Not in MY name

I couldn't believe this YouTube video when I first saw it. It was made in time for the Jewish High Holy Days by the youth affiliate of Jewish Voice for Peace, Young, Jewish, and Proud, the group responsible for disrupting Benjamin Netanyahu's speech last year, in New Orleans. 


It came across more like a declaration of war than a presentation for peace. Their concluding mantra, “We are young Jews, and we decide what that means,” seemed more about asserting themselves than reaching out to persuade others. It left me feeling puzzled and queasy. 

But what do I know?  I'm "old." 

A good result at UN after all?

Speaking only for myself, I see errors and defeats all around. First, it was morally correct but strategically wrong for the Obama administration to initially demand a total settlements freeze, which compelled the Palestinian negotiators to insist upon nothing less and thereby waste nearly a year after Netanyahu had reluctantly complied with a partial freeze. Then the Obama administration made itself look pathetic in attempting to bribe Netanyahu’s government into extending a partial freeze, without which Abbas refused to return to negotiations.

So the US appears weak and in thrall to Israel, while both Israel and the Palestinian Authority look insincere and obstinate in refusing to return to talks except on their terms.  At the UN, Netanyahu urged Abbas to begin negotiations immediately, without preconditions. (As my mother would say of his appearance last night on the PBS Charlie Rose TV show, butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.)  Abbas did his cause no favor by making settlements the stumbling block instead of a focus of negotiations. As for Netanyahu, however, in turning down Obama a few months ago on extending a settlement construction freeze, he seemed to prioritize settlements over peace talks.

In the meantime, J Street correctly assesses that the Palestinian appeal to the UN will setback the Palestinians rather than advance their interests. Why? Because Congress threatens to withhold US aid to the Palestinians — too high a cost for the dubious gain of winning a symbolic vote at the UN. Yet, instead of declaring its support for a US veto, J Street should urge a UN resolution that affirms the Palestinians’ right to statehood on a viable territory adjacent to, and at peace with, Israel.

Rosenberg rages at Obama; Olmert urges 'Peace Now'

Two items: This essay by MJ Rosenberg ("On Israel and Palestine, Obama is Rick Perry") is really hard on Obama.  I think that Obama is all we have right now and I'd rather see him in the Presidency than Rick Perry.  

Read what Lesley Hazleton wrote to me on this:

Lilly -- your statement is an understatement.  Rosenberg's is absurd.  We really have to stop this.
Obama is not what we hoped for, but it's not as though we can't see the bind he's in, and the danger of Romney as president looms very large.  I am so tired of people saying there's no difference, or that they won't even bother to vote next year.  Are they nuts?  We all really need to get solidly behind Obama whatever our private reservations, otherwise we're committing political suicide.         
Have liberals no political savvy at all?  (I'm very afraid that might be a rhetorical question...) -- Lesley

And Ehud Olmert calls for "Peace Now, or Never" [in NY Times] Olmert at his best:

Where we stand at the UN today

Because of events planned for this Friday at the United Nations, Partners for Progressive Israel is moving this week's demonstration to the same street and day that Abbas and Netanyahu address the UN. Join us if you can, near the UN, from 12:30 to 1:30 PM, meeting at the northwest corner of 2nd Ave. & 41st Street, Manhattan.


This is our stand on the Palestinian application for statehood (abridged as follows from the statement published online):

... For the benefit of both the Jewish and Palestinian peoples, we urge the government of Israel to focus on the positive elements we expect to be contained in the Palestinian request, as outlined below, and to refrain from precipitous responses that would escalate tension and serve the agenda of both sides' extremists. ...

Assessing past blame & what to do now

Gary Rosenblatt

I've just had a polite exchange of emails with Gary Rosenblatt, the editor and publisher of the largest circulation Jewish newspaper in the United States, the New York Jewish Week.  Sadly, this outlines a chasm between progressive pro-Israel opinion and the mainstream of the organized Jewish community.  Instead of writing a standard letter to the editor, I directly sent him the following regarding the tail end of his column ("Fulfilling The Promise"), in which he reflects (not without eloquence) as the current Jewish year comes to an end.  This is how I began our dialogue:

Dear Gary:

I respect that you must maintain a diplomatic posture as editor of a community newspaper representing a diversity of views.  And I know that your tone generally seeks the middle of the road; to wit:

Jerusalem is not blameless. It could have taken a proactive stance, charting a course of compromise rather than appearing passive, if not helpless, as the Palestinian Authority set its sights on statehood by bypassing the Israelis.

But the central problem is and always has been the refusal of much of the Arab world to accept a Jewish state, a condition that pre-dates settlements and border disputes. And it is time for those who love Israel — its history, land, people and aspirations — to speak as one voice in support. If not now, when?

Israel had varying levels of relations with about a half dozen Arab states in the 1990s.  The violence of the 2nd Intifada and its aftermath were mostly not Israel's fault, but weren't the televised visuals and the real fact of Palestinian suffering at the hands of IDF action in the last decade the primary reason that Israel now has formal relations only with Egypt and Jordan (neither looking very solid right now)?

Hussein Ibish rebuts Abbas (mis)quote

Hussein Ibish

As I indicated on Sept. 7, the NY Jewish Week recently published an op-ed, "Israel Has Always Been a Jewish State," by Menachem Z. Rosensaft, a former president of the Labor Zionist Alliance (now Ameinu) who denounces Mahmoud Abbas for supposedly making some very harsh statements, including a rejection of Jewish soldiers serving on any NATO or third party force enlisted to facilitate Israeli-Palestinian peace.


Hussein Ibish, a senior research fellow for the American Task Force on Palestine, an Arab-American advocate for a negotiated two-state agreement whom I often dialogue with, reacted as follows when I asked him about this:

That statement that was attributed to him [Abbas] in Cairo runs counter to everything he has ever said in all other contexts and was specifically denied by his office and his spokespeople and himself. What Abbas has said, repeatedly and clearly and without being misreported but directly, is that he is amenable to any third party peacekeeping force except Israeli troops, and that he would welcome Jewish troops and even Jewish commanders as long as they are not Israeli among them. The confusion of the Arab reporters may come from a misinterpretation of the word “Israeli” with the word “Jew,” which is a common but erroneous transposition of meaning in Arab political discourse. 

Any rate, the sentiments and the policies are clearly not his and this was all cleared up at the time very quickly. Only people who wish to distort his policies and positions bring up this notorious misquotation or misattribution, time and again.

I responded in turn that I don't think that Rosensaft is intentionally malicious in reporting it this way, because his background is dovish.  There's a lot of suspicion among Israelis and

Leah Shakdiel speaks on social protests

Born in 1951, Leah Shakdiel is part of a rare breed from Israel of a "Modern Orthodox" (non-Haredi and Zionist) woman who is also a tireless progressive and campaigner for peace.  She was recently caught up in Israel's summer protest movement for social justice, serving as the volunteer chairperson of a ten-person "vision committee" to frame a succinct statement of the movement's ongoing agenda.

On the evening of Sept. 14,  Partners for Progressive Israel hosted (at a private home in Manhattan) a standing-room-only crowd, which was enthralled by her wise and witty talk on the nature of Israel's summer of protest and where this spontaneous eruption may lead Israel in the future. 

First, she mentioned three noxious streams coming together, simultaneously, in a dangerous torrent today:

Baskin: How Arabs & Turks really see Israel

My hat tip to Lilly Rivlin for citing this important edition of   Gershon Baskin's Jerusalem Post column: 'The view from Cairo' Since Friday I have been in Cairo. ... I came to Cairo to attend a small  meeting of MECA – the Middle East Citizens Assembly. This small  but important organization was founded by Walid Salem, a Palestinian peace and democracy activist from east Jerusalem who decided that for real democracy to take root in the Arab world, citizens needed to take  responsibility, stop acting like subjects and become active participants.  Walid succeeded in creating a network of democracy activists from all  over the Middle East.... Walid has consistently demanded that Israelis  be included at every meeting. ... .... I learned of the horrible attack against the Israeli Embassy, and the  failure of the Egyptian security forces to prevent it. My friends at the  MECA meeting condemned the attack both publicly and in private, and  also expressed their concern for my security and their solidarity,assuring  me that they would protect me.

Remembering 9/11/2001

Just when you thought it safe to venture forth without any further reflections on Sept. 11, 2001, allow me to offer up the following two to click on (which I've posted at the Tikkun Daily Blog):

• My Experience of Sept. 11, 2001  

• 9/11-Inspired Anti-Jewish Conspiratorial Thinking

A day of horror

Ynet: Settlers, Palestinians talk peace

This post should not be taken as my endorsement of settlers having moved to the West Bank in the first place, but it is a note of hope that in the context of a negotiated peace agreement establishing a Palestinian state, some Jewish settlers believe in establishing good relations with their Arab neighbors.--Arieh

From article by Yair Altman, Ynetnews.com, Sept 7, 2011:

A few dozen settlers and Palestinians, members of the Land of Peace movement, met on Tuesday at the West Bank outpost of Migron in an attempt to mend the rifts. The group toured the ruins of the structures razed by Civil Administration forces on Monday, a measure that prompted settlers to riot and lead to the arrests of six teens. ... 

Palestinians should recognize 'Jewish state'

Many of you may disagree with me, but understand that I speak only for myself.  In order to facilitate peace talks and remove Israeli/Jewish suspicions about Palestinian/Arab intentions, I would see it as a positive step for Pres. Abbas to accede to Prime Minister Netanyahu's demand to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.  I know that the Palestinians do not deny that Israel can call itself anything it wants--including a Jewish state--but it would help if they acknowledge a historic truth: that the United Nations recognized a Jewish state in Palestine back in November 1947. 

Like the UN back then, I see Israel as properly a Jewish state in the sense that it has a Jewish ethnic majority, not in the theological way that Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and some other countries are "Islamic."  At the same time, it would be reasonable for Netanyahu to affirm that Israel as a Jewish state must live up to the promises enshrined in its Declaration of Independence: that "... [Israel] will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture...." 

The NY Jewish Week recently published this op-ed, "Israel Has Always Been a Jewish State," by Menachem Z. Rosensaft, a former president of the Labor Zionist Alliance (now Ameinu) who achieved notoriety by sticking his neck out, over 20 years ago, when he was part of a delegation of Jews who met with Arafat, several years prior to the Oslo peace process.  In later years, he was bitterly disillusioned by Arafat and now he cites his successor, Abbas, for making some very harsh statements:

UN: Gaza blockade legal, Israeli force excessive

As last week closed, the NY Times published an article on the official United Nations report on the 2010 Gaza flotilla incident. The report determined that the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza is legal under international law, but that the force that Israel used was "excessive and unreasonable." Still, it indicated that Israeli commandos faced “organized and violent resistance from a group of passengers”; Israel saw this as a vindication of sorts and a rare victory at the UN.  
 
The UN findings are pretty much as I saw the event at the time.  A naval blockade to guard Israel against the shipment of arms into a hostile area, from which numerous attacks have been and continue to be launched on sovereign Israeli territory, is justified and legal.  At the same time, something seems to have gone wrong (perhaps in a lack of preparedness by the commandos attacked as they boarded the Mavi Marmara), resulting in nine deaths. 

'Where were you on Sept. 3, 2011?'

The signs all over Tel Aviv leading up to the big demonstration read: "Where were you on September 3, 2011?" Well, I was together with 450,000 Israelis on the streets, over 300,000 in Tel Aviv alone, with another 50,000 in Jerusalem, and 100,000 in Haifa and the north.

Bibi: 'You're fired'

As I headed out for Habima Square, I felt a slight anxiety attack: there seemed to be too few people heading towards the Rothschild Blvd. Tent City headquarters. But the people kept coming. When I arrived at the "command headquarters", everyone was in the midst of making makeshift homemade signs to carry, alongside the professional placards.

Faces of 'revolution'

The main attraction was a French   artist who set up a photographic studio on the square, and lines of people were entering to have their photo taken and then converted into a placard which presented the face of the revolution – you and me, every one of us. The placards were plastered above the nearby banks and supermarkets which are among the targets of the demonstration, on the square itself, and later held on high by some of the model/demonstrators, some carrying their own image, some carrying images of others.

In this digital age it was hard to tell the formal media from the citizen digital journalist/artist/documentarians since everyone was taking pictures of everyone else. People seemed to want to have a record that they were there on this historic day.