A STUDENT'S THOUGHTS ON THE MIDDLE EAST

POLS477 Student Blog

[lmepal-blog]

Looking Back:

My time in POLS477 has served me well. I came into this class knowing next to nothing and over the course of time, I’ve learned so much. I think the hardest part was figuring out the timeline of when certain people existed, who they were and what they did significantly and then integrating it for the readings. It was just overwhelming with the amount of information needed for the midterm, which if you all must know, I did horrible on. I’m hoping with good focus, some sleep, group review, and coffee, this final will go much better.

The blogging assignment was AWESOME - way better than writing another paper. This was more interactive and as time went on, I get super into it and it helped then with my focus for this class. It made it easier to understand the current events now and the people who are creating them and helped establish a bit of the timeline that was more difficult (from what was mentioned above).

My absolute favorite part about this class was the final summit. Dr. Kohen made a good point today in lecture: with all of the work that goes into trying to reach a solution for this inherent problem, even if you do agree on one aspect, it raises questions to five other topics as they all seem to interrelate. There is no solution that will be ideal, but as soon as viable leadership decision makers come into play, that’s when change will happen. That’s when this ‘stalemate’ (of sorts) will hopefully break free of the chains that have wrapped themselves around this situation. I think the greatest and most helpful change to happen is Yesh Atid gaining majority. After extra research on them after the summit, I found that I find them to be the best possible and (would-be) most responsive leadership that could replace Likud in the next election. Again, as Dr. Kohen said, this won’t last forever - something will change soon, but the question is “What?” and “When?”

All around, this was a great class, though I feel a bit of a more informative intro (cough, cough: a timeline and people) would’ve definitely helped in the very beginning just because I had to idea what was going on. Thanks, Dr. Kohen and the entire class, for a great semester! @pols477

[rightistheleftsmuse-blog]

ISIS appears to be close to collapse

I’ve been reading a lot about ISIS of late. This Kevin Drum article appears to say what military planners have been predicting for some time – that ISIS cannot hold on to territory nor govern effectively with its chief resource is little more than a mad-max version of esprit ‘d corp.  Who is responsible for this collapse? It is not a WW 2 like allied invasion force of unified forces coordinating infantry like Patton and Eisenhower.  According to Drum it is in fact “loosely allied forces” that include Kurdish YPG, Peshmerga, the Iraqi army and Shiite militias.

Air power has played a role in denying or greatly curtailing ISIS ability to pump and sell oil. Oil is currently being moved across the border by black marketeers one barrel at a time or a few barrels at a time in trucks, according to Malcom Nance. Crude oil is being refined into inefficient heating oil and diesel in backyard pits dug as makeshift refineries. That is just one tip of the modern infrastructure iceberg that is broken. 

With no meaningful, responsive government, no economic infrastructure beyond pillaging the country of cash and valuables, and no legitimizing attributes other than a 7 century moral code to which they add social media, ISIS was and is doomed to failure. The question has never been can they be stopped or can they be defeated - but what resources are we willing to spend and what level of human and material destruction are we willing to tolerate.

All of which makes me wonder about the neoconservatives constant haranguing about Obama foreign policy. In the end, having spent little on military intervention, world affairs may work out in the direction of his policy all along (although the disposition of Assad is a major fly in the ointment). It could be that with nothing more than commitment of air power, advisers and some special forces, ISIS falls and some form of status quo returns to the region. That’s not ideal, but is the realist formula (although obviously many of these players are not legitimate “states” in the realist formulation). 

[lmepal-blog]

It’s almost too good to be true: “the Islamic State had lost 40 percent of the territory it controlled at its peak in 2014″, then after a stupid little comma, “a figure that excludes the most recent advances”. Boom - realism. Is the status quo ideal like @rightistheleftsmuse just mentioned? No probably not.. But it does give the region stability once again, and now the past fews years as an example of what happens when there is too much instability: a fundamentalist group rising to power as leaders of opposition groups to major states, were also opposers of those same fundamentalists and actually helped keep them at bay. 

What I honestly don’t quite understand is what would happen if those that we support fighting ISIL overtook Mosul right away.. Though it’d be chaos, it would be at any point in which they would deem it appropriate to retake the territory. I guess the whole point though is to minimize the potential damage and coming up with a half-way decent plan. 

I laughed when I read the last paragraph about the Republicans. If this were the Bush Administration (I think I can speak for many people..) we would’ve been in the Middle East before we could could even say ‘George Dub-ya’. I think that if we take the time to decide what resources are available and what we can spare as man power, then I think minimizing the damage will be the best chance in maybe at least getting halfway back to the status quo.

[a-kanyeforpresident-blog]

I’ve blogged a few times now about the fall of ISIS, and this piece has reaffirmed my belief that ISIS proper is in a lot of trouble. While I don’t want to underestimate ISIS’s capabilities, their fall now seems to be in near(ish) future. Below I’ve posted a link about yet another U.S. strategy in combating ISIS, one which I believe will be equally as effective as air strikes, and actual fighting. The internet, up until now, has been ISIS’s greatest friend and ally, and now that the U.S. will be dedicating a full task force to cutting off their payments and disrupting their communication their fall seems even more likely. I had earlier said “ISIS proper,” because they still have sleeper cells all across the world, but now, if the U.S. can really get into their internal online systems, I think these sleeper cells will be a.) cut off from “ISIS proper” and b.) be quickly tracked down and arrested through by tracking their online communications. 

What to do after their fall in Syria will be extremely interesting, and will have me and many others on edge. I think the Obama admin.(and HRC), because of Libya, has learned a great deal about what not to do when a power vacuum is created, but if Hillary is not the one to carry on his foreign policy objectives I think Syria and the rest of the region could just as easily fall back in to chaos. If, say, Trump takes office next fall, not only will I be worried for the outcome of our own country, but I think the Middle East/Syria will be worse off as well. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/25/us/politics/us-directs-cyberweapons-at-isis-for-first-time.html?_r=0

[lmepal-blog]

I agree that we still should not underestimate their ways of financially finding ways to still promote their ideology. It’s a great tactic though that I think the US or it’s allies should’ve attacked from the very beginning! And I also think that those sleeper cells will have a falling out with mainland group, make mistakes because they don’t have guidance, and eventually get caught and tried - though this will be a whole different discussion of who gets to decide the punishment they receive, especially if Syria is still in a disarray. 

I’ll be right there with you @a-kanyeforpresident! Many I think will try to go on the run as many Nazis did, across the world after the dissolution of the Nazi empire. But the difference now is that its now - not the ‘40s or ‘50s. Also, this will be much different because though I think most would try to find refuge with sympathizers, it was still a war on ideology, so maybe a few have a higher chance of disappearing - unless Anonymous gets ahold of them..

[rightistheleftsmuse-blog]

ISIS appears to be close to collapse

I’ve been reading a lot about ISIS of late. This Kevin Drum article appears to say what military planners have been predicting for some time – that ISIS cannot hold on to territory nor govern effectively with its chief resource is little more than a mad-max version of esprit ‘d corp.  Who is responsible for this collapse? It is not a WW 2 like allied invasion force of unified forces coordinating infantry like Patton and Eisenhower.  According to Drum it is in fact “loosely allied forces” that include Kurdish YPG, Peshmerga, the Iraqi army and Shiite militias.

Air power has played a role in denying or greatly curtailing ISIS ability to pump and sell oil. Oil is currently being moved across the border by black marketeers one barrel at a time or a few barrels at a time in trucks, according to Malcom Nance. Crude oil is being refined into inefficient heating oil and diesel in backyard pits dug as makeshift refineries. That is just one tip of the modern infrastructure iceberg that is broken. 

With no meaningful, responsive government, no economic infrastructure beyond pillaging the country of cash and valuables, and no legitimizing attributes other than a 7 century moral code to which they add social media, ISIS was and is doomed to failure. The question has never been can they be stopped or can they be defeated - but what resources are we willing to spend and what level of human and material destruction are we willing to tolerate.

All of which makes me wonder about the neoconservatives constant haranguing about Obama foreign policy. In the end, having spent little on military intervention, world affairs may work out in the direction of his policy all along (although the disposition of Assad is a major fly in the ointment). It could be that with nothing more than commitment of air power, advisers and some special forces, ISIS falls and some form of status quo returns to the region. That’s not ideal, but is the realist formula (although obviously many of these players are not legitimate “states” in the realist formulation). 

[lmepal-blog]

It’s almost too good to be true: “the Islamic State had lost 40 percent of the territory it controlled at its peak in 2014″, then after a stupid little comma, “a figure that excludes the most recent advances”. Boom - realism. Is the status quo ideal like @rightistheleftsmuse just mentioned? No probably not.. But it does give the region stability once again, and now the past fews years as an example of what happens when there is too much instability: a fundamentalist group rising to power as leaders of opposition groups to major states, were also opposers of those same fundamentalists and actually helped keep them at bay. 

What I honestly don’t quite understand is what would happen if those that we support fighting ISIL overtook Mosul right away.. Though it’d be chaos, it would be at any point in which they would deem it appropriate to retake the territory. I guess the whole point though is to minimize the potential damage and coming up with a half-way decent plan. 

I laughed when I read the last paragraph about the Republicans. If this were the Bush Administration (I think I can speak for many people..) we would’ve been in the Middle East before we could could even say ‘George Dub-ya’. I think that if we take the time to decide what resources are available and what we can spare as man power, then I think minimizing the damage will be the best chance in maybe at least getting halfway back to the status quo.

[thepreppypolitique-blog]

Realities of Today’s Attack in Jerusalem

http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/18/middleeast/jerusalem-bus-explosion/index.html

Earlier today, a bus in Jerusalem was deliberately attacked. 21 people were injured and the details continue to trickle in. There has already been controversy surrounding the incident. No one has claimed responsibility yet, but there has been questions about whether or not this can be classified as a terrorist attack.

One thing is certain, when the state no longer has a monopoly on violence and civilians are targeted, the purpose of the attack was to create panic. This sounds a lot like a terrorist attack to me. Attacks like this one have the potential to disrupt normalcy and make civilians feel like they aren’t safe in their own communities. As more information comes in, we’ll have a better idea of what the long-term effects are.

[thekingfish-ip]

http://www.timesofisrael.com/after-attack-netanyahu-vows-to-settle-score-with-bus-bomber/

Netenyahu has vowed to find those responsible for carrying out and planning the bombing vowing to “settle the account with these terrorists.” It seems bizarre to me that none of the usual suspects have claimed responsibility for this attack. 

Apparently the police believe one of the people injured in the blast might have been the one who set the bomb. Whether its him or not, I hope that the Israeli’s find whoever is responsible quickly. I also hope that the bomber was acting alone, and this bombing doesn’t lead to another IDF incursion into Gaza. 

[traveltheworldobsession-blog]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/04/18/israeli-rescue-service-explosion-jerusalem-bus/83183036/

I too have been following this story closely since it relates to the class. Jerusalem has been a topic of discussion for awhile now. I agree with @thepreppypolitique this act was clearly done to site violence and to create panic. I think it is strange that Hamas has already said it was not them, but they approved of the violence. So who was it then? For the past couple of year terrorist attacks like this have not been as much as an issue in Israel itself, I am starting to think that the violence in that area is only going to start rising with the international issues that are surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the lack of negotiations between the Likud-run Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. As much as I also hope this was just a ‘lone’ attack, I have a sinking feeling this could be Hamas driven or another radical group that is looking to make a loud statement. Fortunately for the Israeli government they do not lack in security and will likely figure out the source of the attack in the next coming weeks. 

[lmepal-blog]

I have to agree that possibly it could be either a faction, angry that Hamas wants to join with Fatah in discussions and ‘vocalizing’ their opinion; or, it could also be ISIL - a ‘subtle’ way to say they’ve now entered Israel. (Why not? Attempted mass murder is a great way to do announce your presence. #Sarcasm) I think just the fact itself that no one has taken responsibility is unsettling. Then again, it could’ve been a bombing an Israeli citizen taking it upon themselves to do this in the name of ISIL, similar to France.

With something like this happening once again, you would think that Israelis and Palestinians would come together to figure out what the heck is going on, but I guess that just makes too much sense.. #SarcasmAgain At least we have Likud all for getting the people responsible! 

I haven’t found any evidence of this yet with the few details that we have at this point, but do we know if the exploded bus was replaced with another to keep the route going throughout the rest of the day? It would be interesting to see the people react the same way they did in 2006. 

In agreement with President Rivlin, “Our prayers for a speedy recovery go out to those injured in the terror attack, being treated as we speak in hospitals across Jerusalem,” and for the two especially in critical condition!

[lmepal-blog]

Bus explosion in Jerusalem injures 10 to 20 people, Israeli aid agency tells CNN.

Bus explosion in Jerusalem injures 10 to 20 people, Israeli aid agency tells CNN. www.cnn.com It's just breaking news, so nothing to read about just yet - be awaiting updates!

[thepreppypolitique-blog]

Uneasiness Towards Kerry's Claims Proves Justifiable

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/13/world/middleeast/isis-iraq-syria.html?ref=middleeast&_r=0

A few weeks ago, Secretary of State John Kerry assured the world that ISIS was faltering. This was in light of the Belgian attacks, which ISIS claimed responsibility for. In response to these claims, I blogged about my concerns towards such lofty claims and the potential for them to be totally off-base.

It seems as if my concerns are warranted, as ISIS seems to be expanding. Despite American and other western powers’ efforts and, seemingly, against the odds, ISIS is growing. The number of attacks is increasing and the number of American members is growing. The ISIS problem is not going away any time soon and I fear it is going to get worse before it gets any better.

[lmepal-blog]

I read your post last time for sure and it seems like you were right. Also, as we discussed in class and as the article states, we are warring with an ideology, which has proven to be the most difficult to combat. In a terrorism course I took recently, it has been named as the ‘new age’ of terrorism in multiple texts. In addition, with what seems like their bottomless amount of funds they can pull from where the sun doesn’t shine, a competitive ideology, and an opposition makes for a ‘New Age’ kind of war.

In this article I just read (linked below), I read that ISIL (or IS as most are referring to) has been the most successful in is the “intelligence tradecraft”. Discussed are tactics stretching from effective propaganda, to cultural outreach in a totalitarian manner, and bribery and black mail to cash-strapped sleeper agents within their opposition, they are ruthless in coming up with new ways to collect information and new followers. This just is more evidence of how effective they are...

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35694297

[huffpostpolitics]

This Map Of Donald Trump’s Foreign Policy Would Be Funny If It Weren’t So True

Read more here.

[lmepal-blog]

Made me chuckle this morning !

[unlpols470]

From Israeli jail, ‘nonviolent’ bid to ‘free Palestine’ takes shape

Aiming to succeed Abbas, convicted murderer and Nobel-hopeful Marwan Barghouti said to coordinate campaign with Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad

Among the ideas, the sources said, are ending the Oslo Accords and everything connected to them, canceling PLO recognition of Israel until Israel recognizes a Palestinian state, a willingness to negotiate with Israel but in a new framework laid down at an international summit without the “People’s Revolution” having to stop, and ending security cooperation with Israel.

The steps of the plan, as agreed between the representatives of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah, are no less dramatic and are expected to confound the Israeli security forces and government if they are implemented. That is because they relate not to “armed resistance,” the sources said, but to actions that are considered nonviolent.

[thekingfish-ip]

Fascinating, and a huge potential scenario for us to explore in our simulations! Barghouti seems like the sort of complex and dedicated figure whom the Palestinians could unite behind. He has the militant and anti corruption cred to draw support from moderate Hamas supporters and yet is moderate enough to draw wide support from Fatah. In fact, I found a poll that says The 60% of Palestinians would vote for him for President. For Hamas leadership to appear open to the ‘67 borders is a massive step forward. From what few details are available, I think the Barghouti plan is the best chance yet for an independent Palestine. A non-violent popular uprising is precisely what a united Palestinian people would need. Such a such a campaign provides a framework for resistance that stands a chance to actually the Palestinian cause. A unified popular uprising could make things extremely difficult for Israel, both at home and in the perceptions of the global community.

[lmepal-blog]

I make the likeness to voting 2 Chainz into office.. except he didn’t kill people.. he just smokes a lot of weed and raps about inappropriate things. Just kidding - what I really would like to know is what murders he was involved in, if he really did do them and if this was just a way for Israel to quiet a solid contender to make real progress uniting the Palestinians. @thekingfish-ip made an amazing point: “a non-violent popular uprising is precisely what a untied Palestinian people would need.” Couldn’t have said it better myself! As we’ve discussed in class and what I think personally, the Palestinian-Palestinian conflict must be resolved before a successful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can be formulated. 

But I what I disagree with is if the rest of the world would sympathize and seriously consider him as the official Palestinian leader. I still feel like it would depend on those murders he supposedly committed. Can @pols477 confirm that the quick summary in the article below is factual?? Was he convicted via the results of multiple terrorist attacks on civilians?

http://hamodia.com/2016/03/06/report-arch-murderer-barghouti-tapped-for-nobel-peace-prize/

This is another article by Haaretz in 2009 from an Israeli perspective:

http://www.haaretz.com/news/livni-barghouti-is-a-murderer-he-cannot-be-released-1.281878

[thoughtshavei-blog]

Israel’s War on the Arabic Language

I am surprised at Israel’s apparent lack of concern with learning and understanding the Arabic language. Being in the Middle East, with neighboring Muslim countries for the sake of bettering relations with other countries and enabling diplomacy Israel should take a greater interest in encouraging citizens to learn Arabic.  Israel’s refusal to include the Arabic language in public places, despite a 2002 court ruling that all signs should be in Arabic as well, could be seen as similar to the United States reaction in incorporating Spanish.  Some Americans are vehemently opposed to learning Spanish, believing that English is American.  Israel exclusive of the Arabic language is slightly different though in that they are court mandated to post in the Arabic language.  Israel is also forcing Arab litigants who don’t understand Hebrew to pay for translation costs.  Additionally, public institutions such as hospitals, universities, transportation, the post office, and government ministries don’t translate Hebrew into Arabic.  This practice is highly discriminatory against Israeli Arabs and shouldn’t be tolerated in a democracy.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/04/israel-war-arabic-language-160404102325547.html

[loudlytinyflower-blog]

I’m thankful that you shared this article, and encourge others to read through it.  I agree with you that the exclusion of signs in Arabic, especially in public areas, should not be tolerated.  However, the only legal action that has been taken against this is human rights lawyers in Tel Aviv threatening the city with a contempt of court action.  Surprisingly, this is happening 14 years after the legislation was passed and not sooner.  In addition, I found it interesting that last week the Palestinian members of the Knesset switched to speaking Arabic.  As you mentioned, the parliament provides no translation services and most of the Jewish members, “like the rest of the Jewish population,” do not understand Arabic.  The point was made in the article that they had sacrificed their right to speak Arabic for the sake of the Jewish members understanding, however they weren’t being listened to anyways.  Although I think the English/Spanish and Hebrew/Arabic do have their differences, I really thought that there was a strong parallel when the article reported that “The hostile attitude of offficial bodies, including municipalities like Tel Aviv, encourages a general climate that treats Arabic as an alien and despised language,” said Jamal Zahalka, a Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset who is currently suspended from the parliament.

[ime16-blog]

Such a fascinating article… It’s always interesting to see how Israeli/Palestinian conflict reaches into all areas of life. I was really interested in the fact that Arabic as an official language is something left over from the British mandate period, since I feel like a fair amount of the legitimacy of the claims that Arabic needs to be included on the signs stems from the language’s official status. However, I think the inclusion or exclusion of Arabic on signs is less a matter of legality or even a matter of whether a large enough percentage of the population speaks the language to warrant its inclusion. I see it more as a symbolic gesture - by excluding Arabic, the message that Arabs themselves are not wanted is sent. I think the inclusion of English on signs supports this point, along with the slightly ridiculous excuse that including Arabic would mean “too much text” on signs. If they can find room for English on the signs, surely they can find room for Arabic, especially since it’s an official, widely-used language in the country. Nine times more people have Arabic as their first language than have English as their first language in Israel. (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4335235,00.html)

[alwaysbeeneasy-deactivated20160]

I think it’s interesting to take a look at all the figures involved in this controversy. First off, only 9 million people in the entire world, according to wikipedia(some sources list the number closer to 5 million) actually speak Hebrew, and a large portion of those do not speak it fluently.  It is not even one of the world’s 50 most-spoken languages. By comparison, some form of Arabic is spoken by almost 240 million people, the 5th most spoken language world-wide.  This is not even close to the same controversy occurring over Spanish/English controversy in the U.S., as those are the 2nd and 3rd most spoken languages in the world, respectively.  The Hebrew/Arabic argument would be more like if the United States chose to enforce Lakota Sioux as its main language and if u couldn’t speak it, you were S.O.L.  It’s almost like the Israeli government wants Israel to be a secret club that nobody else can be a part of unless they know the secret language.  Every country that borders Israel, speaks Arabic.  Why would they not want to make their country as hospitable to their neighbors as possible? I understand including English on signs, because English-speakers no doubt make up a majority of their tourism faction, but not including Arabic is almost a blatant announcement that they are not welcome inside Israel’s borders.

On top of this all, Arabic is listed as an OFFICIAL language of Israel!  That should trump all other arguments.  What purpose is there for listing Arabic as an official language if the people in the country are discouraged from using that language?

[lmepal-blog]

Wooooooooww, Israel..

As @alwaysbeeneasy stated, not only is Arabic listed as the official language of Israel, but it also says in the article that is was ruled, FOURTEEN years ago by the Israeli Supreme Court, that it was illegal to not include Arabic on public signs. Come on, Tel Aviv... we all know you guys have the money to do it and you probably need new signs in most places anyway (after fourteen freaking years). 

Also mentioned from other bloggers, I noticed the strong connection to the US’s English-Spanish debate. “Speak English - you’re in America.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this, in school and at home. If a second language wasn’t required in high school, I’m not sure if my parents would’ve let me take it. Granted, English is the official global business language, but seriously? This is where we turn back to the tolerance debate (for the most part). When your neighboring countries speak another language, it shouldn’t be a “social” crime to take an interest and learn it. Also, the bible, for Judaism and Catholicism, teaches tolerance of others, whether you like it or not. How is this an example of that? Isn’t that what the sons and daughters of God are supposed to do: set an example for others?

If Israel can’t show respect enough to simply have another language on a stupid sign, then how do they think that they’ll gain the respect from other surrounding countries and the Palestinians that they so demand? It’s so childish (not to mention illegal)!

[lmepal-blog]

Is another Middle Eastern war upon us?

I just read that today, the decision was made to deploy an unspecified number of B-52s to Qatar, with the intent on joining the fight against Daesh at some point. Specifically, bombers were deployed to Al Udeid Air Base. They’ll be used to complete targeted bombings, rather than mass-casualty ones, since Daesh seems to like to blend into the populous and attack that way. “We always look to minimize civilian casualties.” says spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Karns, for the Central Command. 

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/04/american-52-bombers-deployed-qatar-isil-fight-160409130546791.html

[alwaysbeeneasy-deactivated20160]

Sanders says positive U.S.-Israel ties contingent on improving relations with Palestinians - U.S. Election 2016

In recently released transcript, Sanders says he would demand Israel halt settlement construction, adding that if Israel 'want us to have a positive relationship, they're going to have to improve their relationship with the Palestinians.'

In his campaign rally in Green Bay, Sanders reaffirmed two of the major negotiating points of this conflict: #1, that Israel needs to halt all settlements in the West Bank and withdraw from those “illegal” territories and #2 that Palestine needs to completely denounce all terrorist activity - as he calls it “complete condemnation of all terrorist attacks”.  These seem to be two points that universally are agreed upon as necessary for peace talks to ensue, so I’m not sure who is fighting against these concepts or why.  

As for the Palestinian end of the bargain, “complete condemnation of all terrorist attacks” is kind of a vague phrase in my opinion.  What exactly does that mean.  One can condemn something without actually taking action against it can’t they?  I mean, I condemn rape and murder, but I’m not out there on the streets actually trying to stop it.  This seems like an issue that will have to be ironed out a little more.  

[lmepal-blog]

Interesting.. denunciation is easier said than done. As we know it takes more for anyone to just say, “Stop it” - they need to convince the young Palestinian activists (aka ‘terrorists’) why they need to stop it. But they know this. This just seems like a reaffirmation of this subject. Could be why Israel doesn’t ‘feel the Bern’ - he just repeats what they already know..

[thekingfish-ip]

Israelis aren’t feeling the Bern because he is probably the least friendly candidate towards Israel on either side of the race. Of course his talk of “denouncing terrorist attacks” on the part of the “Palestinians” is basically just political posturing- he likely recognizes this as well as we do. 

Although Sanders isn’t going to win, I think his would have been the best approach to the Israeli-Palestine conflict. This isn’t to say that I think he would have “solved” the conflict, but that he would have altered the US position on Israel. I think Sanders would take a harder line towards Israel than any other President in the race and might be willing to denounce Israeli military actions or cut back/block Israeli arms funding. 

[lmepal-blog]

Agreed - I suppose I just meant that this wasn’t necessarily helping.. You have a great point: his position is the most different as compared to the other candidate’s stances, though all we know from Trump is that the “loves Israel”. But even with his ‘hard line’ I don’t think that he would’ve made any more progress than Obama. I just feel like it would end terribly: I think it would’ve just made it more difficult for negotiations to be possible without US support and Israel would retract from us. In this case, we would not only lose our most powerful ally in the Middle East (which we can’t really afford, but this is all theoretical), but they would also stumble without our support. In 2015, aid to Israel was roughly $3.2 billion. In 2014, it was the same, and supposedly one-third of the foreign aid budget. Not that Israel hasn’t worked hard on their economy (that still requires a lot of work), but I feel like we have a great deal to do with their ranking of the sixteenth wealthiest country in the world. On the other hand, maybe they need to get out from under the US’s heavy-handed influence - we tend to ‘baby’ (for lack of a better description) them sometimes. Maybe a ‘tough love-slash-figure it out yourself’ attitude would force them to take larger strides on the issue if we fully pull out from the argument. (Again, not that that would actually happen - all theoretical).

http://www.ifamericansknew.org/stat/usaid.html

http://www.wrmea.org/congress-u.s.-aid-to-israel/u.s.-financial-aid-to-israel-figures-facts-and-impact.html

[a-kanyeforpresident-blog]

I think it would be a mistake to underestimate Hillary Clinton’s position on Israel. Just like her former boss, President Obama, Secretary Clinton has taken a rather hard line approach on Israel and their actions. Below, I’ve posted a link from Haaretz (this one is free so you can actually read it) that insinuates Sec. Clinton may even be more anti-Israel, if you want to call it that, than President Obama. It’s no secret that Clinton is hawkish, even by Republican standards, and while she maintains that he relationship with Netanyahu is contentious at times but friendly, I don’t think she would have a problem stiff-arming the Likud and its leader. Secretary Clinton is undoubtedly calculated, and I think she would probably be the best suited person to solve this problem. Sen. Sanders doesn’t seem to have as good of a grip on foreign policy, and I think the candidates on the other side of the isle would be too blindly pro-Israel. I’m not saying she would be the person to finally broker peace in the Middle East, but I think she has the best grip on the situation of any of the presidential candidates, and her incredibly long political career, including being Secretary of State, would suggest she has thought about the issue more so than any other candidate. 

[a-kanyeforpresident-blog]

Oops, heres the link. 

http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.697675

[lmepal-blog]

Thanks! It’s SO annoying you can’t read half the stuff..

I undoubtedly agree that Candidate Clinton has had the most experience in foreign diplomacy and affairs. I think she understand the gravity of the situation moreso than the other candidates as well. What I fear is that would be concentration of the administration, then focusing on the affairs in the Middle East, and possibly calling war down on ISIL. What else is slightly disconcerting is that we wouldn’t have full support for doing so, though everyone seems to be in agreement that ISIL must be stopped. I like having the thought of what might happen with Clinton (though it could certainly go in many different directions), but I don’t like the uncertainty the other candidates present. Sanders says a lot of things, but doesn’t necessarily have specific ideas behind them, and Trump just says a lot of things without thought..

Who knows what will happen!

[alwaysbeeneasy-deactivated20160]

Sanders says positive U.S.-Israel ties contingent on improving relations with Palestinians - U.S. Election 2016

In recently released transcript, Sanders says he would demand Israel halt settlement construction, adding that if Israel 'want us to have a positive relationship, they're going to have to improve their relationship with the Palestinians.'

In his campaign rally in Green Bay, Sanders reaffirmed two of the major negotiating points of this conflict: #1, that Israel needs to halt all settlements in the West Bank and withdraw from those “illegal” territories and #2 that Palestine needs to completely denounce all terrorist activity - as he calls it “complete condemnation of all terrorist attacks”.  These seem to be two points that universally are agreed upon as necessary for peace talks to ensue, so I’m not sure who is fighting against these concepts or why.  

As for the Palestinian end of the bargain, “complete condemnation of all terrorist attacks” is kind of a vague phrase in my opinion.  What exactly does that mean.  One can condemn something without actually taking action against it can’t they?  I mean, I condemn rape and murder, but I’m not out there on the streets actually trying to stop it.  This seems like an issue that will have to be ironed out a little more.  

[lmepal-blog]

Interesting.. denunciation is easier said than done. As we know it takes more for anyone to just say, “Stop it” - they need to convince the young Palestinian activists (aka ‘terrorists’) why they need to stop it. But they know this. This just seems like a reaffirmation of this subject. Could be why Israel doesn’t ‘feel the Bern’ - he just repeats what they already know..

[thekingfish-ip]

Israelis aren’t feeling the Bern because he is probably the least friendly candidate towards Israel on either side of the race. Of course his talk of “denouncing terrorist attacks” on the part of the “Palestinians” is basically just political posturing- he likely recognizes this as well as we do. 

Although Sanders isn’t going to win, I think his would have been the best approach to the Israeli-Palestine conflict. This isn’t to say that I think he would have “solved” the conflict, but that he would have altered the US position on Israel. I think Sanders would take a harder line towards Israel than any other President in the race and might be willing to denounce Israeli military actions or cut back/block Israeli arms funding. 

[lmepal-blog]

Agreed - I suppose I just meant that this wasn’t necessarily helping.. You have a great point: his position is the most different as compared to the other candidate’s stances, though all we know from Trump is that the “loves Israel”. But even with his ‘hard line’ I don’t think that he would’ve made any more progress than Obama. I just feel like it would end terribly: I think it would’ve just made it more difficult for negotiations to be possible without US support and Israel would retract from us. In this case, we would not only lose our most powerful ally in the Middle East (which we can’t really afford, but this is all theoretical), but they would also stumble without our support. In 2015, aid to Israel was roughly $3.2 billion. In 2014, it was the same, and supposedly one-third of the foreign aid budget. Not that Israel hasn’t worked hard on their economy (that still requires a lot of work), but I feel like we have a great deal to do with their ranking of the sixteenth wealthiest country in the world. On the other hand, maybe they need to get out from under the US’s heavy-handed influence - we tend to ‘baby’ (for lack of a better description) them sometimes. Maybe a ‘tough love-slash-figure it out yourself’ attitude would force them to take larger strides on the issue if we fully pull out from the argument. (Again, not that that would actually happen - all theoretical).

http://www.ifamericansknew.org/stat/usaid.html

http://www.wrmea.org/congress-u.s.-aid-to-israel/u.s.-financial-aid-to-israel-figures-facts-and-impact.html

[alwaysbeeneasy-deactivated20160]

Sanders says positive U.S.-Israel ties contingent on improving relations with Palestinians - U.S. Election 2016

In recently released transcript, Sanders says he would demand Israel halt settlement construction, adding that if Israel 'want us to have a positive relationship, they're going to have to improve their relationship with the Palestinians.'

In his campaign rally in Green Bay, Sanders reaffirmed two of the major negotiating points of this conflict: #1, that Israel needs to halt all settlements in the West Bank and withdraw from those “illegal” territories and #2 that Palestine needs to completely denounce all terrorist activity - as he calls it “complete condemnation of all terrorist attacks”.  These seem to be two points that universally are agreed upon as necessary for peace talks to ensue, so I’m not sure who is fighting against these concepts or why.  

As for the Palestinian end of the bargain, “complete condemnation of all terrorist attacks” is kind of a vague phrase in my opinion.  What exactly does that mean.  One can condemn something without actually taking action against it can’t they?  I mean, I condemn rape and murder, but I’m not out there on the streets actually trying to stop it.  This seems like an issue that will have to be ironed out a little more.  

[lmepal-blog]

Interesting.. denunciation is easier said than done. As we know it takes more for anyone to just say, “Stop it” - they need to convince the young Palestinian activists (aka ‘terrorists’) why they need to stop it. But they know this. This just seems like a reaffirmation of this subject. Could be why Israel doesn’t ‘feel the Bern’ - he just repeats what they already know..

[pecca-fortiter-blog1-deactivate]

Abbas’s Call for Peace

In response to the recent escalation of violent knife attacks dating back to mid-September, Mahmoud Abbas stated today that he hopes to resume to a peace process with Israel. In total, stabbings, shootings, and car-ramming assaults have taken the lives of 28 Israelis. Israeli security forces have killed 188 Palestinians— most of whom they claim were attackers. Though these numbers remain tragic for both Israelis and Palestinians, the recently surfaced video footage of the apparent “execution” of Abed al-Fattah Yusri al-Sharif no doubt influenced the decision of President Abbas. Abbas announced, “I want to see peace in my life,” and therefore, he aims to “give [his] people hope” so that “nobody would dare go and stab or shoot.” Abbas continued by urging Netanyahu to meet with him “at any time.”

While Abbas’s call to resume the peace process should be regarded positively, one can doubt its ability to immediately end violence— particularly the recent trend in youth violence. As the presidential term of Abbas drags on, Palestinian youth feel frustration not only toward Israeli occupation, but the Palestinian government itself. Additionally, Abbas’s call to resume the peace process does little to address the problem of Hamas in Gaza.

http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2016-03-31/israel-demolishes-home-of-palestinian-who-killed-israeli

[unlpols2]

Part of Abbas’ problem is he himself has become a figurehead of a movement with a decreasing social significance. A solution of the Palestinian problem requires a Palestinian leader and that Abbas is not. In fact, the last two decades of the Palestinian Authority is largely a story of decline. Losing the elections in Gaza and the ensuing civil war between Fatah and Hamas underlined the deep divisions the Palestinian people must bridge in order to form a coalition that can work together and negotiate with the Israelis. 

What that coalition would look like, I do not know. Certainly the radical wings of Hamas cannot be part of it. In a sense, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict first requires a solution of the Palestinian-Palestinian conflict. This is an ambitious goal and one that will likely take years to achieve. I do believe, however, that it is the only solution. And Abbas may not be the one to do it. 

[rightistheleftsmuse-blog]

“A figurehead of a movement with decreasing social significance.” That’s very succinct. I believe I agree with you. I would add that such significance as it carried in the past was often a result of outside forces lending status to leaders who were not really standard bearers. The apparent goal of much of the Palestinian “leadership” is similar to that of many US congressman - stay in power by catering to forces likely to help them maintain and enhance prestige and status. 

The problem with the Palestinian leaders is there is no Dr. King, General Washington, Mahatma Ghandi or Theodor Herzl (I’ll throw him in to be relevant :).  No specific leader who’s ambition is to build a lasting legacy on behalf of his people. Instead they are all modern day Pharaohs building useless monuments to themselves on the backs of the impoverished. Should such a real leader ever arise, there is enough moral capital to make something happen - assuming he lasts a few years before he’s assassinated. But it truly is a dearth of leadership that is at the heart of the failures in the region. It’s not all on the Palestinian side of course, but they have the most egregious examples I think.

[lmepal-blog]

As Wittes quoted in the third chapter, there’s “leaders, but no leadership”. I agree with the above statement that this will not end the violence any time soon. If anything, I think we’ll be seeing a few more incidents (hopefully not, but I expect the worst) before anything really starts happening and then probably when negotiations start again. (Who knows - maybe the third intifada will finally rear its ugly head.) But in the meantime, I think that this is a very positive step in the right direction! I’ve often wondered if Rabin was honestly just tired of the same arguments back and forth and petty squabbling and that’s how he was so effective - he listened, he insisted, and got stuff done.

“The Palestinian issue is the core of the conflict in the region and the world,” Abbas says and is quoted in my article below from J-Post, in accordance with this subject. In response to this I agree with the comment above that the Palestinian-Palestinian conflict must be resolved first (not just between the people, but the government and the people). There is absolutely no way in my mind that there will be any kind of resolution to anything, really, if the party and people are not a united front. Now this will take a lot of work since they just don’t have the experience that the Israelis do - as we discussed in class today - but nothing bad has ever really come out of trying (except Oslo..and Oslo II.. the idea is nice). 

I really can’t wait to see how this may pan out in the years to come! This is super exciting because as Dr. Kohen has mentioned in class, we’ve never witnessed any negotiations that have resulted in much. I’ll be looking for updates!

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Abbas-calls-for-international-parley-in-meeting-with-visiting-Indian-FM-441860

[pecca-fortiter-blog1-deactivate]

Lucky for you @lmepal, an update to this developing story was released as of yesterday. Netanyahu, responding to Abbas’s call for peace, answered the Palestinian President by stating, “I am inviting him again. I will clear my schedule this week and any day he can come I will be here… My door is always open for those who want to pursue peace with Israel.” For now, it appears as though Abbas and Netanyahu are caught in a strange game of extending invitations, but this exchange represents progress nonetheless. With Abbas himself admitting that “the Palestinian Authority is on the verge of collapse” and stressing that security coordination with Israel exists as a means to prevent the downfall of the PA, it remains a distinct possibility that peace talks will come to fruition in the near future. However, as stated above, the results of these talks remain questionable. Certainly the region does not need another government collapsing into a power vacuum.

 http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.712704

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Netanyahu-to-Czech-FM-Ill-clear-my-schedule-this-week-to-meet-Abbas-450195

[lmepal-blog]

Another thought: I wonder if this is a response from Abbas BECAUSE of the progress being made between Fatah and Hamas.. 

Just an after-thought!

[pecca-fortiter-blog1-deactivate]

Abbas’s Call for Peace

In response to the recent escalation of violent knife attacks dating back to mid-September, Mahmoud Abbas stated today that he hopes to resume to a peace process with Israel. In total, stabbings, shootings, and car-ramming assaults have taken the lives of 28 Israelis. Israeli security forces have killed 188 Palestinians— most of whom they claim were attackers. Though these numbers remain tragic for both Israelis and Palestinians, the recently surfaced video footage of the apparent “execution” of Abed al-Fattah Yusri al-Sharif no doubt influenced the decision of President Abbas. Abbas announced, “I want to see peace in my life,” and therefore, he aims to “give [his] people hope” so that “nobody would dare go and stab or shoot.” Abbas continued by urging Netanyahu to meet with him “at any time.”

While Abbas’s call to resume the peace process should be regarded positively, one can doubt its ability to immediately end violence— particularly the recent trend in youth violence. As the presidential term of Abbas drags on, Palestinian youth feel frustration not only toward Israeli occupation, but the Palestinian government itself. Additionally, Abbas’s call to resume the peace process does little to address the problem of Hamas in Gaza.

http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2016-03-31/israel-demolishes-home-of-palestinian-who-killed-israeli

[unlpols2]

Part of Abbas’ problem is he himself has become a figurehead of a movement with a decreasing social significance. A solution of the Palestinian problem requires a Palestinian leader and that Abbas is not. In fact, the last two decades of the Palestinian Authority is largely a story of decline. Losing the elections in Gaza and the ensuing civil war between Fatah and Hamas underlined the deep divisions the Palestinian people must bridge in order to form a coalition that can work together and negotiate with the Israelis. 

What that coalition would look like, I do not know. Certainly the radical wings of Hamas cannot be part of it. In a sense, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict first requires a solution of the Palestinian-Palestinian conflict. This is an ambitious goal and one that will likely take years to achieve. I do believe, however, that it is the only solution. And Abbas may not be the one to do it. 

[rightistheleftsmuse-blog]

“A figurehead of a movement with decreasing social significance.” That’s very succinct. I believe I agree with you. I would add that such significance as it carried in the past was often a result of outside forces lending status to leaders who were not really standard bearers. The apparent goal of much of the Palestinian “leadership” is similar to that of many US congressman - stay in power by catering to forces likely to help them maintain and enhance prestige and status. 

The problem with the Palestinian leaders is there is no Dr. King, General Washington, Mahatma Ghandi or Theodor Herzl (I’ll throw him in to be relevant :).  No specific leader who’s ambition is to build a lasting legacy on behalf of his people. Instead they are all modern day Pharaohs building useless monuments to themselves on the backs of the impoverished. Should such a real leader ever arise, there is enough moral capital to make something happen - assuming he lasts a few years before he’s assassinated. But it truly is a dearth of leadership that is at the heart of the failures in the region. It’s not all on the Palestinian side of course, but they have the most egregious examples I think.

[lmepal-blog]

As Wittes quoted in the third chapter, there’s “leaders, but no leadership”. I agree with the above statement that this will not end the violence any time soon. If anything, I think we’ll be seeing a few more incidents (hopefully not, but I expect the worst) before anything really starts happening and then probably when negotiations start again. (Who knows - maybe the third intifada will finally rear its ugly head.) But in the meantime, I think that this is a very positive step in the right direction! I’ve often wondered if Rabin was honestly just tired of the same arguments back and forth and petty squabbling and that’s how he was so effective - he listened, he insisted, and got stuff done.

“The Palestinian issue is the core of the conflict in the region and the world,” Abbas says and is quoted in my article below from J-Post, in accordance with this subject. In response to this I agree with the comment above that the Palestinian-Palestinian conflict must be resolved first (not just between the people, but the government and the people). There is absolutely no way in my mind that there will be any kind of resolution to anything, really, if the party and people are not a united front. Now this will take a lot of work since they just don’t have the experience that the Israelis do - as we discussed in class today - but nothing bad has ever really come out of trying (except Oslo..and Oslo II.. the idea is nice). 

I really can’t wait to see how this may pan out in the years to come! This is super exciting because as Dr. Kohen has mentioned in class, we’ve never witnessed any negotiations that have resulted in much. I’ll be looking for updates!

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Abbas-calls-for-international-parley-in-meeting-with-visiting-Indian-FM-441860

[pecca-fortiter-blog1-deactivate]

Lucky for you @lmepal, an update to this developing story was released as of yesterday. Netanyahu, responding to Abbas’s call for peace, answered the Palestinian President by stating, “I am inviting him again. I will clear my schedule this week and any day he can come I will be here… My door is always open for those who want to pursue peace with Israel.” For now, it appears as though Abbas and Netanyahu are caught in a strange game of extending invitations, but this exchange represents progress nonetheless. With Abbas himself admitting that “the Palestinian Authority is on the verge of collapse” and stressing that security coordination with Israel exists as a means to prevent the downfall of the PA, it remains a distinct possibility that peace talks will come to fruition in the near future. However, as stated above, the results of these talks remain questionable. Certainly the region does not need another government collapsing into a power vacuum.

 http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.712704

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Netanyahu-to-Czech-FM-Ill-clear-my-schedule-this-week-to-meet-Abbas-450195

[lmepal-blog]

@pecca-fortiter​ - thanks for this!! I just read the feed from @elegantmooncollectionblog​ and @a-kanyeforpresident​, that Fatah wishes to unite with Hamas. (On this side note, I honestly would’ve thought that it would be Hamas wishing for unity, as to gain any kind of reparable political representation, Fatah would be their only real shot.) I also feel like there were unity talks between the groups either last year or a few years ago.. Am I wrong? I know there were some back in February or so.

(http://www.timesofisrael.com/fatah-and-hamas-officials-in-doha-for-unity-talks/)

Back on the subject between Abbas and Netanyahu, I think that if the PA really is on “the verge of collapse”, then if they can get past finding a “mutual trust” and common ground, they would make an unstoppable force. But to do this, they must have the support of the people on both sides of the issue. (Though, I feel like if the elites really do rule it all, then it shouldn’t be too hard to convince everyone else.) But this exactly where the Fatah-Hamas unity poses a huge problem; but I honestly feel like Fatah-Hamas would be easily defeated if they were to face a joined State of Israel and Palestinian Authority. This doesn’t go without saying that they wouldn’t put up a formidable fight though - I mean they’ve been around for this long..

[pecca-fortiter-blog1-deactivate]

Abbas’s Call for Peace

In response to the recent escalation of violent knife attacks dating back to mid-September, Mahmoud Abbas stated today that he hopes to resume to a peace process with Israel. In total, stabbings, shootings, and car-ramming assaults have taken the lives of 28 Israelis. Israeli security forces have killed 188 Palestinians— most of whom they claim were attackers. Though these numbers remain tragic for both Israelis and Palestinians, the recently surfaced video footage of the apparent “execution” of Abed al-Fattah Yusri al-Sharif no doubt influenced the decision of President Abbas. Abbas announced, “I want to see peace in my life,” and therefore, he aims to “give [his] people hope” so that “nobody would dare go and stab or shoot.” Abbas continued by urging Netanyahu to meet with him “at any time.”

While Abbas’s call to resume the peace process should be regarded positively, one can doubt its ability to immediately end violence— particularly the recent trend in youth violence. As the presidential term of Abbas drags on, Palestinian youth feel frustration not only toward Israeli occupation, but the Palestinian government itself. Additionally, Abbas’s call to resume the peace process does little to address the problem of Hamas in Gaza.

http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2016-03-31/israel-demolishes-home-of-palestinian-who-killed-israeli

[unlpols2]

Part of Abbas’ problem is he himself has become a figurehead of a movement with a decreasing social significance. A solution of the Palestinian problem requires a Palestinian leader and that Abbas is not. In fact, the last two decades of the Palestinian Authority is largely a story of decline. Losing the elections in Gaza and the ensuing civil war between Fatah and Hamas underlined the deep divisions the Palestinian people must bridge in order to form a coalition that can work together and negotiate with the Israelis. 

What that coalition would look like, I do not know. Certainly the radical wings of Hamas cannot be part of it. In a sense, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict first requires a solution of the Palestinian-Palestinian conflict. This is an ambitious goal and one that will likely take years to achieve. I do believe, however, that it is the only solution. And Abbas may not be the one to do it. 

[rightistheleftsmuse-blog]

“A figurehead of a movement with decreasing social significance.” That’s very succinct. I believe I agree with you. I would add that such significance as it carried in the past was often a result of outside forces lending status to leaders who were not really standard bearers. The apparent goal of much of the Palestinian “leadership” is similar to that of many US congressman - stay in power by catering to forces likely to help them maintain and enhance prestige and status. 

The problem with the Palestinian leaders is there is no Dr. King, General Washington, Mahatma Ghandi or Theodor Herzl (I’ll throw him in to be relevant :).  No specific leader who’s ambition is to build a lasting legacy on behalf of his people. Instead they are all modern day Pharaohs building useless monuments to themselves on the backs of the impoverished. Should such a real leader ever arise, there is enough moral capital to make something happen - assuming he lasts a few years before he’s assassinated. But it truly is a dearth of leadership that is at the heart of the failures in the region. It’s not all on the Palestinian side of course, but they have the most egregious examples I think.

[lmepal-blog]

As Wittes quoted in the third chapter, there’s “leaders, but no leadership”. I agree with the above statement that this will not end the violence any time soon. If anything, I think we’ll be seeing a few more incidents (hopefully not, but I expect the worst) before anything really starts happening and then probably when negotiations start again. (Who knows - maybe the third intifada will finally rear its ugly head.) But in the meantime, I think that this is a very positive step in the right direction! I’ve often wondered if Rabin was honestly just tired of the same arguments back and forth and petty squabbling and that’s how he was so effective - he listened, he insisted, and got stuff done.

“The Palestinian issue is the core of the conflict in the region and the world,” Abbas says and is quoted in my article below from J-Post, in accordance with this subject. In response to this I agree with the comment above that the Palestinian-Palestinian conflict must be resolved first (not just between the people, but the government and the people). There is absolutely no way in my mind that there will be any kind of resolution to anything, really, if the party and people are not a united front. Now this will take a lot of work since they just don’t have the experience that the Israelis do - as we discussed in class today - but nothing bad has ever really come out of trying (except Oslo..and Oslo II.. the idea is nice). 

I really can’t wait to see how this may pan out in the years to come! This is super exciting because as Dr. Kohen has mentioned in class, we’ve never witnessed any negotiations that have resulted in much. I’ll be looking for updates!

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Abbas-calls-for-international-parley-in-meeting-with-visiting-Indian-FM-441860

[adriennezalien]

No Drilling, No Democracy?

http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/262331/israels-democratic-collapse-caroline-glick

I picked this particular article on Israel’s Supreme Court’s decision to postpone drilling for natural gas mainly because it was a very dramatic opinion piece on the subject. While I’m sure drilling would help the Israeli economy, I do not think that not drilling will cause the collapse Democracy in Israel. The author blames NGO’s for interrupting the process and presenting petitions to delay drilling. While that might be true, he suggests that Netanyahu should do more to get the power back from the power-rich court system and give it to elected officials. While the claim that the Supreme Court holds a lot of power for being non-elected positions is not one that is unique to Israel. I also do not think that this is what is going to collapse democracy in Israel. There have been a lot of elected officials in Israel calling for different methods of censorship in journalism in Israel that I have blogged about previously, that I would be a bit more afraid of. 

[incoherentjellyfishwhispere-blog]

Yeah after reading this article, I came away with the sense that Israel’s supreme court does in fact have a little too much power. Now, admittedly, my understanding of the SCOTUS is shaky at best. So obviously my understanding of Israel’s supreme court is less than enough to make a quality judgement on exactly what is going on here. However, these words from Benjamin Netenyahu seem to sum up the issue, he says “ “The Supreme Court’s decision is a grave threat to the development of Israel’s gas reserves.” Netanyahu noted, “Israel is seen as a country with exaggerated judicial involvement in which it is difficult to do business. Certainly, no one should celebrate that the gas may remain deep under the sea and that hundreds of billions of dollars will not reach Israel’s citizens.” I do agree with you in that this development will not have as large of an impact as this article suggest. Surely it will take more than this to bring down an entire democracy. Now censorship, that is a whole different issue. Couldn’t agree more that censorship of journalism will bring about far more damage to a democracy than several relatively benign rulings from their supreme court. I will never understand how one gets to the point of wanting that kind of censorship. 

[lmepal-blog]

Wowza... I’m not exactly sure if the Justices acted like “spoiled teenagers” or not, but it does seem like a not-so-smart reaction in today’s day and age in which natural gas is a smart and cheap way to produce energy. But in agreement with both of you, it doesn’t seem like it’ll have the effect of ending the entire government. @incoherentjellyfishwhisperer​ brings up a good point - censorship may be a bigger deal. Propaganda (not that that’s what the reporting of this story was) has proven to be one of the most effective tools in warfare. Though they’re not engaged in war, and what I think is most unsettling about this manner, is that it can’t be very reassuring to the people that the Supreme Court isn’t cooperating with the Likud government. Again, I know that was the main point of that article, but it was very Fox-Newsy (making it seem a little un-creditable in my opinion). I think this is the bigger issue and maybe what the article was aiming for: getting the people rallied against both the Supreme Court and the government, creating anarchy, and causing disorder (?). Could this be “the end of the democracy” as the article wants to claim? Again, in my opinion, this seems very radicalized for a news report and honestly, a bit paranoid. Maybe this why Israel really only has two ‘super-credible’ sources for news...