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Bibi Netnayahu reminds me of the quintessential Eastern European Jewish peddler traipsing the countryside selling just about anything anyone would pay a kopek to buy. You want a hair brush? I’ve got one. A rooster? Got one of those too. A bridegroom for your daughter? Nothing is too small for his valued customers.
Recently the prime minister went on such a peddling trip (Hebrew) to the Balkans where he hondeled with the leaders of Bulgarian and Romania like a Jewish peddler of yore. Bibi needed something from them: their vote against Palestinian statehood come September. But what could he give in return? What item of special value could he offer in return for buying their vote? Keep in mind that these are extremely poor countries largely reliant on remissions from nationals working overseas.
Of course! Israel can increase the numbers of Romanian and Bulgarian temporary workers it admits thus solving a double-edge problem: Israel gets cheap Eastern European labor; Bulgarian and Romanian workers earn a far better wage than they might find at home. Not that they’ll be treated all that well as Israel is notorious for its abuse of foreign labor. But most importantly Israel has bought two cheap votes come September.
That’s how Israel does politics on the international stage. It doesn’t pay retail. It buys countries and pays wholesale prices like any smart peddler would. The price? An additional 1,000 work permits for each country. Imagine how little UN votes are going for these days? If I were Ban Ki Moon, I’d complain that my merchandise was valued so cheaply. Since these 2,000 work permits won’t be allowed to increase the overall number of foreign workers inside Israel, who gets the shaft? Why workers from those countries which haven’t shown as much “friendliness” to Israel’s position in the UN, of course. The article doesn’t say who’s out of luck. Suffice to say, you don’t play ball with Bibi and he’ll send your working stiffs packing.
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looooooooool, hilarious,
Did Bibi really offer visa’s in return for voting against statehood?
could someone please email this to Bibi, and try to get a response, it would be fun……. 🙂
In the article, the reporter gets a confirmation from the PM’s office. There’s no shame here whatsoever. The idea is to do whatever it takes to get the job done.
As I don’t read Hebrew I first thought this was a joke. Last week we clearly got the impression that the Bulgarians had refused Bibi’s ‘offer’.
I found a English résumé for non-Hebrew-speaking people like me 🙁
http://www.kawther.info/wpr/2011/07/13/netanyahu-bribes-romania-and-bulgaria-against-palestinian-state
Sorry to be naive, but is it still legal in 2011 to buy votes in the UN ? Nothing has changed since Nov 29th 1947 then …
Yes, I think I wrote a post here called something like Et Tu, Bulgaria, when I thought Bulgaria was backing off supporting Bibi. But apparently this was only a pretence of Bulgarian independence & the fig leaf would be dropped come Sept. when Bulgaria votes “the right way” against Palestinian statehood.
@ Deïr Yassin
“…Nothing has changed since Nov 29th 1947…”
Please forgive my ignorance,but what are you referring to?
Joyeux Quatorze Juillet
Don’t tell me that you’re not aware of the circonstances around the UN vote on the resolution 181 and the partition of Palestine. Don’t you learn that in school …:-(
John Quigley: “Palestine and Israel, a Challenge to Justice”, Duke University Press 1990, p.37:
“The resolution narrowly gained the required majority of two-thirds …Included in the countries that switched their votes from Now 25 to Nov 29 to provide the two-third majority were Liberia, the Phillipines and Haiti. All heavily dependent on the US financially, they had been lobbied to change their votes. Liberia’s ambassador to the UN complained that the US delegation threatened aid cuts to several countries. Some delagations charged US officials with ‘diplomatic intimidation”.
India’s Prime Minister Nehru criticized the UN vote, said that Zionists had tried to bribe India, and that his sister, V. Pandit, the Indian ambassador to the UN, had been threatened on her life if India didn’t vote for partition. They didn’t though. Greece was also heavily pressured to change their vote, but they didn’t either, and voted against the partition, as the only European country. That was another Greece than the one selling out to Bibi on the Flotilla.
Keywords: Firestone/Liberia, French politician Leon Blum, Alfred Lilienthal, Kermit Rossevelt, Zionist lobbying on Harry Truman.
Have a good read. I’m sure there’s plenty of books on the subject in the Israeli libraries …
On this 14th of July, let’s remember what the French revolution was about:
“Liberté, égalité, fraternité”
“Bibi Netnayahu reminds me of the quintessential Eastern European Jewish peddler traipsing the countryside selling just about anything anyone would pay a kopek to buy.”
Just another racist remark from you, Richard.
No, not at all. You’ve mistaken criticism of Likudist Zionism with anti-Semitism. And the reason you’ve done that is that you hold a particularly offensive, but standard ZIonist notion that the galut (“Exile”) is a humiliating place of Jewish suffering & degradation. That’s a view that Diaspora Jews like me don’t hold. So we in fact respect Jewish peddlers. My ancestors probably were Jewish peddlers in eastern Europe after all. So why would I dishonor my ancestors who made me?
But when a national leader acts like a peddler then I think it’s legitimate to criticize his actions as I have done. There’s nothing anti-Semitic about it. What’s atrocious is Bibi’s vote-buying, not my criticism of it.
I don’t think I would have phrased it the way Grendal did, but he has a point. You frame the PM’s deal-making as “hondling”. If not for his bribes, they would of course vote the way that they really believe, which is of course for unilateral Palestinian independence. And of course they would be voting out of pure conscience and concern for diginity and human rights.
This is the same flaw that leads you frequently tar disagreeing viewpoints as “hasbara”, while viewpoint agreeing with your position are legitimate discourse.
You also imply in your article that Israel has some sort of vague commitment to other unspecified countries regarding a quota for foreign workers who are now getting shafted by his hondling. Israel clearly has no right to determine its prerogatives in distributing its own financial resources. Beyond ridiculous.
Israel can do whatever it wishes. But whatever it decides to do, it will be judged & criticized if warranted.
I agree with Mr. Silverstein, this sounds like the sort of back-and-forth dickering you would see in small-time traders….it’s a patchwork jury rig and I would guess that Israel will reneg on the deal a short time (two or three years) after the vote is concluded.
Calling someone the “quintessential Eastern European Jewish peddler” willing to sell anything to make a buck is really offensive and racist.
I am surprised you would use racial stereotyping to make your point.
give us a break and stop spamming your crap about imaginary racism. or do you have such a short term memory you don’t remember you made the same post yesterday above ?
Grendel
Calling someone the “quintessential Eastern European Jewish peddler” willing to sell anything to make a buck is really offensive and racist.
It was meant as a joke, can’t you see the funny side? Or are you just looking for a reason to bash Richard?
Thanks. I guess Gredal’s ox was being gored & he didn’t enjoy it very much. Glad you got the joke.
Ha ha! Way to go, Bibi! That’s how politics works, old Bibi’s nobodys’ dummy.