The other side of the story http://blogs.jta.org/ENTRY_PERMALINK_HERE/the-other-side-of-the-story/ Energized by his victory by vote in the Intelligence Squared debate at NYU earlier this week on the proposition that the United States should step back from its special relationship with Israel, Roger Cohen reiterates his argument in an Op-Ed in the New York Times (online) on Thursday.  en-us uheilman@jta.org Copyright 2010 2010-02-12T;20:31:00-05:00 Comment by Yosef Hartuv yosefandmelody@gmail.com As readers of this blog know, Roger Cohen is not a wise man. His latest column in the New York Times gives further evidence of this. Domestic U.S. politics constrain innovative thought - even open debate - on the process without end that is the peace search. Roger Cohen And Wishful Thinking, Part 974: Open debate constrained, eh? Come on Roger, don’t be a tease. You mean the evil and oh so long tentacles of the Israel lobby are reaching into campuses, news rooms and the very halls of Congress to prevent people saying what they really think, and you know, you’re really sure, that what they’d say if the evil Zionist manipulators would only let them, bears a striking resemblance to what you think yourself. (Read more) http://calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com/2010/02/roger-cohen-and-wishful-thinking-part.html As readers of this blog know, Roger Cohen is not a wise man. His latest column in the New York Times gives further evidence of this.
Domestic U.S. politics constrain innovative thought - even open debate - on the process without end that is the peace search.
Roger Cohen And Wishful Thinking, Part 974: Open debate constrained, eh? Come on Roger, don’t be a tease. You mean the evil and oh so long tentacles of the Israel lobby are reaching into campuses, news rooms and the very halls of Congress to prevent people saying what they really think, and you know, you’re really sure, that what they’d say if the evil Zionist manipulators would only let them, bears a striking resemblance to what you think yourself. (Read more) http://calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com/2010/02/roger-cohen-and-wishful-thinking-part.html

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00 Comment by David E Y Sarna david@hshco.com Once again, and this is the third time, I protest the absolutely excessive coverage given by JTA to self--hating Jews intent on damaging themselves, Israel, and America’s interests. I find it horrific that in a misguided effort to appear “balanced,” JTA gives a bully-pulpit to the enemies of Israel. As the prophet Isaiah wrote, (Is. 49:17) מהרו בניך מהרסיך ומחרביך ממך יצאו meharsayich u’macharivayich mimech yetzeu ("thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee”. Once again, and this is the third time, I protest the absolutely excessive coverage given by JTA to self--hating Jews intent on damaging themselves, Israel, and America’s interests.
I find it horrific that in a misguided effort to appear “balanced,” JTA gives a bully-pulpit to the enemies of Israel. As the prophet Isaiah wrote, (Is. 49:17) מהרו בניך מהרסיך ומחרביך ממך יצאו meharsayich u’macharivayich mimech yetzeu ("thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee”.

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00 Comment by Michael Hess bbsnews@gmail.com Jerome, Please do not compare Israel to the “Arab world”. And yes, it is collective punishment. The Goldstone Report mentions the fact of collective punishment no less than eighteen times. Do tell when the last suicide bombing was? Ever hear the Israelis cheering “death to the Arabs” at ball games? If you did not know there is a direct analog for all the “incitement” you speak of within Israel’s extremist community and government, you didn’t look very hard or deep. Here’s the problem. Israel still occupies Gaza, Israel says so. So that means it has occupier state responsibilities to the civilian population. The UN is standing in and handling Israel’s obligation. Israel is hermetically sealing the area and punishing the civilian population for voting for people Israel does not like. They are using the collective punishment to force a political outcome favorable to Israel. The very definition of State Terrorism. All illegal. More than half a million illegal colonists prove beyond doubt that Israel is indeed stealing land and resources outside of its sovereign territory. It is illegal for an occupier state to move its citizens into an occupied territory. These are but two reasons that Israel is in very dire trouble. At this point, it’s hard to decide whether war will finish off Israel as it is currently known, or for a third reason, will the new McCarthyism that is sweeping the state do it first? It’s a toss up. Israel is rapidly losing even the semblance of a democracy… Jerome,

Please do not compare Israel to the “Arab world”.

And yes, it is collective punishment. The Goldstone Report mentions the fact of collective punishment no less than eighteen times. Do tell when the last suicide bombing was? Ever hear the Israelis cheering “death to the Arabs” at ball games? If you did not know there is a direct analog for all the “incitement” you speak of within Israel’s extremist community and government, you didn’t look very hard or deep.

Here’s the problem. Israel still occupies Gaza, Israel says so. So that means it has occupier state responsibilities to the civilian population. The UN is standing in and handling Israel’s obligation.

Israel is hermetically sealing the area and punishing the civilian population for voting for people Israel does not like. They are using the collective punishment to force a political outcome favorable to Israel.

The very definition of State Terrorism. All illegal.

More than half a million illegal colonists prove beyond doubt that Israel is indeed stealing land and resources outside of its sovereign territory.

It is illegal for an occupier state to move its citizens into an occupied territory.

These are but two reasons that Israel is in very dire trouble.

At this point, it’s hard to decide whether war will finish off Israel as it is currently known, or for a third reason, will the new McCarthyism that is sweeping the state do it first?

It’s a toss up.

Israel is rapidly losing even the semblance of a democracy…

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00 Comment by Jerome Whitson drrmmann@yahoo.com The charge of “collective punishment” is unsupported.  If it were true, then the Arab world’s treat of Israel can only be called “collective punishment.” To wit:  random but unceasing rocket attacks, suicide/homicide bombers, incitement and demonization of Israel in the Palestinian Authority, and also in Saudi Arabia and even in Egypt, despite the “peace” treaty of 30+ years ago.  This punishment extends to sports competitions, business and trade boycotts, etc.. The idea that Israel is simply “stealing” land is also untrue in the main.  First of all, it is less than clear whose land it was originally.  Jerusalem, for example, is nowhere mentioned in the Koran, but now is touted as a Palestinian “holy” site.  Moreover, as noted in the rebuttal, the 5% of the “West Bank” settled by Israel has not much grown in size.  Land swaps have been offered.  Israel cannot agree to the 1948 armistice line as a permanent border, for security reasons. The charge of “collective punishment” is unsupported.  If it were true, then the Arab world’s treat of Israel can only be called “collective punishment.” To wit:  random but unceasing rocket attacks, suicide/homicide bombers, incitement and demonization of Israel in the Palestinian Authority, and also in Saudi Arabia and even in Egypt, despite the “peace” treaty of 30+ years ago.  This punishment extends to sports competitions, business and trade boycotts, etc..

The idea that Israel is simply “stealing” land is also untrue in the main.  First of all, it is less than clear whose land it was originally.  Jerusalem, for example, is nowhere mentioned in the Koran, but now is touted as a Palestinian “holy” site.  Moreover, as noted in the rebuttal, the 5% of the “West Bank” settled by Israel has not much grown in size.  Land swaps have been offered.  Israel cannot agree to the 1948 armistice line as a permanent border, for security reasons.

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00 Comment by Michael Hess bbsnews@gmail.com I notice not many comment here anymore. It’s no wonder given the content. Roger Cohen was clear, concise, and correct. And your article did not even begin to offer one fact that could contradict Cohen. I can understand that. There is no defense for what Israel has done. No one cares about how and what Israel builds INSIDE of Israel. It’s the half a million illegal colonists and the illegal occupations of Arab lands that has been the problem. Israel is driven by religious extremists that informs them they can just steal land and resources at will. That is contrary to international law. Israel has for years now, inflicted collective punishment on the Gaza Strip, this is an ongoing crime against humanity as outlined in the Goldstone Report, the Israeli shame that just won’t die. There simply has to be a psychological reason that right wing extremist Israeli’s and their supporters are incapable of looking outside of extremist literature and reading the facts that the rest of the world sees. Israel needs to find some better and more logical leadership and quickly because the current leadership is leading the entire region directly to war, just to hold onto the illegal colonies. I notice not many comment here anymore. It’s no wonder given the content.

Roger Cohen was clear, concise, and correct. And your article did not even begin to offer one fact that could contradict Cohen. I can understand that.

There is no defense for what Israel has done. No one cares about how and what Israel builds INSIDE of Israel.

It’s the half a million illegal colonists and the illegal occupations of Arab lands that has been the problem.

Israel is driven by religious extremists that informs them they can just steal land and resources at will. That is contrary to international law.

Israel has for years now, inflicted collective punishment on the Gaza Strip, this is an ongoing crime against humanity as outlined in the Goldstone Report, the Israeli shame that just won’t die.

There simply has to be a psychological reason that right wing extremist Israeli’s and their supporters are incapable of looking outside of extremist literature and reading the facts that the rest of the world sees.

Israel needs to find some better and more logical leadership and quickly because the current leadership is leading the entire region directly to war, just to hold onto the illegal colonies.

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00