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Commentary

TitleDescriptionDate
PODCAST: Rethinking race relations in Israel-Palestine+972 - "Palestinian legal scholar Noura Erakat proposes a different, inclusive vision that guarantees justice and dignity for all oppressed groups in Israel and Palestine." ca30/8/2019
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Arabs in Israel want to join the government. You`ll never guess who`s stopping themSamah Salaime - +972 "Joint List Chairman Ayman Odeh said he would be willing to consider joining a center-left coalition, prompting a response from Israel’s centrist party that reveals the true face of those who hope to replace Netanyahu." ca30/8/2019
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Between Trump and US Jewry, Netanyahu picks Trump Akiva Eldar - Al-Monitor - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies have been resoundingly silent since President Donald Trump tarred millions of American Jews with the anti-Semitic trope of disloyalty to their homeland Aug. 20. While Jewish and non-Jewish members of Congress lashed out at the president and Jewish organizations of all stripes demanded that he retract his remarks, Twitter master Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kept mum. Similarly, Yamina (Rightward) coalition senior officials Ayelet Shaked and Bezalel Smotrich, who rave against any foreign leader who dares to criticize Jews and questions their right to the entire Land of Israel, have swallowed their tongues. And on the political center- left, the last time Blue and White Chair Benny Gantz mentioned Trump was to extol him for recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights on March 21. Neither former Prime Minister Ehud Barak nor Nitzan Horwitz, leaders of the left-wing Democratic Camp, have stood up to defend their brothers across the sea, either.-rh 27/8/2019
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We Miss You, Uri AvneryNehemia Shtrasler - Ha`aretz - Uri Avnery, the writer, Knesset member and peace activist, died a year ago, on August 20. What would he have said about the current situation, about Netanyahu, about the elections? One thing is certain. His comments would have been original and interesting, as was always the case with him (...) he would go wild over the fact that the conflict with the Palestinians isn’t central to the election campaign, or actually even a marginal issue. [ak]. 27/8/2019
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The Tragic Hike That Has Nothing to Do With the Landscape and LandAmira Hass - Haaretz - The roads and paths that once connected Ein Qiniya and Al Janya, are blocked to Palestinians. The roads and paths of the area (totaling some 60 kilometers) — official ones built on expropriated Palestinian land, unofficial ones created by settlers — are clear of Palestinian vehicles. The mountains, the hills and the wadis are beyond the pale to Palestinian hikers. But why link all of this to a bomb planted by unknown culprits? [bz]27/8/2019
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Trump “King of Israel”…and White SupremacyRichard Silverstein - Tikun Olam - "This week, Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar held a press conference to offer their views on Israel’s ban against them entering Palestine. Perhaps the most important news coming out of the event was Omar’s demand that the U.S. withhold part or all of the $30-billion offered to Israel by the Obama administration as it sought to bribe Israel to soft-pedal its opposition to the Iran nuclear deal." - id23/8/2019
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Representatives Omar and Tlaib Terrorize Trump Eileen Fleming - The Arab Daily News - "Terrorists inspire fear and anxiety. On Thursday Mr. Trump tweeted more of his fear and anxiety over two freshman congressional representatives and united bipartisan free speech proponents." - id23/8/2019
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Why Did Netanyahu Flip-Flop on Tlaib and Omar?Noga Tarnopolsky - The Daily Beast - "Israel has never before denied entry to Members of Congress. Why did Netanyahu mention a racial supremacist political ally when explaining his decision on Tlaib and Omar?" - id23/8/2019
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Is Israel a vassal state now?Gershom Gorenberg - The Washington Post - To begin with, Netanyahu was apparently convinced at first that locking out the two Democratic representatives would be too great an affront to Congress, to the Democratic Party and to the American pro-Israel lobbying groups that regularly bring members of Congress to Israel. But then Netanyahu gave in to Trump and banned the two, he had burned the last shreds of Israel’s carefully balanced strategy for managing relations with the United States: He did what Trump asked. If Netanyahu has self-awareness, he should see where a foreign policy based on sycophancy toward a single unbalanced leader, the Emperor Nero of our day, has led him.“Are we a vassal state?” I hear Menachem Begin’s ghost asking, at the height of Begin`s 1981 confrontation with President Reagan over the annexation of the Golan. Did Israel finally become an American vassal state now? Honestly, I don’t know. Definitely, though, Netanyahu has become the personal vassal of Trump.[ak]20/8/2019
The disgraceful president and the contemptible prime ministerAlon Ben-Meir - Augusta Free Press - Much has been said and written about Trump’s disgraceful pointed “advice” to Prime Minister Netanyahu not to allow two duly elected Muslim Democrat congresswomen, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, to enter Israel. Netanyahu, like a poodle, simply obeys his master’s command without as much as giving it a second thought, while ignoring the far- reaching implications of his egregious act. For whatever it’s worth, let me add my voice.[ak]20/8/2019
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Jewry umbrella group, even after call with Israel envoy, declines to back banTOI staff - "reservations” over the ban by the Conference of Presidents, whose membership includes liberal groups such as Americans for Peace Now but excludes the left-wing J Street, came after the powerhouse pro- Israel lobby, AIPAC, issued a direct criticism of the ban, and underlined the profound discomfort among mainstream American Jewish groups over the Israeli move." ca16/8/2019
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US Axis of Aggression inGulfFinian Cunningham - ICH "When Washington announced a few weeks agothe formation of a maritime “international coalition” to “protect shipping” in thePersian Gulf, many observerswere skeptical. Nowskepticism has rightlyturned to alarm, as theproposed US-led “coalition” transpires to comprise agrand total of just threenations: the US, Britain andIsrael...Will Washington light thefuse? President Donald Trumpand his psychotic waradvisor John Bolton havecertainly talked tough onseveral occasions overrecent weeks about attackingIran and “destroying” thePersian nation withoverwhelming force. Combinedwith the depraved Israeliprime minster BenjaminNetanyahu and the lackeyBritish premier BorisJohnson, the “axis ofinsanity” is perplexing." ca16/8/2019
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Israel has been barring lawmakers of friendly nations for years (just not from the US) Cnaan Liphshiz - JTA "When Israel announced that it would deny entry to Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, the decision struck many as an unprecedented step.But Israel has blocked multiple lawmakers from coming in recent years. The difference this time is that it’s lawmakers from the United States who are being declared persona non grata." ca 16/8/2019
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Rattling the Nuclear Cage: India, Pakistan, Israel, Iran and the USRobert Fisk - Counter Punch - "It’s Israel that conceals – but will not say so – perhaps 200 nuclear warheads. Not only do we not complain about this. We regard any suggestion of their existence as akin to interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state. Israel has never confirmed that their nuclear weapons exist: therefore we must not say that they do. Enquire about their exact number and you are treated by Israel’s supporters with deep suspicion. It’s a private matter, we are led to understand. Anyway the Israelis can be trusted with such vile weapons. Can’t they?" - id15/8/2019
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Is the reunited Joint List enough to bring back Palestinian election boycotters?Samah Salaime - +972 - "Palestinian voters in Israel who previously called for an election boycott say they are willing to give the joint slate of Arab parties another chance. ‘Local Palestinian leadership is all we have now.’" - id 15/8/2019
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How the once-fringe Jewish Temple Movement is going mainstreamYonathan Mizrachi = +972 - "The Jewish Temple Movement has for years tried to change the status quo in one of the most contested holy sites in the world. Now the most mainstream figures on the Israeli right are finally listening." - id15/8/2019
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Trump urges Israel to bar entry to Reps. Tlaib and OmarRichard Silverstein - Tikun Olam - "This is Trump once again playing the role of spoiler. He knows that Democrats pressured Israel to permit the Congressional Women of Color of entry. He also knows that the Democratic Israel junket is already in Israel, and the Democrats have no recourse should Netanyahu change his mind and deny entry. Splitting these Democrats from progressive pro-Palestine insurgents will only further fragment the Democratic Party. Which is just what Trump wants." - id15/8/2019
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This Zionist Is Voting for the Arab Parties That Reject ZionismLarry Derfner - Haaretz - Two reasons. One is that the Joint List is Israel`s last party standing to raise a strong, steady voice against the one overriding evil in this country: the occupation, and the incessant slide from one war against the Palestinians in Gaza to the next, indefinitely. (...) The other reason I’m voting for the Joint List, and the more important one, is because it’s the only Knesset slate in the so-called opposition that doesn’t pin its hopes on sitting in a government led by Kahol Lavan’s Benny Gantz, who should scare the hell out of everybody. [bz]13/8/2019
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The Meaning of Israel’s Massive Housing Demolitions in East JerusalemJeff Halper - The Nation - The scale, visibility, and violence of the Wadi al-Hummus demolitions is a gauntlet thrown in the face of civil society—us. The message from Israel: If you think the international community will come to your aid, just watch the reactions to our in-your-face demolitions. The US government supports us totally. A UN Security Council resolution condemning the Wadi al-Hummus demolitions was struck down by a US veto. The reaction of the EU (“The continuation of this policy undermines the viability of the two-state solution and the prospect for a lasting peace”) sounds almost computer generated. China, Russia, India, Brazil, the Arab world, all traditional supporters of Palestinian rights? Far too indebted to Israeli arms and security technologies to ever impose sanctions. - Unless we come up with a just political endgame (...) and an effective strategy for mobilizing our forces, we will be left stewing in helpless outrage. [bz]13/8/2019
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Please Don’t Politicize Dvir Sorek’s Murder. His Final Act Was One Of Peace.Emma Goldberg - The Forward "If history is any guide, in the coming weeks, the horrifying murder of Dvir Sorek in a West Bank terror attack will be weaponized by right-wing Israeli politicians. His death will be used as ammunition for those seeking to demonize the Palestinian people and to yet again quash any movement toward peace. Make no mistake: Using his death in this way would be nothing short of a desecration of his memory." ca 10/8/2019
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When moderation is gone only the extremes surviveShlomo Puterkovsky - Ynet - "The political makeup of religious Zionism is a reflection of its social makeup with none of the moderate voices that made this sector of Israeli society relevant in past decades under great leaders." - id8/8/2019
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Israeli elections c`tee hasn`t taken any steps to stop Arab voter intimidationHenriette Chacar - +972 - "Four months after the ruling Likud party led a voter intimidation campaign against Palestinian voters, the government body responsible for ensuring free and fair elections says it hasn’t made any changes to its process." - id8/8/2019
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Distorting the definition of antisemitism to shield Israel from all criticismAmos Goldberg and Raz Segal - +972 - "The IHRA initially sought to combat racism against Jews and Holocaust denialism, but its definition of antisemitism serves as a tool to silence all criticism of Israel, making it harder to identify actual forms of anti-Jewish hatred." - id 8/8/2019
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Haaretz Launches Arabic Opinion Supplement to Spur Palestinian Voters, Censors Launch AnnouncementRichard Silverstein - Tikun Olam - "Haaretz is desperate as it watches Israeli political power slip ever farther from the grasp of the former liberal Zionist rulers of Mapai, Mapam, Avodah, etc. It does understand, at least, that the country is slipping into a fascist authoritarian coma that will permanently erase everything its editors, and the Schocken family which have run it for nearly a century, hold dear." - id8/8/2019
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Americans for Peace Now urges support of Two-State SolutionRay Hanania - The Arab Daily News - "The two-state solution is the only one that will safeguard Israel’s character as a democracy and a Jewish state and the only one that serves America’s regional interests. Politicians who care about Israel’s future should endorse it and urge the Trump administration to adhere to it." - id 8/8/2019
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Religious moderates left orphaned by Israeli politicsAkiva Eldar - Al-Monitor " Israel`s progressive Zionist voters who are both religious and tolerant have no real political home these days." ca 3/8/2019
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PODCAST: How BDS became such a big deal in American politics+972 Magazine - "“There’s got to be a point when you say, whether or not I adopt this tactic, this is a legitimate nonviolent tactic that we will defend,” she adds." ca3/8/2019
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Israel’s latest attempt to erase PalestineIlan Pappe - The Electronic Intifada - "Why are these files being hidden?"..."I think the reasons are far more profound and alarming. They are part of a new assault on Palestine and the Palestinians."..."We need to look at the attempt at censoring these archives in two contexts: the political and the historical." - id1/8/2019
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Do not punish Palestinian refugees for UNRWA dysfunctionYara Hawari - Aljazeera - "Clearly a systematic culture of abuse is at work at the highest echelons of the UNRWA which needs to be confronted and addressed. However, this report cannot and should not lead to more funding cuts. Both the Netherlands and Switzerland have unfairly suspended aid to the agency in light of this report. The millions of Palestinian refugees and the Palestinian employees, many of whom are struggling to provide for their families, should not be collectively punished for the offences and selfishness of UNRWA`s top management, many of whom are foreigners." - id1/8/2019
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Trump`s `deal of the century` is a mythical beastAlon Pinkas - Ynet - "In reality, this is the "Loch Ness plan," named after the fictional monster that resides in Loch Ness in northern Scotland. As in the case of the monster, there are hundreds of people who claim to have seen the plan, dozens who swear they can describe exactly what it looks like, and a chosen few who can actually explain its existence. But like the monster, there really is no such thing as "the deal of the century."" - id1/8/2019
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Extreme Christian Zionists not helping America or IsraelGhassan Michel Rubeiz - The Arab Daily News - "Christians United for Israel (CUFI) is a political advocacy network based on an extreme version of Christian Zionism. This network calls on all Christians to offer total support for the State of Israel."..."CUFI is not helping America keep state and church separate, stay fair in foreign policy and maintain civility in interfaith relations. CUFI is also not helping Israel take peace seriously." - id 1/8/2019
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PODCAST: Could Mizrahim find their most natural allies in Palestinians?Orly Noy - +972 "Noy believes Mizrahim now have an opportunity to move beyond the left-right politics that have kept them marginalized — by standing alongside Palestinian citizens of Israel." ca16/8/2019
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