Time: ‘Why Israel Can’t Win’ « Tikun Olam-תיקון עולם: Make the World a Better Place

Time: ‘Why Israel Can’t Win’

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47 Responses to “Time: ‘Why Israel Can’t Win’”

Fossil says:

January 12, 2009 at 12:39 PM

See you guys at the demo.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/12/srilanka-censorship

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- Richard Silverstein says:
  
  January 12, 2009 at 1:49 PM
  
  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).
  
  Reply
Warren says:

January 12, 2009 at 2:25 PM

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.

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- Richard Silverstein says:
  
  January 13, 2009 at 12:27 AM
  
  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.
  
  Reply
Fossil says:

January 12, 2009 at 4:45 PM

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!)

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Warren says:

January 13, 2009 at 12:56 AM

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.

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fafadi says:

January 13, 2009 at 9:35 AM

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!

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Fossil says:

January 13, 2009 at 6:07 PM

# 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.

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