It strikes me as no coincidence that an article appears in today’s New York Times regarding the situation of Palestinian refugees. With Condoleeza Rice engaging in the first serious attempts at reviving significant peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and the Arab League just about to re-issue the 2002 Saudi Peace Plan, the question of the refugees is about to take center stage. The Times article presents the refugee…
The recent House of Representatives vote to extend $100 billion in funding for the war in Iraq has managed to once again feed the myth of the all-powerful AIPAC/Israel lobby. This time, it was the late exclusion of a clause in the bill that would have required Congressional approval for any military action against Iran. The measure, of course, would have been a welcome bit of prudence. Even many of…
The Palestinian unity government has finally been assembled, and with it comes an interesting set of opportunities. I have to admit I was mistaken a year ago. I was quite convinced that the Hamas government would not be able to sustain itself against the massive opposition it faced. With the EU, UN, and most of the Arab world joining Israel and the US in boycotting the Hamas government, and with…
For the second time in a span of six months, the United States has expressly forbidden Israel from pursuing a potential peace deal with Syria. This time, it was Condoleeza Rice doing the dirty work and she brought a simple message on the subject: Don’t even think about it. The action is not surprising. Despite the fact that peace between Israel and Syria is in the best interests of Israel,…
In Part 1 of this essay, I addressed Rabbi Ira Youdovin’s characterization of Jewish Voice for Peace as “beyond the pale” because we supported the views of former President Jimmy Carter. Now, I’d like to address his other basis for drawing his arbitrary line between JVP and the Jewish community, divestment. Simply by saying that “JVP supports divestment,” Youdovin misrepresents JVP’s position. Our stance is explained at length here, but…