Sharon and Israeli PoliticsIsrael and Palestine
Two leaders dominate this discussion -- Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon -- even while the US and Israel try to promote Abu mazen.
There is little need to document the shortcomings of Yasser Arafat -- they are covered every day in the American press.
... But what about the other partner in the peace? What kind of man is Ariel Sharon? What's his history? What's the mentality and political picture in Israel under his leadership?
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Israeli MK to introduce bill to stop private foreign policy acts that launched the Geneva Accords
Israel News : Jerusalem Post Internet Edition: "Nov. 25, 2003 | MK Yuli Edelstein's 'Logan Act' to Knesset | By NINA GILBERT
An initiative for the Knesset to legislate a law, similar to the US's Logan Act, to prohibit citizens from interfering in the government's foreign relations is to be expedited.
Yuli Edelstein (Likud) received permission Monday to advance a private member's bill on the subject.
Edelstein and Moshe Kahlon (Likud) initiated the legislation in reaction to the Geneva Accord reached between a group of leftist politicians led by Yossi Beilin and a Palestinian Authority team headed by former information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo. The document is to be signed Monday in Geneva.
...
In the US, the 200-year-old measure has gone largely unenforced.
The Geneva Accord is "an unprecedented case" of individuals conducting foreign policy, he said. Their actions have caused Israel "irreparable international damage," he added.
Israel News : Jerusalem Post Internet Edition: "Nov. 25, 2003 | MK Yuli Edelstein's 'Logan Act' to Knesset | By NINA GILBERT
An initiative for the Knesset to legislate a law, similar to the US's Logan Act, to prohibit citizens from interfering in the government's foreign relations is to be expedited.
Yuli Edelstein (Likud) received permission Monday to advance a private member's bill on the subject.
Edelstein and Moshe Kahlon (Likud) initiated the legislation in reaction to the Geneva Accord reached between a group of leftist politicians led by Yossi Beilin and a Palestinian Authority team headed by former information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo. The document is to be signed Monday in Geneva.
...
In the US, the 200-year-old measure has gone largely unenforced.
The Geneva Accord is "an unprecedented case" of individuals conducting foreign policy, he said. Their actions have caused Israel "irreparable international damage," he added.
Monday, November 24, 2003
The lie about the Air Force's bombing of the Nusseirat refugee camp has very long tentacles
The occupation corrupts from above: "By Akiva Eldar | November 24, 2003
The lie we were told about the Air Force's bombing of the Nusseirat refugee camp has very long tentacles. These tentacles start from the very highest echelons and do not skip over any sector of Israeli society. Their roots are planted deep in the territories, fed by the poison of the occupation.
Without lies, it would be impossible to talk about peace with the Palestinians for 36 years while at the same time seizing more and more Palestinian land. Without lies, it would be impossible to claim that there is no partner for the road map, while at the same time injecting more and more money into outposts that the road map calls for dismantling. Without lies, it would be impossible to promise "painful concessions" in exchange for peace, while at the same time terming people who concluded such an agreement "traitors."
Politicians who lie for the sake of ideology or political interests are nothing out of the ordinary. Yitzhak Shamir declared openly that "it is permissible to lie for the sake of the Land of Israel." When George W. Bush began his
war on Iraq, he and the politicians who surround him flooded the American public with falsehoods. The problem is that in Israel, lying has become the norm among the working levels of the army, the legal establishment and
the diplomatic corps. Lying has become a way of life for commanders and soldiers, lawyers and clerks, most of whom are far from having right-wing views and many of whom loathe the occupation.
The occupation corrupts from above: "By Akiva Eldar | November 24, 2003
The lie we were told about the Air Force's bombing of the Nusseirat refugee camp has very long tentacles. These tentacles start from the very highest echelons and do not skip over any sector of Israeli society. Their roots are planted deep in the territories, fed by the poison of the occupation.
Without lies, it would be impossible to talk about peace with the Palestinians for 36 years while at the same time seizing more and more Palestinian land. Without lies, it would be impossible to claim that there is no partner for the road map, while at the same time injecting more and more money into outposts that the road map calls for dismantling. Without lies, it would be impossible to promise "painful concessions" in exchange for peace, while at the same time terming people who concluded such an agreement "traitors."
Politicians who lie for the sake of ideology or political interests are nothing out of the ordinary. Yitzhak Shamir declared openly that "it is permissible to lie for the sake of the Land of Israel." When George W. Bush began his
war on Iraq, he and the politicians who surround him flooded the American public with falsehoods. The problem is that in Israel, lying has become the norm among the working levels of the army, the legal establishment and
the diplomatic corps. Lying has become a way of life for commanders and soldiers, lawyers and clerks, most of whom are far from having right-wing views and many of whom loathe the occupation.
Sharon: Muslim presence in Europe is endangering the life of Jewish people
Sharon: Muslim presence in Europe is endangering the life of Jewish people: "24.11.2003 0:01:00 Ha'aretz | By Reuters
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in an interview published today that European Union governments were not doing enough to tackle anti-Semitism because of an 'ever stronger Muslim presence in Europe.' Sharon also rejected complaints from European politicians that the Jewish state tends to stigmatize legitimate criticism of Israel's policies towards the Palestinians as anti-Semitism.
"These days to conduct an anti-Semite policy is not a popular thing, so the anti-Semites bundle their policies in with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," he told EUpolitix.com, an online newswire dedicated to EU affairs.
"Of course," the prime minister continued, "there are anti-Semites who use the events in Israel and the argument that Israel uses excessive force, and through this they are trying to compromise Israel's right to self-defense. Thus there is a danger to Jews."
...
"An ever stronger Muslim presence in Europe is certainly endangering the life of Jewish people," Sharon said, adding that some 70 million Muslims lived in the 15-nation bloc. "I would say...EU governments are not doing enough to tackle anti-Semitism," he said.
[... almost seems that Sharon considers all Muslims anti-semites -- perhaps they are anti-Sharonistas. ed.]
Sharon: Muslim presence in Europe is endangering the life of Jewish people: "24.11.2003 0:01:00 Ha'aretz | By Reuters
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in an interview published today that European Union governments were not doing enough to tackle anti-Semitism because of an 'ever stronger Muslim presence in Europe.' Sharon also rejected complaints from European politicians that the Jewish state tends to stigmatize legitimate criticism of Israel's policies towards the Palestinians as anti-Semitism.
"These days to conduct an anti-Semite policy is not a popular thing, so the anti-Semites bundle their policies in with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," he told EUpolitix.com, an online newswire dedicated to EU affairs.
"Of course," the prime minister continued, "there are anti-Semites who use the events in Israel and the argument that Israel uses excessive force, and through this they are trying to compromise Israel's right to self-defense. Thus there is a danger to Jews."
...
"An ever stronger Muslim presence in Europe is certainly endangering the life of Jewish people," Sharon said, adding that some 70 million Muslims lived in the 15-nation bloc. "I would say...EU governments are not doing enough to tackle anti-Semitism," he said.
[... almost seems that Sharon considers all Muslims anti-semites -- perhaps they are anti-Sharonistas. ed.]
Friday, November 07, 2003
Sharon popularity dips to all-time low
Yahoo! News - Sharon popularity dips to all-time low: "Sharon popularity dips to all-time low | Fri Nov 7, 5:43 AM ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Ariel Sharon (news - web sites)'s popularity further declined to reach its lowest point since he became Israel's prime minister in March 2001.
A survey for Friday's edition of the Maariv daily showed that 57 percent of Israelis were not satisfied with Sharon's performance at the helm of the country, while only 34 percent assessed it positively and nine percent did not voice an opinion.
Last month, Sharon's ratings had already plunged to their lowest point since the start of his second term in office in January 2003, with 54 percent of the population dissatisfied with his performance. "
Yahoo! News - Sharon popularity dips to all-time low: "Sharon popularity dips to all-time low | Fri Nov 7, 5:43 AM ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Ariel Sharon (news - web sites)'s popularity further declined to reach its lowest point since he became Israel's prime minister in March 2001.
A survey for Friday's edition of the Maariv daily showed that 57 percent of Israelis were not satisfied with Sharon's performance at the helm of the country, while only 34 percent assessed it positively and nine percent did not voice an opinion.
Last month, Sharon's ratings had already plunged to their lowest point since the start of his second term in office in January 2003, with 54 percent of the population dissatisfied with his performance. "
Monday, November 03, 2003
100,000 call for peace at Rabin memorial rally: government's emphasis on force over negotiation had failed
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | 100,000 call for peace at Rabin memorial rally: "100,000 call for peace at Rabin memorial rally | Chris McGreal in Jerusalem | Monday November 3, 2003 | The Guardian
Murdered prime minister was right, Shimon Peres tells huge Israeli demonstration urging an end to occupation
A rally in memory of Yitzhak Rabin eight years after his murder turned into the largest leftwing demonstration since Ariel Sharon came to power as more than 100,000 people at the weekend gathered under banners denouncing occupation and demanding peace.
Shimon Peres, the former prime minister and architect of the Oslo peace accords with Mr Rabin, added to the political tone by telling the crowd that the present Israeli government's emphasis on force over negotiation had failed, and that the country would return to Mr Rabin's vision.
The crowd was also bolstered by widespread revulsion at the desecration of the memorial to Mr Rabin, which was daubed with swastikas the day before the rally.
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | 100,000 call for peace at Rabin memorial rally: "100,000 call for peace at Rabin memorial rally | Chris McGreal in Jerusalem | Monday November 3, 2003 | The Guardian
Murdered prime minister was right, Shimon Peres tells huge Israeli demonstration urging an end to occupation
A rally in memory of Yitzhak Rabin eight years after his murder turned into the largest leftwing demonstration since Ariel Sharon came to power as more than 100,000 people at the weekend gathered under banners denouncing occupation and demanding peace.
Shimon Peres, the former prime minister and architect of the Oslo peace accords with Mr Rabin, added to the political tone by telling the crowd that the present Israeli government's emphasis on force over negotiation had failed, and that the country would return to Mr Rabin's vision.
The crowd was also bolstered by widespread revulsion at the desecration of the memorial to Mr Rabin, which was daubed with swastikas the day before the rally.
Saturday, November 01, 2003
"You never hear that roadblocks, economic suffering, or the separation wall are factors that might cause terror"
Behind Israel's siege mentality | csmonitor.com: "By Nicole Gaouette | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor | October 31, 2003
A string of diplomatic and physical attacks this month leaves Israelis feeling alone.
...
Most Israeli's don't see the settlements or the occupation as major causes of terrorist attacks while much of the world does, says Prof. Ezrahi. He argues that the government reinforces this perception gap by blaming all terrorism on what it says is Islamic hatred of Jews and the West. "You never hear that roadblocks, economic suffering, or the separation wall are factors that might cause terror," Ezrahi says. "Consequently, Israelis, when they feel the UN or the world is not sympathetic, tend to put it down to anti-Semitism and dismiss it. Definitely people of this government tend to ascribe legitimate criticism of Israel to anti-Semitism."
...
"There is less demonization of Israel than at the beginning of the intifada when all the photos were of Israeli soldiers shooting at Palestinian children," says Gerald Steinberg, [... there were not that many pictures of soldiers shooting children on US TV. ed.]
Behind Israel's siege mentality | csmonitor.com: "By Nicole Gaouette | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor | October 31, 2003
A string of diplomatic and physical attacks this month leaves Israelis feeling alone.
...
Most Israeli's don't see the settlements or the occupation as major causes of terrorist attacks while much of the world does, says Prof. Ezrahi. He argues that the government reinforces this perception gap by blaming all terrorism on what it says is Islamic hatred of Jews and the West. "You never hear that roadblocks, economic suffering, or the separation wall are factors that might cause terror," Ezrahi says. "Consequently, Israelis, when they feel the UN or the world is not sympathetic, tend to put it down to anti-Semitism and dismiss it. Definitely people of this government tend to ascribe legitimate criticism of Israel to anti-Semitism."
...
"There is less demonization of Israel than at the beginning of the intifada when all the photos were of Israeli soldiers shooting at Palestinian children," says Gerald Steinberg, [... there were not that many pictures of soldiers shooting children on US TV. ed.]
