While We Wait For Obama To Endorse America's Borders...

bama delivers a big Mid East re-reset and calls for the 1967 Israeli borders as the starting point for a solution to the Palestinian problem.  But what about the right of return?  Apparently that "remains to be negotiated" (quoting the NY Time report).

Comments

[Mark Folkestad]

I hate to be this crude, but Ear Leader can go screw himself. I'm a Norwegian Lutheran Zionist without a drop of Jewish blood. I like the idea of the borders of King David's Israel.

[Danube of Thought]

Good God. Done on the very eve of Netanyahu's visit. This guy is really a clod, in the final analysis.

[Mark Folkestad]

Waiting for Anduril's comment in...ten...nine...eight...seven....

[Sue]

I don't think he is a clod. I think he is a punk. November 2012 can't get here fast enough for me.

[Ignatz]

--While We Wait For Obama To Endorse America's Borders...--

I suspect he believes the 1835 borders would be a good starting point for negotiations.
Or perhaps 1635.

[Captain Hate]

Smart Diplomacy!!!11!!

[narciso]

Latin Baptist neocon, concurs, I think he probably thinks the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was 'wrongly decided'

[Captain Hate]

Tammy Bruce is hammering this doofus for suggesting that the chinless opthamologist lead the democratic process. What could go wrong with that?

[maryrose]

Obama can kiss the Jewish vote good bye. Boo him all you want;he's a moron.

[Jack is Back!]

I still say he is the "moderate" muslim we have all been waiting for and every time he talks about the mid-east, Israel or terrorism=Islam, he proves it. Either that of TOTUS is a nazi.

[MarkO]

He is a clod and a thug, but he revels in humiliating those who are either unable or too well mannered to respond with the same foul intent. He did it with the Supreme Court, with members of Congress and now with Israel. He’s one of those weak bullies who would have a couple of football players hold you while he hit you.

I ask this all the time, but is there no one (except Trump and that was why I thought he was useful) who can return the slights, the calumny, the humiliation? That is the person who can win in 2012, no some policy wonk with great manners.

[Captain Hate]

Obama can kiss the Jewish vote good bye.

You would think so; but, alas, no....

[anduril]

I see very little new in what Obama said today--granting that I haven't read it and probably won't bother. The US has always maintained, with the rest of the civilized world, that the pre 1967 borders should be the starting point and the US has always opposed the settlements colonies. The real point is that the entire narrative is changing even as Obama and the Neocons yack; the ground is shifting under their feet, driven by the flood of new scholarship that's readily available over the internet--anyone who wants to get up to speed on the issues no longer has to search out obscure volumes that aren't in the local library for fear of offending Zionist orthodoxy.

Further, 1967 and a two state solution is quickly becoming irrelevant. Netanyahu, in his usual obtuse way, has killed that for ever. The only viable solution is now a one state solution, and that means back to 1948 and the Nakba. Read about it here: The ’48 discussion is replacing the ’67 discussion. And here's a link to illustrate that people are no longer willing to be intimidated and are starting to realize what's up in the public discourse: Poor Jimmy Akin!

[Boatbuilder]

MarkO--Palin, with a wink.
But he really is a classless punk.

[Extraneus]

Tsk, tsk, MarkO. Where's your sense of fair play, old chap? Did you misplace your embossed copy of the Marques of Queensbury Rules somehow? Tsk, tsk, tsk.

[Ignatz]

--The only viable solution is now a one state solution--

Why, you could even call it the final one.

[MarkO]

Ex, old man, life is not fair. But, that said, I want it to be unfair in my favor.

[Jack is Back!]

Herman Cain takes no prisioners and would be the political equivalent of a "trash" talker if he ever go the chance. Romney can't do it because of his Mormonism and its historical relationship to blacks. The governors like Pawlenty and Daniels will talk policy, judgement and decision making as their differences. Gingrich will confuse everyone with his ideas and backtracks and explications of his ideas and backtracks. Palin has the right stuff as long as the MFM will let her be Palin. When you know that you aren't going to put any skin in the game like Trump you can be politically outspoken and a little reckless - I don't know if that is good campaign strategy since the game is won on the back of the Indies.

[(Another) Barbara]

Obama can kiss the Jewish vote good bye.

Obama won't lose the Jewish vote no matter what he does. He got nearly 80 percent of it last time, after making no secret of his pro-Palestinian, anti-Israeli sympathies. Liberalism trumps all.

[centralcal]

Totally agree with Boatbuilder, MarkO.

[Extraneus]

Palin? Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Such are the vicissitudes of our current political zeitgeist that Homo Republicanus is each day forced to endure a fresh assault on his intelligence somehow more insulting than the last. Doubly insulting, as you no doubt imagine, when the Homo in question is me. Contrary to what you may assume, the gift of intellectual acuity and foresight can in times like these prove to be an almost unbearable cross; I shall not use this space to recount the many unheeded warnings I have issued to fellow Republicans regarding the growing menace of the soi dissant "Tea Party" faction, other than to note that as a Cassandra I have, if anything, proven to be insufficiently alarmist.

-- T Coddington Van Voorhees VII

[clarice]

AB and CH, I think this time you may be wrong. In fact, he was already running into fund raising issues. Perhaps the donors weren't watching the waivers thingy to see how it's played.Maybe he thinks he can lead Libya if he loses his re-election bid.

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

DSK indicted!

[centralcal]

Good news also that Repubs successfully filibustered Liu.

[centralcal]

No, Clarice, due to Kenyan constitutional changes voted on and approved on The Won's birthday last year, he can now become President or Prime Minister or whatever of Kenya.

[narciso]

http://daledamos.blogspot.com/2011/05/if-abbas-had-written-his-op-ed-in-new.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FdafW+%28Daled+Amos%29

[maryrose]

Obama loses by default to the "fool me once" rule. He had to beg for their vote last time-this election-all bets are off.He screwed the pooch by trying to have it both ways. I agree with JIB in that obama is a moderate Muslim and so will take their side in this.

[Captain Hate]

Great news, cc; does Reid have a huge gash on the other side of his face for symmetry after that?

[MarkO]

From TM's only paper, “[W]e cannot hesitate to stand squarely on the side of those who are reaching for their rights.”

The fake adjunct law instructor tells us of "rights." What are sources of these "rights"? Hisownsef?

[jimmyk]

You would think so; but, alas, no....

He'll probably get the majority, but it wouldn't surprise me if it went from 80 to 60. That would be huge in states like Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I don't know if New York and California can be in play (Reagan won both, after all), but if so, that could be decisive, especially in NY.

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

You know I was on the radio today with Dick and I really came to the conclusion that Harry Reid is doing more to destroy the republic than almost anyone. It's been 750 days since the Senate passed a budget. Reid lets very little come to a vote. He could care less about the country.

I know everyone knows that but it really leaped out at me today.

[Dave (in MA)]

He said:

“The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines, with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states,” he said. “The Palestinian must have the right to govern themselves and reach their potential in sovereign and contiguous state.”

1967 lines - Is that before the Six Day War or after? The AP is claiming that it refers to "pre-1967" borders. That would be consistent with "contiguous". Ed at Hotair claims that AP is imagining things and that this is just restating long-held US policy.

[henry]

On the good news front, voter ID passed the WI senate today and goes to Walker to for signature.

every little bit helps.

[jimmyk]

Where to begin...

1. Who starts off a negotiation with having one side make an enormous concession, with all other issues still to be determined?

2. The 1967 borders are widely believed to be indefensible, especially near Tel Aviv where the distance from the Mediterranean to the green line is in some places something like 9 miles.

3. There's no such thing as a demilitarized state. Who's going to assure that, the UN? The Sinai was demilitarized before 1967, but Nasser threw out the UN "peacekeepers" and sent his tanks in.

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

That is great Henry.

[anduril]

Where to begin...

1948. There's no longer any choice on where to begin. Netanyahoo has ensured that.

[narciso]

McClatchy is no better, there's a reason there was a watch blog for them, now a twitter
feed, note how the headline has little to do with the speech:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/18/2223428/obama-to-pressure-assad-offer.html

[Captain Hate]

Ed at Hotair claims that AP is imagining things and that this is just restating long-held US policy.

I think Poppin' Fresh is wrong on this.

[anduril]

Ed at Hotair claims that ... this is just restating long-held US policy.

Did he give me a h/t?

[Dave (in MA)]

Maybe the bonehead will suggest to Netanyahu that they put in a moat with alligators.

[jimmyk]

1967 lines - Is that before the Six Day War or after?

Of course he meant pre-1967, but he said "on the basis of." Though I didn't see the exact words, he seemed be excluding Jerusalem from that calculation, meaning he wasn't calling for dividing it, which I presume he knows is a non-starter. But judging from the article, Netanyahu already basically told him effectively to stick it where the sun don't shine.

[Room Service]

"Did he give me a h/t?"

No, but Dominique Strauss-Kahn has a tip for you that you might enjoy.

[narciso]

That's about the size of it, jimmy

http://pajamasmedia.com/tatler/2011/05/19/netanyahu-swiftly-rejects-obamas-call-for-israel-to-retreat-to-1967-borders/

[maryrose]

DaveinMA:
I am still appalled how that idiot could joke around about security at the border when Americans have been killed there.
OT:
LEEza Murky was the only repub to vote in favor of Liu today. She is a RINO for sure now and too bad she won re-election along with Reid and BaBa Boxer.

[narciso]

She's a DIABLO, maryrose, this much is clear.

[narciso]

I think TOTUS is just toying with him, now:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/05/obama-goof-teutonic-shift-in-middle-east/1

[MarkO]

Iran with nukes is seemingly a major part of this policy.

[clarice]

Great news about Liu.Ditto the WI I.D. law passing.

I'll take every bit of silver lining I can find.

[Captain Hate]

LOL narc; more evidence that he doesn't understand a damn thing he says.

[narciso]

This is much like with the Dream Act coming back, actually even less likely, he can talk
but it doesn't make it so,

[maryrose]

I think quietly,under the radar many states are enacting laws meant to tighten up and reform former voting practices. This will give us more confidence in our election results and hopefully put a stop to dim cheating.

[MarkO]

Hamas must renounce violence and Michael Corleone will renounce Satan.

[jimmyk]

Teutonic shift: Wasn't that what the Nazis were trying to accomplish? Is that TOTUS or Freud speaking? Yikes.

[clarice]

The entire state of Nevada just got a waiver from Obamacare.
Nag your state officials to get you one, too.
***

Allen West on the latest O speech:

ASHINGTON) — Congressman Allen West (FL-22) released this statement today:

“Today’s endorsement by President Barack Obama of the creation of a Hamas-led Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, signals the most egregious foreign policy decision his administration has made to date, and could be the beginning of the end as we know it for the Jewish state.

From the moment the modern day state of Israel declared statehood in 1948, to the end of the 1967 Six Day War, Jews were forbidden access to their holiest site, the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, controlled by Jordan’s Arab army.

The pre-1967 borders endorsed by President Obama would deny millions of the world’s Jews access to their holiest site and force Israel to return the strategically important Golan Heights to Syria, a known state-sponsor of terrorism.

Resorting to the pre-1967 borders would mean a full withdrawal by the Israelis from the West Bank and the Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. Make no mistake, there has always been a Nation of Israel and Jerusalem has been and must always be recognized as its rightful capital.

In short, the Hamas-run Palestinian state envisioned by President Obama would be devastating to Israel and the world’s 13.3 million Jews. It would be a Pavlovian style reward to a declared Islamic terrorist organization, and an unacceptable policy initiative.

America should never negotiate with the Palestinian Authority- which has aligned itself with Hamas. Palestine is a region, not a people or a modern state. Based upon Roman Emperor Hadrian’s declaration in 73 AD, the original Palestinian people are the Jewish people.

It’s time for the American people to stand by our strongest ally, the Jewish State of Israel, and reject this foreign policy blunder of epic proportions.

While the winds of democracy may blow strong in the Middle East, history has demonstrated that gaps in leadership can lead to despotic regimes. I have questions for President Obama: ‘Who will now lead in Egypt?’ and ‘Why should American taxpayers provide foreign aid to a nation where the next chapter in their history may be the emergence of another radical Islamic state?’

President Obama has not stood for Israel or the Jewish people and has made it clear where the United States will stand when Palestine attempts to gain recognition of statehood by the United Nations. The President should focus on the real obstacle to security- the Palestinian leadership and its ultimate goal to eliminate Israel and the Jewish people.”

[Dave (in MA)]

Is that TOTUS or Freud speaking? Yikes.

"bama" was probably wondering what the little red squiggly lines on TOTUS were all about.

[clarice]

Legal Insurrection:

Thursday, May 19, 2011
Hey, Israel, Those Territorial Assurances Were From Bush Not Me
That's pretty much the upshot of Obama coming down firmly on the side of the pre-1967 borders being the end result of a peace agreement, plus some land swapping.

While some have contended this merely states prior policy, there is an important shift. Prior policy emphasized the 1967 borders as the starting point, not the end point, and did not condition Israel keeping land in what is now the West Bank on Israel giving up other land.

Rather, in 2004 George W. Bush assured Israel that Israel would not be forced back to the pre-1967 border (emphasis mine):
As part of a final peace settlement, Israel must have secure and recognized borders, which should emerge from negotiations between the parties in accordance with UNSC Resolutions 242 and 338. In light of new realities on the ground, including already existing major Israeli populations centers, it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949, and all previous efforts to negotiate a two-state solution have reached the same conclusion. It is realistic to expect that any final status agreement will only be achieved on the basis of mutually agreed changes that reflect these realities.
So this represents a major coup for the Palestinians.

Without Palestinians having to make any concessions on the so-called "right of return" or Jerusalem or reparations or anything, Obama has handed the Palestinians a major territorial victory which violates promises made just seven years ago by a President of the United States.

The destructive nature of the speech is made even worse because it rewards bad behavior, including the recent Fatah coalition with Hamas and the breach of Israel's borders organized by Syria and Hezbollah.

Obama first should have done no harm. Instead, first he did harm to the peace process. Intransigence works.

[clarice]

"Teutonic shift" ,not a slip...the man is a MORON.

[Appalled]

Andruil:

Further, 1967 and a two state solution is quickly becoming irrelevant. Netanyahu, in his usual obtuse way, has killed that for ever.

Back in 2000, an offer very close to 1967 was on the table from the Isrealis and Arafat suddenly started talking "Right of Return". I am afraid the Palestinians moved those goalposts long before the current impasse. Which means your point really is that the Isrealis are going to have to leave Palestine.

The Palestinians can continue their arguments -- and they will stay confined borders they don't like. It doesn't pay to be a racist bigot when the people you are prejudiced against have the superior firepower.

[OldTimer]

That damn speech has left me shaking. Barry's barely concealed pro-Muslim, anti-Israel passions will be the death of us, and should be the death of his faux presidency. Thank God for Bibi, he'll not stand for such treachery.

[anduril]

Here's an informative article, complete with 4 detailed maps: Palestinian territories.

The reality of the situation is that Israel will never accept a Palestinian state; therefore the reality is that there is, de facto, one greater Israel that occupies the entire former Palestinian Mandate region. Israel and the rest of the world know this. All that remains is for Israel to give up its Jim Crow rule over Palestinians and give them full citizenship rights.

[MarkO]

"It doesn't pay to be a racist bigot when the people you are prejudiced against have the superior firepower."

Appalled, this is my point about Iran.

[OldTimer]

Thank you, Clarice, LI and Alan West! They said what needed to be said and they said it perfectly. I really, really loath the fraud in the White House and what he's blithely doing to destroy our country and our sacred relationship with Israel.

Is that racist? Well then, guess I'll just have to repeat Barry's new slogan--WTF.

[jimmyk]

Re West's response: Truly great, except that as I said above, I'm willing to believe that on the point of Jerusalem, Obama's speech was exhibiting stupidity as opposed to outright evil. He said two contradictory things: "Pre-1967 borders" and "leaving Jerusalem's status to be negotiated" (or words to that effect). I suspect that he did not intend to make a divided Jerusalem the starting point (even if that's his goal). He's just too stupid to realize that that is what "pre-1967 borders" means. Either that, or he is genuinely trying, Arab-style, to speak to two different audiences at once, using that term as a code to Arab listeners regarding Jerusalem. I don't think he's that smart.

[MarkO]

He's just not that smart.

[Truncated Truth]

While we wait, interminably, for the Arab 'Spring" to reach fruition, we might want to upgrade 'democracy' in Israel.

"Israel broke international law by firing at unarmed protesters

Tuesday, 17 May 2011 13:30
A legal expert in Israel has said that the country's soldiers "broke international law" by firing at unarmed protesters at the weekend. A large number of Palestinians crossed the borders between Syria and Israel, and Lebanon and Israel, to commemorate the Nakba, the catastrophe of the creation of the Zionist state in 1948. Members of the Israel Defence Forces killed at least 12 protesters, four of them in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and the rest in Southern Lebanon. Dozens more were injured.

According to Dr. Daphne Richmond-Barak, an expert in international law from the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Centre, firing on civilians is a breach of international law and that once the details of the event were made clear, it would be required of Israel to explain its actions. Her comments were quoted in the Jerusalem Post.

The Israeli lawyer believes that there were "less violent" options that the military could have used in response to the protesters who crossed the border with Syria, such as detaining them. Dr Richmond-Barak said it was totally illegal to fire at unarmed protesters. "If we were talking about tanks and soldiers coming across from Syria, there would be no question about Israel's right to fire as an act of protecting its sovereignty, she said. "This case, however, is different."

The Israel Defence Forces accused Lebanese troops of firing at the protesters on Israel's northern border with Lebanon."

http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2362-israel-broke-international-law-by-firing-at-unarmed-protesters

[anduril]

Here's the Wiki portion re UN General Assembly resolution 194 and the Palestinian right of return. I've left in the references to the many other related Wiki articles. Enjoy! When you've read these you'll have a much better grasp of what's going on:

UN General Assembly resolution 194

1948 Palestinian exodus

Main articles
1948 Palestinian exodus
1947–48 civil war
1948 Arab-Israeli War
Causes of the exodus
Nakba Day
Palestine refugee camps
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian right of return
Present absentee
Transfer Committee
Resolution 194
Background
British Mandate of Palestine
Israel's declaration of independence
Israeli-Palestinian conflict history
New Historians
Palestine · Plan Dalet
1947 partition plan · UNRWA
Key incidents
Battle of Haifa
Deir Yassin massacre
Exodus from Lydda
Notable writers
Aref al-Aref · Yoav Gelber
Efraim Karsh · Walid Khalidi
Nur Masalha · Benny Morris
Ilan Pappe · Tom Segev
Avraham Sela · Avi Shlaim
Related categories/lists
List of depopulated villages

The issue of the right of return of Palestinian refugees has been a very sensitive issue for Palestinians (and Arab countries in the region) since the creation of the refugee problem as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.[14] It is said that United Nations UN General Assembly Resolution 194[4] which was passed on December 11, 1948 recognized the right for the first time.
Resolution 194 deals with the situation in the region of Palestine at the time, establishing and defining the role of the United Nations Conciliation Commission as an organization to facilitate peace in the region. Unlike Security Council Resolutions under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, UN General Assembly Resolutions have only a recommendatory character.

[edit]Article 11 - Palestinian Refugees
The main Article of Resolution 194, for the purpose of this article, is Article 11 which deals with the return of refugees.
Article 11 of the resolution reads:

(The General Assembly) Resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible

[jimmyk]

Also, I haven't seen anyone mention specifically the Golan Heights. Reverting to pre-1967 borders would mean giving the Golan Heights back to Syria, hardly a demilitarized state. As the name of that area suggests, that would enable Syria to amass troops on high ground looking down on northern Israel, making it very difficult to defend.

[anduril]

"sacred relationship"

WTF indeed!

[narciso]

According to this, Mazen's Safed was clearly in Syrian territory

http://www.mfa.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/446550C4-827C-47E3-BEF3-0A3E3741E35E/0/mapstorypart1.pdf

[Truncated Truth]

The claim that Israel is ‘the only democracy in the Middle East’ needs to be challenged by the facts of consistent, cross-party policies by successive Israeli governments aimed at ensuring Jewish hegemony vis-à-vis the Palestinians, in the areas under its control.

http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/resources/briefing-papers/806-palestinians-in-israels-democracy-the-judaization-of-the-galilee

[Dag Hammarskjold]

First time I've ever seen it suggested that one gets a better idea of reality by reading a bunch of UN resolutions.

[pagar]

"Barry's barely concealed"

I'm not seeing "barely concealed".
What I see is Muslims asking for anything from Obama, they get it. Meanwhile, Israel is sent out with the trash and gets nothing.

[narciso]

Meawhile aggressive stupidity from one of your favorites TM, on a different topic;

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/gop-effort-to-block-goodwin-liu-is-all-about-petty-revenge/2011/03/04/AFbGkB7G_blog.html

[MayBee]

Release the LATimes tape!!!

[MarkO]

I wonder if George Mitchell quit so as not to be affiliated with this proposal.

[Dave (in MA)]

I wonder what rock Trunkerbuster crawled out from under.

[Truncated Truth]

"According to this, Mazen's Safed was clearly in Syrian territory"

What time period, Solomonic or Abrahamic?

[MayBee]

He is rushing to the aid of Egypt before we even know what's going on there. He talked a lot about us not having to agree with what they choose for themselves. But Israel he can boss around.

[Truncated Truth]

GOP effort to block Goodwin Liu is all about petty revenge
By Adam Serwer
Senate Republicans appear poised to filibuster the nomination of Goodwin Liu to the 9th Circuit Court of appeals, and they’ve settled on their reason why: Liu was awful mean to Justice Samuel Alito. As the Legal Times reports, Senators Lindsey Graham, John McCain, and Johnny Isakson all cited Liu’s testimony against Alito’s nomination as a reason for blocking him:

In separate comments, the three senators all cited the same reason for opposing Liu: the law professor’s 2006 testimony against the confirmation of Justice Samuel Alito Jr.

“When Mr. Liu came to the Judiciary Committee and said that, basically, Judge Alito’s philosophy judicially takes us back to the Jim Crow Era, that to me showed an ideological superiority or disdain for conservative ideology that made him in my view an ideologue,” Graham told reporters off the Senate floor."

Don't shoot the messenger, Maguire. Truncate the Truth.

[Janet]

Here is a wonderful, sad post about what just happened today...

from the post -
Genesis 12:1-3 says: The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Those who believe the Bible to be the Word of God acknowledge that our nation is no longer in a place to expect blessing according to this passage. God does not owe the United States a blessing. He is not obligated to bless any nation that curses Israel. He plainly says He will curse them.

He still provides mercy, strength and guidance for individuals within such a nation who approach Him on His covenant terms offered through the cross. As individuals, we are not without hope or resource, but the worst is apparently beginning to unfold.

[narciso]

They could have gone with this, but the rank dishonesty re Alito, indicates a poor judicial
temperament;

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2010/04/026007.php

[clarice]

"I wonder if George Mitchell quit so as not to be affiliated with this proposal."

Even before this piece of merde, Obama had made the process untenable. It then became a waste of Mitchell's time and reputation.

[clarice]

Judge OKs $1 million bail and home detention for former
IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn in sexual assault case

Flee pool:

Private plane?
Fast yacht?
Train?
Helicopter?

[Janet]

green options -
high speed rail?
bike?
scooter?
golf cart sized electric car?
Earth shoes?

[anduril]

"Israel is sent out with the trash and gets nothing."

Talk about an alternative reality! Anyway, here's the "nothing" that Israel--the largest recipient of US aid from 1976 to 2004--gets stuck with, year in year out, no matter how they stonewall on peace with the people whose land they took by force of arms:

US Aid To Israel

OK, Janet, I'll bite: how do fundamentalists like you explain God's genocide against the Egyptian firstborns and his genocidal orders to Saul? My explanation is in my theory of revelation, which is not fundamentalist. How do you justify your fundamentalism? This is your chance to witness.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Why is it always Israel that is expected to give up land rightfully won and to be the one to make all the concessions. The Palestinians have their land, they just don't want to develop it. Instead, they want all the land that Israel has developed and made productive.

Isn't it bad enough that the Israelis have to stare at that damn gold dome every day, sitting there on top of their ancient Temple ruins.

I say it is time to stop mollycoddling the haters. As far as I'm concerned, they've had 64 years to get their sh!t in order. I say bulldoze their hovels and jihadi enclaves and be done with them.

[Truncated Truth]

Strings should be attached to any Aid given to any country in ME.

We don't have 'spare change' anymore.

[Extraneus]

The surest way to peace is the way we achieved it with Germany and Japan. Total victory on one side, and complete surrender on the other. This could even work in the Middle East.

[anduril]

Over a year ago smart, principled people were saying that it's Time for George Mitchell to resign.

Anyway, as I've said, Mitchell's brief to come up with a Two State solution was doomed to failure for two reasons:

1) Netanyahoo was determined to thwart it, and

2) events on the ground had gone too far.

[jimmyk]

According to the WSJ, "home detention" means "24-hour home confinement in a Manhattan apartment rented by his wife.

"The detention would be enforced by video surveillance and an armed guard from security firm Stroz-Friedberg."

Sounds like he'll have a tough time getting away.

[jimmyk]

Total victory on one side, and complete surrender on the other. This could even work in the Middle East.

Yes, though that model works better with countries than with vague transnational movements. I don't think groups like AQ really give a rat's a** about the Palestinians, but they would like Israel wiped off the face of the Earth.

[MoodyBlu]

Ext:

The surest way to peace is the way we achieved it with Germany and Japan. Total victory on one side, and complete surrender on the other. This could even work in the Middle East.

Exactly. No victory, no peace. Someone is going to have to get an ass whippen real good before kumbaya singing commences.

[bgates]

The claim that Israel is ‘the only democracy in the Middle East’ needs to be challenged

Well, there's Iraq. And Lebanon, though Assad's Hillary!-endorsed passion for "reform" can spill across borders sometimes.

Israel is something better than a democracy - a paragon of true liberal values (not the progressive statist "liberalism" that has stolen the good word in this country).

No wonder Barry wants it destroyed.

[Dave (in MA)]

"According to the WSJ, "home detention" means "24-hour home confinement in a Manhattan apartment rented by his wife.

"The detention would be enforced by video surveillance and an armed guard from security firm Stroz-Friedberg."

Will they have chambermaids?

[Janet]

Obama leaves out The Creator again.

[maryrose]

Janet:
He's a Muslim and doesn't recognize the "Creator" Allah is his god.

[maryrose]

DSK escapes via the roof in a helicopter. Someone sedates the guard and DSK is off to France.

[Elliott]

If the British could get Gordievsky out of Moscow...

[matt]

Goodwin Liu is a leading proponent of newly invented rights that have little bearing on the Constitution. That alone is reason to disqualify him for the appellate bench.

[MarkO]

Oh so reluctantly I have to note that Beck seems to have some odd insight. Don't jump me, he's still a bit daft, but, he's been talking about Israel all week. Now this.