Advertisements In my latest piece at Medium, I argue that while Joe Biden is correct to avoid using military force to aid Ukraine, sanctions are not a viable alternative as they have little hope of changing Russia’s behavior in the immediate and short term. I look at the history of sanctionsContinue Reading
Advertisements Michael Che of Saturday Night Live stirred up the still-roiling controversy over Israel’s foot-dragging, to put it mildly, about vaccinating Palestinians under its occupation. Put simply, the arguments they are presenting are based on untruths, intentional or otherwise. I drill down into them, especially noting the fact that their mainContinue Reading
The idea that Israel can control Palestinian lives without giving Palestinians rights is too often papered over in arguments about security, settlements, Jerusalem, and other issues. Netanyahu has opened the door to a shift toward a discourse based on equal rights for every Israeli and every Palestinian. Some of us, myself included, will continue to argue that such rights are best achieved in two separate states. But even we two-staters must agree on one point: Israeli and Jewish rights to life, security, peace, the pursuit of happiness and prosperity, and national self-determination are sacrosanct. And so are the Palestinians’ rights to the very same things.
Many of us have said such things, of course. But it is time to base our entire discourse on that idea. It must be stated directly in every argument we make. It must be genuine, reinforcing the unqualified support for rights for both sides. Because fundamentally, that is where advocates for a just peace differ not only with Bezalel Smotrich, but also with Benjamin Netanyahu, and with any Israeli, Palestinian, or other who would deny equal rights for all.Continue Reading
“We at B’Tselem have an uncompromising position against violence against innocent civilians. But the government in Israel imagines that the recent violence came out of nowhere, and if there is any context, it is only Palestinian incitement and anti-Semitism. We also reject that notion. The context of what we are witnessing is the occupation.”Continue Reading
Advertisements You have to admire the tenacity of J Street, the self-proclaimed “pro-Israel, pro-peace” lobbying group. Or maybe it’s the desperation born of running out of options. In any case, if there is to be any hope for a negotiated resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, J Street, however well-intentioned, is demonstratingContinue Reading
