Something’s happening here and you don’t know what it is,
Do you, Mr. Jones?
When David Ignatius and Jeffrey Goldberg both unite in their denunciation of the worst excesses of the Israeli settler movement, then perhaps something’s happening and we DO know what it is, don’t we Mr. Goldberg? Here’s what the latter had to say:
These donors [to pro-settlement groups] should know that they are actually undermining the cause of Zionism by encouraging the bad behavior of the most self-destructive segment of Israeli society.
Perhaps Obama will be able to call for a settlement freeze that isn’t phony like all previous U.S. calls have been.
On a different note, one does wonder why Goldberg has been absolutely silent on the IDF soldiers’ testimonies of possible Gaza war crimes. Cat got your tongue, Mr. Goldberg?
David Ignatius also says:
By ‘nothing illegal’ I think he meant: These donations directly and explicitly support activities which violate United States law. It is a grave breach of Art 147 of Geneva IV as incorporated into the US War Crimes Act because it is used to for extensive destruction and appropriation of property.
I think Jeffrey Goldberg’s “Among the Settlers” article in the New Yorker (2004) is fairly accurate, but it is the most sympathetic portrayal that could possibly be given to the settlers of Hebron. My own experience of them is somewhat less congenial, to put it mildly.
He means that there’s nothing currently illegal about such contributions since the U.S. doesn’t censure or sanction such organizations & they have legitimate 501c3’s. But I think he’s implying that there should be something either illegal about the donations or they should at least no longer be tax-exempt.
I was being facetious, sorry. However, my statement is correct. The donations support activity that is an explicit violation of US law even if the donations themselves are not illegal. The violation of US law arises regardless of the status of the charities. Since article 146 requires these conditions to be incorporated into domestic law the only out would be for the US to resile from it which arguably is has de facto done.
Miles, have you seen Lawrence of Cyberia demolish Goldberg for the Rantisi part of the article? I am willing to give him a benefit of a doubt that he really thought Rantisi wanted to use him as a “human shield”, but then he is an idiot.
Thanks for the link. Yes, it would be hard to give a less sympathetic portrayal of Rantisi who, of course, is now dead which rather justifies the caution he was exercising. In asking his grandchildren to answer the phone he was protecting them as much as himself. If Rantisi had incriminated himself by answering the phone Goldberg might have had an excellent opportunity to see just how ‘targeted’ assassinations are! Idiot is indeed the right word.
Richard Silverstein’s dream is another Arab state with no Jews in it and an Israel with millions of Arabs in it.
Hypocrital Richard strikes again.
This guy doesn’t have a clue what my “dreams” are whether they’re about Israel or anything else. But he has a bit of historical amnesia: Israel currently DOES have “millions of Arabs” in it. Of course he’s being sloppy in articulating his lies & hate towards me, but I won’t help him by clarifying what he really meant.
I’ve always said that there SHOULD be Jews living in a future Palestinian state. If the settlers are really true to their beliefs that there must be a Jewish presence in the Biblical land of Israel they would insist on remaining if Palestine assumes sovereignty over any of what are currently settlments. Indeed, there are settler leaders like Menachem Froman who would do precisely that. And I would insist as part of any peace agreement that the Palestinians undertake a major commitment to ensure the safety of any Jews or Jewish groups that remain in Palestine. Like the Serbs in Kosovo, there should be no doubt that Jews are entitled to live in Palestine, just as there should be no doubt that Arabs and Palestinians should be entitled to live in Israel.
Richard – I strongly support your point of view, and am happy to hear it articulated so clearly. Anything that diminishes community can be seen as a slippery slope for the people.
Of course, we don’t live there. People do end up living in conclaves – most especially one can understand extended families doing so. Yet there should be no barriers to anyone one’s free movement that are extraordinary for similar areas elsewhere. Neighborhoods tend to be sheltered; the shelter must protect all equally.
(They should talk to the Italians about how to run a small state – my Italians that is – who may only exist in a book.
I love Donna Leon’s depiction of civil society.)
Mr. Goldberg rightly is concerned about misuse of charitable funds to advocate terrorism. Otherwise, his negative perspective of the people of Hizbullah becomes not only hypocritical, but loudly so. His criticism is harsh; perhaps this will temper it somewhat.
Thanks for your continued efforts, and the results!
The US Treasury Department, DOJ and New York prosecutors always rebuff calls to prosecute money laundering for illegal settlements.
In 1986 Americans and Palestinians challenged the 501 c 3 status of the WZO, Jewish National Fund, United Israel Appeal, United Jewish Appeal, etc.
Though some had property stolen by settlers, Judge Jackson of the DC District Court threw them out for lack of “standing”. Even though US criminal statutes forbid US funded expeditions against nations with which we are at peace.
Think about how embedded Zionists are into the legal and financial system (such as the Morganthau nexus):
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1236764182700&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Robert would never prosecute a case against Israel lobby crime, while at treasury, his brother actually facilitated the movement of Irgun terrorists.
No justice, no peace.
Don’t the Jews suck up enough resources from the US Taxpayer as it is?
In 2008 $6.7b was spent to resettle Jews in the US. We fly them here free gratis. We immediately qualify them for Sec-8 rent subsidies, free medical and dental insurance, free scholorships and pell grants for their kids to attend our best schools. The diabled collect disability compensation including full retirement benefits for the elders even though they have never paid a penny into Social Security and then ‘to add insult to injury, they are allowed to bring the ‘rest of the tribe’ from Eastern Europe or where-ever.
Conversely, America gains $8b-$9b a year from undocumented immigrants (Mexico and Latin America) money that goes into the Social Security fund and will ‘never’ be collected as benefits for these poor hard working people because theie Social Security nummbers are fake or ‘borrowed’ numbers. (And people squawk at the $400/$500m in unpaid medical bills that are aften left unpaid by these ‘wet backs’ becuase of their ‘dirt’ wages).
Millions more collected on a ‘tax-deductible basis’ are sent to Israel to arm para-military Settlers, expand or build settlements, and no one is interested in curbing these abuses. Last fall the Jews at Shea (Mets) Stadium held a fund raiser for the HebronFund@aol.com and raised millions for settlement expansion and building on the West bank – and no one said a word.
(Do you hear that Holy Land Foundation?), a Muslim organization that raised millions for the Gazan hospitals, clinics, orphanages and poor and for Latin America’s poor and what did they get? Long stiff prison sentences by the racist Texas honkies.
TheAZCowBoy
Tombstone, AZ.