Well, today has been quite a day!
In the morning we received the announcement that Netanyahu's cabinet has agreed to release a bunch of Jew Killers from Israeli prisons and within hours after that we received the news that "peace talks" between the parties will begin as soon as tomorrow.
It has to be said that this is a pretty remarkable day in the recent history of the Long Arab War Against the Jews.
Unquestionably.
I am still processing the situation and am in no place to make any grand pronouncements on the meaning of all this. I do find myself exceedingly skeptical because the history of American and European-led "peace processing" has not only been dismal, but has proven absolutely hostile to Jewish well-being in that part of the world.
Nonetheless, I do want to highlight this comment from Empress Trudy, because it is unquestionably food for thought:
Empress Trudy July 28, 2013 at 4:49 PM
In game theory we talk about what happens when you know what he knows you know. And in this case, everyone knows the Arabs will balk or even refuse to attend. At best, and this can't be a mystery - the Arabs will show up, make some noise and go away not ever having agreed to anything. And we know they know we know this. We also know that Hamas will send rockets into Israel and we know that Abbas is an old sick man ruling like an autocrat and when he dies which can't be long, the new dictator's first speech will be to scream about exterminating all the Jews forever and never giving an inch and, if the slightest thing was set to paper before, it will all be torn up. Again, we know they know we know this.
So the question remains why do this puppet theater at all? What's the upside? What's the merest potential of an upside? One could argue that Kerry and Obama's sole point is to topple Netanyanhu and replace him with Livni or worse, but again, they must know we know they know this is absurd. Even if they were able to create a crisis of confidence vote, no one sees Israel suddenly veering leftward.
I have a few theories but few of them even make sense to me. Maybe it's simply what it appears to be - mindless stupidity. I am out of ideas for now what could possibly be motivating everyone to chase this down a rathole to nowhere.
I did not disagree with it when I read it, but we are not talking about theory, after all.
ReplyDeleteThe deed is done. Let's hope it will serve a positive purpose. Let's hope it shows Israel's critics who actually wants peace.
The tragedy here is the lengths that Israel must go to try and prove to a prejudiced world that the collective Jew and Jews themselves are sincere. Many will never be convinced, including those wishing to destroy Western culture based on individual rights. They have no viable alternative besides ones that cause massive human suffering and loss of human rights.
Some supporters of the PA have been shocked to know their aid money was being diverted to these prisoners. When the PA celebrates these criminals, these supporters will get further insight. This serves to complement the problems that are growing in their own states.
In other words, even if seen as a disaster, it will hasten the sea change that is on the horizon and merely a matter of time.
So the question remains why do this puppet theater at all?
ReplyDeleteThat's an excellent question and I certainly have no definitive answer.
From an Arab perspective they know that when their intransigence forces the failure of talks they can simply blame that failure on the Jews and that the Europeans and progressives will buy it, unquestionably, and can be counted on to upscale the pressure and the hatred toward Israel.
The Europeans, of course, have an interest in stepping on the tiny Jewish minority in the Middle East because it helps smooth things between themselves and the Arabs.
For the American administration it gives the necessary impression that they are trying to bring about peace in the Middle East, via a two state solution, which has been an important ambition of every president since at least Clinton.
What it does for Israel is what I find mystifying.
What Israel wants, above everything else, is to be left the hell alone to develop their technologies and send Natalie Portmans out into the world.
I feel reasonably certain that this will not help in that endeavor.
Because Israel has a responsibility to seek peace and this will not, in the larger scheme of things, make it less secure in real terms. Israel owes that to its citizens, to make these attempts. This is what peace loving, democratic states should do. It is trying its best "to be left the hell alone to develop their technologies and send Natalie Portmans out into the world."
DeleteIt's not like there is a shortage of things the PA does to show antagonism. Or perhaps it has a connection to Iran. Who really knows what is going on? The anger is understandable, but I also see what feels to me like overreaction.
School, I very much respect your overall stance on the conflict, but I do wonder about this:
DeleteThere will also come a tipping point where the reality of the Palestinian/Arab side is finally exposed. We are not there yet, but the behavior of glorifying killers and the like will not go unnoticed by a growing number of people.
While I very much hope that you are correct - and, in fact, any real chance of an honest peace will depend on that tipping point - I just don't see it.
I do not see the reasons for your apparent optimism that the reality of Arab-Muslim genocidal extremism will sink into the heads of either Europeans or western progressives.
I certainly hope that I am wrong, but I see no evidence to suggest that I am.
Are you seeing data that I am not? That may very well be the case.
You should also know, by the way, that I am reading Bat Ye'or's Eurabia and I very much appreciate the recommendation.
This is clearly an important book.
No. I have no data. Just an impression from what I see taking place and a suggestion of what may occur.
DeleteIt will not be visible, like a sea change. We will not know it until it has happened, and it will seem very dark beforehand.
Events will occur, mainly on a domestic level, that will contribute to the shift. They already seem to be occurring at an accelerated pace. I am speaking largely of Europe, but on most all levels the Islamists will overplay their hand, much like the MB has shown.
It will be harder to hide the reality of political Islam because the internet helps expose what before was easily hidden.
Here, it would be great if alternatives to CAIR and the like would rise to speak for Muslims and drown the deceptive voice of the MB fronts.
No matter what road is followed there are risks. I applaud Israel for making another attempt. It will expose even further the sham of the PA and its intentions to a world only too weary of its disproportionate grab of limited humanitarian resources.
School,
DeleteI very much wish that I had your optimism.
I recognize, of course, that your optimism is a cautious optimism.
My stance, within recent years, has generally been cautiously optimistic.
With experience my caution grows and my optimism fades.
I do think that there are ways out of this, but I do not think that they include the ways that we are taking.
I will be tremendously surprised and tremendously happy if it turns out that Kerry's way brings about another Arab state in peace next to the Jewish one.
Until I see something approaching that, tho, I will continue to advocate for Israeli unilateralism.
Like I said I have a few theories but even to me it's a reach. For instance, and maybe this is because I'm reading Pascal Bruckner's "Perpetual Euphoria", there seems to be awful of Pollyanna-ish blather coming out of the US. Judy Garland clicking her heels and wishing really really really hard to go home to Kansas. Because wishing makes it so. Almost as if this whole charade is for the US's administration to feel good about their own good intentions. There is at least some precedent in running foreign policy according to some weird kind of potlatch where whomever loses the most wins.
ReplyDeleteWere one to review Stalin's actions in WW2 for example, in his dealings with the allies, Stalin and the Soviet Union NOT ONCE, ever even a single time ever did the slightest thing for the Allies. Not militarily, politically or economically. Not a single time. Stalin's relationship to the Allies was 100% take and no give. See Robert Conquest's "Stalin, Breaker of Nations" for more on this.
Similarly this is America's relationship to Hezbollah. 241 Marines blown up, senior military and intelligence officers kidnapped and killed and not a single reprisal, ever.
Heck, the PLO AND the US both admit that the PLO assassinated American diplomats. And under Obama their aid was doubled to nearly $1 billion dollars a year.
There's a pattern here. America is not eager to take on dictators and tyrants. America likes to think of itself as a country that can win by being nice to maniacs. Because being nice is the only way to deal with them at all. That's what makes them maniacs.
And reasonably speaking there's not much on its face to quibble with that as long as the US can point to a specific national interest served by that. After all the US and every other country has no problem working with the Somoza's, Pinochet's, Shah Palavi's, Franco's, Estado Novo's, Park Chun-hee's and on and on.
So another conclusion one could draw - is that the US is simply hitching its wagon to the dictator in this deal with the hope that a dictator is both more stable and malleable to American pressure. In effect, they're changing sides from Israel to the Arabs. And THAT is the national interest transparent or not, he's pursuing.
And then there's the simple personal petty reason. Obama sees his worldwide love and acclaim crumble everywhere. He's mad and the only people he can kick are the Jews. Why not? There's no political downside and no one will respond or object.
THE NAZIS AND THE PALESTINIAN MOVEMENT - Documentary and discussion, by Francisco Gil-White
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hirhome.com/israel/nazis_palestinians.htm
"...This documentary is now on Vimeo, but it was first uploaded to You Tube. In the first two days, almost with no publicity, the You Tube webpage quickly logged more than 1,500 visits. Then, on the third day, Israelis began reporting that You Tube was not allowing them to access the video. You Tube’s explanation is that when a video is blocked in this manner it can be due to only one of two reasons:
"1) the You Tube account-owner placed country restrictions on the video; or else
"2) You Tube is complying with local laws
"We did not place country restrictions on the video. That leaves us with the second possibility.
"But what local laws can You Tube be complying with? To my knowledge, no laws have yet been passed by the Israeli Knesset against the dissemination of historical facts.
"Some have speculated that “we are complying with local laws” is a cover for “the Israeli government told us to block it.” Others ask: “But why would the Israeli government even want to block this video?” ..."
THE NAZIS AND THE PALESTINIAN MOVEMENT
On Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/69991225
On YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_abGQY-1qoM
----
And:
An interview with Philippe Karsenty in which he recounts that when he was presenting evidence exposing the fraudulence of the Mohammed al-Dura hoax, the Israeli government told European officials or European journalists (I don’t remember which -- whether it was European officials or European journalists) to not listen to him.
FTR #719 Interview with Philippe Karsenty about the Mohammed al-Dura Incident
http://spitfirelist.com/for-the-record/ftr-719-interview-with-phillippe-karsenty-about-the-mohammed-al-durra-incident/
"...This generation has a rare opportunity. It is this: to show that the WWII Nazi attack against the Jews in the mid-twentieth century taught us something important: when we defend the Jews we are defending the political health of the entire West. To defend the Jews is to defend the liberties and lives of all Westerners. Because those liberties are threated by the antisemites. For ordinary Westerners, the defense of the Jews is self defense; antisemitism is suicide. It should be obvious, because WWII gave an eloquent demonstration in millions upon millions of non-Jewish lives lost -- and all because we didn’t oppose antisemitism. Can we no longer remember this?
ReplyDelete"...I will end with an aphorism of my own coinage that translates Santayana’s into a positive expression:
"...We are always creating history. Only those who become aware of this have a chance, actively and consciously, to shape the future."
-- Francisco Gil-White, Understanding Annapolis - What you don't know could cost you - What is the Israeli government doing?, November 23, 2007
Will there soon be an anti-Jewish genocide in Israel? - A slide presentation of crucial evidence, Francisco Gil-White, April 14, 2007 (Powerpoint PPS File)
http://www.hirhome.com/israel/catastrophe_en.pps