Our Mediterranean Paradox

Israel - An Apartheid State?

Apartheid - Some definitions

1. An official policy of racial segregation formerly practiced in the Republic of South Africa, involving political, legal, and economic discrimination against nonwhites.
   
2. A policy or practice of separating or segregating groups.
   
3. The condition of being separated from others; segregation.

It amazes me how even otherwise intelligent people so easily suspend their judgment when being critical of Israel. 

Palestine - the State

What is this idea known as a "Palestinian State"?

Where did it come from?

Is it a fight for independence by an oppressed indigenous people like Vietnam, Cambodia, Ireland, India, South Africa and so forth?

The reality is somewhat different. 

The idea of the current push for a separate Arab Palestinian state is, as incredible as it may seem, the result of Israel's victory in the Six Day War in 1967.

Lousy reporting - 101

Here is a story that you probably won't see featured on the front pages of any major newspapers or TV programs. Yet the original story, claiming the exact opposite of what is now admitted, was one of the major stories for several days during ther recent Gaza operation.

Latest episode in Gaza

Once again the same images. The missiles hit, the buildings collapse, screaming people run through the streets crying for revenge, mothers stand over the dead bodies in despair, the UN calls for a cease fire, the usual demonstrators protest and condemn Israel while Bush declares his understanding, "excessive force" is heard once again - in other words  nothing has changed.

Why? Who is at fault?

Is Israel really the big bully described by one Israeli protester? What exactly has Israel done to lead up to this latest confrontation?

Did it come about because Israel tore up all the homes of the Jewish settlers and forced them to leave Gaza two years ago? Some in Israel would say yes because it gave control of Gaza to the Hamas. Whatever, the fact is that Israel does not occupy even one inch of Gaza.

So what exactly does Hamas want? What brought on this latest episode of the 62 year old war waged against Israel?

Understanding "double-speak"

One of the great difficulties in reporting "news" from the Middle East is that of what I label " Arab double-speak". 

The problem manifests itself in two ways. First there is the tendency of the Arab leaders to say one thing in English and something  different in Arabic. The second is more problematic. It is the tendency of the Arab world to believe their own lies. The spoken word is supreme in the Arabic language.

Raphael Patai in his classic book "The Arab Mind" (see note below) describes this latter in great detail. He gives many examples of  how the tendency,  in the Arabic language to exaggeration and wishful thinking, spills over into Arab political statements and discussion.  

Hamas speaks.

Today's headline around the world will be " Hamas is willing to accept a state under the 1967 borders" according to the Hamas leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh as reported in Haaretz this morning.  The report continued

"He said the Hamas government had agreed to accept a Palestinian state that followed the 1967 borders and to offer Israel a long-term hudna, or truce, if Israel recognized the Palestinians' national rights."

Sounds great except for one problem.  Israel wants a Palestinian State that will sign a real peace treaty, not a long term "truce".   A truce implies that there is still a state of war, that Hamas still does not recognize Israel's right to exist and reserves the right to continue its efforts to destroy us.

Why should any sane person agree to such a proposition?

 

 

 

Can anyone trust America?

A few days ago I read, with incredulity, an account by David Kimche, of the USA involvement in Lebanon in 1983. 

 As Kimche describes it "the American administration behaved in Lebanon like an orchestra whose members were playing different symphonies and with a conductor who had no idea of what was happening" .

 My initial reaction was one of disbelief. Surely he must be exaggerating.

Today ( 10/24/2008)  in the International Herald Tribune,  Robert McFarlane, who led the American team, basically confirms Kimche's  account.  

"Faced with the persistent refusal of his secretary of defense to countenance a more active role for the marines, the president withdrew them, sending the terrorists a powerful signal of paralysis within our government and missing an early opportunity to counter the Islamist terrorist threat in its infancy.

They were never asked

One of my closest friends was born a Palestinian in the small village of  Pardess Hanna now in central Israel..

When I mention  this in casual conversation, the listener  always seem  somewhat surprised.