Did Yasser Arafat recognize Israel as a Jewish State?

Submitted by Robin Messing on Thu, 03/20/2014 - 6:06am

Benjamin Netanyahu is demanding that the Palestinians recognize Israel not just as a state that has a right to exist in peace, but as a  "Jewish State".  Netanyahu insists that this is a red line--if the Palestinians refuse to recognize Israel as a Jewish State then there will be no peace deal.  Abbas, so far, appears to be staking out a position against recognizing Israel as a Jewish State.

Is AIPAC Demonstrating Dual Loyalty By Pushing For a Wag-The-Dog Sanctions Bill?

Submitted by Robin Messing on Sun, 03/02/2014 - 5:21pm

The Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act  was introduced in the Senate on December 20, 2013.  It gained steam rapidly and by January 14 the bill had 59 co-sponsors--43 Republicans and 16 Democrats.  Then something funny happened.  Outsiders actually read the bill and it became apparent that the bill was "designed to torpedo the Nov. 24 first step nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1".

Censorship and BDS

Submitted by Robin Messing on Sat, 02/22/2014 - 9:10am

In my last post I discussed how Israel's supporters tried to get a bill passed in New York State that would stomp on the free speech rights of those who supported the BDS (Boycott, Divestment Sanctions) movement..  In this post I will show that this bill is just part of a pattern amongst Israel's supporters to stifle debate about Israel's illegal occupation in the West Bank and the BDS movement that has arisen in response to it.

Playing the "Anti-Semite" Card: How Victimhood Is Used For Bullying

Submitted by Robin Messing on Wed, 02/19/2014 - 5:05am

There is a very special form of bullying used to attack those who question Israel's right to exist as a "Jewish State", or its policies in the West Bank, or AIPAC's role in getting U.S. legislators to unquestioningly support  Israel, even if doing so jeopardizes American security interests These bullies roll all these criticisms into one category and accuse Israel's critics of being Anti-Semitic.

New York State's Attempt To Punish Academic Institutions That Favor BDS

Submitted by Robin Messing on Sun, 02/16/2014 - 8:41am

On January 28, 2014, The New York State Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill that would cut all state funding to any university whose faculty used taxpayer money to attend American Studies Association (ASA) meetings or seminars or to pay for membership in the American Studies Associaton.  Why would the State Senate do this?

Why we need Israel AND Palestine

Submitted by Robin Messing on Sun, 02/09/2014 - 5:33pm

Huffington Post just ran an article about a wave of French Jews who are migrating to Israel becuase of rising anti-Semitism in France.   This is exactly why we need Israel.  We need a state where Jews can migrate to when anti-semitism raises its ugly head, as it has done so many times in the past.  We need a state designed for the protection of the Jewish people.  That does not necessarily mean though, that Israel should always be a Jewish State in the future.  There is a difference between  "a Jewish State" and "a state designed for the protection of Jews".  The first is racist, the sec

Being Against Israel Is Not The Same Thing As Being Anti-Semitic

Submitted by Robin Messing on Sun, 02/09/2014 - 9:41am

Every once in a while I run across someone on the internet who insists that Muslims are out to exterminate Jews.  Or they insist that someone who has a "demonic view of Israel" is anti-Semitic.  This is nonsense.  Being against the policies of the Israeli government--even being against Israel as a Jewish State-- is not in itself anti-semitism.

An Open Letter to Scarlett Johansson

Submitted by Robin Messing on Sat, 01/25/2014 - 9:45pm

Scarlett Johansson received a lot of criticism when she agreed to become the spokesperson for the West Bank based corporation SodaStream, one of the more highly visible companies being targeted by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement.  Ms. Johansson's promotion of SodaStream conflicts with her role as a Global Ambassador for Oxfam.  Oxfam published a statement praising Johansson's past work while pointing out its disapproval of her role as SodaStream spokesperson.

Passing the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act Will Lead To War

Submitted by Robin Messing on Mon, 01/20/2014 - 9:09pm

The Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act  is to diplomacy what Sharknado is to meteorology or ichthyology.  Well, that's not a perfect analogy.  Both the NWFIA and Sharknado are jokes, but Sharknado was so bad it was good, whereas the NWFIA is just bad.  The NWFIA would institute a new round of crippling sanctions should we fail to reach an agreement with Iran or if Iran fails to negotiate in good faith.  This in and of itself sounds reasonable--at least to American ears, and it might not nec

Netanyahu: "America is a thing that can be easily moved." (Video)

Submitted by Robin Messing on Mon, 01/20/2014 - 2:50pm

In 2001, Benjamin Netanyahu boasted about how he helped thwart the Oslo Peace Process.  He did not know he was being recorded when this video was made.  Pay especially close attention to 3:56 - 4:08 of the video where he says "America is a thing that can be easily moved."

 

 

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