Not much to say here, but WOW. Dov Weissglas was once Ariel Sharon’s right-hand man. He was the one who informed the world that the hidden agenda behind the Gaza withdrawal, in his own formulation was to put “formaldehyde” into the peace process. Lara Friedman, of Americans for Peace Now circulated this op-ed that Weissglas published in Hebrew only in Yediot Ahronot yesterday. You can read her intro and the…
Aaron Miller, long-time State Department official, warns President Obama against pushing so hard for direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Lara Friedman, of Americans for Peace Now, explores the tangled web that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will need to walk now that even the Arab League has endorsed direct talks. The sum of both articles, though, leaves one wondering why Barack Obama is pushing so hard for direct talks.…
I recently wrote about the right-wing plans being floated for a one-state solution. In truth, of course, the idea really encompassed two states, with Israel encompassing what is now that state and also including the West Bank, and Gaza being a Palestinian state. Now, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is advancing the idea from the other direction. Lieberman wants Israel to finish disengaging from Gaza, renouncing all responsibility for the…
I’ve just finished reading the Israeli report updating investigations into alleged war crimes in Operation Cast Lead. The report quite clearly shows there were some serious issues in that war, and that international outrage was not unwarranted, even if Israel would still maintain it was exaggerated. Many make the case that the report vindicates the Goldstone Report and, in some ways, it does, though I don’t think it quite “proves…
Ask anyone who knows me even a little bit socially who my favorite rock band is, and they will not hesitate for a second before they say it is Jethro Tull. So, at least they will be expecting me to say something about Tull’s leader, Ian Anderson’s statement that the band intends to perform their three concerts in Israel as planned. Again, it’s well known that I do not support…