I shake my head in disbelief when I hear people who think we just hand over billions of dollars to Israel with nothing gained. They say "Stop the "financial aid". I've heard this so many times it boggles my mind. Do they know what kind of "US financial aid" we give Israel? It's mostly in the form of military weapons. And the U.S. companies who make the weapons are the ones who get the money! (i.e., "financial aid"). Additionally, Israel, which always has to be on guard and is always being attacked in one way or another, in essence is the tester of the devices that they're given. And then they morph it into what exactly they need for their own purposes.
And, further, what else does the U.S. get in return? We see how well these devices perform. And (a big "and"), the U.S. receives intelligence about the Middle East. Israeli intelligence. Invaluable.
6
@leftrightmiddle
Sounds like a desperate justification for the giant lead weight that is our "ally."
That money doesn't help America or Americans. It helps arms manufacturers and Israel. Good for them.
5
@Joe
Helping American arms manufacturers & their employees helps America. Plus, Israel improves our weapons. The Iron Dome & other military weapons developed by Israel protects our soldiers & airlines.
• Israel has relayed to the U.S. lessons of battle (during the Cold War – Soviet military doctrine) and counter-terrorism (including aircraft security, homicide-suicide bombings) which reduce American losses in Iraq and Afghanistan, prevent attacks on U.S. soil, upgrade American weapons, and contribute to the U.S. economy. Without Israel, the U.S. would have been forced to deploy tens of thousands of American troops in the eastern Mediterranean Basin, at a cost of billions of dollars a year.
• Senator Daniel Inouye has (2005) argued Israeli information regarding Soviet arms saved the U.S. billions of dollars. The contribution made by Israeli intelligence to America is greater than that provided by all NATO countries combined, he said.
• Israel's utilization of American arms guarantees its existence, but at the same time gives U.S. military industries, such as Boeing and General Dynamics, a competitive edge compared to European industries, while also boosting American military production, producing American jobs, and improving America's national security. Japan and South Korea, for example, preferred the "Hawkeye" spy plane and the MD-500 chopper, both purchased and upgraded by Israel, over comparable British and French aircraft.
4
@m1945
Yea Ive read your copy/paste before.
Teaching America how to better waste their money in Iraq and Afghanistan isnt a benefit for the USA. We dont need to partner with China to learn how to control millions of Muslims. We dont need Israel to do the same.
If Israeli intelligence was so valuable they wouldnt be stealing intelligence from the USA a la Jonothan Pollard. With friends like these who needs enemies?
Again, money going to American arms manufacturers doesnt help America or Americans. It helps arms manufacturers.
Your argument fails to convince.
4
Two words: Term Limits!
36
@LiberalNotLemming
doesn't work that way in a Parliamentary system. You vote for the party, not the candidate.
7
They are opposite faces of the same coin. Both have chosen expediency and manipulations over government with integrity. Most important, neither can be believed.
Personally, I want Netanyahu to fail as I believe he has seriously damaged Israeli democracy and national values.
If that depends on Liberman's moves to make it happen, so be it--although he's no more trustworthy than the current prime minister, so how long would that last. The people who will suffer are secular Israeli voters tired of all the drama and wary of how far Netanyahu has taken the country.
41
The fact that Netanyahu is so closely aligned with Trump casts him in a negative light for the majority of American voters.
52
@logic That's because many Americans (most NY Times' readers) don't seem understand that an American president who actually backs Israel, is good for Israel. They are Israelis. Not Americans. We have fear of being bordered by hostile countries who wish our demise. Try to keep that in mind. They don't have to deal with Trump's other actions here. The most powerful country in the world supports Israel. How can they not feel good about that?
6
@leftrightmiddle
They can not feel good about that if they look further than a few years ahead. By aligning with one side in an extraordinarily divided America - Trump and a dwindling Republican Party - Israelis will be on the wrong side when power shifts. It is a terrible mistake to pick political sides in a country that is still the most powerful in the world and is perfectly capable of changing who it supports.
Trump is so hated by so many that anything he touches will be turned to dust when he and his ilk are gone, and gone, sooner or later, they will be. By becoming an adjunct of Trump in America, Israel is driving even the large majority of American Jews to despise its current government and policies. That is no way to run a railroad.
18
@leftrightmiddle
Um, didn't Obama ultimately authorize a $40-billion foreign aid package? Where I come from when someone gives you $40 billion you shake the man's hand.
10
I might have a bit of perspective because I have immediate family in Israel.
The secular middle class, and many other layers of society, don’t like Netanyahu. That is for a variety of reasons, mostly because of economic issues and his groveling to the ultra-orthodox right.
But there’s a general sense that he knows how to keep them safe, whether it’s genuine or not.
And that’s why he’s been in office for so long. Israelis don’t want to die by bombs, missiles, or suicidal jihadis.
62
Israel has come so far down in the estimation of most Americans, especially by Jewish Americans, I fervently hope Israeli voters realize they are at risk of losing US support once power has been wrested from the radical right here in the US of Israel continues on it path with criminal Bibi. Put another way, a shrinking minority supporting another shrinking minority both to retain their grips on power is not a winning strategy - for either.
89
@Dennis They are still receiving money from the deal, Obama signed.
1
With Iran and her Shi’ite proxies going to war the Israeli voters really have no good options. Vote for Netanyahu as if your life depends on it.
1
Print comments that are diverse. Your views are obvious. Let’s try people who think differently. Civil and intelligent comments should be printed.
Liberman is a successful practitioner of the oldest profession. Don’t be surprised if he joins a coalition with Labor.
Netanyahu has to go. And to jail if possible. A crook married to one.
Rabin, help!
2
Wishing the people of Israel, Arab, Christian, and Jewish a positive outcome tomorrow.
8
Positive according to The New York Times?
That is probably negative for most progressives.
1
I'm actually writing this from Israel right now, in the Galilee, heading to Jerusalem tomorrow. You'd never know, from this myopic piece, that the election is about a lot more than the Palestinians (who no one here talks about anymore) and the relationship between Liberman and Netanyahu. Americans in general are completely divorced from the reality of the situation in the Middle East and tend to be overly focused on the territories, when the issue of Iran and domestic issues like the cost of living loom larger than any other here.
Personally, I'm anti-Netanyahu because, as most American Jews, I see his actions in supporting Trump as a deeply personal betrayal of the American Jewish community. But I have to say as well, Netanyahu's period in office has been, for the most, part, one of peace and prosperity in Israel. While Israel's neighbors have been consumed in war and turmoil, Israel has remained largely free of conflict.
My hope is tomorrow sees a defeat of Likud and a permanent exile of Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu from political life in Israel. But I won't be surprised of Netanyahu sneaks in another term in office, he's a politician with a seeminly never-ending supply of comebacks in his back pocket.
14
The evangelicals and tech giants can have this festering mess. It barely took 70 years to run Israel's fledgling democracy into the ground and transform the country form a liberal democracy into a never-ending welcome reception for the worst authoritarians. This liberal American Jew will spend Passover in the Midwest, thank you very much!
13
@Steve
Israel was ranked 30 out of 167 on The Economist's Democracy Index. That's better than Greece, Cyprus & at least a dozen other European countries.
Israel has maintained democracy even though it's been under continual attack. By contrast, we Americans locked American citizens of Japanese descent in concentration camps during world war 2 & we confiscated Joe DiMaggio's father's fishing boat because he was of Italian descent.
Even Palestinians think that Israel is a democracy.
“57% say democracy in Israel is good or very good”
http://pcpsr.org/en/node/723
4
@Steve Israel has not been run into the ground. It's not a mess. All the liberal actions in Israel only resulted in being attacked and most Israel citizens realizing that the "Palestinian leaders" don't actually want peace. After Israel dragged their own citizens out of Gaza in 2005 as a signal of peace, Hamas summarily bombed Israel. Perhaps our "liberal western" minds don't comprehend that people in a different part the world may think differently than we do. That perhaps, the Arabs in Gaza and the West Bank don't see pulling out as a peace offering, but in fact as a weakness. The Israeli government removed the Jews living in Gaza. Israel flinched. Thus Hamas sees it as a good time to bomb them.
6
Please, please no more Netanyahu.
10
Bad headline. Should have read "odd break up of an ugly couple."
Liberman/Netanyahu, Bennet&Shaked/Netanyahu. There's a pattern here. Netanyahu aides go on to form a so called right opposition to him. Which leaves the corrupt ultra nationalist Netanyahu looking like he's right center instead of ultra rightist. And a large swath of the Israeli voting public plays along.
Even Blue&White, the ostensible "moderate" opposition are ex Netanyahu allies. Now he's spinning his own moderate opposition AND his own right wing opposition. Netanyahu is truly the man Trump, Orban and Bolsonaro wish they could be.
He plays at being a neo-fascist, a cross between Machiavelli and Mussolini and then winks at the public so they think its a show. Until its not.
3
The real problem in today's Israel is the same as in the US: the incredibly corrupt leaders are nothing but allegories for the people who voted them in. We try desperately to ignore the simple fact that 40% of Americans support an openly racist and corrupt president, and in Israel it is even worse: the common denominator of Lieberman's party, Netanyahu's Likud, and the religious parties is virulent anti-Arab racism. And yet when you add their voters, you get not 40%, not 50%, but well over 60%, perhaps 70% of today's Israeli Jews. The beautiful Israel that was is no more.
11
@EM
How is life for Israel’s Arab minority?
Khaled Abu Toameh, the Arab journalist who reports for the Jerusalem Post, U.S. News & World Report and NBC News, talking about life for Arab Israelis: "Israel is a wonderful place to live ... a free and open country.”
Arab women in Israel live longer than Arab women in any Arab country.
Study: Israeli Arabs Have Highest Life Expectancy in Muslim World
http://www.thetower.org/5791-study-israeli-arabs-have-highest-life-expectancy-in-muslim-world/
Arab babies in Israel have lower infant mortality than Arab babies in any Arab country.
Hadassah University Medical Center in Israel established a registry for Arab donors of bone marrow and stem cells to facilitate life-saving transplants. The registry at Hadassah Hospital is the only one in the world for Arabs and will no doubt save the lives not only of Arab Israelis but also of some citizens of Arab countries, not a single one of which has a registry of its own.
8
To a certain sense I don't particularly care whether the Israeli voters choose to continue with a right wing opportunist, Netanyahu, or select someone a little less extreme.
What I do care about is that my tax dollars are being used to prop up such a regime. Why has this prosperous little country been the largest recipient of US foreign for the last 40 years? Why do we help it pursue policies that marginalize all but the religious extremists? who treats non-Jews very poorly? take others' land? fervently criticism any nuclear ambitions of its neighbors while it sits on a huge arsenal of atomic weapons?
OK, I know the answer; the AIPAC & its bags of money for our corrupt politicians.
23
@Richard Huber
What does Hamas want to do after it defeats Israel?
When the rocket attacks first began against Israel, a senior Hamas leader, Dr. Yunis Al-Astal, published an article in the Hamas journal, Al-Risala, where he compared Hamas’ al-Qassam rockets to the Manjaniq catapult which the Prophet Muhammad used against the Jews of Khaybar. The fall of Khaybar, he explained, opened the gates of the Byzantine Empire to Muslim conquest and was the first step towards the fall of Constantinople. Now, the fall of Israel, he said, would open the gates of Europe to Islam and lead to the fall of Rome.
Hamas MP and cleric Al-Astal proclaimed in 2008, “We will conquer Rome, and from there continue to conquer the two Americas and even Eastern Europe” (Al-Aqsa TV, April 11, 2008, MEMRI TV).
Once it defeats the Saturday people, they're coming after the Sunday people. It's better for us to give weapons to Israel so Israeli soldiers fight Hamas over there rather than needing to use American soldiers to fight Hamas here.
3
@Richard Huber
Now, why would Israel have developed nuclear weapons prior to the 67 war, even prior to the 1979 takeover of Iran by the Ayatollah and his hostility to the existence of a Jewish state?
Hint-with so many threats to exterminate it, could you figure out why it needs weapons of the last resort? Why would America require the TSA after 9-11? Might have something to do with deterrence to more terrorism?
4
@Rosalie Lieberman
I have nothing against Israel (nor Iran) having nuclear weapons, just fess up! How about joining the IAEA & sign the NPT ? Why all the secrecy & hypocrisy?
3
The NY Times, and it seems, the majority of its readers never fail to say the same things over and over. Israel bad. Doesn't matter the particular subject matter, just, Israel bad. The fact that the Arab Palestinian leaders have always found reason not to agree to a 2-state solution, should tell you something. But, no, let's get down on Israel, a tiny, successful, mutli-cultural country, in the midst of hostile nations. Criticism is fine. But this bias - I don't get it.
12
I don’t think Israel is “bad”. I do think that Israel’s current government is not aligned with US national interests in the Middle East, and therefore Israel should no longer receive US financial aid.
17
@leftrightmiddle
Actually, you do. So do many others. It's what keeps liberal readers as paying subscribers. To deny Jews a right to the tiny country of Israel, with its clear historical ties to the Jewish people, is an "accepted" form of anti-Semitism.
Criticism is fine, if it would also include criticism of Palestinian terrorism, their ridiculous demand for a so-called right of return, their misuse of UNGA resolutions that they themselves refused, etc. One sided criticism, especially when referring to Israel being built on stolen land, in calling Palestinian people the indigenous people, is never rejected in these hallowed comments. They become the majority of comments, and the few of us who write rebuttals are the tiny minority.
10
@Alan J - Stop the "financial aid". I've heard this so many times. But do you know what kind of "US financial aid" we give Israel? It's mostly in the form of military weapons. And the U.S. companies who make the weapons are the ones who get the money (i.e., "financial aid"). Additionally, Israel, which always has to be on guard, in essence "tests" the devices that they're given. And they morph it into what exactly they need for their own purposes. And, again, what else does the U.S. get in return? We see how well these devices perform. And (a big "and"), the U.S. receives intelligence about the Middle East. Israeli intelligence. Invaluable.
4
Our slavish devotion to these jokers is what got us 9/11. Now we're defending the Saudis, who delivered it. So much for the wisdom of the electorate....vox populi vox stulti
13
A win for Netanyahu is a death sentence for Israeli democracy. It's already in tatters and a near dictatorship with a criminal 1st family.
21
@Mr. Peabody
Israel was ranked 30 out of 167 on The Economist's Democracy Index.
That's better than Belgium, Greece, Cyprus & at least a dozen other European countries.
Israel was ranked #26 by Global Democracy Rating
http://democracyranking.org/wordpress/rank/democracy-ranking-2016/
Human Development Index Israel ranked #19 on HDI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index
3
It is sad to say, but Israeli values are no longer Jewish values. Israel’s drift towards right wing extremism and illiberalism will continue to isolate American Jewry from the Israeli state.
22
@H. A. What a ridiculous thing to say. How are "Israeli values" no longer "Jewish values"? Is defending yourself not a Jewish value?
1
It’s always “fun” (not really, it’s nauseating) to read the commenters when an article about Israel shows up. Inevitably, a third of the commenters will state they are Jewish and they don’t support Israel/Bibi/The settlements or some combo of that. These people will be from NYC, FL or CA - not from Israel. So FYI to all of you, please read the Israeli comment boards: the Israelis think you are terrible Jews and aren’t deserving of the effort they put in to creating a state for all Jews. They don’t need or want opinionated and fair-weather supporters. But what they do ask is that when anti-semitism rises in the US, that you all walk-your-walk and not run to Israel for their protection (like French Jews are doing now). They don’t want to serve military to protect Jews who give their two cents to The NY Times while sitting safely and comfortably in the UWS or Boca.
10
@BLR If we pain you so much then reject receiving financial and military aid from the US taxpayer. You want the money but not the criticism of your obnoxious leader Netanyahu and his rightwing government and actions.
13
@BLR
Yeah, so I am an Israeli... You were saying? There is just as much criticism here against Bibi as in the US, perhaps even more. Instead of attacking the people that respond, why not relate to the issue at hand: the rapid destruction, by Netanyahu and his political partners and sycophants, of the last vestiges of Israeli democracy. Increased religious coercion in the public sphere and inside schools. Rising racism against Ethiopian Jews, including fatal cases of extreme police brutality. Or shall we mention the huge income gap? The rolling back of social services for the general public, with increasing budget allocations to the ultra orthodox and the messianic religious Zionist settlers at the expense of the education system. For example, with the opening of this school year, only 4 new physics teachers were employed by the Education Ministry (currently headed by religious fanatic Rafi Peretz) while 477 new "religion" teachers were hired. Exactly what the so called start up nation needs. Or Netanyahu's continued support of a racist and anti Semitic US President? Or the rift he created with US Jewry and the Dem party? And I haven't even touched upon Israeli Arab citizens' continued disenfranchisement by the Jewish majority, nor have I touched upon the Palestinian issue. All these and more discussed on Israeli comment boards, and opposite to the false impression you are trying to create above, more than half of Israelis are sick and tired of Netanyahu and his apologists.
9
@BLR
Love it. We just had an English guest over, newer to orthodox practice, who said the percentage of Jews in England who are vocally anti-Israel is tiny. Why the difference? As a well respected professional, his opinion is secular Jews in England aren't as accepted amongst their non-Jewish peers as they are here, so they are more acutely Jewish identified, and on the alert for subtle or not so subtle anti-Semitic comments or behaviors. I.E., Jews in America have forgotten that they are different, and think they can become even more integrated by mimicking the leftist trends. Assimilation within our ranks can produce some ugly consequences.
5
@ShauneNarine and @DavidMD, the partition of India and Pakistan still causes violence there; how can it be any easier in Israel/Palestine? There is no way to reach any agreement by looking backward. There is blood on everyone's hands.
The occupation is not the only problem; is any lasting peace settlement imaginable if it does not include giving Palestinian refugees citizenship in the countries where they remain in permanent limbo?
9
Thank God. We have 22nd Amendment here in USA. Two terms and you are OUT. 8 years MAX.
9
"Mr. Liberman trying to parlay his leverage into an agreement to share the premiership with Mr. Netanyahu on a rotating basis."
Has there ever been an instance, in all of history, where such a system didn't fail miserably?
2
Unfortunately Israel has had a plethora of cases in the last three decades involving corruption charges, as can be seen from a simple Google search. Even a prime minister (Olmert) and a chief rabbi (Metzger) and the head of a political party (Deri of Shas) were jailed for accepting bribes. That both Netanyahu and Liberman have faced such charges is not surprising. Politicians face the temptation to gain easy money and build luxurious mansions for their families and succumb. Where we have to be especially careful is to entirely discount "just repeating gossip" in face of the "official version"---as when Yair , Bibi's son, told of the Weinstein "investigation" of Liberman. The gossip unfortunately may be more truthful than the government version.
6
He is the solution;
1) Retire Netanyahu from politics ;
2) Retire Liberman from politics;
3) Indict both on corruption charges;
4) Keep working with Palestinian people (not their leaders) on two-state solution;
34
@VB
It's not just the leaders.
Polls show that most Palestinians don't want a 2-state solution.
They want Palestine from the River to the Sea.
1
I miss Yitzhak Rabin.
30
@SridharC I wonder what Ariel Sharon could have done?
2
@SridharC, all prospects of peace with the Palestinians died when Rabin was assassinated by a Yemeni Jew name Yigal Amir.
9
@Rick I actually thought that Sharon too in the end wanted peace but he was struck down by a stroke - such is peace! Seek it while you still can.
1
My opinion and support for Israel has decreased dramatically in the past 5-6 years, because of the radical right wing agenda. A country founded as a renewed haven for Jewishness has become that which most Jews claim they hated.
29
@Kate
Israel has become a rogue state.
7
@Kate I still love Israel. I would prefer a less corrupt Israel. I'd also like to see Israel making real attempts to work with Palestinians. I'm not sure those efforts would work. But I'd like to see them attempted.
6
Bibi has been bad-bad for Israel.
Let’s hope/pray the Israeli people come to their senses. Will they embrace fear? Or will they embrace their future?
19
Lieberman is way out there, crazier than Bibi who is clearly a corrupt politician. But he is right about bringing together the two main parties and his demand that the ultra orthodox work and participate in the military, like all other citizens of the country. There is no reason a yeshiva student can't take off 2-3 years to serve the country. It's not like they cannot study part time while serving.
13
@carlg, what about the 20% of Israel's citizens who are Palestinian and do not serve in the military. They are not wanted and do not want to serve in a country that views their very existence as a problem.
4
Hardly ever a word in the Times about Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah’s future plans for Israel.
Hardly ever a word about the thousands of missiles Hamas has fired at Israel over the years.
You’d think that a newspaper that boasts of printing “All the news that’s fit to print” would at least occasionally present some grudging recognition of Mr. Netanyahu's successes and readiness for peace with the Palestinians, if he were ever granted the opportunity to sit down with them.
.
But you’d be wrong.
The paper looks at Mr. Netanyahu and sees an ogre who bears sole responsibility for the failure of Palestinians to achieve a state of their own.
I look at Mr. Netanyahu and see the now longest serving Prime Minister of a nation with a thriving economy that ranks as a world leader in science, technology and medicine, that in 2017 was ranked by a study conducted under the auspices of the UN Secretary General as the 11th happiest country in the world, coming in ahead of the U.S. and Britain.
And as a man who has been telling Palestinian leaders for the last ten years that their game is just about over; that their dream of erasing Israel from the map of the world no-matter-how-long-it- takes is a fairy tale; and that by obstinately refusing to come to the peace table soon with an offer to Israel of permanent recognition as the Jewish State -- including meaningful land trades and security provisions -- means dooming their people to another 70+ years of blood, sweat and tears.
24
@A. Stanton thank you a trillion times over
7
@A. Stanton
"Hardly a word"?
Articles on Iran are on the NYT basically every day. The same goes for Syria, Hezbolla and Gaza. Theyre there.
Palestine has recognized Israel already. The demand that they recognizer Israel as "the Jewish state" is about as important as demanding that Israel recognize America as a "Christian nation." Its meaningless and only serves to make peace harder.
Bibi is as sly as a fox. I certainly wish he was President of the USA instead. But his balancing act has not secured Israel's future. If anything it just prolongs the hard decisions Israel will have to make. The longer the status quo prevails, the more it turns into apartheid.
13
@A. Stanton Glad somebody else pointed out that the NYT is not silent when it comes to the myriad crimes perpetrated by Hamas, Iran, Syria, et al. They do not absolve Israel when they behave the same and not surprisingly none of those countries are our allies and they don't receive much foreign aid from the US. The same cannot be said for Israel.
Are we wrong to expect better behavior from our friends?
Americans, and American Jews in particular are free to hold and express opinions about Israeli politics, society and policies, and often do, with great frequency and volume. Those expressing their views should always remember that the life threatening conditions and the acute vigilance that is required to exist in Israel on a daily basis are unimaginable to us, safe in America. Whatever anyone may think of the way Israel conducts it domestic and foreign policies we have no right to judge. Prime Minister Netanyahu has kept his country safe by being ever so vigilant and aggressively protecting his country and his people by whatever means he feels necessary. He and his government face never ending world criticism from all sides, including, unfortunately, American Jews about how Israel should conduct itself. If only our own flip flopping, wavering, pandering to the moment politicians were half as focused and driven to protect our own national and international interests our country would be in a far far better place.
11
@RamSter
If he has kept you safe then you are not under life threatening situation . He aligned himself with Trump and is now facing the consequences.
16
@RamSter you are absolutely correct. And please readers, note Rams use (when referring to Bibi) that Bibi kept “his country” safe. To all you NY non-supporters of Israel, it’s not your country!!!
2
@BLR Great. Then I am sure that the Israeli government will not only refuse any more financial aid from America they will also return the money we have sent them thus far. I think that is fair. If we, Jewish or not, are not allowed an opinion on how Israel conducts itself then we would like our money back. I am sure we can find better uses for it like infrastructure or education or healthcare.
8
I hope the people of Israel retire Netanyahu. He really needs to go. He is too hard line, has been there too long and seems to only be causing more problems for Israel than they already have. He also influenced trump to pull out of the Iran deal which puts the entire world in more danger....Time is up for Netanyahu. Let Israel move forward!
32
@Rich
have you lived in Israel? ever visited there? have any experience being under fire, having your home bombed, been on a bus or in a synagogue that has been bombed? Seen dead , injured family members up close? I didn't think so. So easy for you to say "he needs to go" from the safe vantage point of New Mexico.
1
The "odd couple" may have separated, but both individually are serious threats to democracy in Israel.
18
@Greg
What are the serious threats to democracy in the Middle East? In Iran?
What kind of democracy is practiced in the 50 Muslim majority countries of the world? What kind of protected rights do the Bahai have either in Iran or Pakistan, to name you tiny religious minority in either country?
2
@Rosalie Lieberman To answer your question none. And sadly Israel chooses to be like them. None of those countries receive the support the US gives Israel. During the Cold War Senators' McCarthy and Nixon justified attacks on freedom and democratic norms by claiming that the Soviets do them. One regimes evil does not absolve another's, there are other ways of fighting fire than with more fire.
1
It all depends on how much Liberman’s voters trust his pledge not to join in a Bibi led coalition. If they have doubts, they will and should vote instead for the Gantz led Blue and White. When Israelis figure out that voting for special interest small parties is an obstacle to true democracy they will finally avoid being held hostage to figures like the bouncer from Moldova.
13
As an outside American observer who easily recalls seeing Bibi on American news programs decades and decades ago, he was always too slick, came off as fake. I imagine Bill and Hillary appear the same way to Republicans. However, I also recall the bombs going off in a very New York pizza place (Sbarros) in Jerusalem, in busses, in markets and universities. Personally, I don’t like seeing the Palestinians oppressed and occupied and I have no problem with boycotts (we still live in a free country, for now) even if I disagree with them, but if I was voting, I would stick with the government that has suppressed the bombings. Period. I know if we go back decades and decades (about a hundred years now) there has been terrible violence on both sides (and you could argue, for the past 100 years, “Israelis” always had the upper hand when it came to actual power), but if you are an Israeli, immediate safety should be your top priority. As for the future, it’s looking bleak for all of us.
11
@Billy Bobby
In 1948, Palestinians could have declared independence. Instead, they asked for union with Jordan so when Jordanians were attacking Israel it was also Palestinians attacking Israel. The Israeli army had to go into the West Bank to destroy the artillery that was firing at Israelis.
That's how the occupation began.
Unlike other occupiers (China, Russia, Morocco, Turkey) , Israel offered to end the occupation in return for a peace treaty. Israel is still waiting.
The occupation is necessary to prevent Palestinians from murdering Jews. If Palestinians were willing to live in peace with Israelis, the occupation wouldn't be necessary.
If Israel were to end the occupation of the West Bank today, Palestinians would fire rockets & mortars from the West Bank just as Palestinians fired rockets & mortars from Gaza after Israel pulled out of Gaza.
27
@m1945 Israel is built on land stolen from the Palestinians. The two sides had been fighting over it for decades by the time 1948 rolled around. Many diplomats at the UN fully understood the implications of just giving someone else's land to another party just because that other party really, really wanted it. The implications are exactly what we have seen for decades. Israel has made all of this worse by its continued ilegal occupation and settlement of Palestine in the post-1967 period. At this point in time, about 90% of the blame for the conflict lies solidly with Israel, the powerful party in the dispute.
15
@Shaun Narine
"Israel is built on land stolen from the Palestinians."
The Palestinians settled historically Jewish lands. If you were to visit Jerusalem, you can see the ruins of the Jewish Second Temple in next to the Temple Mount in the Old City.
On the other hand, the land that I live in in Manhattan and the land that you live in in Canada is indeed stolen land -- from the Native American Indians.
Just as you and I are living in lands that belonged others, the Palestinians were also living in lands that belonged to others.
it is surprising how many people don't understand this, despite the evidence of the ruins of the Second Temple.
18
To war or not to war just may be the end results of this election. Ultimately, let's hope calmer minds prevail there.
12
in recent years, Bibi has, unlike his predecessors, transformed himself and Israel, into a Global leader.
He has successfully built relationships with China, Russia, African nations and India.
His trade deals are helping people and positioning the country as a leader in Security and defense technology.
Liberman is more inward looking, and his focus is on domestic issues and courting the ultra-orthodox.
Therein lies Bibi's problem, and hence going global versus compromising and making a deal with Liberman.
6
It seems to me that Netanyahu is the one courting the ultra-orthodox.
5
If this country were not so close an ally of ours and critical to stability in the Middle East - someone could write a better comedy of Israel politics than Yes, Prime Minister.
This story leads one to believe that Israeli politicians think running it's government is some kind of a play.
It makes 3rd world dynastic politics so lame.
9
For years the State of Israel has been ruled by a coalition of right wing politicians and religious leaders. While I do not envision Israel becoming a theocracy, the demands of Orthodox political parties have stymied democracy in Israel. Though a traditional rabbi myself, the reality is that all Israelis should have the right to pursue their beliefs. Marriage by both non-Orthodox rabbis and civil marriages should be recognized. Experimentation with different expressions of Jewish belief should be encouraged. There is no place for exemption from the army. But to be far, it was that great secular leader, the first Prime Minister of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, who precipitated the religious-secular divide in the Jewish State. In exchange for political control, the Orthodox Rabbinate was given control over religious matters—-HOPING THEY WOULD NOT INTERFERE IN THE COUNTRY’S SECULAR POLITICS! History has proved “THE OLD MAN” wrong.
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@Rabbi Martyn Adelberg I wasn't aware of that arrangement, but it sounds frighteningly similar to the House of Saud deal with Wahhabism and we know how that turns out.
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@Rabbi Martyn Adelberg
Ben Gurion, and Herzl, would be shocked today by a growing orthodox population, be it the Hareidim or the religious nationalists. Ben Gurion dismissed the 400 full time learning rabbis as a temporary nuisance, so convinced of his dream for a totally secularized, new type of Jew. Well, many of his new types have long left Israel for better opportunities abroad, have given up on the dream of a modern, Jewish state of Israel, and don't have many children, either.
If you asked orthodox leaders in the late 1940s, they would have predicted the shifting populations, and said that Ben Gurion's visions for the future were naïve. But, not in setting up the Rabbinate for marriage, divorce, and related issues. Otherwise, circumcision might have been banned by the Israeli Supreme Court!
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