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[keepitisrael-blog]

Pols 477 was one of the most beneficial classes I have taken during my college experience. A big surprise for me was how much I ended up enjoying the simulation. Most classes that have anything remotely similar to this don’t pull it off nearly as well. I usually hate group work, but the simulations in this class were very different. For starters, the issues were contemporary, even if the struggle for a peace deal isn’t a new concept, and the different sides presented made for a fun experience.

Although the class might have been more exciting during a different time, I’m not sure I’m too disappointed that there weren’t any big events in the middle east. It might have made it more difficult to clearly see both sides, and I’m a big fan of looking at both sides clearly and with as little bias as possible. The quiet in the middle east right now, especially between Palestine and Israel, gave me an opportunity to see the conflict with a clearer perspective.

I also enjoyed learning the historical side in class while keeping most of the contemporary issues for the blog. Each week my view on the modern issues would be slightly changed based on the new historical information learned in class during that week.

Lastly, the class as a whole just had a better atmosphere. The classmates kept it fun. I never had a problem speaking up in class because of how comfortable I felt. Overall, the class was definitely worth it.

[keepitisrael-blog]

American Polarity

America’s polarizing populous makes keeping issues bipartisan a challenge, which something New York Consul-General Dani Dayan worries about. As Israel’s representative for the area, Dayan works to keep the issue of Israel as bipartisan as possible, a task becoming increasingly difficult. Although perhaps a bit more stark with prior administrations, Israel has tried to keep relations with the US friendly and on good terms. However, keeping those same positive relations with the American population is another task entirely, which makes sense.

It can be difficult to keep an issue bipartisan, something becoming increasingly obvious in America today. Personal experiences alone have shown me the ‘us v them’ mentality and how it has ravaged common political discussion. It’s at the point where I often hear someone call a person a Republican or Democrat as an insult. As a person who doesn’t care only about what my party thinks, I’ve been called a few different names by those in my party, simply because my stance on a particular issue doesn’t line up with what they believe to be the norm. It’s sad, really.

This sort of partisanship is exactly what Dayan has concerns over, even with all of his confidence in tackling the issue head on. He definitely has a challenge ahead of him, however I don’t think this issue is a damned to the same fate as other American issues quite so easily. Although the left typically sides with the citizens of the Palestine territory over human rights issues, as much as the right stands with Israel over security, the recent election has thrown a few new variables in to keep the issue, in my opinion, from becoming as partisan as gun rights.

I’m referring, specifically, to the ‘rise’ of the alt-right in the US. Although I don’t believe they’re rising in the sense that they’re growing immensely in popularity and are threatening the fabric of our nation, they have emerged from the caves they live in. Because this side voted Trump, it added to fears of growing anti-semitism. Although any sane person on the right would be against this, it is the left to fight it tooth and nail, showing solidarity with Jews. 

In my perspective, these polar views might very well help the bipartisanship being maintained in this issue. I’m not saying that Democrats will always buy into what Israel says, or that other crazy changes will come, but I do think that the American public will go about talking about Israel in the same way.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Post-election-divide-in-US-makes-it-harder-to-keep-Israel-bipartisan-488964

[totallyunabashedbeard-blog]

Palestinian Prisoners Day

Today, April 17th, is Palestinian Prisoners Day.  Today is also the day that around 1,500 Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli prisons have launched an open-ended hunger strike for basic rights and to shed light on the prison conditions. The strike is being led by jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti.  Today there was also an Aljzeera infographic released titled “What it means to be a Palestinian prisoner in Israel”.  This infographic explained that there are 6,500 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails. 536 of the prisoners are held under administrative detention, meaning they have had secret evidence brought against them and they are not allowed to know what they are accused of or defend themselves in court.  Another large concern right now is that holding Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails violates the Fourth Geneva Convention, because the prisoners are not being held in what is internationally viewed as occupied land.  

These articles really made me realize how much Israel is held at a different standard that other countries.  There are clear violations of international law, and some questions about human rights, that Israel basically just says “no that’s actually not happening and we are not breaking any laws.”  There have been many different reports of medical negligence, including sick prisoners being denied water.  I find it shocking that not more people hear about these incidents happening somewhere we view as an ally; the human rights accusations do not seem to fit within the stereotypes most Americans would give Israel.  

[keepitisrael-blog]

To start, it goes without saying that clearly there are problems with this. Secret evidence sounds like something an eight year old made up during a game of cops and robbers that he was losing, but because it was at his step-dad’s place in Portland, whatever he says goes. Infinite detention also reeks of potential abuse.

However, as I expected from an infographic, especially one from a politically skewed group such as Aljazeera, there’s not a lot of in depth analysis. It is no surprise that Aljazeera posted something trashing Israel. Again, that doesn’t completely negate the fact that this practice isn’t good, so the information isn’t necessarily bad, but rather incomplete. 

It’s obviously silly to assume that all of these prisoners are bent on destruction, but if Israel were to let prisoners go, the risk of some of them being “bad hombres” is too great. Normally I’d advocate for this practice (not having Palestinian prisoners), but it can’t be ignored that as long as Palestine isn’t a legitimate state and doesn’t offer the intensive services as other states do, such as a reliable police force and justice system, there are little to no assurances that the released prisoners would be held in check.

Chances are, if people in the prisons are going as far as partaking in hunger strikes, the situation there is far from perfect, but at the same time, the ideal thought of Israel simply not having them creates a new set of problems, problems that could potentially impact the peace process.

Clearly Israel has some explaining to do with the use of secret evidence, but internationally, the use of that evidence and indefinite detainment can be justified because of lack of Palestine reliability.

And as Americans, we should not be taking ANY high ground here as long as Guantanamo Bay is still open. The acts committed by the US during and following the Iraq war are deplorable. There have been more than one hunger strikes at Guantanamo. Not only do we have that stain on our (very recent) history, but prison conditions at home aren’t the spitting image of perfection either. How many non-violent drug offenders are currently in the system? Hell, Nebraska is dealing with our own overpopulation issues in our prison system.

In all, there are very real problems with the prison system in Israel, but the infographic provides no real alternative, nor any solution to the problem. It points out the negatives of Israel’s actions, seemingly to just stir the pot. There’s some useful information, such as the information on child prisoners (which you’d be pressed to try and justify those numbers,) but for the most part, I’m not too emotionally swayed by this infographic.

[totallyunabashedbeard-blog]

I completely agree with the fact that the infographic does not give a complete picture of everything that is going on within the prison system in Israel. However I thought it was a good quick fact sheet for numbers and a quick explanation of what administrative detention is. I also agree that as American’s we do not have a perfect prison system, but one negative system does not take away from the other system also being negative. Also, in regards to the prisoners being released, I do not think that an accurate way to solve the problem, but having them be held without knowledge of why and for an indefinite amount is a huge problem. The problem with them being held in Israeli jails is that most are not in the area where a Palestinian state would be. This makes it so family and visitors have to apply for passes to see them; which regularly get denied. Since Israel is the internationally recognized state with the criminal justice system and prisons, they should be able to keep the prisoners they believe that break the law. They should hold them somewhere accessible to their family’s though.

I feel like while I’m not holding my breath, it still seems shocking. Many in the Middle East have their human rights violations criticized frequently. Israel seems to be held as at a different standard because it does not have issues publicized as much while also having the knowledge of the incidents and issues known.

[keepitisrael-blog]

Although maybe not from US related sources, Israel’s problems are typically pretty publicized. Even the UN wastes no time in going after Israel. This isn’t to say that they don’t have a point when they do go hard on Israel, as there’s typically a reason for it, but I don’t think they’re held to a different standard because people aren’t hearing about what they’re doing. Israel is typically in the hotspot when discussing middle east issues, and usually only get a break when something as heinous as chemical weapons attacks occur in a nearby country. Even then, some publications were still drilling them.

It’s hard though, to fully accept that they do receive so little in the way as punishment goes. The way this prison situation is going clearly isn’t what a country should be doing. Secret evidence, child prisoners, indefinite detainment, and little opportunity for visitation are not hallmarks of a free democratic society. It just seems like a difficult task to punish a country that is an ally, especially one that is in such an unstable area. I’m sure people would see it as a slight if there was an International response to Israel when they feel like countries like Syria and Iran can get away with worse.

That’s just my assessment on it. And I’m sure we’re hearing so little about it in the US right now because people swarm to big media sources that talk 40 minutes about what Trump tweeted that day, or what word Spicer mispronounced during a briefing. The bigger sources are more into the entertainment game right now dying for ratings, but I’m sure stories about what’s going on in Israel are out there, even if you have to go through Aljazeera to find them haha.

[totallyunabashedbeard-blog]

Palestinian Prisoners Day

Today, April 17th, is Palestinian Prisoners Day.  Today is also the day that around 1,500 Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli prisons have launched an open-ended hunger strike for basic rights and to shed light on the prison conditions. The strike is being led by jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti.  Today there was also an Aljzeera infographic released titled “What it means to be a Palestinian prisoner in Israel”.  This infographic explained that there are 6,500 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails. 536 of the prisoners are held under administrative detention, meaning they have had secret evidence brought against them and they are not allowed to know what they are accused of or defend themselves in court.  Another large concern right now is that holding Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails violates the Fourth Geneva Convention, because the prisoners are not being held in what is internationally viewed as occupied land.  

These articles really made me realize how much Israel is held at a different standard that other countries.  There are clear violations of international law, and some questions about human rights, that Israel basically just says “no that’s actually not happening and we are not breaking any laws.”  There have been many different reports of medical negligence, including sick prisoners being denied water.  I find it shocking that not more people hear about these incidents happening somewhere we view as an ally; the human rights accusations do not seem to fit within the stereotypes most Americans would give Israel.  

[keepitisrael-blog]

To start, it goes without saying that clearly there are problems with this. Secret evidence sounds like something an eight year old made up during a game of cops and robbers that he was losing, but because it was at his step-dad’s place in Portland, whatever he says goes. Infinite detention also reeks of potential abuse.

However, as I expected from an infographic, especially one from a politically skewed group such as Aljazeera, there’s not a lot of in depth analysis. It is no surprise that Aljazeera posted something trashing Israel. Again, that doesn’t completely negate the fact that this practice isn’t good, so the information isn’t necessarily bad, but rather incomplete. 

It’s obviously silly to assume that all of these prisoners are bent on destruction, but if Israel were to let prisoners go, the risk of some of them being “bad hombres” is too great. Normally I’d advocate for this practice (not having Palestinian prisoners), but it can’t be ignored that as long as Palestine isn’t a legitimate state and doesn’t offer the intensive services as other states do, such as a reliable police force and justice system, there are little to no assurances that the released prisoners would be held in check.

Chances are, if people in the prisons are going as far as partaking in hunger strikes, the situation there is far from perfect, but at the same time, the ideal thought of Israel simply not having them creates a new set of problems, problems that could potentially impact the peace process.

Clearly Israel has some explaining to do with the use of secret evidence, but internationally, the use of that evidence and indefinite detainment can be justified because of lack of Palestine reliability.

And as Americans, we should not be taking ANY high ground here as long as Guantanamo Bay is still open. The acts committed by the US during and following the Iraq war are deplorable. There have been more than one hunger strikes at Guantanamo. Not only do we have that stain on our (very recent) history, but prison conditions at home aren’t the spitting image of perfection either. How many non-violent drug offenders are currently in the system? Hell, Nebraska is dealing with our own overpopulation issues in our prison system.

In all, there are very real problems with the prison system in Israel, but the infographic provides no real alternative, nor any solution to the problem. It points out the negatives of Israel’s actions, seemingly to just stir the pot. There’s some useful information, such as the information on child prisoners (which you’d be pressed to try and justify those numbers,) but for the most part, I’m not too emotionally swayed by this infographic.

[polisci477-blog]

Trump Drops The Hammer

The United States just recently dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan. This attack targeted a series of caves and tunnels being utilized by the Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan. This is coming a week after a U.S. soldier was killed in the same district where the bomb was dropped, while conducting operations against the Islamic State. President Trump described the bombing as a “very successful mission.” This was clearly another demonstration of Trump flexing the muscle of the U.S. military, after striking the Syrian airbase just a few days ago in response to Assad’s use of Sarin gas on his citizens. It seems that with each successful attack, Trump becomes more emboldened and could potentially over escalate a situation if he isn’t careful. However, it is clear that president Trump is proud of his chosen courses of action in the Middle East as he stated, “If you look at what’s happened over the last eight weeks and compare that really to what’s happened over the last eight years, you’ll see that there’s a tremendous difference.” This new strong armed approach in the Middle East could potentially lead to positive results (as anything is possible); however, it is much more likely to lead to further chaos in the region as we continue to flex our muscle at every turn.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-bomb-idUSKBN17F27U

[keepitisrael-blog]

The use of the MOAB is definitely a change of pace, and is a little worrying. I’m not ready to overreact quite yet, however the use of it is telling of Trump’s take on foreign policy. If anything, this is starting to look like foreign policy as usual, albeit a little more powerful, hence my little bit of worry. Trump should just go back to the drone strike method that Obama was a fan of, although I can’t help but wonder if the anti war left has truly come out of hiding and would make every drone strike public knowledge. Regardless, these last two strikes have been so much bigger than anything in the recent past that its no surprise that they’ve been all over the news.

What’s more worrying than the strikes in the area is the support they’re getting from the media. Brian Williams looked like he was going to ask the footage of the tomahawks to marry him. The more support he gets from people in the media like him, the more likely these strikes will continue, and they just might get bigger and more dangerous for our foreign policy. 

Also I thought it was a little fun that US funds are partially responsible for the creation of the tunnels we destroyed in the attack. Got to love the way the US enjoys arming militants and then having those militants become terrorists. 

[keepitisrael-blog]

Today in History, on History

Pepsi got pretty lucky this week, as their newest commercial, which received heat from just about everyone, was largely forgotten in the wake of the United Airlines incident. Not do be outdone, Sean Spicer decided to compete for ‘The Dumbest Thing Done all Week Heavyweight Champion of the World.’ And to be sure, as expected of the Trump train, they’re still winning and we are definitely getting tired of it. But it isn’t just us USA citizens who find ourselves reacting like we’re in a never-ending Arrested Development/The Office crossover episode. This time, the comment was so ridiculous Israel couldn’t keep quiet.

“The White House urgently needs a history teacher.” -  The Knesset Israel-US Relations Caucus Chairman MK Nachman Shai

In case you’ve been lucky enough to avoid social media today and thus have missed all the stories you wished you’d never hear, Sean Spicer took time today to speak out against Assad and his chemical weapons attacks. Putting a dollar into Dr. Kohen’s “Nazi Jar,” Spicer tried his best to portray Assad as bad as the infamous Hitler and the Nazi regime. You’d think comparing the two wouldn’t be too difficult, as comparing any of Assad’s actions to Hitler’s would smear his image to the American public, and perhaps provide a little more support for US actions against Syria. That would have been the case if Spicer had the ability to remove his foot from his mouth at any given time. Instead, his comparison went south as he said that not even Hitler used chemical weapons attacks in WWII.

Not that gas chambers aren’t one of the most well known and horrifying examples of the exact opposite, being a pretty solid reason as to why Hitler wasn’t such a good guy.

This, apparently, wasn’t clear to Spicer and he totally missed it. Israel representatives are, as expected, not taking the whole thing well.  Transportation Minister Israel Katz from the Likud party said that Israel, “Must demand that he apologize or resign.”

This also comes after the administration’s failure to properly recognize the Jews as the Holocaust’s primary victims on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. 

For an administration that started out looking like staunch Israel supporters, they’re doing an awful job at supporting them as a majority Jewish state. Clearly appealing to the alt-right section of supporters is more important than appealing to the Jewish part of Israel.

And if it’s not, they’re doing a bad job at showing us anything different.

[savageszn2017-blog]

The costs just out weigh the benefits. The US has taken over a lot of the baggage from past empires like England and France’s actions in the Middle East. The US is clearly doing so to have more influence in the region. However, the costs for such influence may be too high. The Costs of such an influence can be monetary costs, but the most impacting costs are political and social costs. For instance, there is a lot of policy that needs to be put into place to keep the influence in the Middle East prosperous, this policy is taking away from time that can be spend on policy that can continue to developed America into a better democratic country. Also, social costs are seen in the many deaths and horrible acts that come at the cost of operations in the Middle East that have the US stapled on it. The reputation of the US is constantly threatened with every engagement in the Middle East. A threat that is not necessary, there are many countries in the Middle East that have the military capability of assuming the role of the US. However, fear of Eastern influence in the region obviously accounts for all the costs that the region comes with.

[israelmiddleeast-blog]

There needs to be an influential, democratic actor aiding in the Syrian conflict—that is certain. A common thought is that the United States cannot effectively fulfill its role as global hegemon while the Trump administration’s foreign policy is erratic at best. The “leader of the free world” should not respond to war crimes by saying “’something should happen’ with the Syrian leader.”

However, to play devil’s advocate, perhaps this sporadic and unprepared foreign policy could make foreign governments’ more concerned with U.S. (military) action? Most were not afraid of President Obama, particularly after he failed to act after Syria initially “crossed the line.”

Likely, this isn’t true. Especially given the Trump administration’s close relationship with Russia. But almost anything is a possibility when there is no plan of action, or levelheaded leadership.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-military-drawing-up-options-for-syria-response-1491499835

[keepitisrael-blog]

The US should continue the “sideline” role we have played. I’m not too grand on the aspect of going to war with Syria. There are plenty of others in the region who can give assistance, but we don’t need to send troops over just to boost the president’s popularity against an evil leader. Obviously a non-interventionist policy can’t be used to maintain US hegemony, but I don’t see sending troops to Syria as necessary to maintain that. We have big allies in the area, and although some of the leaders Trump is meeting with aren’t the greatest, such as Egypt’s, having those connections can also prove useful. There’s also Israel

[keepitisrael-blog]

That posted without me actually finishing.

Like I was saying, Israel has top notch capabilities; I feel like we need to take advantage of our allies. What is the point if we are the only ones to actually do something? I’m not saying we shouldn’t do something at all, clearly what is going on in Syria shouldn’t be tolerated,but it needs an international response, not just a US response. We shouldn’t be so quick to run into the middle east again, nor should we get heavily involved so quickly in a situation with Russian involvement. 

Many people preferred Trump over Hillary BECAUSE of her response towards Syria, stating she wanted to make the airspace a no-fly zone, meaning conflict with Russia would be practically unavoidable. It would go against one a the few remaining things Trump hasn’t flipped on quite yet, which would hurt his slim chance at reelection already.

The United States shouldn’t be ready for more heavy involvement when we have many allies to help, especially with Israel because it should be a major security issue for them as is.

[savageszn2017-blog]

The costs just out weigh the benefits. The US has taken over a lot of the baggage from past empires like England and France’s actions in the Middle East. The US is clearly doing so to have more influence in the region. However, the costs for such influence may be too high. The Costs of such an influence can be monetary costs, but the most impacting costs are political and social costs. For instance, there is a lot of policy that needs to be put into place to keep the influence in the Middle East prosperous, this policy is taking away from time that can be spend on policy that can continue to developed America into a better democratic country. Also, social costs are seen in the many deaths and horrible acts that come at the cost of operations in the Middle East that have the US stapled on it. The reputation of the US is constantly threatened with every engagement in the Middle East. A threat that is not necessary, there are many countries in the Middle East that have the military capability of assuming the role of the US. However, fear of Eastern influence in the region obviously accounts for all the costs that the region comes with.

[israelmiddleeast-blog]

There needs to be an influential, democratic actor aiding in the Syrian conflict—that is certain. A common thought is that the United States cannot effectively fulfill its role as global hegemon while the Trump administration’s foreign policy is erratic at best. The “leader of the free world” should not respond to war crimes by saying “’something should happen’ with the Syrian leader.”

However, to play devil’s advocate, perhaps this sporadic and unprepared foreign policy could make foreign governments’ more concerned with U.S. (military) action? Most were not afraid of President Obama, particularly after he failed to act after Syria initially “crossed the line.”

Likely, this isn’t true. Especially given the Trump administration’s close relationship with Russia. But almost anything is a possibility when there is no plan of action, or levelheaded leadership.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-military-drawing-up-options-for-syria-response-1491499835

[keepitisrael-blog]

The US should continue the "sideline" role we have played. I'm not too grand on the aspect of going to war with Syria. There are plenty of others in the region who can give assistance, but we don't need to send troops over just to boost the president's popularity against an evil leader. Obviously a non-interventionist policy can't be used to maintain US hegemony, but I don't see sending troops to Syria as necessary to maintain that. We have big allies in the area, and although some of the leaders Trump is meeting with aren't the greatest, such as Egypt's, having those connections can also prove useful. There's also Israel

[keepitisrael-blog]

Unauthorized Building

It looks like there’s some heat in the Israel/Palestine region as one state is getting a little upset that some buildings/homes are going up without permission.

Aaaaand it’s Israel.

Like, you have to see the irony there.

Members of the EU are being targeted by Israel for illegal construction in Area C, specifically in Ma’aleh Adumim and the South Hebron Hills. The construction has actually been going on for a few years in order to house displaced people in the areas, one project actually being a school. Because such building has been labeled as humanitarian aid, it is thus in accordance with international law, however it does come into conflict with Israeli law. This, to Israel, is seen as a breach of sovereignty. The reaction to the building comes in the wake of the chemical weapons attacks in Syria today, and Israel is using these attacks as a way of telling the EU that there are other humanitarian issues to worry about.

Now don’t get me wrong, the EU has Palestinians in mind when creating these houses, and it really is a humanitarian issue, however I do see Israel’s point in that the EU is violating Israel law, and I see that a slight breach of sovereignty. And Syria’s use of chemical weapons on its citizens should be getting more attention.

However it is still a problem that EU members should focus some energy on, and the hypocrisy of Israel made me chuckle. As they demolish Palestinian buildings and build their own settlements further in the West Bank, they are yelling at the EU for building simple homes and schools in their land. 

Politics can be a hoot when it isn’t threatening my life.

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israel-summons-EU-official-over-support-for-illegal-construction-in-Area-C-486114

[israelpalestineblog2017-blog]

Arab League

Today, in Jordan on the dead sea, the leaders of the Arab League met and discussed possible solutions for the Palestine-Israel problem in the Middle east, with a support of a two-state solution being accepted by these leaders. 

One fascinating quote that came out of the meeting was as follows:

‘Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar’s Emir, said: “We are required to jointly and seriously act to put pressure on the international community and the [UN] Security Council to reject the inception of an apartheid system in the 21st century.” ‘

What struck me the most from this quote were two different things. First, Qatar is in support of the UNSC to intervene (interpret as you will) to prevent the problem of the apartheid system, regarding Palestine and Israel’s control. I also was fascinated to hear the Sheikh call what is happening in Israel an apartheid system. I am not sure what to think of that description, but I find it a powerful attack against a very strong middle eastern power, namely Israel. 

As to be expected, the leaders who met in Jordan described a two-state solution as the basis to a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. While obvious, I am still confused as to how they expect to strike a deal with Israel when peace is not achieved, for Israel won’t even consider a deal if peace does not occur. This all culminates in an important discussion of Hamas, which was not addressed in the article. I find it disheartening that these leaders of the Arab League (or possibly just the article) did not point out that Hamas may cause a problem with Israel striking a deal, and that they did not make strides to finding a solution in which Hamas would be involved. 

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/03/arab-league-reject-apartheid-system-palestine-170329173919757.html

[keepitisrael-blog]

Maybe their lack of including Hamas means they don't really see them as a player in the community quite yet? After all, they have yet to work with current Palestinian Authority. They may be making steps in that direction, but they're just now accepting peace possibilities. No one in the international community is just going to forget about their colored past because they're starting to make progress. With that being said, I don't think that they won't ever become a part of this process. If peace is going to be achieved, I honestly believe they'll need to be included. However, it's just too soon. The region has gone quite a while without peace already, so I doubt the process will be rushed anytime soon.

It does make me wonder how Hamas will change in the next few months if they're going to become a legitimate political power in Palestine. At what point will others in the region, and internationally, will Hamas start being seen as Palestinian Authority?

And if Hamas doesn't take all the proper steps, could peace be achieved without them? I personally don't think so, but it's an interesting thought nonetheless.

[keepitisrael-blog]

The Art of the (Peace) Deal

The peace envoy sent by the Trump Administration, Jason Greenblatt, met with Mahmoud Abbas today, among other leaders attending the Arab League summit, in what has been described as a “follow-up meeting” before Abbas heads to Washington in the upcoming weeks. He also met with the European Union Foreign Policy chief, Federica Mogherini, discussing the Israel-Palestine situation; and he plans to hold more talks in the following days as the summit goes on.

It’s starting to look apparent that achieving a peace deal is priority for this administration. Aside from some of the damaged relations with our allies, which are by no means at a critical level, US foreign policy doesn’t seem to be slowing down much (yet). Abbas has already had a phone call with president Trump, met with his envoy, and will be meeting the president himself for the first time in the next few weeks. Palestine is actually getting attention that many feared would be absent from this administration, which was fueled by the ‘unbreakable Israel support’ sentiments expressed by the president elect at the time. Now that Abbas is getting the president’s attention, as well as a slowing of new Israeli settlements, those fears are slowly starting to be put to rest.

Although this is work in the right direction, and I doubt many are too upset, these talks have yet to provide any substance. I personally do not hold much confidence that the meeting with Abbas and future actions by this administration will achieve the endgame of peace, but that sentiment has less to do with the administration and more with the potential stubbornness of Israel and Palestine (I’m a pessimist).

Even with that being said, I still find myself a little anxious about Abbas coming to the US. Within the last few weeks, there has been a clear effort made by the Trump administration to work on issues in the middle east, and the Israel-Palestine conflict has the most attention as of now. These actions have actually really surprised me, as I was unsure if US foreign policy would be able to receive proper attention while domestic issues/concerns were so prevalent. Achieving any significant leaps in the peace process would really be great for Trump and his reputation, which is at an all time low. He edit his book, “The Art of the Deal”, and include achieving peace in the middle east! 

Alright so that’s unlikely, but still, hopes of peace haven’t been flushed quite yet, so I’ll try to maintain some level of optimism.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/trumps-peace-envoy-back-in-region-for-fresh-talks/

[israelmiddleeast-blog]

Travel Ban 2.0 Blocked

https://www.wsj.com/articles/hawaii-judge-blocks-trumps-revised-travel-ban-1489618057

In another attempt to further deteriorate U.S.–Middle East relations, Donald Trump has issued a revised version of his former “travel ban” executive order. The initial ban, blocking any person from one of seven countries from entering the United States regardless of their green card status, was speedily revoked and deemed unconstitutional by numerous courts. His latest ban was also deemed unconstitutional by a Hawaii judge, and this article implies that any sort of directive Trump takes at banning Muslims from the U.S. is going to be denied.

While Trump may have learned his lesson from the heavy criticism after he said the U.S. would favor Christians over Muslims, Judge Watson of Hawaii stated in a 43-page opinion that banning any person from a Muslim-majority country violated the Constitution and American secularism.

What is most concerning about these repeated attempts at barring Muslims are if a ban actually does make it through the court system. This will set a precedent for legalized religious discrimination, as well as bring new meaning to the establishment clause. Relations between the U.S. and Middle Eastern and Muslim-majority states are crumbling because of the new administrations hateful rhetoric, and it will make diplomatic relations in the Middle East exceedingly difficult if the U.S. if refusing entry to their citizens.

[keepitisrael-blog]

I find it laughable that it was essentially his own team that sentenced this new executive order to die before it was even released. Giuliani’s comments about how the original was essentially a Muslim ban made it hard to pass in the first place, and although this second one might have stood a chance, Stephen Miller decided to say that although technicalities within the order would change, it would provide the same basic policy outcome. So it wasn’t hard for a judge to look at those two statements together and reject it. Isn’t it nice when the people pushing for executive orders a majority of people don’t want are the ones at fault for stopping it? Gotta love it.

As far as Middle East relations go, I don’t think this would ultimately lead to a failure of diplomatic relations in the area. For what it’s worth, Iraq was taken off the list of banned countries, which is one of the few countries on the list with some influence. And of course, Saudi Arabia’s crowned prince did just say that Donald Trump is a true friend of the Muslims, so as long as relations with Saudi Arabia, the real political powerhouse in the region, remain as they are, I don’t see future diplomatic relations being too negatively impacted. Besides, we have already been on iffy terms with countries on the list because of actions done by our  last administration. After all, we gave guns to Syrian rebels, helped destabilize Libya, and have been supporting Saudi Arabia in their efforts in Yemen.

I’ll worry more when bans start impacting countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE (not that these bans don’t already have me worried.) But as far as foreign policy goes, I won’t say that Trump has done irreversible damage quite yet, even if he is adding to the mess that is US foreign policy. 

Also he did have a phone call with Mahmoud Abbas, so the Palestine/Israel problem isn’t necessarily in flames yet either.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/saudi-arabia-donald-trump-deputy-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-true-friend-muslims-white-house-a7630546.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/15/stephen-miller-new-trump-travel-ban

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Who, me?

Jason Greenblatt is heading to the middle east as Trump’s top advisor on Israel, which even surprised him when the honor was given. Although he knew that he’d be involved, the 0 diplomat experience lawyer didn’t quite expect he’d be filling such big shoes. I suppose if I were a real estate lawyer, I wouldn’t expect to be given such a big spot in a team of foreign policy advisors. Apparently there’s a theme going on where experience isn’t as important as one would assume but hey, at least the guy’s a lawyer.

Aside from the usual confusion with position picks in this administration, I wouldn’t say that his visits will be something terrible. In fact, it’s probably a good thing, as it’s an indication of the administration bringing Palestine into the picture. This is especially necessary after Trump’s comments on a one state solution and supporting whatever solution the two like. 

Although Trump isn’t exactly digging the hole deeper quite yet, as he recently had a phone call with Mahmoud Abbas, in which they discussed a potential White House visit and how to resume talks between Israel and Palestine. Sending Jason Greenblatt to talk with both Abbas and Netanyahu seems to be an addition to the effort of including both sides.

What remains to be seen, like in most talk from Trump, is what will come from it. I don’t think it’s exactly a partisan ideal to say he has a tendency to talk big game and not follow through (see current wiretapping situation, as Spicer is trying to backtrack on what Trump originally tweeted.) In fact, I wouldn’t even consider myself to be a democrat/liberal, so I’m really not bashing for the sake of doing so.

I’m hoping that, for a man who talks big game, we see results. Granted, the issue between Israel and Palestine isn’t exactly an easily solvable one, so even some progress would be welcomed, especially from the US, who’s position has been much to obscure as of late. I’m just not convinced we will see any results quite yet.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/13/trump-adviser-greenblatt-meet-israeli-palestinian-netanyahu-abbas-leaders-peace-talks

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/03/donald-trump-invites-mahmoud-abbas-white-house-170310181300100.html

[keepitisrael-blog]

Progress?

Although there was a lot of contention over how effective this move will be today in class, it should go without saying that Hamas splitting ties with other groups really is a good thing. Relations with groups like the Muslim Brotherhood will do nothing but hold them back in terms of legitimacy as a potential governing body. The acceptance of the pre 1967 borders also says a lot about where the organization is heading. Sure, it would make more sense for them to recognize Israel already, but by agreeing to those borders, they have all but verbally accepted the state of Israel. Why else would they accept the borders if not to infer Israel's existence/legitimacy. Either they're still trying to please the base of Hamas that refuses to accept them or they're trying not give in completely until they have some sort of position of power in any future peace discussions. It's definitely a smart move, I don't think there would be any disagreement there. A step in the right direction is great, but whether or not Hamas can continue to advance in this direction is another story, but this move makes it clear that that hope is not lost. http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/1.775939

[keepitisrael-blog]

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Travel Bans

Israel has taken a page from the Trump administration’s book of controversial decisions. After the failed first attempt at a travel ban, and the news of another order being signed, Israel jumped on board with their own version of a ban. Instead of a few countries, this ban could impact anyone from any country. Brought fourth by the Knesset Interior, the bill signed would allow the visas or permanent residencies of any foreigner to be rejected on the basis of whether or not they support the boycotting of Israel. This includes, but is not limited to, the illegal settlements. Wow, way to one up our administration. As pointed out in the article, and expressed by MK Dov Khenin, the bill really excludes a lot of people from applying for visas and residencies. And I absolutely agree. The international community has been very clear on the legality of settlements. The Supreme Court in Israel has even been clear on such matters! These settlements are not legal, and for a bill to be pushed through that would deny any foreigner from visas because of boycotting settlements? Ridiculous. Did they learn nothing of the outcry in the US regarding a much less intense ban? Keep digging that hole, Israel, maybe you’ll find that two state solution somewhere at the center of the Earth. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.775614?v=B35F89CFEDDD2B0A947D42BF8513ADF1

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Wiretapping

Yeah I'd put my chips on the 'Obama didn't do it' side of things, and that Trump is doing what he does best (running his mouth and making non sensible claims.) I do roll my eyes, however, when we have James Clapper defending Obama. Yeah, let's trust the guy who lied to Congress about the extent of the NSA spying in the US. Had Clapper said such a thing during Trump's administration, we'd be seeing him in flames right now. Why is it that Clapper never got in half of what we see Sessions enduring right now? Sessions is a real piece of work, to be sure, and his dealings involve Russia, which make it into another matter, but I do hear so much about how bad it is to lie to Congress. So where was that same heat when Clapper denied allegations of the NSA encroaching on every single American's constitutionally protected rights? I believe Clapper should be giving his statement on Trump's newest conspiracy theory from behind bars, if I'm being honest. In my opinion, I don't think we should be looking at Bush today as some cute old man who paints nice things, nor should we be looking back on Obama's presidency like some perfect diamond among the rubble that is US politics. Their policies are what started and intensified the NSA and their mass intrusion into our daily lives. Edward Snowden gave up his comfortable life to tell us these things, and continues to help us (president of an organization that helps teach journalists and whistle blowers how to survive in today's technological world.) This administration is a mess, but it doesn't get any cleaner by acknowledging the faults in the previous administrations.

[keepitisrael-blog]

Potential for a one state solution?

According to the Israeli UN representative, Danny Danon, it isn’t likely.

When interviewed about current International affairs and the new US ambassador to the UN, talk about a solution between Palestine and Israel (expectedly) came into question. His comments are especially interesting to me after this last week in class, when it became apparent that a one state solution is not only unrealistic, but incredibly detrimental to the future of Israel. Danon talks about how he isn’t aware of any major part of their government going for a single state solution, which I find to be a good thing.

Danon, within the article, also talks about how well he thinks the Trump administration has been handling the antisemitism within the US. I may not agree with him on that point, as I don’t see how Trump’s administration has really pushed for a stop to such acts in any major way, I do hope that Danon’s point on the Israel-Palestine problem isn’t as exaggerated. I’d really hope that he knows what he’s talking about in this case. Even if no action isn’t a step in the right direction, it is much better than actively sprinting the other way, which is what a one state solution really is.

All in all, let’s hope his comment on the probability of a one state solution is more credible than his comment on how well the Trump administration is handling the growing antisemitism in the US.

http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Danon-to-Post-new-horizons-for-Israel-at-UN-483116