JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

03/22/10 06:18 AM

The tragedy of the commentary underlies Israel’s failure to understand it now is not only perceived to be the problem but is the problem.

The unfortunate incidences which generate directly from Israeli policy each time there is an attempt to move the peace process forward has simply become sickening to the world.

The actions of Israel are public therefore the reaction is public.

The same logic which underlies the reasoning to come to a conclusion Israel is not the one blocking the peace process is exactly the same used by Iran when hand on heart it states ‘Iran is not developing a nuclear weapon.

This is the tragedy of both these situations and both mindsets unaltered will lead to catastrophe.

You cannot change the past but you can change the future. Let’s hope Israel and Iran come to their senses and accept responsibility for their actions as being of their own making and no one else’s.

03/22/10 06:44 AM

Mark Smith’s equating of Israel’s policies with Iran’s makes clear he is either not knowledgeable about the two situations and they came to be or is too ideological to see clearly, either way his equating these two countries, one an outsized contributor to progress in the world and the other a destructive proponent of violence and ideological oppression, as equals discredits his comments.

03/22/10 12:03 PM

Tamar-Mark can correct me if I am wrong, but I do not believe that he was equating the policies as much as the circumstances surrounding either nations’ attitude to those who express concern for their actions.  The way I read it, Mark could just as well have compared Israel’s stance to that of Alex Ovechkin regarding his recent NHL suspension.

03/22/10 10:16 PM

Comment: Tamar-Barry

The extent of my understanding of the Iranian elite’s actual and potential capacity to inflict harm on humanity is well documented on the Internet and in my observations sent directly to the Iranian elite.

My support for Israel to prosper in peace is unwavering.

The question which has to be asked by Israel and the rest of us is when does Israeli policy implementation regards the Palestinians become one of destructive violence and ideological oppression rather than justified defence against annihilation.

On many different levels, as Barry rightly pointed out, I could just as well have been comparing Israel to Ovechkin.

When does aggressive, hard-hitting style of play become outright thuggery? How many times do we have to witness playing the man and not the puck?  How over time do such actions being allowed to continue reflect badly not only on the individual, those who regard it as normal and the game itself?

How many errors of judgement on Israel’s part seen by Israel as normal behaviour impeding resolution of the Palestinian question do we have to witness before we say enough.

My perception is where Israel and Iran have become similar in nature are in actions born of a siege mentality where untenable positions are held at the expense of the rest of humanity through fear overcoming reason. Any ground given perceived as weakness not strength. A desperate grasping Sovereignty of land & ideology with manacled aspirations of others the result.  The Iranian people and the Palestinians.

Destructive violence and ideological oppression rather than justified defence against annihilation occurs when enabling the independence of self at the expense of others becomes a priority.

It is a price for Israel’s intransigence in making hard just decisions to resolve the Middle East conflict the rest of the world are clearly no longer willing to pay – in blood or treasure.

As with Israel, Ovechkin remains defiant, saying he has no plans to change “I don’t want to change nothing.” And nothing really did.

03/23/10 01:21 AM

The United States knows that without the Jews, she will suffer great losses around the world. It is not a joke but it is the Jews who are helping the United States stand strong even in the midst of great humiliations in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. What is really going on here? Have you stopped to wonder why the United States playing this hide and seek game all in the name of protecting Israel? This is the adversary that is behind all these nonsense. The United States should not mediate in any peace negotiation between the State of Israel and the Arabs. If the Arabs do not want to co-exist with the Jewish State, then they can go ahead and make war. That is perhaps what they can try to do but they should study history especially in the last one hundred years and tell themselves if they ever have had victory against Israel?

What do they want from the Jews? Since the State of Israel was established at the ancient homeland of the Jews, life have improved for not just the Jews but also for the Arabs. This people understands themselves much better than the United States, Russia, Britain and the rest of the world. Sometimes you hear something like four nations mediating in talks as if they are not involved in it just to sell their weapons to the warring parties. All the Arabs countries put together will never have victory over the Jews.

The history of more than 3800 years can never be wished away with the wave of the hand. The Hebrew people have resided at the very space where the State of Israel is located and as it is right now, they don’t even have the territorial space they occupied prior to the invasion of Jerusalem in 70CE. The Jews have not taken any land without paying price for it. The prices have been pure transactions between them and all those that occupied the land while they were driving into exile. Some the Arabs sold and got money for and others they had to loose cause they did not want the Jews to stay under the sun.

Every nation that stands on the way of the Jews will surely suffer and perhaps exist no more. Many will call me prophet of doom but that is actually what many people that I hang out think about the United States. They claim to be Christian country but in actual fact they are a vile country. They are very selfish country that will do anything to protect their interest. They will continue to push Israel to please the Arabs where they are getting their oil. Their oil companies have sizable investment in Saudi Arabia and the corrupt leaders of that country use them to wage war against perceived enemies.

The scriptures will surely fulfill. Where the Jews are looking for help will disappoint them at the point where they will need the most. While going through conversion, I had a story that really troubled me regarding the relationship that exists between the United States and Israel. As the first migrants were coming into the shores of the United States from Germany, the US govt refused them entry so that ended up embolden hitler to kill millions.  The United States either knowingly or unknowing started the holocaust against the Jews.

The State of Israel must not fail to recognize that once again it is time for the Jews to remember that they are standing alone on earth and must refocus on looking out for its people rather than seeking protection from some fake security guarantee from the United States. The Arabs are also seeking security agreements with the Russia and China is also in business with both sides. There is something that Israel has that those other countries do not have and that is favour. Israel is loved of the Most High and there is no way the world will swallow them.

Enough of the apologies from Prime Minister Natanyahu to Obama or the government of the United States. If the United States is developing a section of her territory, the United States does not go to Israel or any other country to seek clearance. Who gave the US the permit to invade Iraq and Afghanistan?

Let the Jewish State be for goodness sake.