News of the 51st State
The final details of the U.S. bribe to Israel for a 90-day moratorium on settlement construction remains to be announced, but there seems to be no end to the earmarks Washington is providing our stealth 51st state.
Under the headline, “U.S. taxpayers are paying for Israel’s West Bank occupation,” Ha’aretz reports: “Travelers along the “original” West Bank roads, the ones enabling drivers to bypass Palestinian villages, can see signs declaring “USAID from the American People.”
“The roads are one of the initiatives of the United States Agency for International Development for building infrastructure in underdeveloped countries. Israel has already proudly left the club of developing countries and is not among the clients of USAID. Nevertheless, it appears the Smith family of Illinois is making the occupation a little less expensive for the Cohen family of Petah Tikva.”
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/u-s-taxpayers-are-paying-for-israel-s-west-bank-occupation-1.324941
And let us recognize that Americans can find out more about our government’s policy from Ha’aretz than we can from our own media. Always worth a look: http://www.haaretz.com/
And then a provocative analysis in Foreign Policy of the deal we are cutting with Netanyahu for the brief and final moratorium: “Not one cent for tribute: Obama’s embarrassing gift to Israel” http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/11/15/not_one_cent_for_tribute_obamas_embarrassing_gift_to_israel Do the historians among us find the analogy accurate?
Glenn Kessler of the WashPost has this about the deal, “Call it a triumph of hope over experience”: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/15/AR2010111506596.html (HT: Pat Lang, http://turcopolier.typepad.com/ )
Tags: Israel, Middle East, Palestine
We have got to have politicians who think, first, of the U.S. interest, which means, second, of the legitimate Palestinian interest for a free intact state. We’ve got to stop sending money to Israel unless/until it removes West Bank settlements. This crap’s been going on for way too long. As a taxpayer and voter, I’m downright sick of it!!!
I agree with Patrick Lang. Why would any sane Palestinian leader agree to talks with this agreement already in force? There’s so much wrong with this bribe that one has to suspect that it is a cynical ploy to cast the Palestinians as the obstructionists to the peace talks.
We the people deserve to know who put this deal together and who is pushing it? We know it can’t go forward without President Obama. But who else is promoting it?
Hillary Clinton and Dennis Ross.
Clinton and Ross. Not even the semblance of even handedness! We have to pray for the Palestinians. And, with this kind of stuff, we have to pray for an Israel that can be democratic in something other than name. Needless to say, we need to pray for ourselves as well.
Prayers are good. I look forward to some organized push back that effectively raises questions about the whole strategy of bribing Israel to act in its own self interest!
I don’t remember TruthOut ever taking a position on Israel. Because Soros is a main supported? We liberals scream about the hidden conservative fat cats’ influence (not that Soros is exactly hiding). Maybe we should make our views known to TruthOut and the other online opinion-swayers.
Ann, not clear what you are referring to…. That is not a link on this post. What am I missing?
Ms. Steinfels – from a historical perspective, find the comparison to the 19th century Barbary pirates to be a “limping” analogy – more limping than analogy. The differences are so striking that it appears to be a “reach” to make a point. Valid point but there are many other historical examples that would be more appropriate.
Suggest that we really do not know all the facts on this deal – so reluctant to state opinion. Sure that Clinton would have cleared this deal with the Saudis and the Quarter – would love to know what the real justifications were for this move?
Off the top of my head – some other analogies that may have better suited this event:
- Cuban Missile Crisis and the US offensive missiles based in Turkey that were eventually and quietly removed as part of the agreement
- Taiwan, Matsu/Quemoy Islands and the use of US arms to offset Chinese expansion
- numerous international examples of land trade-offs with UN protectorates, etc. (in some of these examples, the national parties did not receive weapons; rather, cities, territory was put into a UN protectorate
- earlier Israeli/Egyptian Sinai Agreement – UN peacekeepers
- Israeli/Lebanese & UN peacekeeprs (granted, this has not been very successful)
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BdeH: “Suggest that we really do not know all the facts on this deal – so reluctant to state opinion. Sure that Clinton would have cleared this deal with the Saudis and the Quarter – would love to know what the real justifications were for this move?”
You’re right, we don’t know all the facts. Among the unknowns (the still unknowns since the letter has not yet materialized), are what other “security” measures are on offer; What mechanism guarantees Israel that we will obstruct any UN measures to declare Palestine a state in perpetuity; what Iranian matters are incorporated; etc.
Things are looking a bit wobbley as of this morning 11/17. I wonder if the whole deal is falling apart on both ends. Clinton/Ross may have cleared this with the Saudis; I wonder if she cleared it with Obama and the NSC.
Ms. S. –
I’m afraid I was thinking backwards when I posted that.
I wanted to suggest something, however small, that we might do to change Congress’ thinking the Netanyahu government. Writing to Congress is a good idea, and it is particularly effective when organizations instigate petitions to influence Congress.
TruthOut regularly instigates petitions to Congress on various matters — except I don’t recall it’s ever taking a stand about the obvious unfairness of some of Israels actions. So I think it would be a good thing to write to TruthOut itself to try to get it to protest our Israel policy.
I mentioned George Soros because I was thinking he was a main financial supporter of TruthOut, and, his being Jewish, I thought he might unduly influence TruthOut’s on the matter of Israel. However, I checked him out on Wikipedia, and I was wrong about him. It is MoveOn, the PAC, that he’s a major supporter of.
At any rate, it would be good to encourage TruthOut to become an active critic of the current Israeli government.