic myths, such as that Jews use the blood of children for sacrificial purposes.-rh 11/2/2015
How Dare Netanyahu Speak in the Name of America`s Jews?Bradley Burston - Information Clearing House - How dare Benjamin Netanyahu pose as a representative of the Jewish people in America and elsewhere, when he does everything in his power to undermine, humiliate, and implicitly demonize as anti-Israel a man whom seven of every ten American Jewish voters chose to represent them.-rh11/2/2015
Anti-Arab racism becomes tool in Israeli electionsMazal Mualem - Al-Monitor - 2015 Bennett is a totally different person. Championing an aggressive and nationalistic campaign, he relates not only to the diplomatic context vis-a-vis the Palestinians, but also to the issue of Arab Israelis. To date, this issue has been more associated with Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, the chairman of the Yisrael Beitenu Party. Bennett’s Feb. 8 “thieves speech” at Tel Aviv University and the subsequent uproar it sparked is another expression of the nationalistic hallmarks of HaBayit HaYehudi’s current election campaign.-rh11/2/2015
Bibi-Obama duel continuesBen Caspit - Al Monitor - "US and Israeli experts say that an agreement with Iran is not imminent, yet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on going ahead with his planned Congress speech, while damaging Israel`s strategic relations with the United States." - id 11/2/2015
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Netanyahu is losing itEdo Konrad - +972 - "A Haaretz report published on Monday revealed that the prime minister uncharacteristically intervened, allegedly for political reasons, in the nominations of three would-be judges for the Israel Prize selection committee." - id11/2/2015
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Yet another casinoAdam Keller - Crazy Country - ""Israel Hayom" strongly condemned "Yediot Ahronot" and declared its rival to be "The Pillar of the Leftist Media"." - id11/2/2015
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Future of Middle East: Between a rock and a hard placeJafar Ramini - The Arab Daily News - "No my friends and compatriots. Now that I have laid my soul bare I see that in no way am I giving up. Despite the fact that there is no pot of gold for Palestine at the end of this particular rainbow I just can’t give up" - id.11/2/2015
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Fighting for PalestineHatem Bazian--Arian`s deportation brings an end to a painful and torturous episode in the life of one of the most active Palestinian civil rights advocates. Sami bode farewell to the US after a plea bargain agreement, admitting in it to "one of the charges in exchange for a promise that after a maximum of incarceration of 57 months, he would be allowed to leave the country by April 2007". dn8/2/2015
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Pro-Israel campus activists acting as agents of state propaganda and intimidationTyler Levitan--In May 2006, I went to Israel for the first time on a subsidized trip called Hasbara Fellowships. Having been raised with a traditional Jewish upbringing, I was very excited to go to Israel and experience the reality behind all of the hype I had been exposed to since kindergarten. The "Birthright" trips had filled up for that summer, so I was encouraged by my local chapter of Hillel at Queen`s University to attend a different subsidized trip. I was enticed by the prospect of extending the trip and having the opportunity to travel throughout the region. My best friend agreed to come with me, so I made the decision to go. dn8/2/2015
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Israel-US: an alliance of shared valuesShmuel Amir - Hagada Hasmalit - Is there not a danger or chance (depends on who’s looking) that an independent Palestine will join the global front of states that are fighting US imperialism? Concern for the security of Israel, therefore, also includes concern for the continuation of the Occupation. And without US support, there is no Occupation. gm 8/2/2015
Herzog to PM: Cancel US speech for the sake of Israel`s security Moran Azulay--After Biden announces he will not attend Netanyahu`s planned address, Zionist Camp leader Herzog calls on PM to call off trip: `The speech, which was born as part of a production for his campaign, endangers the security of the residents of Israel`. dn 7/2/2015
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Israel tries to tilt the US’ Iran policyGareth Porter - El-Ahram - "Netanyahu’s approaching speech to the US Congress is a sign of Israel’s increasingly open interference in US politics." - id for ca6/2/2015
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Netanyahu calls Saban and Adelson Marwan Bishara - Al Jazeera - "Big money to the rescue…" - id for ca 6/2/2015
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Patriotism according to NetanyahuTami Arad - Ynet - "As far as Israel`s prime minister is concerned, there is no such thing as a political center: If you are a leftist, you are no patriot; and if you claim to be a centrist, you are an leftist in disguise." - id for ca 6/2/2015
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Palestinians hope for change but secretly root for NetanyahuElior Levy - Ynet - "While many believe the Palestinian Authority wants Netanyahu out of power, some officials admit rightwing rule helps Palestinians portray Israel as an obstacle to peace; ‘even his Congress speech helps us,’ PA official says." - id for ca 6/2/2015
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How students are resisting efforts to normalize Israeli apartheidTareq Radi - The Electronic Intifada - "While the Israel lobby feverishly attempts to silence dissent on campuses in the United States, Palestinians and international solidarity networks continue to forge creative ways to expose the daily mechanisms of oppression. Such groups are making it increasingly difficult for Israel’s backers to justify the state’s apartheid policies." - id for rh 5/2/2015
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A Bad MistakeThomas L. Friedman - NYT - " For Israel’s leader to so obviously throw his lot in with the Republicans against a Democratic president is reckless." - id for rh5/2/2015
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Fate of Gazans is in Hamas` handsShlomi Eldar - Al Monitor - "The sooner Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas` political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal and Hamas senior Moussa Abu Marzouk realize the serious situation their movement is in, the better it would be for the Gaza Strip residents." - id 4/2/2015
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Just another exclusionary democracy in the MideastSamah Salaime Egbariya - +972 - "If there is such a thing as Israeli society, it’s in deep trouble. Especially if you think it has anything to do with the term “democracy.” - id 4/2/2015
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The week that the Third Lebanon War did not break outAdam Keller - Crazy Country - "Very few in Israel heard of the Syrian village which existed there, at the foot of Mount Hermon, until 1967. A village which was completely razed by Israel`s bulldozers. The facilities of the beautiful Mount Hermon Resort were built on its site." - id4/2/2015
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Netanyahu calls Schumer / The saga continues; the plot thickens.Marwan Bishara - Al Jazeera - Increasingly isolated, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turns to US Senator Chuck Schumer, Israel`s leading friend, to enlist the support of this Democrat against President Barack Obama. Bishara describes how the conversation may have been. [bz]3/2/2015
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What do you call a politician who promises more war?Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man - +972 - Election season is a time when most people expect to be presented with a hopeful vision for the future. In Israel, every single leading political figure is promising more of the same [ry] 2/2/2015
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Can the Unspeakable be Spoken? The Problem of Israel in the Modern WorldMichael Welton – CounterPunch – “When I think about Israel now, and the Diary of Anne Frank, I realize the power of Edward Said’s remark that Israel’s `other`, the Palestinians, have never had permission to possess their own narrative. It is not that Anne Frank’s diary ought not to be read. But the fact that we keep telling, and re-telling this story and its variants, leaves little room for other narratives” [ry]2/2/2015
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Red Rag column: terrorist judges; lynching in JerusalemGideon Spiro - I am writing this letter on International Holocaust Remembrance Day and I am reminded of the words of the late Professor Yeshayahu Liebowitz who pointed out that Eichmann too acted within the law. That was also the claim of the Nazi German judges who were tried at the Nuremberg Tribunal. It was not their fault, they said, that those were the laws according to which they had to judge. To which the Allied judges replied that their willingness to judge according to the criminal laws that Germany had legislated did not absolve them of their responsibility. They were partners in crime and in evil, and for that they had to face justice. gm2/2/2015
The Real Debate Over Israel`s ‘Jewish Nation-State’ Bill Hassan Jabareen--It’s not about whether systematic discrimination against Arab citizens should continue—it’s about whether it should be codified in explicitly racist legislation. dn1/2/2015
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Zionism and its Discontents – Book Review Ludwig Watzal--Nationalist narratives and political movements have dominated the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for a long time. They all ended up in a dead end. This insight has led Ran Greenstein, Associate Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, not to look at history in retrospect, knowing the outcome, but rather from a contemporaneous perspective of the actors. None of the anti-Zionist actors, discussed in the book, achieved their goals, but they all made valuable contributions, which can serve as a starting point for new actions. dn1/2/2015
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Pelosi vs. Netanyahu`s Congress speech: If he wants to talk Iran, he can go on TVBarak Ravid--Criticism in the Democratic Party over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu`s planned Congress address is refusing to die down. Despite marathon phone calls between Netanyahu and senior Democrats in an effort to convince them to tone down their objections to the speech, the underlying message relayed by the Democratic representatives in the House and the Senate is that Netanyahu ought to cancel it. The most direct statement yet was issued by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Friday, who did not rule out the possibility that many Democratic lawmakers would boycott Netanyahu`s speech on March 3. dn 1/2/2015
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After Congress speech scandal, Netanyahu is toast at White HouseBarak Ravid--The “Cliché Collection” was very useful this week in a statement U.S. President Barack Obama made on CNN about the approaching visit of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington. Obama said he wouldn’t meet Netanyahu during his visit because such a meeting, two weeks before the Israeli elections, would be “inappropriate.” When Obama’s words are translated in the spirit of the cliché collection, “inappropriate” really means “the man really gets on my nerves and I hope you get the hint.” Similarly, “two weeks before the elections” means “even two weeks after the elections I won’t want to see Netanyahu, but now I’ve got a great excuse.” dn 1/2/2015
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To fight police violence, address their racismKher Albaz--The killing of a young Bedouin man from Rahat and the death of another during the funeral have deepened the city’s lack of faith in the authorities. Only anti-racism education for police and young people alike can stop the landslide. dn1/2/2015
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Rising Anti-Semitism: Increasing Numbers of French Jews Moving to IsraelNicola Abé and Julia Amalia Heyer--Following the recent terror attacks in France, more French Jews than ever before are planning on emigrating to Israel. Life there is expensive and far from perfect, but anti-Semitism in Europe, say many, is becoming intolerable. dn1/2/2015
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Meet the Muslim man who is a member of a Synagogue CouncilOscar Quine--While relations between Jews and Muslims may be tense in other corners of the world, Bradford’s Synagogue Council has just appointed Jani Rashid as its first Muslim member. dn1/2/2015
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The Palestinian economy: Israel`s control over Area C comes at a priceDanny Rubinstein - Ynet - The Palestinian economy needs to exploit the potential for economic development, but Israel thwarts any attempt. [bz]10/2/2015
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Over Bottled Uri Avnery - Gush Shalom - “For weeks now, this is the hottest topic in Israel. Bibi-haters, with which the country abounds, are happy. This will surely hurt Netanyahu and the Likud grievously. Does it? As of now, not at all. On the contrary, after several days in which the ‘Zionist Camp’ (a.k.a. Labor Party) overtook the Likud in the polls by one or two seats, the Likud has rebounded and taken the lead by two or three seats” [ry]9/2/2015
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Israelis have a chance to dump Netanyahu. I fear they won’t seize it Jonathan Freedland--Bibi has lost allies abroad and alienated the electorate at home. But unless his opponents raise their game, he’s likely to win the election next month. dn8/2/2015
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Abe Foxman Calls on Benjamin Netanyahu To Scrap Speech to GOP CongressNathan Guttman--Washington D.C. — As the controversy surrounding Benjamin Netanyahu speech to Congress reaches new heights, one of the Jewish community’s top leaders is calling on the Israeli prime minister to stay home. Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti Defamation League said that the political uproar ignited by Netanyahu’s invitation to speak to a joint meeting of Congress makes such a move unhelpful and therefore it should be scrapped. dn 8/2/2015
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Netanyahu’s Speech and the Politics of Iran PolicyGareth Porter - Information Clearing House - The current tensions over the Netanyahu speech is just the latest chapter in a long-running drama involving an Israeli strategy to use its political power in the US Congress to tilt US Iran policy in the direction Israel desires. But in the past, that Israeli advantage has been combined with a strategy of trying to get the United States to take care of Iran’s nuclear problem by suggesting that, otherwise Israel might have to use force itself.-rh12/2/2015
2 Black Lawmakers Will Skip Benjamin Netanyahu Speech Amid Growing Storm Ron Kampeas - The Jewish Daily Forward - U.S. Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a hero of the civil rights movement, and G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) on Thursday slammed Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), the speaker of the House of Representatives, for inviting Netanyahu to speak to Congress without consulting the White House or Democrats.-rh 12/2/2015
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