An Israeli Electoral Embarrassment?
Arik Ben-Zvi has a piece in The New Republic warning about the apparent strength of Avigdor Lieberman's demi-racist anti-Arab Yisrael Beitanu ("Israel is our Home") party in the coming elections:
Lieberman has focused much of his campaign inciting public anger against Israel's Arab minority. He accuses Israeli-Arab lawmakers of harboring Hamas sympathies, and has called for the parties to be banned from running in the election. His campaign ads show Israeli-Arab students demonstrating against the Gaza war as a narrator ominously intones, "We won't forget that, during the Gaza conflict, there were those among us who stood with Hamas." As for the Gaza operation itself, Lieberman has denounced the cease-fire as a sell-out of the military. His preferred strategy is total war against the Gazan population: "We must continue to fight Hamas just like the United States did with the Japanese in World War II."
If, as seems likely, Binyamin Netanyahu and the Likud Party wins the election next Tuesday, this will be a real test. Netanyahu will have to build a coalition to govern--does he include Yisrael Beitanu? Or does he take a more centrist, and traditional path, by including Kadima (Ariel Sharon's old party, led by Tzipi Livni) and Labor (led by Ehud Barak, who should remain as Defense Minister). If Netanyahu goes the radical route, it has to be seen as an extremely provocative, xenophobic (and perhaps racist) move. The U.S. should express deep concern and disapproval. In fact, the U.S. should be sending a clear message that no matter the makeup of the new government, the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank has to end immediately. With no exceptions.
Finally, I'm leaving for two weeks travel in Europe and the Middle East--including Israel for the elections--and I'll try to keep you posted along the way.
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1
Joe thinks the Jews under the gun near Gaza should cut Hamas some slack?
Not news.
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Sorry to hijack, but THIS is funny! And Sad all at the same time.
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http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2009/02/sessions_gop_in.php -
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Joe, stop using euphimisms.
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Avigdor is a racist, pure and simple.
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This is not the Israel I was taught about. It seems that neoconservatism has spawned a monster... -
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bryanfromhouston:
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Almost like the GOP in the '80s and prior to the ERM bombing in 1995. Ah, the memories... -
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Aside from the jab Joe, I agree with you, but I honestly think it is time for teeth, too.
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I think it is basically this:
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Force Israel to accept a just peace, and guarentee Israel's safety in the event of any attacks. -
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Here is some interesting views from Israeli Arabs:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7870743.stm
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I can't find anything like this in US media. -
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does he include Yisrael Beitanu? Or does he take a more centrist, and traditional path, by including Kadima (Ariel Sharon's old party, led by Tzipi Livni) and Labor (led by Ehud Barak, who should remain as Defense Minister).
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Hmm...Extremist rule? Or effectively one-party rule, with the same three players just rearranging the deck chairs between them? Heckuva job there. -
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Safe trip, Joe.
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Meanwhile, back in Berzerkley...
"Mr. Panetta also received a $28,000 honorarium from the Carlyle Group, a private-equity firm that owns companies doing business with national-security agencies of the U.S. government. Carlyle holds a majority stake in the government consulting arm of Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., which works for the CIA and other agencies. A Carlyle spokesman said Mr. Panetta was paid to speak at an investor conference and that the matter was unrelated to Booz Allen or any other defense contractors."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123378062602049003.html
Some change, eh?
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"Finally, I'm leaving for two weeks travel in Europe and the Middle East--including Israel for the elections--and I'll try to keep you posted along the way."
Write when you get work.
And have a safe water landing.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403852.html
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http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000003024858
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Be sure to ask your Jihaddie friends how they like their PayPal scrip at work.
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Of course, the $28,000 honorarium is 303,500,000 times as small as the Republican feeding frenzy:
http://www.geldpress.com/2008/12/bailout-cost-85-trillion/
= HULAGATE STUPIDITY EXPOSED = -
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Don't discriminate against racists, you racistists.
People should have the right to express hate speech, and hopefully, the majority will be smart enough not to listen to them.
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i wonder if Israel is ever going to be able to push it so far that America has no choice but to call them out on it, they do know who supplies all the bombs they've been using to blast Gaza right?
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Well, they've already massacred lots of women and children and it hasn't happened yet.
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Have a safe trip, Joe. -
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Joe-
Before you go to Israel and expose them to your brilliance, you may want to study up a bit.
Yisrael Beitanu has already been a part of the governing coalition in Israel. In October 2006, Yisrael Beitanu was part of the Kadima-led coalition that governed Israel. Do you recall this being seen "as an extremely provocative, xenophobic (and perhaps racist) move"?
Try, try again . . .
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[...] An Israeli Electoral Embarrassment? [...]
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[...] An Israeli Electoral Embarrassment? [...]
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