Would Obama Greenlight an Israeli Attack on Iran? The Israeli press notes that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and maverick Defense Minister Ehud Barak have been talking up a possible Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities.
No one knows if the two are just trying to create a threatening environment for Iran, in hopes of intimidating Tehran on a range of issues, or if they are preparing Israeli public opinion for an actual strike. The problem with talking big to scare an enemy, if that is the tactic, is that the talk can spiral into action whether one likes it or not.
(This mistake was probably what got Gamal Abdel Nasser into the 1967 war: Israeli hawks such as Moshe Dayan took advantage of his saber rattling to launch an attack, which could be portrayed as preemptive.) Former Israeli intelligence chief Meir Dagan revealed last spring that he and other security officials had forestalled a Netanyahu-Barak crazy scheme to hit Iran, about a year ago. Obama disapproves of adventurism. U.S. military official: We are concerned Israel will not warn us before Iran attack. Israel, Iran and America: Auschwitz complex. Haaretz’s pundit takes on US envoy Ross for aiding Netanyahu. Monday, July 4 2011 | Noam Sheizaf Akiva Eldar, an expert on the peace process, avid supporter of the two-states solution and author of “ Lords of the Land ,” a history of the Israeli settlement project, harshly criticizes the White House’s envoy to the Middle East, Dennis Ross, for backing the demands of an extreme rightwing Israeli government.
In an Haaretz article , Eldar also advises to Palestinians to continue their UN bid, and if it fails, dismantle the Palestinian Authority and let Israel face the consequences of direct control over the West Bank’s Palestinians. The Oslo Accords are all but dead. Our brothers, ourselves. Confronting Our Demagogue. Opinion By Eric Yoffie Published February 17, 2009, issue of February 27, 2009.
The apologists and the excuse-makers in the American Jewish community have begun their work. No need for concern, they say. Avigdor Lieberman, leader of Israel’s Yisrael Beiteinu party, is not really an extremist. Much of the debate until now has focused on whether or not Lieberman can be accurately classified as a racist or a fascist. Nonetheless, the thrust of his campaign was anything but ambiguous. The challenges posed by the relationship between the Jewish state and its Arab citizens are certainly real. American Jews — the vast majority of whom are strong supporters of Israel as both a Jewish and a democratic state — are dismayed by Lieberman, mostly because he represents values that we abhor.
It would, of course, be a mistake to obsess about Lieberman and to grant him greater importance than he deserves. But American Jewish leaders, too, face a significant test. If Americans Knew - what every American needs to know about Israel/Palestine. New York charity abets Israeli settler violence - Israel-Palestine. Adventures in Candyland. This week, walking through Columbia University's campus, I noticed a piece of paper stuck to the metal railings around me.
It was a flyer advertising Israel week at Columbia University, a popular yearly event meant to discuss issues related to Israel and foster support on campus for that state. This year, one of the events in particular caught my eye. In An 'Unusual' Meeting, Cantor Tells Netanyahu The GOP Majority 'Will Serve As A Check' On Obama's Israel Policy. The downside of unbridled support for Israel. The "Do More" Chorus in Washington.
Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Israel April 11 calling on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to immediately withdraw Israeli troops from the West Bank.
As of April 15, Sharon remains defiant, insisting that his troops must stay until full victory has been achieved. In Washington, Press Secretary Ari Fleischer remarked that Palestinian Authority (PA) head Yasser Arafat had to make greater efforts to stop Palestinian terrorism. This minuet, played out in the midst of the now familiar carnage occurring in the West Bank as well as in Israel, recalled George W. Bush's remarks on March 31, as he lounged outside his office/trailer in Texas. New moves to curb criticism of Israel in US and Canada. A number of new initiatives to curtail freedom of speech by conflating opposition to Israeli crimes with anti-Semitism are underway in the United States and Canada.
The Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism (CPCCA) issued a report in early July recommending the adoption of strict new standards defining anti-Semitism and the types of speech and campus activities that would violate them. Its report urged the Canadian government to adopt the European Union Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia’s definition of anti-Semitism (“Report on the Inquiry Panel,” 7 July 2011 [PDF]). That definition suggests that any questioning of whether Israel has the right to exist as a state that privileges Jews over people of other religions or ethnic backgrounds amounts to anti-Semitism. Though the Canadian group is not linked to the Ottawa government, it has 22 parliamentarians as members.
The Canadian report is just the latest attempt at stifling public discourse about Israel. Dr.