Not too pull this thread even further off course but welfare hasn't been
eradicated at all. SNAP, Medicaid, and WIC are still going strong. What has
changed since the 90s is the demographics. While the media wants us to believe
the bulk of recipients are urban persons of color there is no truth to that.
The majority of recipients of welfare programs are white women living in the
south; of course down there they call it their "guberment munny", not welfare.
That fact is statistically accurate not the stuff we are fed on TV.
Frank
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Miriam Vieni
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2016 3:47 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Israel Veers Even Further Right
It's sort of an over simplification. And it's also stereotyping, calling poor
people, "the welfare class", when welfare, as such, has been pretty much
eradicated and assuming that someone who beats up another person is doing so
because he's a welfare recipient and feels angry and entitled. It is one
possible explanation of one person's act.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Frank Ventura
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2016 3:34 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Israel Veers Even Further Right
Obviously if they feel it is OK to beat up gas station attendants or kill
convenience store clerks then they feel entitled to do so or they wouldn't be
doing it.
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Miriam Vieni
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2016 1:18 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Israel Veers Even Further Right
The welfare class feels entitled? People without a decent place to live or
enough food to eat are out there beating up gas station attendants because they
feel entitled?
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Frank Ventura
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2016 12:05 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Israel Veers Even Further Right
This is because, as Carl often points out we have been victims of the divide
and conquer routine by the ruling class. It goes something like this divide us
into an India like caste system and then create a straw man enemy to set the
divided factions against. That fall guy is the working class. Let's look at the
classes that have been created:
. The welfare class. This class is dependent upon a bureaucratic
system to either in part or, in some extreme cases, whole to receive subsidence
from. Although no real threat to the ruling class here; the ruling class has
used its media to whip up anger and strife within this class. The media
brainwashing with all of its day time TV ideal imagery has left this class with
a conclusion that they are entitled to a better standard of living. This
results in feelings of despair, anger, and violence which fuels their hatred of
those they perceive have oppressed them. While you may think that the despair,
anger and violence of this class is brought down on the ruling class that would
be completely incorrect. It is actually brought down on the working class
because that is the only other class they have access to. Just look at a social
security office, or any other social services office and see how the workers
are routinely abused by this class, or look at the average gas station
attendant or convenience store clerk who is pistol whipped, beaten and often
killed in the most violent of examples of how the working class is targeted for
the abuse.
. The working class is next and is the victim of choice. This is the
class that is often the silent majority with never a voice or mention in the
mainstream media. The welfare class and the elite classes, both liberal and
conservative make for better TV backdrops. This class is identified by being
one bad diagnosis or one small period of unemployment away from total
destruction. The fear of this keeps the working class from rising up. That is
why such essentials and housing and health care are more readily available to
the welfare class than the working class. That is the preferred means of
keeping this class down.
. Next comes the liberal elites. This class usually is dominated by
the intellectuals, academics, artists, and whites with financial security from
their families and spouses. This group likes to tout their far left values of
socialism, egalitarianism, and a new world order. However, this is often
disingenuous because they look upon the working class as a life form lower than
they are, a mass of sub-humans. This is why they oppose such progressive ideas
such as a living wage for all and do not value physical labor. They feel they
are superior to that and do not, under any circumstances bow to doing blue
collar labor. They feel that is to be done by the lower working class and they
vilify the working class if their labor is not up to any arbitrary standard
they propose. One may wonder why they would risk their financial positions by
touting socialism and egalitarianism. They reality is that they know there
ideals will never come to fruition and for now their financial position will
comfortably keep them in their ivory towers, so a platform as they profess is
essentially no risk for them.
. Next comes the conservative elites. These are the police, doctors,
lawyers, and the mom and pop small business owners. Their position in life
earns them immunity to the laws, norms, and crosses to bear that the working
class faces every day. They directly profit from the rape, pillage and plunder
of the working class. Direct attacks on the working class are very profitable
for this class. The cop uses his gun to keep up the statistics that feed his
federal grants, the doctor kills and manes with his prescription pad while
getting rich on health insurance and denying health care, the lawyer bleeds the
working class dry when they get wrapped up in a kangaroo court of a legal
system that is stacked against them, and mom and pop business owner get rich on
the low wages of the working class they pay those that haven't been killed off
by the cops, doctors and lawyers. This class also has been brainwashed by the
mainstream media to believe that the working class is sucking down their tax
dollars; a concept that falls apart under even the slightest fact check. This
class sees themselves as the shiny knights of the ruling class's court.
. Then there is the ruling class. Need I say even more about this
class, the name shall speak for itself?
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2016 1:06 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Israel Veers Even Further Right
You see, by my using the label, Working Class, I distract from the point I am
trying to make. Since every revolution begins with an oppressive group that
maintains control by whatever means necessary, and since their overthrow, when
successful, is called a revolution, it rises up from the oppressed. Whether
this reaction to the oppression is developed over long years or springs quickly
as conditions become intolerable, it is, by its very nature, organized. And,
in most revolutions, some of those who are oppressed choose to side with the
oppressors, because they see more advantages in the event the revolt is put
down.
In her note, Alice said in part, "what brings them to Trump is their ignorance,
stupidity, bigotry, envy, inability to let anyone have anything they don't
have, lack of education, lack of cultural or historical perspective,
narrow-mindedness, fear born of all those things..."
Certainly we will find an abundance of such people among the Trump followers.
But to leave the impression that this is the majority of his followers is a
mistake we should avoid. There are many very bright, clever people behind
Trump. They are sizing up their options if he wins. Trump himself is not the
fool the media has made him out to be. Trump has built a fortune through his
own cunning and his ability to play by the systems rules. We should never
become so careless as to underrate those who oppose us. But Alice's
description should remind us that the American Empire's propaganda machine is
highly effective. People appear to be all of the things she says, simply
because they are confused and have been misled and lied to until they have no
clue as to what is true and what is false.
Anyway, a revolution is most certainly in the future of our Empire.
It has always happened to every oppressive government. Revolution is as
natural as Summer turning into Autumn. When our leaders begin treating us in
the same manner that we treat our natural resources, believing that they exist
for the taking, then servitude is replaced by hatred, resentment and refusal to
serve.
And, organized or not, revolution erupts.
Carl Jarvis
On 5/30/16, Roger Loran Bailey <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
the Empire.
Yes, we have seen over and over again what happens when an organized
working class rises up. I notice that you neglect to mention what has
happened in Cuba or - going further back - places like Russia.
On 5/30/2016 8:36 AM, Alice Dampman Humel wrote:
this is far from the original article, but a few comments on
subsequent messages. Carl, if you really believe that the working
class, and I'll get to whatever that means in a minute, has the power
to bring the ruling class to its knees by the sorts of actions you
outline, IMO, you are deluding yourself. We've seen over and over
again what has happened to such actions, from the actions of the
fledgling unions, including
strikes and riots, from the 19th century through the present day,
both here and elsewhere. Even when some ground is gained, it is
minimal. And the loss of life, freedom, the beatings, the
imprisonments, etc. are, for each individual and the ripples outward
from that individual to include his family, friends, community are
high prices.
As for the working class as an entity, I think Trump's supporters
show quite glaringly that the working class is not a unified entity.
It, like other classes, is divided in several ways, and the one
pointed up so harshly in Trump's followers is, yes, largely working
class, but what brings them to Trump is their ignorance, stupidity,
bigotry, envy, inability to let anyone have anything they don't have,
lack of education, lack of cultural or historical perspective,
narrow-mindedness, fear born of all those things...need I go on?
These qualities are not found across the board in the working class.
As for the question Miriam posed, "Yes, they're waking up and they're
angry. But are they angry because
getting what they want?", I think the answer is obvious: they're onlyour country isn't caring for all of us or because they aren't
interested in their own wants and couldn't care less about "all of
us." The "I've got mine" mentality is so blatantly obvious in the
behavior we see at those scary, depressing rallies. And also in the
very fact that Trump has made it as far as he has.
On May 29, 2016, at 11:57 AM, Carl Jarvis <carjar82@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:carjar82@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Frankly speaking Frank, I have believed for some time that we are
watching our nations morph into Corporate Nations. Traditional
national boundaries will blur and the Working Class will find
themselves being controlled by Corporate Governments. If I'm right,
then the Corporate Masters here in what was once the USA, are part
of a new "Nation" that includes the Ruling Class in Israel.
While we are being directed to place blame for our economic woes at
the feet of Russia or China, our Ruling Class will actually be in a
tussle with other international corporations for world dominance.
Even now, just who are we "defending"? What democracies have we
supported around the world? How much Peace now exists on Earth?
The fact is, we are being fed crap. Not by our good old USA,
remember that Republic? No, we may be told that we are protecting
Freedom and Democracy and protecting our nation, but it is the
Empire we are really serving. And our interests are far from those
of
our country.But the interests of the American Empire embraces the armed camp we
call Israel. Along with the Empire's network of similar war camps,
we are seeing former nations stripped of their resources and their
citizens reduced to the level of slaves. We are living in the most
critical times in Human history. The next decade or two will
determine whether we survive as a Free People, or as Slaves, if we
even manage to survive.
Carl Jarvis
On 5/29/16, Frank Ventura <frank.ventura@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:frank.ventura@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
OK there is some truth there but there are so many international
corporations, often based in Israel, that are doing the job to us
as well.
Even corporations that we consider to be "American" have their
financial holdings in international venues.
Frank
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl ;
Jarvis
Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2016 10:50 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Israel Veers Even Further Right
Certainly we can draw similarities between pre-WW II and our
present mess, but one difference is the economic pressure that was
placed on the backs of the German people, following WW I, was put
there by those wishing to control Germany and suck up her resources
to enrich the emerging corporations in England, Europe and, to some
degree, the USA, while today's economic mess is caused from within
our own borders by Corporate Terrorists, sucking up all our
resources for their own enrichment.
Of course, in both cases, it is the working class that suffers and
bears the brunt of the financial burden as well as for the blame
when the house of cards collapses.
Carl Jarvis
On 5/28/16, joe harcz Comcast <joeharcz@xxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:joeharcz@xxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
The scary thing. And I mean the really scary thing is this is all
like, or similar to Weimer Germany in 1933, or the early 1920's
with the bombast Mussulini.
And what makes it wors or, even more scary is we've got Hilliry
playing the
puppet.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Frank Ventura" <frank.ventura@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:frank.ventura@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
Sent: Saturday, May 28, 2016 11:04 AM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Israel Veers Even Further Right
As well as the white, daytime TV watching soccer moms.
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of joe ;
harcz Comcast
Sent: Saturday, May 28, 2016 9:31 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Israel Veers Even Further Right
One correction: It isn't the entire working class that is behind
Trump. It is the white, male, older working class.
It is a reactionary element that got all it had by fights of
socialists in the past and now betrays the history of it all.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2016 10:08 PM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Israel Veers Even Further Right
Well, I don't want to be cynical or anything, and maybe it's
because I just finished that book on BARD about Trump, but let's
remember that it is the working class who are his zealous
followers. It is they who avidly watch reality TV and read all
those gossip columns and articles in People Magazine for all
these years, all about celebrities. It is the working class, who
want to be rich like Trump keeps bragging about and who want to
keep outsiders, meaning anyone who looks different from them, out
of
Freemen.Yes, they're waking up and they're angry. But are they angry
because our country isn't caring for all of us or because they
aren't getting what they want?
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl ;
Jarvis
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2016 9:04 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Israel Veers Even Further Right
It might have been on the streets of New York or Chicago, but
this was not a police action, it was, "an Israeli soldier who was
caught on videotape shooting in the head, at close range, a
Palestinian man who was wounded and lying on the ground, already
subdued and obviously not a threat."
But whether it be soldiers in Palestine or Police in American
Slums, the message is the same. Obey or suffer.
But the tide is turning. The Working Class has begun to stir.
Long suffering men and women are beginning to understand that
while the Ruling Class has the guns, the Working Class has the
power to bring the Empire to its knees, simply by doing nothing.
Just staying home, or under the bridges and in the tent cities.
Refusing to harvest the Master's crops or haul them to market, or
to build his mansions or glass towers, or march in his armies, or
patrol the streets and keeping the Ruling Classes laws.
But it will take understanding by all of those people who are
bound to serve the Empire's Rulers through the purchase of their
loyalty and the promise of a better life than that of the masses.
They must understand that they cannot serve the Masters and be
ex-CIA analyst Paul R.Submitting to the Ruling Class demands obedience. All who serve
this monster will never be free. And they will never be truly safe.
Carl Jarvis
On 5/27/16, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Pillar writes: "There already shouldn't have been any doubt
about the orientation of the current Israeli government and the
associated obduracy of that government in blocking any path
toward resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The
government led by Benjamin Netanyahu is firmly rightist,
dominated by those opposed to the relinquishing of occupied
territory or the creation of a Palestinian state."
Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu with Israel's new defense
minister Avigdor Lieberman. (photo: Getty)
Israel Veers Even Further Right
By Paul R. Pillar, Consortium News
26 May 16
Hillary Clinton says she wants to take the U.S.-Israeli
relationship "to the next level" even as Prime Minister
Netanyahu's right-wing regime plumbs new depths of extremism, as
into being.Pillar notes.
here already shouldn't have been any doubt about the orientation
of the current Israeli government and the associated obduracy of
that government in blocking any path toward resolution of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The
government led by Benjamin Netanyahu is firmly rightist,
dominated by those opposed to the relinquishing of occupied
territory or the creation of a Palestinian state.
Netanyahu, who comes across as one of the more moderate members
of his own coalition, has paid more lip service than some other
members of that coalition to the idea of an eventual Palestinian
state, but he has made clear with other words and actions that
he has no intention of any such thing coming into being on his
watch, or of taking any meaningful steps toward such a state
coming
threat.Now come reports that Netanyahu is offering the Defense Ministry
to former Moldovan nightclub bouncer (and resident of a West
Bank
settlement) Avigdor Lieberman. This will bring into the ruling
coalition Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party, which even within
the Israeli context is usually described as "hard right."
Bringing Lieberman into the government is indicative not only of
the overall orientation of that government but also of some
larger disturbing trends in Israeli attitudes that the
government has fomented more than it has discouraged.
If Lieberman is made defense minister he would replace Moshe
Ya'alon, who in recent days has backed the Israeli military in
prosecuting (though only for manslaughter, not the murder that
occurred) an Israeli soldier who was caught on videotape
shooting in the head, at close range, a Palestinian man who was
wounded and lying on the ground, already subdued and obviously
not a
peace.Lieberman has joined other hardliners in expressing support for
the soldier.
(Netanyahu has visited the soldier's family to express
sympathy.) Netanyahu had been trying to recruit another
coalition partner to increase his government's thin majority in
the Knesset. Talks with centrist leader Isaac Herzog fell
through; the government evidently had more in common with the
crude hard right tendencies of Lieberman.
Perhaps the timing of this latest political move was a natural
outcome of this sequence of negotiations.
Or maybe it was at least as much another example of Netanyahu's
proclivity for poking a stick in the eye of foreign leaders who
look like they might be getting on his case about the
Palestinian conflict
- such as timing an announcement of more settlement expansion to
coincide with a visit of Vice President Biden. This time the
stickee is the French government, which is organizing an
international conference for later this year on
Israeli-Palestinian
their security.All honest outside observers should use the report aboutall-important.
Lieberman coming into the Israeli government as an occasion to
remind themselves that this tragic and long-running conflict
continues to run because one side refuses to end it. The gross
asymmetry between the two sides is
One side, the occupying power - the side with the firepower -
has the ability to end the occupation and resolve the conflict
if it decided to do so. The other side has no such power. That
other side, the Palestinian side, has tried to use violent
resistance but has subsequently and correctly drawn the
conclusion that such violence is not the answer; the violence,
unsurprisingly, only stokes legitimate fears among Israelis
about
initiative.Violence has been continuing in the unplanned, spontaneous, and
frustration-driven form of young people grabbing knives and
stabbing the first Israelis they can find. The Palestinian
leadership has turned to multilateral diplomacy, which, besides
popular boycotts, is about the only tool it has left. And the
Israeli government does everything it can to impede and to foil
such diplomacy, as it is trying to do now with the French
that it is.A common urge to sound impartial leads to the common refrain
that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict persists because neither
side has the political will to settle it. Nonsense. The
overwhelming majority of Palestinians do not want to continue to
live under Israeli occupation.
They have the will but not the power to settle.
There certainly are divisions and political weakness on the
Palestinian side
- of which the Israeli government has striven to prevent any
repair, such as in "punishing" the Fatah-dominated Palestinian
Authority through withholding tax revenue whenever it has moved
toward reconciliation with Hamas - but there is no significant
pro-occupation party among Palestinians.
The hardliners who control Israel policy have the power but - as
ample evidence, even without Avigdor Lieberman, has shown - not
the will, as long as third parties do not make them suffer any
meaningful consequences. They do want the occupation to continue.
The Netanyahu government's repeated claim that it wants to
negotiate with the Palestinians should be described as the
charade
initiative.It is understandable that Palestinian leaders have no desire to
engage in talks that have no prospect of leading to anything,
when such engagement would just mean participating in the
charade while the occupation continues and more facts are built
on the occupied ground.
The insincerity is all the more obvious when Netanyahu speaks of
talks with "no preconditions" while at the same time insisting
that the Palestinians pronounce Israel to be a "Jewish state" -
a precondition that implicitly limits how the issue of
Palestinian refugees and right of return can be resolved, and
also would mean the Palestinian leadership formally signing on
to a declaration that non-Jewish Israelis are second-class
citizens. Those are the only things such a pronouncement would mean.
The Palestinian leadership long ago recognized, formally and
unequivocally, the state of Israel. As Palestinian leaders have
noted, that state is free to describe itself any way it wants.
With the American political system still wearing its usual
straitjacket on this issue, the main hope right now for taking
any steps out of this tragic situation lies with the French
said all the "right"If the United States is to do anything helpful any time in themonths of the Obama administration.
foreseeable future, it probably will have to come in the
remaining eight
One of the two presumptive presidential nominees speaks of
taking U.S.-Israeli relations "to the next level" - and it is
safe to assume she doesn't mean that the next level will consist
of imposing consequences for the continued occupation.
The other presumptive presidential nominee caused nervous
moments in the Israel lobby when he talked about being
impartial, but the nerves were soothed with a speech to AIPAC
that
elected.things.
And now he has Sheldon Adelson and Adelson's heavyweight
bankroll on his side, with everything that implies for this
nominee's future posture on Israel-related issues if he were to
be
https://consortiumnews.com/2016/05/21/israel-veers-even-further-right/https:
________________________________________
Paul R. Pillar, in his 28 years at the Central Intelligence
Agency, rose to be one of the agency's top analysts. He is now a
visiting professor at Georgetown University for security
studies. (This article first appeared as a blog post at The
National Interest's Web site.
Reprinted with author's
permission.)
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error! Hyperlink reference
not valid.
Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu with Israel's new defense
minister Avigdor Lieberman. (photo: Getty)
ex-CIA analyst Paul R.//consortiumnews.com/2016/05/21/israel-veers-even-further-right/
Israel Veers Even Further Right
By Paul R. Pillar, Consortium News
26 May 16
Hillary Clinton says she wants to take the U.S.-Israeli
relationship "to the next level" even as Prime Minister
Netanyahu's right-wing regime plumbs new depths of extremism, as
into being.Pillar notes.
here already shouldn't have been any doubt about the orientation
of the current Israeli government and the associated obduracy of
that government in blocking any path toward resolution of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The
government led by Benjamin Netanyahu is firmly rightist,
dominated by those opposed to the relinquishing of occupied
territory or the creation of a Palestinian state.
Netanyahu, who comes across as one of the more moderate members
of his own coalition, has paid more lip service than some other
members of that coalition to the idea of an eventual Palestinian
state, but he has made clear with other words and actions that
he has no intention of any such thing coming into being on his
watch, or of taking any meaningful steps toward such a state
coming
threat.Now come reports that Netanyahu is offering the Defense Ministry
to former Moldovan nightclub bouncer (and resident of a West
Bank
settlement) Avigdor Lieberman. This will bring into the ruling
coalition Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party, which even within
the Israeli context is usually described as "hard right."
Bringing Lieberman into the government is indicative not only of
the overall orientation of that government but also of some
larger disturbing trends in Israeli attitudes that the
government has fomented more than it has discouraged.
If Lieberman is made defense minister he would replace Moshe
Ya'alon, who in recent days has backed the Israeli military in
prosecuting (though only for manslaughter, not the murder that
occurred) an Israeli soldier who was caught on videotape
shooting in the head, at close range, a Palestinian man who was
wounded and lying on the ground, already subdued and obviously
not a
peace.Lieberman has joined other hardliners in expressing support for
the soldier.
(Netanyahu has visited the soldier's family to express
sympathy.) Netanyahu had been trying to recruit another
coalition partner to increase his government's thin majority in
the Knesset. Talks with centrist leader Isaac Herzog fell
through; the government evidently had more in common with the
crude hard right tendencies of Lieberman.
Perhaps the timing of this latest political move was a natural
outcome of this sequence of negotiations.
Or maybe it was at least as much another example of Netanyahu's
proclivity for poking a stick in the eye of foreign leaders who
look like they might be getting on his case about the
Palestinian conflict
- such as timing an announcement of more settlement expansion to
coincide with a visit of Vice President Biden. This time the
stickee is the French government, which is organizing an
international conference for later this year on
Israeli-Palestinian
their security.All honest outside observers should use the report aboutall-important.
Lieberman coming into the Israeli government as an occasion to
remind themselves that this tragic and long-running conflict
continues to run because one side refuses to end it. The gross
asymmetry between the two sides is
One side, the occupying power - the side with the firepower -
has the ability to end the occupation and resolve the conflict
if it decided to do so. The other side has no such power. That
other side, the Palestinian side, has tried to use violent
resistance but has subsequently and correctly drawn the
conclusion that such violence is not the answer; the violence,
unsurprisingly, only stokes legitimate fears among Israelis
about
initiative.Violence has been continuing in the unplanned, spontaneous, and
frustration-driven form of young people grabbing knives and
stabbing the first Israelis they can find. The Palestinian
leadership has turned to multilateral diplomacy, which, besides
popular boycotts, is about the only tool it has left. And the
Israeli government does everything it can to impede and to foil
such diplomacy, as it is trying to do now with the French
that it is.A common urge to sound impartial leads to the common refrain
that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict persists because neither
side has the political will to settle it. Nonsense. The
overwhelming majority of Palestinians do not want to continue to
live under Israeli occupation.
They have the will but not the power to settle.
There certainly are divisions and political weakness on the
Palestinian side
- of which the Israeli government has striven to prevent any
repair, such as in "punishing" the Fatah-dominated Palestinian
Authority through withholding tax revenue whenever it has moved
toward reconciliation with Hamas - but there is no significant
pro-occupation party among Palestinians.
The hardliners who control Israel policy have the power but - as
ample evidence, even without Avigdor Lieberman, has shown - not
the will, as long as third parties do not make them suffer any
meaningful consequences. They do want the occupation to continue.
The Netanyahu government's repeated claim that it wants to
negotiate with the Palestinians should be described as the
charade
initiative.It is understandable that Palestinian leaders have no desire to
engage in talks that have no prospect of leading to anything,
when such engagement would just mean participating in the
charade while the occupation continues and more facts are built
on the occupied ground.
The insincerity is all the more obvious when Netanyahu speaks of
talks with "no preconditions" while at the same time insisting
that the Palestinians pronounce Israel to be a "Jewish state" -
a precondition that implicitly limits how the issue of
Palestinian refugees and right of return can be resolved, and
also would mean the Palestinian leadership formally signing on
to a declaration that non-Jewish Israelis are second-class
citizens. Those are the only things such a pronouncement would mean.
The Palestinian leadership long ago recognized, formally and
unequivocally, the state of Israel. As Palestinian leaders have
noted, that state is free to describe itself any way it wants.
With the American political system still wearing its usual
straitjacket on this issue, the main hope right now for taking
any steps out of this tragic situation lies with the French
said all the "right"If the United States is to do anything helpful any time in themonths of the Obama administration.
foreseeable future, it probably will have to come in the
remaining eight
One of the two presumptive presidential nominees speaks of
taking U.S.-Israeli relations "to the next level" - and it is
safe to assume she doesn't mean that the next level will consist
of imposing consequences for the continued occupation.
The other presumptive presidential nominee caused nervous
moments in the Israel lobby when he talked about being
impartial, but the nerves were soothed with a speech to AIPAC
that
elected.things.
And now he has Sheldon Adelson and Adelson's heavyweight
bankroll on his side, with everything that implies for this
nominee's future posture on Israel-related issues if he were to
be
Paul R. Pillar, in his 28 years at the Central Intelligence
Agency, rose to be one of the agency's top analysts. He is now a
visiting professor at Georgetown University for security
studies. (This article first appeared as a blog post at The
National Interest's Web site.
Reprinted with author's
permission.)
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
