The basic difference between the two undertakings is that the settlement project that preceded Israel’s establishment was intended to create the territorial basis for the future Jewish state. It wasn’t intended to deprive the Arabs of everything that was left or, for that matter, their right to a state of their own alongside the Jewish state. (more…)

The state of Israel was predicated on ethnic cleansing and brutality… These illegal settlements (or “outposts” if you prefer to distinguish between degrees of illegality) are founded on the same ideology of exclusion and oppression. I have to agree with the settlers on this point: their behavior is no different than the behavior that accompanied the creation of Israel…

When you encounter Israeli liberals in the US or in Europe, they present a different face. They never reveal what they actually had written in their books. This is very true of Amos Oz but also true of Amos Elon. You need to read the books of those Zionist liberals to realize that when it comes to the fundamental racism at the heart of the movement that founded the usurping entity, the left-right divide is rather meaningless. Obituaries of Amos Elon now fill the US newspapers and he is being presented as a humane and compassionate writer. Here is a sample from Elon’s book Herzl: “There was no symmetry between Arab and Jewish grievances. The Jews were always ready for a compromise; the Arabs have not yet contemplated the possibility of accomodation. The Palestinian dispersion was largely self-inflicted; unlike the Jews, they could live full Arab lives in any of a dozen other Arab countries.” (p. 407) So Elon had a long career of outright lies and fabrication. Read his biography of Herzl and you know what I mean. (more…)

Dozens protest Nakba bill

Poll: 58% of Israeli Jews back two-state solution (more…)

Oh yeah… and 82% of Israelis think Israel should have killed more Palestinians in Gaza during the slaughter there earlier this year.

So far, only one reservist has been jailed for refusing to fight. (more…)

I write as an Israeli. Some of us, as Israelis, are grieving over what we have become. Blaming the other side with a roster of rehearsed clichés cannot mitigate the grief. (more…)

Just look at this lousy article in the Nation. The author is seriously trying to draw our sympathy for the “Israelis (and Jews) who know the unconventional facts”, who are “marginalized” and “ignored by the mainstream media”.

I can’t stand these introspective articles about the “marginalized” Israeli peace movement. The Israeli peace movement died long ago—it has not been marginalized, it is simply not relevant. When 90% of the Israelis are lining up behind this current massacre, spare me the self-pity.

The writer A.B. Yehoshua, who opposes Israel’s occupation and promotes a Palestinian state, has spent the past two weeks trying to explain the war to foreigners.

“‘Imagine that every two days a missile falls in the Champs-Élysées and only the glass windows of the shops break and five people suffer from shock,’ … “What would you say? Wouldn’t you be angry? Wouldn’t you send missiles at Belgium if it were responsible for missiles on your grand boulevard?’” (more…)

Another peace rally Saturday night brought together about a couple of thousand Israelis to demand an immediate end to the ongoing assault in Gaza. (more…)

‘Even the Left Was in Favor of Striking Hamas’

The Israeli peace camp was born in sin and died because of a lie: It was born as the legitimate son of the sin of occupation, and died the illegitimate son of the lie that “there is no partner” with whom to negotiate on the other side. Between September 1967 and October 2000, it spent 33 years waging the brave and determined struggle of a minority against a majority, “traitors” against “patriots,” “defilers of Israel” against “lovers of Israel,” David against Goliath. Today, we must painfully admit that it was struggle that did not produce much.

The peace camp was born of a small ad – a statement bearing only a dozen mostly unknown signatures – addressed to the general public, and then began to die a pathetic death, which is lamented by no one. Since then, its body has laid in public squares that are void of protesters, in streets empty of struggle and in public discourse free of ideas. On occasion, it lets out a desperate and dying gasp from the direction of a group of determined but marginalized groups, near the separation fence in Na’alin or in Gush Shalom’s advertisements in the Friday paper.

On occasion, it wraps itself in the guise of a mass demonstration, mostly at deceptive memorial rallies for Yitzhak Rabin – also featuring pop stars Aviv Geffen and Ninet – and in public opinion polls in which the majority claims to adopt its positions. But the interim balance sheet of history is clear and razor sharp: The occupation, the settlements, the police thugs and the brutality have been victorious over everything else. Never have so many people said we need to put a stop to things, and never have so few done anything about it. (more…)