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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

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Red Rag column: Defence Minister Lieberman; Yair Golan; VanunuGideon Spiro - The appointment of Avigdor Lieberman as Defence Minister provoked fear among many in Israel, who are asking themselves if we are on the verge of a series of new wars. Those who take seriously Lieberman’s declarations over the years regarding the conflict have cause for concern. And moreover, it is remarkable how fast outgoing Defence Minister Yaalon was converted into a “moral” figure.31/5/2016
Silencing America as it Prepares for War John Pilger--Returning to the United States in an election year, I am struck by the silence. I have covered four presidential campaigns, starting with 1968; I was with Robert Kennedy when he was shot and I saw his assassin, preparing to kill him. It was a baptism in the American way, along with the salivating violence of the Chicago police at the Democratic Party’s rigged convention. The great counter revolution had begun.dn29/5/2016
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Nobel Prize Winner, J. M. Coetzee Parallels South Africa and Israel Palestine Chronicle--The authors invited to the festival this year included Nobel Prize winner for literature, acclaimed novelist and anti-apartheid South African activist, J.M. Coetzee. It was he who delivered the gripping keynote address to the gathering which was powerful in drawing similarities between a turbulent oppressive past experienced by non-white South Africans, and a clearly separatist policy in Occupied Palestine.dn29/5/2016
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Defending Israel’s Attacks on Civilians—A Harbinger for Clinton’s Presidency? Stephen Zunes--A fight is brewing as Democrats prepare to debate U.S. policy on Israel at their national convention in July. Bernie Sanders’ appointees to the platform committee Cornel West and James Zogby plan to challenge the party establishment’s uncritical support for an increasingly aggressive, right wing Israeli government. dn29/5/2016
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Fabricating facts: An old-fashioned political toolGeoffrey Aronson--Those opposed to occupation in Palestine have a far more difficult challenge to undo the bitter fruits that the policy of creating facts has produced, writes Aronson [EPA] dn29/5/2016
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New defense minister`s death penalty demand would put Israelis at riskShlomi Eldar--The demand by incoming Minister of Defense Avigdor Liberman to impose the death penalty for terrorism convictions could destroy Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation and ignite a new intifada. dn28/5/2016
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Israel`s Next War Won`t Be Avigdor Lieberman`s Fault Kobi Niv--Don’t worry. It’ll be okay. There will be a war. If not this summer, then next spring. And it has nothing to do with Avigdor Lieberman becoming defense minister. It is simply the reality here, at least for the last 10 years. Every two or three years on average we have a war, and it doesn’t matter who the prime minister and the defense minister are, or which parties they come from. dn28/5/2016
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Red Rag column: Gideon Spiro` book; Remembrance Day; the Trek to PolandGideon Spiro - The Red Rag column went on vacation for a while because I was busy with the publication of my first book, “Letters to judges and men in power”, which received a festive launch at the offices of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation on 1 May of this year.27/5/2016
Hard times: Pro-Israel group will pay young Jews $100 to watch its movies - Philip Weiss - Mondoweiss "Here’s all you have to do to get $100: Attain an 80% on the series exams. (Sorry, but we do need to make sure you watched the videos!) Attend 1-2 live events coordinated by Jerusalem U. Live events may include participation in an event on campus or a live interactive webinar. Complete entire series within 6 weeks of the start date Further qualifications say that you must be “between the ages of 18- 26.” Time was when young Jews really cared about Israel and didn’t have to be bribed to care. Times have changed." ca27/5/2016
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Dr. Ashrawi: “Capital Punishment, Not A Deterrent, Must Be Abolished”Saed Bannoura - IMEMC "Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, strongly denounced the Hamas decision to execute 13 convicted Palestinians, and called on the Palestinian President and the government, to completely abolish capital punishment.She said that the approval made by Hamas legislators in Gaza, authorizing executions ordered by Gaza courts, without the final approval from President Mahmoud Abbas, are illegal and unconstitutional." ca 27/5/2016
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Dutch government affirms the right to endorse the BDS movementMa`an News Agency - "The Dutch government Thursday affirmed the right of individuals and groups to promote and engage with the Boycott, Divestments, and Sanctions movement (BDS), stating the movement falls under basic rights that are safeguarded by the Dutch constitution...The foreign affairs minister added that the Dutch government commonly discusses the BDS movement with Israel, but has made clear that the Dutch government “opposes a boycott of Israel, but that endorsing BDS falls under freedom of expression.” ca27/5/2016
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Why Hamas and Israel both oppose French peace initiative Rasha Abou Jalal - Al-Monitor "Wassel Abu Youssef, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, told Al-Monitor, "The idea of the [French] conference is based on a meeting between the foreign ministers of 20 countries in addition to the European Union and the United Nations, but without the participation of Israelis and Palestinians. Should this conference be a success, it would usher in an international summit to be held in the second half of 2016 in the presence of the PA and Israeli leaders."Abu Youssef pointed out that direct bilateral negotiations "have not yielded any tangible outcome since the PA`s formation in 1993."Meanwhile, Hamas rejects any international efforts to resume peace talks that would place the PA and Israel back on the negotiation track. "Any proposals to bring the two parties back to the negotiating table aim at slaying the Palestinian cause, giving the occupation forces more time to expand their settlements and to further confiscate Palestinian lands," Hamas leader Yahya Moussa told Al- Monitor." ca 27/5/2016
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Why Would That General Compare Israel to 1930s Germany? Hmm... B. Michael - Haaretz - With all the festivals and days of sadness behind us, we can now return to the nagging question: What on earth was going through that anti-Semite general’s head when he dared hint that we, the Chosen People, commit abominable acts like those perpetrated by the gentiles? Really, what`s he talking about?-rh25/5/2016
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Joint List MK: Lieberman deal reveals ‘the real face of Netanyahu’ Emily Mulder - Mondoweiss - Joint List MK Aida Touma-Souliman, who believes the PM carried out the recent government reshuffle solely to secure continuation of his rule, told Mondoweiss the move “revealed the real face of Netanyahu.” -rh25/5/2016
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Religious Zealots Ready for Takeover of Israeli Army Jonathan Cook - CounterPunch - "Yaalon is to take a break from politics. With fitting irony, his slot is to be filled on Likud’s backbenches by Yehuda Glick, a settler whose struggle to destroy Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque and replace it with a Jewish temple has the potential to set the Middle East on fire." - id 25/5/2016
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Peace with Palestinians not in Netanyahu`s plan Akiva Eldar - Al Monitor - "Whatever the composition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu`s coalition, it will never aspire to a negotiated peace with the Palestinians." - id 25/5/2016
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Liberal Democrats, Millenials Massively Increase Support for Palestinians, Decrease Support for IsraelRichard Silverstein - Tikun Olam - "The survey notes that among liberal Democrats, for the first time, more favor Palestinians than Israelis by a 40% to 33% margin. In the past year, support for Palestinians in this cohort more than doubled from 20% to 43%." - id 25/5/2016
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Israeli politics: from tragedy to farce Michel Warschawski - AIC - Now, both far-left activists and the political and military leaders of the Israeli establishment itself warn that the government has gone too far. The appointment by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Avigdor Lieberman as Israel`s Minister of Defense compelled Member of Knesset (MK) Benny Begin to state: "it is mere madness." (...) "Fascism" is a term used more and more by media and an array of politicians to describe the course of the far-right Israeli government. [bz]24/5/2016
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Israel Must Fix Its Flag Haaretz editorial - This Independence Day underscores the need to repair the rents in the blue-and-white flag and to bring under its protection all the groups that make up Israeliness – including those minorities that have trouble identifying with the Star of David in the flag’s center or the “yearning Jewish soul” of the national anthem. Instead of continuing to foment strife, the time has come to once again create an Israeli nation that is proud of its country and its flag. [bz]24/5/2016
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Famed feminist British historian refuses prestigious Israeli awardHaggai Matar--Catherine Hall withdraws from $330,000 prize due to Tel Aviv University’s complicity in the occupation.dn22/5/2016
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Veteran Japanese photographer Ryuichi Hirokawa says his work is inspired by the history of Palestine.Shatha Khalil--Standing before a photograph he took in 2009 of a Palestinian child in Gaza left speechless after witnessing a shower of human flesh from an Israeli attack on her neighbourhood, Japanese photographer Ryuichi Hirokawa says he decided to become a photojournalist because of Palestinians.dn22/5/2016
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PM decides to keep Foreign Ministry, still hopes to bring Labor in to gov`tItamar Eichner, Yuval Karni, Moran Azulay--Despite the fact talks to form a unity government with the Labor party failed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to keep the foreign affairs portfolio under his authority as he believes Isaac Herzog`s party can still be brought into the fold. dn22/5/2016
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Israel Has Been Infected by the Seeds of Fascism, Says ex-Prime Minister Ehud Barak Haaretz--Barak tells TV interviewer that `there are no serious leaders left in the world who believe the Israeli government.` dn22/5/2016
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Israeli defense minister resigns citing `dangerous elements` in governmentWilliam Booth--Israel`s defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, announced his resignation May 20, citing a lack of "trust" in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the governing party. (The Washington Post)dn22/5/2016
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Lieberman`s Lofty Position Means Nothing to Struggling Russian-Israeli Community Liza Rozovsky--“I’ve shattered the glass ceiling for Israeli Russians,” Avigdor Lieberman told Russian-Israeli newspaper Vesti last week, after becoming defense minister-in-waiting. However, his statement is inaccurate. Although the appointment is indeed a personal achievement for Lieberman – who until now always faced stubborn resistance over being named number two in the political hierarchy – he actually broke that ceiling more than two decades ago, after being appointed director general of Likud and, later, director general of the Prime Minister’s Office. dn22/5/2016
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Why I`m not afraid of Avigdor LibermanGilad Halpern - +972 - Most chances are that things will remain just as bad as they are – which is, in itself, hardly a reason to rejoice. [bz]21/5/2016
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Why pro-Israel Democrats Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton could have a fight about IsraelAnne Gearan--The only Jewish candidate in the 2016 presidential race, who calls himself "100 percent pro-Israel," and one of Israel`s strongest U.S. defenders are nearing a fight over what being a pro-Israel Democrat means.dn21/5/2016
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Israeli officials, diplomats free to speak Netanyahu`s mindAkiva Eldar--When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli military officers can express themselves ``in the relevant forums,`` it seems he was really saying that senior officials should not express any opinion that contradicts his own. dn21/5/2016
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Will Israel really outlaw torture?Charlotte Silver - Electronic Intifada "Earlier this month, Israel sent a 13-member delegation to the 57th session of the Convention Against Torture to respond to questions about its record on human rights...last Friday – after spending three days studying Israel’s practice of torture and harsh treatment of Palestinian prisoners – the UN Committee Against Torture issued an unsparing report." ca 20/5/2016
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Israeli ‘chutzpah’ versus Palestinian ‘sumud’Jonathan Ofir - Mondoweiss "The Palestinians, as a subjugated and militarily-inferior occupied party, had to historically apply a mirror antidote to this Chutzpah. Against the policy of harassment and regular dispossession, they had to apply the attitude of steadfastness. This is the meaning of Sumud. The term Sumud has become enshrined in the Palestinian nationalist awareness particularly since 1967. Palestinians had come to experience the Nakba, the Catastrophe of wide-scale ethnic cleansing in 1948, where many were violently dispossessed or fled due to fear of violence and were not allowed return... Perhaps the most non-physical means of protest that Palestinians have been able to apply in recent times is the BDS – Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. This is a democratic, nonviolent means of protest, which has track record of being successful in Apartheid South Africa. Noam Chomsky, in his most recent interview from two days ago on Democracy Now! says that “as to the tactics of boycott and divestment, they make perfect sense…. Boycott and sanctions make perfectly good sense when these tactics are properly applied, as they often are.” ca20/5/2016
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Israeli Prime Minister replaces Defense Minister with Rightwing ZealotCeline Hagbard - IMEMC "Israelis across the political spectrum have criticized Netanyahu’s decision, including political leaders in his own party. MK (Parliament member) Benny Begin, the son of right-wing Prime Minister Menachem Begin, told reporters that he thought Netanyahu’s move was “delusional”." ca20/5/2016
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Palestinian Museum Prepares to Open, Minus ExhibitionsJAMES GLANZ and RAMI NAZZAL - NYT - "The building, designed by Heneghan Peng, an architectural firm in Dublin, will host the high-profile opening ceremony a few days after the 68th anniversary of what Palestinians call the Nakba, or catastrophe — essentially, Israel’s founding and the conflict that followed, which displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians." - id 18/5/2016
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If Israel`s generals are moral, let them prove it Orly Noy - +972 - "Let’s not forget that this is the same Ya’alon who called Breaking the Silence “traitors.” He has no real interest in exposing the army’s crimes, nor in changing the policies that make those crimes possible." - id18/5/2016
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San Francisco JCRC Steals “Nakba” Richard Silverstein - Tikun Olam - "...perhaps it’s fairer to say it isn’t stealing “Nakba” but only borrowing it from another pro-Israel businessman who stole it. He’s making a tidy profit from it doubtless (that’s his business after all), just as modern Israel has profited from its expulsion of nearly 1-million Palestinians." - id 18/5/2016
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Rumblings of mounting discontent among Israelis and PalestiniansJames M. Dorsey - Redress Information & Analysis - The stabbings tell us that discontent is boiling at the surface and that the fabric of Israeli and Palestinian society is being eroded by a conflict to which a solution seems ever more distant, if not impossible, and by societies and leaderships incapable and unwilling to listen to a Palestinian youth whose prospects are dim at best and whose anger is directed as much at Israeli racism as it is against Palestinian indifference. [bz]30/5/2016
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As Palestinians mourn their Nakba, the UK must acknowledge its responsibilityAhmad Samih Khalidi - The Guardian - Seven decades after the Nakba and Israel’s creation out of the debris of the Palestinian homeland, there is a valid question as to why and whether Israel is a “special case”. True, many other countries were born of a less-than-immaculate conception, but they do not receive the kind of hostility as Israel. But we are not talking history here. The struggle for the land of Israel/Palestine is an active and continuing one. Unlike the natives of North and South America, Australia and elsewhere, the Palestinians have yet to be defeated and subdued. Furthermore, Israel was born in the full light of the 20th century. Its actions are to be measured by contemporary mores, not by those of the 15th-19th centuries. [bz] 17/5/2016
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How I explained the Nakba to my kidsNoam Rotem--Say Dad, what is independence? An independent person is a person who can do whatever they want. They are free and nobody makes decisions for them. When a state is independent, it means that no one tells it what to do and it can decide for itself what it deems to be good and bad. dn 15/5/2016
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Palestinians on Nakba Day 2016 — Defiant, Undeterred and OrganizingNada Elia--Dima al-Wawi knows what she wants to be when she grows up: “My dream is that when I grow up I can be a lawyer who can defend children who have been oppressed,” the twelve-year old said in an interview shortly after her release from a four-month sentence in an Israeli jail.dn15/5/2016
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Finally, a Ceremony That Lets Me Celebrate Israel While Mourning the NakbaEetta Prince-Gibson--This time of year is always hard for me. In Israel, we move quickly from Passover to Holocaust Memorial Day; a week later, we mark the Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror; a day later we celebrate Independence Day. We go from attending solemn ceremonies as the sirens blare to attending joyful barbecues as the military parades pass. These set rituals are meant to give meaning to us as a society, framing Israel’s official narrative: from slavery to freedom, from victimhood to victory.dn15/5/2016
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WATCH: Israel Prize winner on why he`s giving prize money to Ta`ayushMairav Zonszein--Prof. David Shulman won Israel’s most prestigious prize. He’s giving the prize money to one of Israel’s most dedicated — and persecuted — activist groups. Here’s why.dn15/5/2016
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Interview With BDS Co-Founder Omar Barghouti: Banned by Israel From Traveling, Threatened With WorseGlenn Greenwald--Despite having lived in Israel for 22 years with no criminal record of any kind, Omar Barghouti (above) was this week denied the right to traveloutside the country. As one of the pioneers of the increasingly powerful movement to impose boycotts, sanctions and divestment measures (BDS) on Israel, Barghouti, an articulate, English-speaking activist, has frequently traveled around the world advocating his position. The Israeli government’s refusal to allow him to travel is obviously intended to suppress his speech and activism. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was one of the world leaders who traveled last year to Paris to participate in that city’s “free speech rally.” dn15/5/2016
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Conflating anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism endangers both Palestinians and Jews Matan Kaminer - No more perfect weapon could be sought by those attempting to bring about demoralisation in a movement deeply committed to the struggle against racism, like the one led by Corbyn. As a free added bonus, they receive the hypocritical denunciations of the morally bankrupt Israeli Labour Party, whose leader recently diagnosed his party’s problems as a result of “too much Arab-loving.” [bz]14/5/2016
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To stand, or not to stand? The politics of Israeli memorial daysYuval Avivi Translator Danny Wool--Almost all Israelis do it automatically, without thinking about it. As soon as the siren sounds on Holocaust Memorial Day and on Memorial Day for the Fallen in Israel’s Wars, Israelis get up and stand still. If driving, they pull to the side of the road, get out of their cars or off of their motorbikes and stand beside them. dn 14/5/2016
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Israel and Palestine Without Absolutes Avraham Burg, Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi--We are two. Partners who are still unequal. Similar and different. One, a man from the majority society that has it all, the other a woman from a minority that was left with almost nothing. And yet we are together, for the sake of a humane, just and fair future, for us and our children. dn14/5/2016
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Israel Defense Forces vs. the People of Israel Shmuel Rosner - NYT - "The I.D.F. is facing a barrage of criticism. The army, which historically enjoyed support across the Jewish Israeli spectrum, has become politicized. That this has happened is a failure of the I.D.F.’s leaders, a failure similar to losing in battle. Worse yet, the I.D.F. cannot win on the battlefield without the Israeli public’s trust." - id for ca 12/5/2016
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Most Israeli Jews think there`s no occupation. So what is it? Natasha Roth - +972 - "So what do you call military rule over a captive population that didn’t vote for the army to be there?" - id for ca 12/5/2016
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Israel: `Some NGOs are seen as the enemy from the inside` Holly Young - The Guardian = "While the legislation does not explicitly pick out leftwing organisations, critics argue that in reality it is these organisations that will be impacted if it is passed after its second and third readings." - id for ca12/5/2016
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In Our New Sparta, the Militant Brainwashing Starts at 11 Gideon Levy--Israel`s testosterone-happy generals are inculcating their legacy of mostly needless operations to fifth-graders. The results? Maybe by 18 they won`t ask any questions. dn15/5/2016
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Is Israel inching closer to fascism? Akiva Eldar - Al Monitor - "Talking to Al-Monitor, professor Zeev Sternhell warns that the values of democracy and liberalism, on which the State of Israel was founded, are being eroded by the nationalistic approach of the Israeli right." - id 11/5/2016
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Political survival at the IDF`s expense Ron Ben-Yishai - Ynet - "The deputy IDF chief`s message was the right one, but he chose the wrong place, time and perhaps historical analogy. Regardless, Netanyahu, who is acting more like a reality TV star than a leader, should not have jumped to publically undermine Maj.-Gen. Golan." - id 11/5/2016
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Hamas Defector, Sami Atawna, Exposes Location of Second Hamas Tunnel; Israel Lies About Its Discovery Richard Silverstein - Tikun Olam - "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the discovery, saying, “the state of Israel has achieved a global breakthrough in the ability to locate tunnels.”" - id 11/5/2016
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The problem is real but also exaggeratedTony Klug - Jewish Chronicle - The deeper truth is that latent anti-Jewish feeling has always resided in some segments of British civil society. In recent times, it has been inflamed by the rising passions surrounding the unresolved clash between Palestinians and Israelis, which in turn have unleashed more sinister impulses that sometimes have revived old anti-Jewish tropes of hidden influence and control, including over governmental policy and the media. The lamentable bottom line is that until that conflict is resolved fairly, anti-Jewish feeling is likely to continue to grow. [bz]10/5/2016
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America Must Tell Israel: Annexing the West Bank Is Our Red Line Steven Klein - Haaretz - The message of America’s inaction or endorsement of Israeli policies in the West Bank have reinforced and emboldened Israeli leaders to believe that they can take one step after another. Now they believe that they can shift gears from creeping annexation to virtual annexation. [bz]10/5/2016
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Israel Is the Last Remaining, Active Settler-Colonialist Project
--Ilan Pappe about Chomsky, Sanders and post-Zionism--		Eli Massey interview - In These Times - The two-state solution is based on the idea that there is a certain aspect of the Zionist community or history or ideology that is reasonable enough to enable normal life with the Palestinians. I don’t agree. You have to de-Zionize Israel to enable normal life for the Palestinians. [bz]10/5/2016
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Where are the lives of Jews safest? (Is Israel the safest place for Jews?)Shmuel Amir - Hagada Hasmalit - Those who claim that only in Israel are Jews safe need at least to remember that we declare here nearly every day that we are in danger of destruction and that we are destined to live by our swords. gm9/5/2016
A review of Salman Abu Sitta’s ‘Mapping My Return: A Palestinian Memoir’Vacy Vlazna--‘I spent the rest of my life on a long, winding journey of return, a journey that has taken me to dozens of counties over decades of travel, and turned my black hair to silver. But like a boomerang, I knew the end destination, and that the only way to it was the road of return I had decided to take.’ – Salman Abu Sitta.dn8/5/2016
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Here’s what happened when some famous writers went to visit some hardcore Jewish settlersWilliam Booth--HEBRON, West Bank — Arriving aboard a tour bus, accompanied by a former Israeli machine-gunner turned human rights activist, an international delegation of pretty famous writers came to the heart of this old city to see for themselves how 850 hardcore Jewish settlers, protected by 650 young Israeli soldiers, live among 200,000 angry Palestinians. The writers didn’t like what they saw. dn 8/5/2016
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UN leader on PM`s invitation to Jewish history lesson: No thanksAFP--After Netanyahu offered a seminar for all UN personnel in Israel on the Jewish people`s historical connection with the land, their leader replied with a firm no. dn8/5/2016
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Ken Livingstone: `Creation of Israel was fundamentally wrong`Ynet news--The former Labour mayor of London calls Israel a `mistake,` argues there was no anti-Semitism in the Arab world until founding of the Jewish State in interview with UAE-based news network. dn8/5/2016
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`US getting tougher with Israel over settlements`Associated Press--On Feb. 16, Israel Hayom celebrated Netanyahu’s seeming victory over the enemies of the status quo between Israel and the Palestinians: “Merkel: Now is not the time for 2-state solution,” read the headline in the daily that reflects the winds blowing from the office of the prime minister. At the end of a meeting with Netanyahu, Shlomo Cesana, the paper’s correspondent who covered the prime minister`s visit to Berlin, quoted him as saying that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had “admitted that this is not the time for the two-state solution.”​ Netanyahu did not conceal his satisfaction with what he perceived as the chancellor’s updated insight. “We have here a more realistic approach to the situation in our region and to the situation between us and the Palestinians,” the prime minister told reporters. “I said this a year ago and everyone ranted and raved against me,” Netanyahu bragged.dn 7/5/2016
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Will European pressure push Netanyahu on right track?Akiva Eldar--On Feb. 16, Israel Hayom celebrated Netanyahu’s seeming victory over the enemies of the status quo between Israel and the Palestinians: “Merkel: Now is not the time for 2-state solution,” read the headline in the daily that reflects the winds blowing from the office of the prime minister. At the end of a meeting with Netanyahu, Shlomo Cesana, the paper’s correspondent who covered the prime minister`s visit to Berlin, quoted him as saying that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had “admitted that this is not the time for the two-state solution.”​ Netanyahu did not conceal his satisfaction with what he perceived as the chancellor’s updated insight. “We have here a more realistic approach to the situation in our region and to the situation between us and the Palestinians,” the prime minister told reporters. “I said this a year ago and everyone ranted and raved against me,” Netanyahu bragged. In February 2014 during a visit to Jerusalem, Merkel had said, “Part and parcel of the secure future of Israel is obviously the two-state solution: a Jewish State of Israel and alongside it, a Palestinian state.” Sadly for Netanyahu, however, the alternative to the “ranting” at him about the burial of the two-state solution is not a funereal silence. France is promoting an international conference that would seek ways to revive the 2003 two-state road map. Paris does not appear to be overly bothered by Israel`s opposition to the initiative, and the Obama administration is not pulling Netanyahu’s irons out of the European fire as it usually does.dn 7/5/2016
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What Israel seeks is not peace but pacification.Sharif Nashashibi--Under US auspices, Israel can act as belligerently as it likes towards the Palestinians, because there will be no consequences. The most that can be expected is relatively soft verbal criticism, couched in terms of having Israel`s best interests at heart. That, ultimately, is the point of US mediation - an outcome that primarily benefits its ally. dn7/5/2016
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Zionism Should be on Trial, Not Ken LivingstoneJohn Wight - CounterPunch - "...in subjecting Ken Livingstone to trial-by-media over his comments on Zionism, his detractors have also unwittingly placed Zionism itself on trial, with the question of Zionism, as mentioned, undoubtedly now being pondered by millions of people who previously would have had zero interest in the subject." - id 6/5/2016
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100,000 IDF Troops “Maintain Quiet” in West Bank at Nearly $600-Million Annual CostRichard Silverstein - Tikun Olam - "The IDF is now truly an army of Occupation. It is not a fighting force. Not a people’s army. It’s sole goal is to subdue a captive people. Israel is without doubt, a latter-day Sparta: a garrison state." - id 6/5/2016
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Gaza: A hot potatoYacov Ben Efrat - Challenge - "...despite the illogicality of a war this summer, someone in Gaza could be crazy enough to start one." - id 6/5/2016
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Erekat: “All Security Meetings With Israel Have Been Ceased”Saed Bannoura - IMEMC "Erekat told the Palestine Radio that the decision to suspend all security coordination with Israel was made after Israel clearly and officially informed the Palestinian Authority it is not committed to the signed peace agreements, and insists on continuing its invasions into all communities that are under full Palestinian “control.” ca4/5/2016
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A Palestinian View on the Antisemitism Row Kamel Hawwash - Information Clearing House "I remind all who are interested in peace in historic Palestine that we Palestinians did not choose our occupiers. They chose Palestine knowing it was not an empty land but one that had a people, my people, the Palestinians that have paid with their land, lives and rights. As we approach the 68th anniversary of our catastrophe or Nakba, our occupiers need to acknowledge the wrong they did to us..." ca 4/5/2016
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The American Jewish scholar behind Labour’s ‘antisemitism’ scandal breaks his silence Norman Finkelstein and Jamie Stern-Weiner - Open Democracy UK - Ironically, in light of the current hysteria in the UK, the most vociferous and vehement opponents of the Balfour Declaration were not the Arabs, about whom almost nobody gave a darn, but the upper reaches of British Jewry. [bz]3/5/2016
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Mimouna, a Jewish-Muslim festival everywhere except IsraelSamah Salaime - +972 - The harmonious relationships between Jews and Muslims in the Arab countries are all but wiped out. One should be careful not to idealize that period: There were plenty of difficulties and crises. But 50 years on, looking at the racism and hostility around me today, I can safely say that our ancestors did a better job. I’ve never taken part in Mimouna celebrations. When the day comes, I hope for myself and my Jewish friends that I’ll do it for the right reasons: respect, friendship and good neighborliness. [bz]3/5/2016
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Netanyahu, Accept the French Peace Initiative Haaretz Editorial -  It would behoove Netanyahu to openly state if he would be prepared to compromise on territory in exchange for peace. If there is no substance to allegations against him as rejecting any diplomatic solution, he should stop hiding behind the “Without precondition” cover – a phrase that in and of itself is a precondition that up till now has halted continued negotiations. [bz]3/5/2016
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One Legal System, for Both Israelis and Palestinians Shuki Friedman--These legal revisions should lead to the creation of a clear and coherent book of laws that will give expression to the Supreme Court rulings and the various norms that already apply in the territories. But this book cannot only be a copy of the existing structure. Wherever the existing situation requires change and a single law can be forged, this must be done. The legal aspect is just one — albeit significant — facet of maximal normalization of life for all the people living in the West Bank. Similar action should also be taken in other areas. Even if creating fair and equal living conditions for all people in the territories is not a solution to the conflict, it is necessary in order to offer a better life, for Palestinians too, during the interim period — whose end is nowhere in sight at the moment. dn1/5/2016
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Skepticism of German-Israeli Friendship Growing in BerlinRalf Neukirch and Christoph Schult--Top Berlin officials are becoming less inclined to unconditionally support Israel. With the two-state solution increasingly unlikely, there is concern that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is "instrumentalizing" Germany`s friendship. By now, Angela Merkel is used to it. Whenever she meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the confidential content of their discussion appears in an Israeli newspaper a few days later. dn 1/5/2016
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Boycott Is the Only Way to Stop the Israeli Occupation Gideon Levy--BDS has not yet begun to lick at our lives here. Meanwhile there is no real economic warfare, rather only movements that are only gradually changing international discourse about Israel. On the edges there are perhaps some elements of anti-Semitism, but it is basically a protest movement by people of conscience who want to do something. Economic decline as a result of it might occur quickly, not necessarily gradually. In South Africa the business community came to the government and said: Enough, this cannot go on. That could happen here too. That actually imbues me with great hope, Benn, I don’t see any other alternative. dn1/5/2016
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Report: Germany considering stopping `unconditional support` of IsraelEldad Beck--Der Spiegel reports senior officials in the German government believe Netanyahu is `instrumentalizing` Berlin`s friendship, while the magazine quotes Merkel as saying she understands `why President Abbas continually seeks out the Security Council.` dn1/5/2016
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