Middle East
One State Solution - Notes from the TARI Conference
Published April 11, 2009 @ 01:55PM PT
I hope the good folks at the Trans Arab Research Institute will forgive me for reserving a spot and then failing to show up at the conference held on March 28-29 in Boston. It looked to be a wonderfully educational event with a diverse group of speakers discussing the future of the 'one state solution'.
Nadia Hijab, one of the most respect advocates for Palestinian rights in this country, attended and spoke there. She writes:
One important fact (simple but of utmost importance) was reiterated by several Palestinians - from the occupied territories, from within Israel, and in exile. They said loud and clear that working for the one-state solution means working with Israeli Jews. As acting TARI chair Hani Faris put it, "The idea of one state cannot fly without a Palestinian wing and a Jewish wing."
Former Congressman Gilchrest on the Israel Lobby
Published April 10, 2009 @ 06:41AM PT
This is a Republican talking about the methods and impacts of the pro-Israeli occupation lobby working Capitol Hill. It's sad. I'm grateful to him for speaking out.
At first I was worried that it might have some tinge of Israel-hatred or antisemitism. But then I saw MJ Rosenberg of the Israel Policy Forum linking to it. That's a kosher seal of approval in my book.
Passover Thoughts from Rabbis for Human Rights
Published April 08, 2009 @ 10:08AM PT
My liberation is not complete until all are free. in that spirit, I'm reproducing a note from Rabbi Arik Ascherman of Rabbis for Human Rights.
PASSOVER THOUGHTS
Rabbi Arik W. Ascherman
We all know that Pesakh is a time where Jews traditionally clean their homes of khametz (leavened grain products) and that many speak of cleaning our souls of khametz as well. Many traditional sources draw a link between the swelling that takes place as part of the leavening process, and the exaggerated pride and self importance which becomes arrogance. This may seem like a personal, introspective thought more appropriate for the High Holy Days than for Pesakh`s emphasis on the collective. However, it can certainly be applied on a national, collective basis as well. In fact, nationalism itself all too often takes on an extremely chauvinistic tone. Each of you, wherever these Pesakh thoughts reach you, can apply this to the various collectives of which you are a part. Where does healthy pride and self-respect end, and where does arrogance begin? In the words of the seminal sociologist of racism, Gordon Allport, when do in-groups create out-groups? I will offer a few thoughts in the Israeli context.
What Causes Bias on Israel/Palestine?
Published April 07, 2009 @ 05:22AM PT
Bryan Caplan of EconLog has written a wonderfully dispassionate analysis of some 'bias errors' in comprehending the issue of Israel/Palestine. One approach is to examine the "enlightened preference":
The key idea is that you give subjects two surveys. The first tests objective knowledge; the second elicits policy preferences. The idea is to see if - controlling for other respondent characteristics - people who know more want different policies.
Jim Zogby: "Israelis did what they had to do"
Published April 05, 2009 @ 08:20AM PT
Dr. James Zogby is a well known Arab-American opinion leader. He runs the Arab-American Institute, a non-partisan organization that promotes the inclusion of that community in US political life. I consider him to be one of the savviest Arab-Americans active today.
Haaretz sat down to interview him, and reading it felt like drinking froma tall glass of cool water. He says things clearly, pressing his cause but recognizing the weaknesses of the Arab cause at the same time. Unlike many, he points out that Israel had a pretty good case for attacking Gaza*:
Seven Jewish Children - A Play for Gaza
Published April 04, 2009 @ 11:26AM PT
Caryl Churchill wrote this play shortly after the Israeli invasion of Gaza as a cry of protest. Shortly after it came out, parts of the Jewish establishment in Britain got a little irate:
Some even accused Churchill of blood libel, of perpetrating in Seven Jewish Children the centuries-old lie, used to incite homicidal anti-Jewish violence, that Jews ritually murder non-Jewish children. A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews told the Jerusalem Post that the "horrifically anti-Israel" text went "beyond the boundaries of reasonable political discourse."
Arab Summit Concludes in Qatar. Yawn.
Published April 03, 2009 @ 06:06AM PT
The Economist helps outsiders understand what Arab Summits are good for. These are meetings of the Arab League, a regional organization with 22 members, including Palestine.
“The only use of summits,” said Salama Ahmed Salama in Egypt’s daily, al-Shorouk, “is that they sharpen trends of rejection and opposition to these regimes.” “The only novelty they bring is new divisions,” chimed Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of al-Quds al-Arabi, a daily published in London.
