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Thanks to Phil Weiss for alerting me to Time Magazine’s new issue. As Phil noted, this is big. Time has staked its journalistic reputation on coming out four square against the Gaza attack. It’s judging Gaza has jumped the shark. Many of us knew Gaza had jumped the shark the moment it began. But it took the more acute mainstream media nearly two weeks to catch up. Now, they finally have.
In particular this passage from the cover story is penetrating:
The threat posed by Hamas is only the most immediate of the many interlocking challenges facing Israel, some of which cast dark shadows over the long-term viability of a democratic Jewish state.
And here is more wisdom:
Israel’s leaders need to recognize that if Hamas cannot be beaten militarily, then it must be engaged politically. That means accepting the idea of dealing with some kind of Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas. A coalition between Hamas and Abbas is essential for the future of a Palestinian state and for moderating Hamas’ extremism. Hamas…says it will pair up with Abbas if he, along with the international community, recognizes that the Islamic militants legitimately came to power in the January 2006 elections.
…Israel eventually will have to pull back to the 1967 borders and dismantle many of the settlements on the Palestinian side, no matter how loudly its ultra-religious parties protest. Only then will the Palestinians and the other Arab states agree to a durable peace. It’s as simple as that.
The more such simplicity is espoused in such venues as Time the closer to reality it will become. To paraphrase Herzl: If you write it, it is no legend.
With the Guardian’s scoop earlier today that Obama will ditch Bush’s refusal to talk to Hamas and now this, the tide has really turned. There will be growing pressure on Israel to agree to a ceasefire. The only question is whether Hamas will get anything in return. The world community would just as likely see this thing go away with Gaza getting no relief from the brutal 18 month siege. I don’t know whether Hamas has the stomach to hold out for more. I hope they do. Israel must lift the siege. Especially if it wants a true end of rockets falling on southern Israel.
If Israel does not concede anything meaningful to Hamas then the latter will have no reason to keep its end of the bargain. That is why I’m hoping that Sarkozy and the UN will understand that a one-sided ceasefire will not fly.
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Tags: obama to talk with hamas, time-magazine, why israel cant win
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See you guys at the demo.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/12/srilanka-censorship
What a disingenuous twit. You don’t give a crap about Sri Lanka or any other human rights issue. You only care about Israel & protecting it from legitimate criticism. Do me a favor. Go to the demo, take a cell phone shot of yrself & send it to me with your handle here listed in the image. Then we can talk about how critical Sri Lankan human rights are to the human condition compared to human rights for Palestinians (or Israelis).
Fossil, I see that you won’t respond to my questioning of your ‘other countries do worse things than Israel does’ line that is such an empty predictable talking point of the cheerleaders of Israeli aggression. I’ve come to the conclusion that you right-wing war nuts are incapable of serious intellectual engagement. It should be beneath me even addressing your rationalizations. As for the ‘brain-dead left’, I’ll happily stand with Noam Chomsky, Gore Vidal, Daniel Barenboim and the late Edward Said & Harold Pinter, to name just a handful of intellectual (and in Daniel’s case, artistic) giants who happen to be ‘left’ and highly critical of Israel. Who do you guys have of any neuronal heft who defends and supports Israel’s actions. Martin Peretz? Charles Krauthammer? The pathetically mediocre mainstream American punditry? There’s no-one of serious worldwide intellectual weight on your side. I think thou dost project a bit.
The fact is, it won’t matter how many Palestinian children are butchered in the end in this Israeli rampage, you will insanely find some way to rationalize, even celebrate, the murder. You guys are utterly lost–morally, intellectually, spiritually. I don’t even think you’re evil. You’re just morally indifferent & incapable of independent thought. You might have our pathetic government and conformist punditry at your back, but more and more of us Americans are waking up to the horror of the ongoing atrocity being committed by the IDF against Palestinians in Gaza.
Actually, I’m sorry to say but there are some pretty smart people who support this ghastly war. Among them are Michael Walzer and Benny Morris. I’m not saying that their views are right, just that they definitely have “neuronal heft.” In Israel, there is A.B. Yehoshua.
But I do take yr pt. I think generally we have a far more august, distinguished intellectual circle that is critical of the Gaza attack.
Warren:
Apropos of Edward Said (if, had he lived, would be in big trouble with Hamas because of his (Episcopal!!) religion:
——————
One must never deride,
Nor in any way be snide,
To a fellow in a fez, Said says.
One must never abuse
Any chap in a burnoose,
Not in word, not in deed, said Said.
There is simply no disturbin’
Any person in a turban.
That’s what Said said, so I’ve read.
If still, nonetheless,
Said Said, you must aggress,
Throw a stone or two at a —
(You know who!)
Point taken, Richard, I got a little carried away in what I was saying there. I would tend to place the people you mention more in a secondary intellectual tier, though, compared with world-historical paradigm shifting minds like a Noam Chomsky or a Harold Pinter. It is interesting & noteworthy that the truly exceptional thinkers, artists and so on tend to be on the side of universal humanity and tend to aver tribalism. Einstein, Primo Levi… the list goes on, were famously hostile toward nationalism and also wary/critical of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians (in an earlier period).
The whole braininess meme might be something of a red herring on my part anyway. Maybe it’s not that important. I guess when you know you’re outside the Establishment consensus and center of gravity of power, you draw on what extra resources you can given the asymmetry of power and influence.
What is happening in Gaza right now is holocaust against Palestinian more than 1000 were killed, more 3000 wounded. Israel has to leave Gaza completely. Open the borders, the seas, the air. Let the Palestinians live like humans on their land. Occupation is the root cause for all of this. And Yes!! Israel is still occupying Gaza by controlling its borders.
Palestinians in Gaza have been deprived from the basic needs for humanity. Students lost their access to education abroad. Pregnant women have given birth at checkpoints. Hundreds of ill people have died so far. Break the siege!
# On January 13th, 2009 at 9:35 AM
fafadi said:
“What is happening in Gaza right now is holocaust against Palestinian more than 1000 were killed, more 3000 wounded. Israel has to leave Gaza completely. Open the borders, the seas, the air. Let the Palestinians live like humans on their land. Occupation is the root cause for all of this. And Yes!! Israel is still occupying Gaza by controlling its borders.
Palestinians in Gaza have been deprived from the basic needs for humanity. Students lost their access to education abroad. Pregnant women have given birth at checkpoints. Hundreds of ill people have died so far. Break the siege!”
Twaddle! When those conditions were met in 2005, Hamas celebrated its “victory” by a heavy intensification of its Qassam rocket attacks. Check out the history instead of bombastulating sanctimoniously.