Is there anything, no matter how smal it is, that has not already been said n times about the Palestinian Israeli existential conflict ?
The USA, the unworthy , self appointed final arbitrator has been very clear in their total support of Israel with endless declarations about that and had, under Trump, taken unretraceable action to. Confirm that with the Embassy -Jerusalem issue .
As things stand now after 70 plus years of conflicts. A major power has come down with what purports to be its final decision of a life long strategic alliance and endless support of Israeli expansionist and regional domination ambitions!
So what is left to be said and why say anything at all ?
Conclusion: only interminable wars may ultimately lead Israel to despair and realize the its un winnable stands and ambitions.0f regional hegemony and expanist enlarge of its present size !
Very little of semi real importance remains to be said and Israel,suicidal stand will soon impose itself !
So why the endless repetition of what is, to,thevUsa and Israel,, a fait accompli that stands no chance of coming out with something acceptable by or enforceable on both sides.
The rational response is the USA Israeli decision is in fact telling the region that it will,go back to pseudo colonization by the American Zionist alliance !
2
"Let me be the neutral guy."
TRANSLATION: "Let me be in the spotlight."
2
Trump’s Hopes of being the ‘Neutral Guy’ in the Mideast Seem Long Gone; PLEASE, the United States have not been neutral since forever. The only constant in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the fact that the US has been and always would be for Israel and against the Palestinian.
1
"And the Palestinians are angry about the embassy."
Most Americans are also angry about the embassy. We know how much trouble our nation is in, and we're working hard to get rid of the unpredictable, greedy man-child who's taken over our presidency for a short time, thanks in part to the Russians.
No one would mourn if either or both of these "leaders" got the prison time they deserve.
3
There is no agreement until the Palestinians have a leader. Abbas sits atop a small kleptocracy kept in power through payoffs. Behind is Hamas doing its best to seize power.
Abbas, 82 and a chain smoker, may have a long life to come, but actuarial tables don't support that. He can't enforce a negotiated peace, so he can't negotiate one.
Trump, with the tighter relationship with Israel, moving the embassy, deducing and may be cutting off payments is ending the period were Abbas believes he can bully his opponent.
When the Palestinians get a new, non-Hamas government, or Jordan assumes control, a peace will be negotiated rather quickly.
2
Let's accept the fact that once again we are told one of those "white lies" that Hope Hicks was talking about. There is more than a good chance that there is no Mideast peace process and there is no plan of any kind. Mr. Trump (or is it Mr. Netanyahu?) is just playing us for a fool.
If there was a plan with slightest chance of being accepted by both sides, it would contain compromises on the outstanding issues. Compromises always create unhappy people. The unhappy ones would be leaking information, followed by lobbying, interviews, and articles all aimed at building support for changing/improving this or that clause.
So far we got none of that. Is that because those in Trump administration have suddenly stopped leaking information? I don't think so. The best explanation, in my view, is that there is no plan in the first place?
1
To solve the middle east problem all US needs to do is carve out boundaries of the Israel and Palestine. Give the maps to both the sides and ask them to accept it. The final solution to total Jerusalem issue can be decided at a later date.Until that Jerusalem be declared as UNO city and both the parties can have their embassies there. Both the countries can then coexist and can help each other and the past will be forgotten.All Palestinians families who were forced out of Israel be compensated with $200K. Seems simple but what is the choice for peace.
1
How can it fail? We've got the best negotiator in the history of the world.
1
I welcome the end of the US role in the peace process. It is not our conflict. Let the two parties deal with it.
Talk is cheap. This president could care less about peace between Israel and the Palestinians with his actions taken again Palestine as proof; the praising of more Settlements, naming Jerusalem at Israel's capital and busy cutting Palestinian aid leaving them no longer speaking to one another. We will always stand with Israel. But with Mr. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu being two peas in a pond, it makes it impossible for Trump to be an honest and sincere broker of a peace deal.
3
Netanyahu is learning from Trump disrespect to dress code: his coat is unbuttoned, like Trumps, even though the tie is not as long as the latter's.
Apart from that, he will probably seek in Washington expert advice on money laundering, in light of this financial troubles in Israel.
1
For everyone talking about international law clearly favoring the Palestinians: Remember that everything the Nazis did against the Jews was legal. Israel no doubt feels the same way about any such "laws" from the UN. They were simply drafted, approved, and enforced by Israel's enemies, and thus Israel sees no obligation to obey them.
4
And perhaps some of the international law geniuses who are quick to lambast Israel can explain how Israel can "occupy" territory that clearly has 4000 years of Jewish history attached to it, never was ruled by a sovereign state called "Palestine", has been conquered by one power after the other over the centuries with a panoply of tribes Arab and non-Arab moving in and out, is mostly made up of public untitled deedless land whose last recognized sovereign was the long defunct Ottoman Empire. Oh, and did I mention the land in dispute was gained in a defensive war at the expense of forces who tried to destroy Israel, but lost. The Geneva Convention talks of land seizures by conquering aggressive states being illegal. It says nothing about land seized in act of defense from aggressors who lost. Otherwise, the present control of Silesia and Prussia -- German territories for centuries -- by Poland at the expense of Germany who tried to destroy Poland starting WWII (they did a pretty good job on that score) would also be a violation of international law using the logic of Palestinian apologists.
4
"Remember that everything the Nazis did against the Jews was legal. "
Really? Is that why we had the Nuremberg trials? International Law was created BECAUSE of what Nazis did, to prevent a recurrence in the future.
2
To the apologists who claim Israel is a democracy. What democracy allows its citizens to steal privately owned land and when ordered to leave pay the thieves?
The High Court of Justice temporarily froze the government’s transfer of millions of shekel in compensation to the evacuees of illegally built West Bank homes in Amona, Ofra and Netiv Ha’avot Tuesday.
The court said the state must submit a statement by March 12 justifying why it should be allowed to repay settlers for demolishing homes they built without the government’s permission.
Tuesday’s ruling was in response to a petition from attorney Shachar Ben Meir, who argued that cabinet decisions in December 2016 and last month to approve such compensation encouraged further illegal building.
In February 2017, Israeli forces razed the Amona outpost in the central West Bank after the High Court ruled over two years prior that the 40-family community had been built illegally on private Palestinian land.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/high-court-freezes-compensation-to-owners-...
5
"What democracy allows its citizens to steal privately owned land and when ordered to leave pay the thieves?"
Hmm.... You and your IDF buddies take up your army-issued guns, drive to West Bank, and scare some helpless Palestinian families off their farms. You build a few flimsy shacks here and there and practice "off-grid" living for a month or two. Then the government comes and pays you good money to move away (most likely to the next West Bank hill top).
It sounds like a highly profitable business to me! You make good money and live a healthy life. May be Mr. Kushner should look into that. I understand he has lots of friends among West Bank settlers and, more importantly, lots of debt to pay.
3
So, if only President Trump would recognize all Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, this would take that issue off the table, too. Presto! Peace pops up on the horizon.
But why stop there? Why not simply cede the whole West Bank to Israel? Then we wouldn't need any table at all.
4
Our role as the honest broker in the Middle East was one of the ways America served the world. Sacrificing that to take a side is wrong.
3
We have never been an honest broker. We cannot be an honest broker as long as the entire Congress is on the take from well moneyed Israel supporters. We have played the peace-process game along with various Israeli governments giving them decades to steal. It's always been a scam.
3
When any other country takes private land to build a road, it's called the right of eminent domain. When Israel takes private land to build a road, it's called stealing.
1
when it is about land that Palestinians plan to call their own nation, it's a bit more of a mess than a right of eminent domain dispute.
5
Trump saying that he would bring the Palestinians and Israelis together never was a serious statement. Trump does not care whether what he says is credible or not, he just says whatever he thinks in the moment his listeners want to hear. What is more, Trump simply does not care what happens in Israel, to either Israelis or Palestinians. He cares about his own cash flow more than whether other people are suffering or doing well.
7
Trump says he "still has a chance at forging peace." Trump says a lot of things most of which have no connection to reality. How could deeply offending the Palestinians and alienating most of the Arab world by moving the US embassay to Jerusleum have anything to do with the peace process?
6
There is an old saying "When all you have is a hammer, all the worlds problems look like nails."
President Trump in his dealings with "allies" and enemies alike, with the exception of Russia, feels that threatening and bullying are the best ways "to get a good deal."
If I were a Palestinian negotiator, I'd look at Netanyahu who is facing imminent indictment on multiple corruption charges, and President Trump whose administration is under investigation by Robert Mueller, and bide my time. There could be a change of leadership coming, and just about anybody else would deal more fairly with the Palestinians then Netanyahu or President Trump.
7
The Palestinians have never been interested in having their own state. If they had been interested in having their own state, they would have declared independence in 1948. Instead, the West Bank Palestinians asked for union with Jordan.
3
On I-P issues, there hasn't been a neutral US president since Carter so i find this wording a bit bemusing. But it is typical and very American, this habit of building firewalls around tiny aspects of a bigger problem to minimize and avoid dealing with the larger issue. Mass shootings? Bumpstocks. Israel Palestine? Trumps antics etc. Reality inevitably catches up though, and rudely.
4
“The Palestinians, I think, are wanting to come back to the table very badly,” he said, despite evidence to the contrary. Then he acknowledged what would happen if he is wrong. “If they don’t, you don’t have peace.”
HE IS SO PERCEPTIVE.
11
Well, he IS a stable genius.
1
Go ahead bankrupt America over foolish wars that accomplish nothing. Iran is Netanyahu's priority? Come up with the cash. We wasted 4-6,000,000,000 dollars going after Iraq. Another Netanyahu priority.
In the end all empires go bankrupt. We will become insolvent. And China will then enforce a Pax Sinica. Russia will back Iran. and netanyahu will toe the russian line
10
A major quibble; Iraq 1 and 2 were Saron's wars, not Bibi's.
1
Bebe and Donny are "birds of a feather." It would be great if they could "do" time together.
12
Natanyahu is under extreme pressure from within Israel on account of corruption allegations; this is undeniable. However, the assertion that both Trump and Bibi are in "need of a friend" are words that will come back to haunt this author once a no confidence vote is declared in the Knesset and Bibi is re-elected despite the corruption charges. Yes, he has engaged in nefarious nepotism at the expense of the public trust and yes he should answer for it by disgorging the benefit. However, the fact remains bibi is a popular leader whose hawkish policies have generally been well received and whose leadership in general has benefited Israel economically and its security. At this point, its time the US approaches its relations with Israel on what it can gain and benefit from it technologically vis-a-vis its startup culture and put aside silly notions of brokering peace with "Palestinians" who do little more than peddle a victim-hood narrative and squander their resources to payoff terrorists.
4
Following strange logic of Mr. Trump arguing that his decision to recognize Jerusalem resolved a tough issue dividing Israel and the Palestinians. “We’ve taken it off the table,” he said. “So this gives us a real opportunity for peace.”, one could legitimately conclude that if he recognized all territories Israel occupies, everything will be off the table and lo and behold PEACE arrives. There will be nothing left to discuss.
5
It’s interesting, how long the Times runs these articles that cover anything negative regarding Trump. If memory serves, even if they ran a negative story on Obama, it slid down the page in less than 12 hours, then off of the site unless you searched for it. Zero balance.
1
Dear Midwest Josh,
There's a good reason for that discrepancy though. President Obama rarely had major negative news about him, and very rarely was it about anything that had a big impact on America. Whereas Trump does something remarkably destructive and boneheaded every two days or so.
6
I can’t see him actually proposing anything,” Oded Revivi, chief foreign affairs envoy for the Yesha Council, which represents West Bank settlers. The West Bank settlers have a foreign affairs envoy? Are they a nation?
8
It is ironic that Netanyahu compares Trump to King Cyrus of Persia the founder of modern Iran who Netanyahu is bent on destroying. Nice way to pay back someone who saved his ancestors, you can excuse Trump as he probably does not know who Cyrus is, he is happy being compared to a King.
8
Netanyahu is NOT bent on destroying Iran.
Iran is bent on destroying Israel.
Israel would like to buy Iranian oil and have Iran buy Israeli products.
3
I am not a supporter of Mr Trump however he is right on this one.
He is making it very clear that Israel is a reality and a strong US ally and that the Arab negotiating position will get weaker over time. Putting the US embassy in Jerusalem make that clear.
11
There is no way US politicians will ever propose and implement a fair settlement of the Palestine Question. What one reads in this article is all posturing. When governments fail citizens have to step up. For a just settlement in the Middle East that means BDS.
7
Buy Defense Stocks?
Do you really think that will help?
2
Jerusalem isn't a Trump possession to give to whomever he wants.
Though this article describes the relationship between the 2 as if it was a match made in heaven between 2 crooks, if you read the Israeli papers for months now, Netanyahu is very displeased with Trump and came here to pressure him for greater US involvement in Syria. But of course, Netanyahu and his cohorts are clever as foxes, know Trump is uninformed, and are playing him, just like other world leaders, with compliments off the wall to make him do what they want. According to Haaretz, the so-called peace plan is just a Netanyahu wish list.
9
What's next? Invade Iran but of course! Trump is not representing the best interests of the United States and he even insults the people of Israel by appointing a zero experience team of misfits: a bankruptcy lawyer and his son-in-law of Jarenka fame, who's been downgraded. Such "winning" indeed.
7
The administration has never been serious about pursuing peace. That was doomed the day Trump chose Kushner to lead the charge. Kushner's skill set, at best, would be described as he's a "people person." The men and women who have worked for decades to find a way to wage peace between Palestine and Israel must have laughed/cried with Jarred's appointment. Trump might as well of made Kushner the lead cancer surgeon at Mass General. Trump sent a boy to do a man/woman's job.
10
Chancellor Merkel: “German government does not support this position [by trump],
because the status of Jerusalem is to be resolved in the framework of a two-state solution.”
Dec 6, 2017: German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s tweet. Merkel and the rest of the world opposed Trump’s Jerusalem policy.
6
War and peace turn on the relative proportions of young men who would give their life for a cause versus those who would live their life for a cause.
The flaw here is the idea that being "neutral" between Israel and its enemies is the way to bring peace. What is the evidence for that proposition?
5
The USA has never been neutral. Nobody believes that . Never has been, never will be.
What was the early propagand?. A land without people for a people without a land. That sums it up. The inhabitants of Palestine were not considered people by the colonising power. All men and women are created equal, but some are more equal than others.
10
Colonizing power? Jews lived in Israel for millennia.
How many British were living in Australia when Cook arrived?
5
The colonizing power referred to was Britain, not the Jews, and the quote was, I think, from Balfour. I'm sorry you misunderstood Mark's post. It was about the 760,000 Palestinians living in Israel, who were apparently invisible at the time.
2
Amazed that people do not understand what is happening.For all intents and purposes Israel is annexing the West Bank and is moving towards a Jewish Moslem State.too bad but that is the way it is.
4
Little interest in Israeli-Palestinian peace from the Arab nations.
What we've got now is where we're going to be at for the foreseeable future. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have got cozy with Israel. They can see no benefit in actively persuing the peace process. The Palestinians seem to think they can jumpstart the process by denying Israel's right to exist, while their brethren in Gaza lob the odd rocket and dig the occasional tunnel.
Meanwhile Trump and Netanyahu are using each other for political gain both in the US and Israel. It's reciprocity on steroids.
Middle East peace? Sadly, who needs it?
2
As long as Israel's government remains in the grip of their tea party, there will be no peace in the country.
7
I find it deeply concerning how little the press mentions that american-jews are far and away one of the most liberal voting groups. Thanks to Kushner, Stephen Miller, Sheldon Adelson and Trump's relationship with Netanyahu--one might think that Jews were staunch Republicans. This could not be farther from the truth. In the same way that Americans do not want to be affiliated with Trump on the international stage, american-jews do not want to be affiliated with this evangelical, right-wing obsession over Israel.
3
In 2016, the Republican controlled Congress thought it was a good idea to have the Israeli PM address Congress, against the advice of President Obama. Congressional Republicans showed more loyalty to the PM of Israel, than their own President.
For most of 2016, the GOP controlled Senate would not even consider President Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, for a Supreme Court vacancy.
Now how could a GOP President like Trump, be seen as a ‘neutral guy’, in terms of Middle East peace negotiations?
Trump and Netanyahu will continue to do all they can to make sure there is no Middle East peace plan. Trump’s decision to make Jerusalem the Capital of Israel from a US point of view, tells one all they need to know about the supposed neutrality of President Trump in terms of Middle East peace.
10
The first time a foreign leader addressed a joint meeting of Congress occurred in 1874, when King Kalakaua of Hawaii (then a Kingdom) visited Washington. Since then, there have been 113 instances where foreign leaders have addressed a joint meeting of Congress
2
How many foreign leaders addresses to Congress, were held against the expressed opposition of the sitting President.
2
How clueless is Trump, thinking an embassy would only cost 250 grand.it costs that much to build a McDonald's. Wait, maybe it only costs that much because he will try to gyp the builders.
10
Netanyahu and Trump get along well because they are both crooks and liars. Witch hunt, indeed. Perhaps we can organise for them to share a cell.
19
They get along great because they are both crooks.
10
Ignorance is bliss, and we have a hugely happy honcho in the USofA.
5
Thieving crows of a feather flock together.
10
People talk of ‘Palestinian lands’, but how can they own lands that they have never, ever, independently owned and governed? The land Israel has been occupying since 1967 belongs to Jordan, Egypt and Syria. Why is no one clamouring to give the lands back to their legal owners? Why did these states do nothing to create an independent Palestine when they controlled the territory? Ultimately, it is because the Palestinian claim is largely a canard. It has far more to do with anti-Semitism and the desire to wipe Israel off the map than it does with true nationalistic desires for independence.
None of this justifies the Israeli treatment of Palestinians post-1967, mind you. I’m in no way saying that. It just seems disingenuous for the entire Arab world to be upset over Palestine when they did nothing to create a Palestinian state before 1967. It is utterly hypocritical.
9
Fascists of a feather flock together! Both Trump and Bibi are headline grabbing kleptocrats. Trump is a wannabe Netanyahu. Bibi already has his “Wall” imprisoning African refugees. Trump wants to block out Mexicans. As noted, both are long on chutzpah and short on morality. Israel has become the very thing that led to the founding of the Jewish state following Nazi persecution. Trump would love to rein over a supremacist state. These two deserve each other, the rest of the world does not! Both these men and their supporters want to disrupt and destroy societies and then persecute the refugees they create. Peace and democracy ain’t got nothing to do with it!
10
What rubbish and lies. Here are two "World Leaders" who are SO corrupt, and SO driven by ego and greed, that they care NOTHING about the Palestinians, or actual "peace" in the region.
There will never be Peace so long as the US continually sends THE Biggest Military Weapons Aid to Israel (which Netanyahu claims "isn't big enough"), and the Palestinians are fighting with rocks and knives and a suicide grenade under their shirt. A U.S. made armored bulldozer deliberately drove over, crushed and KILLED the American, Rachael Corey, who was in plain sight at the time, with witnesses, wearing a red jacket, talking into a bullhorn, protesting the demolition of legal homes on the Palestine side of the border. The US and Israel did absolutely nothing in investigating her death.
The final insult is a new US Embassy in Jerusalem. That Holy City is for EVERYONE, not just Jews. What kind of ugly precedent is that ?
Hopefully, Netanyahu will be in jail by the time he returns to "his" Country. Hopefully Trump will share the same fate, once Mueller is done with him.
12
The first thing Israel did after this declaration to show respect for other religions with deep roots in Jerusalem was to mount an unprecedented assault on the Christian Church.
The City of Jerusalem last month presented the Church of the Holy Sepulchre with a $186 million tax bill for properties it has owned for 200 years that are used to generate revenue for church activities (support of the clergy, hospitals, food kitchens, etc). These properties have been tax free under international agreements that predate the founding of Israel.
The Knesset got into the act, too, with a bill that would confiscate from buyers properties the church had sold since 2010 to satisfy its debts, subject to leases granted to the Jewish National Fund back in the 1950s. The leases won't expire until 2050, but wealthy Jews now living in homes on those lands were afraid the new owners might then bump their land rents up. This bill was presented as a "humanitarian" issue (snort). The real effect would be to render any additional property the church owned virtually worthless. Who would buy if Israel could then expropriate the land?
Israel has delayed these measures for now after the church shuttered its doors for three days and an outcry from Christians was heard around the world. But it may not be over. Most of those native Christians are Arab, you know.
3
There are no taxes on properties used for religious purposes, but when religious institutions use their properties for business, then they have to pay a tax. Synagogues have to pay the tax. Why should churches be exempt?
2
Imagine you are asked to watch a short video (above) in which six people-three in white shirts and three in black shirts-pass basketballs around. While you watch, you must keep a silent count of the number of passes made by the people in white shirts. At some point, a gorilla strolls into the middle of the action, faces the camera and thumps its chest, and then leaves, spending nine seconds on screen. Would you see the gorilla?
Almost everyone has the intuition that the answer is "yes, of course I would." How could something so obvious go completely unnoticed? But when we did this experiment at Harvard University several years ago, we found that half of the people who watched the video and counted the passes missed the gorilla. It was as though the gorilla was invisible.
http://www.theinvisiblegorilla.com/gorilla_experiment.html
2
Without taking sides on the Middle East conflict (although people accusing the Palestinians of corruption when the Israeli prime mininister had been charged with fraud and bribery is pretty rich), there are simply many more business opportunities for the Trump Organization in Israel and that seems to be the prime concern behind Our Beloved Leader's foreign policy.
6
A President can only claim neutrality if first he is Presidential and secondly, if he or she is trustworthy. Trump is neither. It is sad that an individual with no Security Clearance and who has in fact failed a full Security Clearance is in charge of such an important mission. This is compounded by the fact that Netanayu who is under investigation and Trump who is also under investigation are friends. My heart goes out to all those affected by this.
3
A meeting of the crooks!
7
The only way to have peace in the Middle East is by the UN taking responsibility of the two state solution by imposing it by force if necessary, as was the foundation of Israel. It has to come from the International Community , not acceptance would be reason for eviction of the UN.
6
The UN is comprised of its member nations. It can only do what they want it to do.
1
As is all too clear for anyone outside CPAC and the RNC to acknowledge - Trumpotus is a discredted dupe blithely caught up In Yahoo's Net.
7
"Trump as ‘Neutral Guy’ in the Mideast"?
That's a laugh! Especially, since Trump, his family, and his gang have massive personal landholdings in the MiddleEast, which scream a lack of "neutrality" or even "objectivity" and instead proclaim "vested interests" and "conflict of interest" to the world. (And both are propped up by right-wing money from the likes of Sheldon Adelson, who's anything but NOT "neutral"!)
Not to mention the low level of respect -- or even honesty -- manifested by the likes of Trump and Netanyahu.
Like many in the US, I grew up believing in the "special" relationship between the US and Israel and having the greatest respect (if not always total agreement) with leaders like Rabin, Begin, and Meier. But Netanyahu is an oily politician, one who'd backstab a US president like Obama on the world stage (in front of the US Congress), who has turned into a right-wing thug, a crook (pending indictments) and a person with utterly no integrity. THIS is a person we want to be "close" to?
12
You are conflating nation with current leader. Are you against America because Trump is the current President?
2
It's not so simple as "for" or "against" but, to reply in short, yes, I'm "against" much of what the USA is doing under Trump, just as I'm "against" much of what Israel is doing under Netanyahu.
Leaders represent, stand for, and determine what the nations they lead do, and, as such, bring discredit, sanction, and even universal disgust upon their nations.
4
I wonder how much money Kushner's business enterprises received for moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem?
19
Whoever is friends with Trump is a like minded con-artist, the only people he can relate to. The world will be a lot safer if Netanyahu and Trump were both behind bars.
18
I fear that the more that Israel pins its hopes for peace and security on two leaders like Trump and Netanyahu, the less likely it will realize these critical objectives. Both of these men have boundless egos, and both are jeopardizing the futures of the countries that they lead.
11
I can't help but wonder two things, the first is how they describe being under investigation when alone, and secondly, what's the interaction between Sara(h?) Netanyahu and DJT like.
3
We can't help you with that. You'll have to wonder alone.
1
What's up with trump's Middle East Peace Maker, Jared Kushner. That's right, the man who knows nothing can no longer share classified information with the man who can't know anything.
15
Trump says he is working on a peace plan. Give us a few clues about this plan. Is your advisor who's security clearance was downgraded working on it? Is it a land for peace deal? To whom on the Arab side will this deal be presented? Where will negotiations take place? Will there even be negotiations or is it my way or the highway?
Or will your peace plan be like Trump U, a complete fraud on everyone involved? Or will it be like you and the porn star, where no one is satisfied?
11
Netanyahu placed Trump in the pantheon of secular Jewish heroes: King Cyrus, Balfour, and Truman.
Historians, including Jewish historians, will mark the day that Trump announced his decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem as the day that the two-state solution was destroyed and Israel was transformed into a full-fledged Apartheid state.
15
The two-state solution is available whenever the Palestinians decide to live in peace. Moving our embassy to Jerusalem does not preclude a two-state solution.
2
"Mr. Trump has made his decision to move the embassy a selling point among his supporters." - I still do not understand why the overwhelming bulk of Trump supporters would possibly care about such an esoteric issue as to what city is the capital of Israel. Not to be too insulting, but do most voters in rural Mississippi even know where Israel is on the map?
12
May the adults in the White House stand up and take charge, please?
I see a new "mission accomplished" in the making by that odd couple ... God help us all!
4
To begin with, Donald Trump knows nothing about being a 'Neutral Guy', because if he did, he wouldn't only be playing to his support base here in the U.S. -- So why should he be any different when it comes to Israel?
6
Those two are, as my late father would say, thick as thieves. And I use the word thieves literally.
9
Anyone whoever thought that this so-called president would advocate for a fair peace deal involving "people of color" who also were Muslims has been living in LalaLand!
3
Forget the Palestinians for now. Two state solution has been dead for a while. Lets instead pay attention to real catastrophe that is about to happen. Benjamin Netanyahu and his foreign minster has a bigger fish to fry. They are plotting to attack Iran using American blood and money. Its just a matter of time.
7
... at times, I'm so afraid you're right.
Is there anything, ANYthing we can still do
to prevent this nightmare from coming true?
3
This is all just a farce. Israeli statements of the desire for peace do not match their actions. The reality on the ground is that Israel has been building settlements aggressively in the West Bank increasingly making the formation of a functional Palestinian state an impossibility. Since the Oslo Accords in 1993, the settlement population has increased from 264,000 to 750,000 in 2014 with settlements snaking deep into the West Bank. Perhaps it's time to force Israel to accept their own reality. Have them incorporate the entire West Bank into Israel and make all Palestinians living there equal citizens. It would be better than the slow hell the Palestinians live in currently. But with the current political paradigm in Israel, that will never happen because that will threaten the idea of Israel as a Jewish state. They've gotten themselves into a real moral bind. Continue an illegal occupation and a de facto apartheid state, or step up to the plate and do the right thing. Unfortunately, given their recent history, I think they will continue to live in denial. The problem will fester and just keep getting worse.
10
The settlements don't make a functional Palestinian state an impossibility.
On the contrary, they will actually help make a Palestinian state functional.
When there is a peace treaty, a border will be agreed to. Those settlements on the Israeli side of the border will become part of Israel. Those settlements on the Palestinian side of the border will become part of Palestine & the settlers will become Palestinian citizens.
Because the settlers are generally wealthier than the Palestinians, their presence in Palestine will help the Palestinian economy.
1
Will Palestinians then be able to move into what are now Jewish-only settlements in their own country?
1
A 'neutral guy' like Donald Trump who believes that Mideast Israeli Palestinian peace begins with 6 million Christian Muslim Arab Palestinian Israelis surrendering every piece of their land along with their divine natural equal certain unalienable rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness to live in a civil secular plural egalitarian democracy to domination by 6.1 million Israeli Jews by occupation, blockade/siege, exile and 2nd class citizenship.
While only 2 percent of Americans are Jewish 80 percent of the world's 16 million Jews are equally distributed between America and Israel.
13
It's actuality 3%
What's the big deal
2% 6.4 million
3% 9.4 million
1
Khaled Abu Toameh, the journalist who reports for the Jerusalem Post, U.S. News & World Report and NBC News, put it: "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.
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.
5
Black Mamba -- why do you persistently repeat the same comment again and again whenever Israel becomes the main target of your contempt? How do you know that the world's Jewish population is evenly divided between America and Israel? Prove it.
3
Israel practices modern day Apartheid ostensibly for security reasons. US is the only major power which enables subjugation a whole people. This is facilitated by powerful lobbying groups who have installed their surrogates - Trump/Pence in the White House. 'Peace' in the middle east as a promise from Trump was always farcical akin to gun control, trade tariffs, jobs for steel workers. A talking point delivered masterfully to a credulous public. Isreal wants peace by domination and has achieved it's goal.
For a people who pride themselves with keeping their history alive by ritual and remembrance this seems particularly short sighted.
16
Benjamin Pogrund
“…during 26 years as a journalist in South Africa I investigated and reported the evil that was apartheid. I saw Nelson Mandela secretly when he was underground, then popularly known as the Black Pimpernel, and I was the first non-family member to visit him in prison.
I have now lived in Israel for 17 years, doing what I can to promote dialogue across lines of division. To an extent that I believe is rare, I straddle both societies. I know Israel today – and I knew apartheid up close. And put simply, there is no comparison between Israel and apartheid…”
2
Birds of a feather, flock together - the two kleptocrats deserve each other. Netanyahu seeks to grab more land from the Palestinians to pander to the settlers, because he needs the far-right groups more than ever to survive politically. Trump needs to appease his supporters - evangelicals and pro-Israel donors - to maintain his approval ratings, so that he can continue to benefit from his presidency.
If only Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas possess more integrity, they would have the whole world at their feet, and have the upper hand in the peace talks.
6
Neither side of the Palestinian-Israeli problems really wants to negotiate a meaningful settlement. The best chance came with the Oslo Accord after which Arafat overplayed his hand and lost. The U.S. never has bee, is not now and never will be neutral in trying to reach a settlement.
4
The conflict has provided great wealth for Palestinian leaders. Arafat’s net worth was $1 billion. Abbas’ met worth is $100 million. Hamas’ Khaled Mashaal, head of Hamas’s political wing, net worth $2.6 billion. Ending the conflict means ending the money.
7
Solving the Israeli-Palestinian problem was one of the big promises Trump made. Of course, no one with any knowledge of the region believed his hype, and guess what? Our skepticism has now been utterly verified by this meeting. Trump has no intention of getting serious. His idea that he "took Jerusalem off the table" is insulting and counter-productive to the point of being a complete obstacle. Trump is not an honest broker, and the proof is his placing Prince Jared Kushner in charge of this effort.
Bottom line: Trump has made no actual effort toward solving this problem. Like almost everything he has promised, this is just Kabuki theater.
10
If by “neutral,” you mean telling hard truths, then perhaps Trump fits the bill. If nothing else, there is no balance between an indigenous population’s restoration to a quarter of its internationally recognized historical homelands (see League of Nations Mandate for Palestine of 1922, before Jordan was carved out leaving 22%) and returning 99.75% of the lands of the defeated Ottoman Turks to an Arab sovereignty that last existed in the 11th century. One hard truth that the Palestinian Arabs still refuse to acknowledge is that the Jewish people have a long history in the land and are entitled to self-determination. Denying even that Jerusalem was always the capital city when Jews were sovereign is indicative of this mindset. Oddly, Israel affords its Arab citizens far more civil and religious rights than any Arab country - consistent with its obligations under the Mandate.
If Russia demanded the return of Alaska because Putin now decided that the Tsar had no “right” to sell Russian (forget the Inuit people) land in the first place and the UN’s automatic anti-West majority passed resolutions demanding its return to Russia, I doubt The NY Times would demand a similarly neutral stance. As I said, sometimes the two sides are not equally balanced.
Simply put, Israel has the stronger legal and historical connection to the land. The Arabs claim is based on a 7th century conquest, though they lost their sovereignty by the 11th. How is that the superior claim?
31
Jeez, Louise it gets tiresome to hear this distortion of history. Is this some kind of anti-historical indoctrination? Jordan, formerly Transjordan, was promised to the Hashemites in 1915, pre-Balfour. Why? Because Arabs fought and died beside the British in WWI in the expectation their (legitimate) national aspirations would be rewarded. Jordan was specifically excluded from the "Jewish homeland" scheme in two separate treaties, had its own government by 1924, was never administered by the British Mandate apparatus but was autonomous, and was independent by 1946, two years before Israel.
Jordan was NEVER in play for any Jewish settlement and to suggest otherwise is to claim Zionists were promised all of the British Mandate, which is patently absurd. Zionists, a small religious/political organization, did not have a seat at the table with the major world powers dividing the former Ottoman Empire. As for superior claims, the ancient Hebrew/Israelite kingdoms held sovereignty for about 520 intermittent years between 1000 BCE, founding of David's kingdom, and 70 CE, their final defeat by Romans, a rule interrupted 11 times by conquest. That's vs. the 2,000 year old culture of Canaanites attacked by Hebrews from Egypt and the 1,500 year domination of the Levant by Muslims, 600s CE to the present.
A timeline. Hebrew/Israelite/Jewish sovereignty represented in blue. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/822bb183d14b4214ef5dcb...
3
These historical arguments can be extended back in time forever to no real point. Some Palestinians are certainly descendants of the ancient Canaanites as shown by genetic testing but this, too, is quite irrelevant today.
3
... in the 21st century, do you really want to base your claim to land
on assumed rights that date back to way back when or were laid down
in Holy Scriptures? If my country of origin did that, we would still be
fighting with our European neighbors.
3
USA was never the neutral guy. Not even Obama. He gave Israel an unprecedented arms and aid package, and Israel expressed their gratitude by sniping at him and snubbing him, for his occasional muted criticisms of their outrageous behavior.
60
Former Supreme Commander of NATO and U.S. Secretary of State Gen. Alexander Haig described Israel as "the largest US aircraft carrier, which does not require even one US soldier, cannot be sunk, is the most cost-effective and battle-tested, located in a region which is critical to vital US interests. If there would not be an Israel, the US would have to deploy real aircraft carriers, along with tens of thousands of US soldiers, which would cost tens of billions of dollars annually, dragging the US unnecessarily into local, regional and global conflicts."
3
Oh, please. The US doesn't lack for FULL BLOWN American military bases in the region, something Israel refuses to host. These bases are located in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, our NATO ally. They do cost the US billions annually.
So, ditch that silly quote. It's 40 years old. As for "dragging the US unnecessarily into local and regional conflicts..." Well, anyone who's been awake in the last 40 years knows how that worked out.
2
"something Israel refuses to host."
Can you provide any citation for Israel refusing to have an American base?
2
Imagine this fictional Scenario.
Imagine that Canada and USA are one single country and the name of entire country is “BIG USA”. The people living there are called PILGRIMS. Now assume that Millions of Native Americans are living in Germany. A dictator in Germany tries to exterminate the entire population of Native Americans. In order to protect the Native Americans, The U.N.O divides the country of BIG USA into Canada and USA (Alaska and Mainland USA together was to be called USA).
The country of Canada is given to Native Americans and the country of USA is given to PILGRIMS already living in BIG USA. The U.N.O decides to divide the country based on the fact that few hundred years before Native Americans were the original people living in BIG USA.
This proposal was not accepted by the PILGRIMS. But the native Americans wanted Canada to be their country. So the Native Americans got rid of the PILGRIMS who were living in Canada, took their property and pushed the PILGRIMS to Alaska and Mainland USA. Overtime Canada occupied Alaska and Mainland USA and subjugated the population to extreme measures in order to protect itself from those PILGRIMS who are fighting to liberate the land of Alaska and Mainland USA form its Canadian occupiers.
Now there two parties fighting for US Independence Party “A” and Party “B”. Party “A” has renounced violence hoping that it can get into talk with the Canadian Government and ultimately gain Independence.
1
Sorry my post above got truncated.
Two schmeichlers at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue yesterday! Our 45th President - schmeichler-in-chief - and his BFF, Binyamin Netanyahu, who schmeichled Trump at their meeting as one of the most important figures in the history of the Jewish people (along with Cyrus the Great of Persia, Lord Balfour of England and Harry Truman who recognized Israel's independence in 1948). Both Trump and Netanyahu declared their relationship has never been better or stronger. Selah! Trump is planning a trip to Jerusalem in May when Irael's capital is moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. We'll see how the chips fall after that.
The pretense that Trump's administration would have the slightest effect on the ME was always a pipe-dream. It's silly to speculate if the odds have dropped when the odds were already at 000.0000% when they started.
3
West Bank Palestinians have missed the boat. They're never going to have an independent state. They need to accept that they will be living in Israel as Israelis. The best they can hope for is a degree of autonomy like the French Canadians have in Quebec.
Gaza, of course, should be an independent state. Israel wants no part of it. Nor does Egypt. There's your Palestinian state. Gaza.
7
Autonomy without representation? Look how well that worked in South Africa
1
So much for the "great negotiator." When it comes to Israel he's given them everything they want without getting anything in return. In his own parlance, he's "choked like a dog" when it comes to dealing with Netanyahu.
7
Maybe someday soon these two extremist, dishonest, like-minded cranks will meet to commiserate about the indictments they're facing. Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?
10
Wow, the NYTimes is reporting that the meeting between Netanyahu and Trump is "their fifth since the inauguration 13 months ago." I wonder how many times he's met with Ben Carson, his secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
7
in this picture l saw two corrupt leader lavishly praise on each other, one of them investigated in Israel and a good chance he is going to jail, the other one . his son-in-law Kushner is going to joined Mr.Netanyahu in same sell and hopefully Trump is going to joint them, ISRAEL and PALESTINIANS , the neutral guy Trump is gone ,he was never for that peace, and now he is going to transfer American Embassy to Jerusalem as Israel's capital and as we all know Palestinians are angry and will not come to peace table, this was the work of JARED KUSHNER , he is also business partner of BIBI , so our country run by a family is worst than MAFIA and where they are taking us is very scarry
4
A generation ago, Palestinian leader Arafat turned down the Camp David accord brokered by President Clinton in 2000. An entire generation of Palestinians grew up under Israeli rule because Arafat refused to sign that agreement.
The Israelis pulled out of Gaza and in 2006, the Palestinians held elections with Hamas declared the winner. A Palestinian Civil War ensued with many Palestinian deaths. Instead of focusing on improving the lives of the people who gave them the mandate to govern, Hamas spent their resources shooting missiles into Israel and 3 Hamas-Israeli conflicts ensued.
The Palestinian peace negotiators have made unreasonable demands of Israel, such as not allowing Israel to have its own troops in the Jordan valley in order to defend their own country.
In order to demonstrate a commitment to peace, the Palestinians need to have new elections, which they have not had since 2006, and they must elect representatives that do not make unreasonable demands and are willing to sign a peace agreement.
55
People living in Gaza and the West Bank almost seem to forget that a deal was offered to them in 2006 giving them most of what they asked for, and that they REJECTED it, have never come back with a better proposal, and used land released to them as new launching pads for rockets. Talk about being "neutral", this article focuses all responsibility for the status quo on Israel, and that is false. Don't the Palestinians need to accept ANY responsibility for the failure of negotiations, the failure to make use of land relinquished to them by Israel, the failure of their leadership to step up to the table in any meaningful way with plans for peace that actually have a chance of moving the ball forward?
12
sf- This is loaded with misinformation. There was no peace offer in 2006 if you mean the Olmert-Abbas talks. They had no agreement though they were very close. Then Olmert left office. There was no indication that Olmert could have sold this to Israeli's in power.
Abbas did not reject any offer. These were talks, a work in progress.They were close. Then Israeli's chose Netanyahu, Fatah and Hamas were in conflict. End of those serious peace talks.
All along the blame has been successfully placed on Palestinians for not accepting something less than minimal because those who argue for the Israeli side are louder.
Check the facts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli–Palestinian_peace_process#Israeli–Palestinian_talks_in_2007_and_2009
7
Clinton Parameters--2001.
3
A different way of looking at the "Neutral Guy" is if anyone can make Israel accept a peace deal with the Palestinians that can be mutually beneficial to both parties it could be Trump. Israel will never venture into negotiating a peace deal with anyone else in the world that they will trust.
7
Watching two world leaders, both crooks, in our Oval Office is almost akin to Hitler meeting with Britain's Neville Chamberlain. Sickening! And Trump's body language at these meetings with his hand forming a prayer-shape pointing downwards as his body lurches way forward in chairs designed for statesmen, reveals his underlying insecurity as a psychotic human. He fools no one. I wonder how much Sheldon Adelman will "donate" to Netanyahu"s bribery defense? And will Jared Kushner joined Liddle Donnie in May at the opening of our embassy in Jerusalem? Middle-East peace is part of his portfolio, now tainted by his malfeasance everywhere in his desperation for yuge loans to salvage his failing company.
15
Easy to see Watergate comparisons between Netanyahu, Richard Nixon and Donald Trump. The media's uncovering serious scandals day after day.
And all three men suspicious of the press, continually maligning it.
Each contending they're 'innocent victims,' all trying to control the stories.
It's almost if Trump, embroiled in constant chaos, doesn't realize not one of his dwindling staffers advanced a U.S. plan to even begin to address the Israeli-Palestinian issues. While the newspapers in Israel feature news articles such as General John Kelly wonders what it is that Jared and Ivanka do all day.
7
Sure, trump is not the sharpest pencil in the toolbox but since when has America ever been neutral on this issue? We could show our neutrality by arming the Palestinians but I don’t think that will happen.
14
At what point in history has the US ever been a neutral player in the Middle East? Israel was created and has flourished under US political, economic, and military protection. Given the vocal support and influence of the American Jewish and Conservative Christian communities nfor Israel, US policies are unlikely to change. Israel exists as a US patron state - almost a colony.
16
I don’t think US was ever a neutral player in Israel-Arab conflict. How could one be giving tens of billions in military and other support to one side and claim to be neutral?
19
It is nice to see that President Trump was able to patch up the rocky relationship that President Obama had with Netenyahu. President Obama hated Netenyahu and actually used US Taxpayer money to send in a team to Israel to rent an office and openly campaign against Netenyahu. This however never gets reported in the fake news when talking about election meddling.
9
"Obama sent in a team, taxpayer money...blah, blah..." This was thoroughly, totally and completely debunked after Congressional investigations here and a court case in Israel in which the Israeli parties who brought these claims were castigated and fined.
1
It looks like Netanyahu is schooling our inept, over-his-head, nepotistic , money-grubbing , dictator wannabe presidential fraud in foreign policy. I can't imagine Trump spending sleepless nights agonizing over sending our troops into Iran, like Lincoln did during the Civil War, or most other sane leaders would.
9
What could be better? Two guys with huge egos getting together, both under investigation for corruption.
16
The words CHAOS & FAILURE are the only appropriate descriptions if Trump is involved in any foreign policy or peace negotiations. Trump has no understanding,patience or expertise in dealing with the complex areas of nuclear disarmament,Middle East politics and international trade. The best advice is for us to rid ourselves of this incompetent leader.
8
They said this about Trump and North Korea, too—“See, he doesn’t know what he is doing.” Yet, as credited to Trump by Moon of South Korea, the two countries are talking for the first time in many years. And, NK, for the first time, put their nukes on the table. Whatever source, the fact can not be denied that these two,countries are doing something they never did with any recent Presidents. We may very well find the same with the Palestine situation.
3
Americans should be concerned about this: Last Friday, House members introduced a bill to make it law -- LAW!!! -- that America underwrite Israel's military for the next 10 years to the tune of $38 billion. That's despite falling tax revenues due to Trump's tax bill and the slashing of programs that benefit American citizens.
A separate bill would make it LAW that we give Israel another $500 million annually for its missile defense system. We also have LAWS adopted by several states to criminalize boycotts by American companies against settler products in the occupied West Bank. This is, in essence, making it a matter of LAW that we support a foreign country and its domestic agenda.
George Washington, who warned against entanglements with other (any!) foreign countries is spinning in his grave.
12
But Trump is saving us money by cutting humanitarian aid to the Palestinians
1
Major Gen George Keegan, Jr., former head of USAF Intelligence, said, "Between 1974 and 1990, Israel received $18.3 billion in US military grants. During the same period Israel provided the US with $50 - 80 billion in intelligence, research and development, and Soviet weapons systems captured and transferred to the US."
1
Hardly on point. Do you think the United States of America should make LAWS benefiting a foreign country? Committing future presidents and Congresses to funding a foreign army? Really?
3
Who are we kidding here? There's no legitimate Middle Eastern peace effort, and never will be, because the designated negotiator ran a charity that financed illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
13
The US and Israel will definitely make peace--the peace of the Cherokee and the Apache in exile and on reservations.
10
Bibi and Donald get together so often to make business deals to enrich themselves. I would prefer that American taxpayers not foot the bill for their business meetings.
7
The first thing you must know about Donald Trump is his bait/switch method of expressing anything. There is no such thing as truth in his bag of tricks: he says what he thinks might get him somewhere. This perception is the most accurate description we have of Trump.
That said, you are a fool to go to the bank with any of his comments. If you're part of his base, or potentially are: be prepared to hear the preposterous, such as "I'm going to bring your jobs back". If you're Palestinian you don't need to hear this -- you've gotten it for many decades now.
7
If US Secretary of State, Netanyahu, is locked up for corruption, Trump may not be able to save the world...again!
3
Hold that photo image in your minds. Before our eyes are among the most corrupt so-called leaders of the free world today. It was a foregone conclusion, even before he was fraudulently elected to be president, that Mr. Trump had absolutely no desire to mediate peace between Israel and Palestine. Too much money and greed was at stake...to wit designating his son-in-law, as unethical and crooked as his father-in-law, to be the Great Arbitrator between these two nations. Just look how far that has gotten us, even more animosity between these two entities, with more oppression, I dare say, toward Palestinians. How's that move of our embassy to Jerusalem working out?
We are witnessing our own modern day, global Triumvirate, made up of a thug from Russia, another one from Israel, and "our" own Bully-in-Chief. What a disgraceful and embarrassing state-of-affairs.
6
I heard a great sucking sound yesterday when these two clowns gathered to lavish all kinds of praise on each other. Netanyahu came with his hands held out for more of our taxpayer funds, and Trump only feels valued when those around him praise him (with lies) about how good he is. Where was Jared, since he's the person assigned to negotiate peace? Ooops, he's running from Mueller who is on his heels. Perhaps we'll see all three of the crooks locked up very soon!!
12
The Israelis get $3.8 BILLION a year, not including the tax-exempt charity dollars sent by rich Americans. The Palestinians have had their aid cut to ~$120 million. AIPAC is lobbying Congress to make the $38 Billion a permanent part of the US budget so that no future US President can cut it. Do Americans want to starve the Palestinians while stuffing more money into the coffers of one of the richest countries in the world?
13
That also does not count the discounts for military materials sent, nor "ours" supposedly stored in Israel but available for their use, nor the many tax advantages given, nor loan guarantees that make money even cheaper. There is no known total of all that the US provides to Israel, because those who could make such a tabulation don't want it known.
8
"100% will be spent in the US on American products produced by American companies like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, etc. Now go check out how many US troops are stationed in Israel (hint: the answer is zero (not counting embassy workers, etc.).Now check out US troops stationed in Japan. There are over 40,000 troops there, which costs the US approximately $29 billion per year to maintain that deployment. That's almost 9 times what Israel gets. US troops in Germany cost around 21 billion per year, South Korea troop deployment costs 16 billion per year, etc.. Yes the aid package is the largest CASH package, but if you calculate all the costs of troop deployments around the world, Israel doesn't even come close. ALso all that money sent to Israel gets reinvested in the US economy. (Plus all other benefits - sharing intelligience, training US troops and police in the most current counter-terrorism methods, co-development of defensive weaponry, etc.)
2
Cyrus, Balfour and Truman, WOW, does Bibi ever know how to play Trump, by the time Bibi goes home we will probably have nuked Iran.
12
Commentators here seem to have forgotten how many peace proposals were offered to the Palestinians and how many proposals were rejected by the Palestinians (ALL!). The Palestinians day has come and gone - violence, terrorism and racist (anti-semitic) propaganda will not get you a State, it will get you MISERY! And well deserved at that.
9
So called peace proposals offered to Palestinians were
really terms of surrender. Palestinians could have
accepted a serious proposal to create a viable
state with sovereignty.Alas!none of the proposals
came even close.
9
Nice try, Khan, but you speak ARABIC propaganda. When someone offers you 95% of your demands, common sense says you accept the offer, not walk away (hello, Yassir Arafat, professional-walker-away-from-good-deals).
5
After World War 2 Germany had a choice. It could sign a peace treaty giving 25% of its territory to Poland or it could resist the occupation. Germany chose to sign the peace treaty & has now had more than 70 years of peace & prosperity. The Palestinians had a similar choice. They could have accepted the Clinton Parameters giving up 3% of their territory or they could resist the occupation. Palestinians chose to resist & have had many years of war & poverty. Who made the better choice?
2
Who thinks Trump can find Israel on a map?
Ok, ok, maybe that is too easy.
Anyone think he can explain how Israel came to exist?
5
I see the readership is quite lively and passionate on this topic and I commend everybody's passion and commitment, but I doubt this discussion forum will illuminate this further as both Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. T. are short-term players whose impact on the peace process is likely to be extremely, extremely negligible, IMHO.
11
Simply moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem ruled out any chance that Trump could bring about peace between Israel and the Palestinians. However, much as I hate Trump, I have to point out that nobody could bring about peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
The grudges between those two groups are carved in stone, and neither group is entirely interested in giving up on revenge. Also there are highly religious factions in both groups, and highly religious people are impossible to reason with.
Israel will keep building settlements because they think that desert is holy, and Palestinians will keep homicidally resenting it because they think the desert is holy too. Peace will come about when, and only when, the desert becomes completely uninhabitable, which should happen sometime this century.
So Trump definitely hasn't done anything to solve the situation there, but I can give him a pass on that, because it wouldn't have mattered if he'd tried.
7
"Israel will keep building settlements because they think that desert is holy, and Palestinians will keep homicidally resenting it because they think the desert is holy too."
In fairness, I suppose the Palestinians resent Israel building settlements in the desert because they used to live there.
7
Dear Larry,
Sure, but Palestinians never owned that land, it was owned by various other people. Regardless, I can't see any route to peace.
2
Of course they owned the land. They weren’t squatting.
1
There is no such thing as being as being neutral in the Middle East. View with suspicion anybody, any country, or any organization that claims such.
6
Look at the the headlines today.
N Korea wants to talk about nuclear weapons. Trump's reaction is possible progress but probably false hope.
He wants to be neutral in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict with a good chance for forging a deal, but now, a deal is far away.
He likes the tariffs but might make exception for some countries (certainly all the tariffs will go away after the special election in PA).
In Trump's orbit, Nunberg says he won't testify but might change his mind.
Ben Carson realizes that running HUD is hard. Duh.
WHAT is going on here?? Trump doesn't have a definite about anything, and neither does anyone around him.
And West Virginia? We are cheering you on.
17
This suggests the entire tariff proposal and all the disruption it entails is just an artifact of one special election in steel country.
Would Trump do all that for an advantage in one small election? Yeah, he probably would. He is a very short-term thinker seeking a deal in the moment.
I have not seen anything to prove this idea, but it makes as much sense as anything, given that the whole idea sprang from Trump without his economic team (such as it is) ever hearing about it first.
7
I would not put it past him at all. He flips in a second on anything (immigration, gun control). Nothing he does makes sense. Yes, he would upend the country if it got him what he wants. And as we know, it's all about him.
2
Dear Mark:. I didn't get a chance to respond to your comment so I'll try now. It's odd you associated flowers and Palestinians. The flower gardens the departing Israelis left behind in Gaza were the first thing the Palestinians destroyed to make way for rocket launchers and other weapons to be used in the never ending war against Israel. Flowers and Palestinians just don't work.
2
"And I can tell you, we’re working very hard on doing that and I think we have a good chance.”
Translation: it's hopeless, we have no idea and we don't care anymore.
“The relationship has never been better,” Trump
"“It’s never been stronger,” Mr. Netanyahu agreed."
Translation, we don't trust this guy but what can we do.
6
Trump and Netanyahu are using each other, each for their own domestic politics. They both gain from the same things, so they get along famously.
The moment that ceases to be true, they'll knife each other.
Until then, Israel and its American relationship have been turned to purest partisan use. That is contrary to all past thinking on the best advantage of Israel and of long term American foreign policy.
Neither one of these guys cares. They don't think on that time scale. They just want to get through the next moment.
6
Since Jared is inexperienced and has international scandals, and Trump's typically unable to select a course--- his administration obviously favoring Netanyahu:
It would make more sense for an international peace making contingent --with the U.S. being a part of that group. More thinkers. Better insight.
Rather than "go to Jared."
3
One does not "hope" to be neutral. The U.S. was never a fair or neutral broker in the quest for peace, but functioned as Israel's lawyers. Remember that Israel came into statehood through terror, and Israel was carved out of Palestine, an area where the Palestinians lived continuously since 635 CE. The Palestinians were offered no compensation for the homes they were forced from. Trump endangers Americans with his shameless anti-Palestinian bias. If the U.S. had treated Israel as it would any other occupying state there would have been peace 50 years ago, and the US would not have invaded Iraq, and would not suffer terror attacks. The U.S. is seen as aiding and abetting the occupation. The cry of all oppressed people is "No justice, no peace." The oppressors believe might makes right, and if the oppressed rebel hit them hard, and if they still don't acquiesce hit them harder. Meanwhile put out the PR spin that Israel and the US are hand in hand fighting terrorist.
18
Today's Palestinians are immigrants from many nations: "Balkans, Greeks, Syrians, Latins, Egyptians, Turks, Armenians, Italians, Persians, Kurds, Germans, Afghans, Circassians, Bosnians, Sudaneese, Samaritans, Algerians, Motawila, Tartars, Hungarians, Scots, Navarese, Bretons, English, Franks, Ruthenians, Bohemians, Bulgarians, Georgians, Syrians, Persian Nestorians, Indians, Copts, Maronites, and many others."
(DeHass, History, p. 258. John of Wurzburg list from Reinhold Rohricht edition, pp. 41, 69).
1
There is no peace process anymore. All the talk is to keep up appearances. Israel will never give up the West Bank till some one makes them and who is there to do that?
7
Israel has offered to give up almost all of the West Bank, but the Palestinians have always said no.
Bill Clinton: “I Killed Myself to Give the Palestinians a State,” but They Rejected It"
2
Remind us how well being the "neutral guy" (Carter, Clinton, Bush, Obama) has worked at securing peace in the past.
32
Carter got peace with Egypt.
Nobody since has been remotely neutral, which Carter among others has been tireless in pointing out.
9
Well Larry, nobody has ever brought about any peace there, and nobody ever will. So yes, being the "neutral guy" doesn't help, but nothing helps, so it hardly matters.
president Carter negotiated peace between Egypt
and Israel. He was truly neutral. Clinton and Bush
were not neutral but they played the role like
good actors. Trump is not a good actor.
3
The formation of a Jewish state in Palestinian did a grievous injustice to the people of Palestine. It was due in large part to the Holocaust, which the Palestinians had nothing to do with, to President Truman who was the underdog in the election of 1948 and was facing pressure from Jewish voters in Illinois, California, and New York, and to the U.S. population itself, which did not want to admit Jewish refugees from Europe into the country.
The subsequent history has been a disaster. especially after 1967 when, with the encouragement of the government of Israel, settlers from Brooklyn, New York, were allowed to occupy the West Bank. Now Israel is facing a crisis. If it removes those former Brooklynites from the West Bank, they will fight the government in an ugly civil war. But if Israel allows them to stay and occupy more land, the Palestinians will mount a never-ending guerrilla war. There will never be peace.
21
The last two paragraphs, which discuss Trump's inability to get simple numbers right,mpretty much tells you everything you need to know about how this goes.
3
To pretend the Palestians will ever get a fair shake from Israel or America is absurd, the mere idea of that went out with President Carter. American politics are so totally dominated by the influence of A.I.P.A.C. and wealthy “Israel Firsters” that we should be playing no part in any negotiations is glaringly obvious, this opinion has been echoed throughout the rest of the developed world and to think it would have been any better under Hillary is wishful thinking, she on more than one occasion declared “ I will do anything for Israel” when delivering her handsomely paid speeches before A.I.P.A.C. The wars in the Middle East will continue until every enemy of Israel, real or perceived, is rendered helpless, the cost to America and Europe is staggering with no end in sight, indeed Netanyahus visit and predictable diatribe concerning the evils of Iran make the future look bleak indeed, we need to get rid of these two ego maniacal men now more than ever, the legal troubles faded by Bibi along with Kushners financial woes and his ability to influence this President have created an untenable situation,(nothing like a war to distract the masses)best illustrated by the “dust up” Kushner pushed for In Qatar after being turned down for a loan to prop up his families flailing real state empire, this following closely on the heels of receiving funding from The wealthy Israeli Steinmetz family to buy up low income housing in New York. Such blatant corruption can’t be tolerated.
20
"The wars in the Middle East will continue until every enemy of Israel, real or perceived, is rendered helpless"
That is the present course.
However, given the odds in people and money, and the longer time frame of history, that is the same as saying, "until Israel finally is defeated."
That is why peace is really in Israel's interest, and in turn why Israel's moment of greatest strength is the moment to make its best deal. Using the strength to push for ever more is a waste of the best use of the moment.
4
... as for corruption and/or corruptiBILLity:
even Transparency International had to acknowledge
recently that both are extremely hard to eradicate.
1
Mark, thank you for your input; I am in total agreement as are at least half the citizens of Israel. It’s too bad that Tzipi Livni isn’t leading Israel, she came close to defeating Bibi and despite her siding with Likud on the Iranian nuclear policy issue now she is a better choice than Netanyahu with respect to the two state solution which she strongly supported at the time of her candidacy , when she represented the Kadima Party I believe, although Im not so sure about the present, I believe there were some charges of war crimes. There is no question now and certainly not from a historical perspective that Nethanyahu is dragging down Israel, in my opinion the Wars, resulting refugee problems and Palestine are the major reason for the rise in anti semitisism, and of course peace would be in everyone’s interest, but I doubt that’s possible with pro settlement Ambassador Friedman and the recent moves of Trump and Kushner with respect to Jerusalem unless of course it were divided into two Capitals, I don’t see that happening either, very sad. Thank you again.
3
For some reason the Muslim countries want to destroy Israel. As long as they refuse to accept the right of Israel to exist, how can there be peace?
5
The Arab League Peace Initiative, offering full diplomatic relations with 57 Muslim countries in exchange for a just peace with the Palestinians, has been on the table since 2002. Bibi hasn't even read it, let alone given it serious consideration.
5
"For some reason?"
It's not a mystery and it's not difficult to understand. If someone comes from another continent to where you've been living and tells you to leave because it's theirs now, how would you react?
8
The Arabs did accept that, both in the Arab Peace Plan and in the Oslo deal (and Carter's deal with Egypt and Jordan) but Israel just changed its demands and asked for more.
6
My fear is that now they are both in deep trouble due to the endless corruption rampant in both administrations, that they cook up some weak excuse to start a shooting war with Iran to distract their ignorant, blind bases.
Both seem quite willing to sacrifice anything other than their own political ambitions to achieve their dubious goals. 10-20 thousand dead? No problem.
It's what cowards do.
11
One cannot have meaningful negotiations, let alone make peace, with an avowed enemy whose position is that one must cease to exist. So long as the destruction of Israel and extermination of its Jews remain the fundamental position of the Palestinians -- whoever they may be -- negotiations are pointless.
48
Israel continues to build illegal settlements on Palestinian lands. Israel controls the palestinian borders to prevent aid from entering it. Israel killed 1000 men women and children in gaza for every single Israeli killed or wounded by rocket fire. Israel has always used every method it could to keep Palisine from developing their country. Israel has repeatedly state that they will take all of Palestinian lands, because " God gave the Jews all the land." If you were palestinian wouldn't you hate the Israelis too?
14
"The PLO recognizes the right of the State of Israel to exist in peace and security." Yasser Arafat, 1993. The PLO has reaffirmed this many times since. Yes there are militants among the Palestinians who wish Israel harm - you might, as well, if you have been stripped of your land and oppressed for decades. There are no saints here - but to continue settlements on occupied lands is the worst sort of bad faith, which also impedes negotiations.
12
What a caricature you portray that is so utterly detached from reality...The palestinian side accepted Israel's right to co-exist back in the 1990s. Of course acknowledging that fact wouldn't fit with the propoganda piece you've posted here. It may have escaped your attention that Israel is under international law an illegal occupier of palestinian territory; it continues to build settlements in Palestinian land (all in a cynical effort to alter the facts on the ground); & palestinians in Jerusalem are regularly subject to having their homes demolished by the Israeli state. Those are just some of the acts of aggression of the Netanyahu regime. Yes, it is indeed pretty clear which side is determined to destroy the other here.
7
The Con Don never wanted to be "neutral" in the middle east.
He and Netanyahu are two of the International Mafia Top 1% Global Financial Elite Robber Baron/radical religion Good Old Boys' Cabal talking heads who want to start WW3.
It's profitable for them. Who cares what they destroy in their demented, insatiable greed?
WE THE PEOPLE DO. Average people around the world who will see their lives, their children and grandchildren's lives and the taxpayer fortune of 99% of us care. Every single person who values true democracy - Social and Economic Justice for all human beings - and relative peace in the world had better do everything in OUR power to stop them.
NOW is the time. This may the only time.
15
No peace is possible between Israel and the Muslim countries. They are actively plotting its demise, especially Iran and Hamas.
They want Israel destroyed, some by cold war, some by hot war.
Isn't this obvious yet?
18
Yes it's fairly obvious what you're saying but after North Korea what don't we think crazy man Trump CAN"T get done? This guy is just getting started
1
... no, it is not.
Because one-sided views are hardly ever constructive.
Please consider the multitude of reasons which have
led to this quagmire turned powder keg ...
2
In a lonely world it's nice to hear someone has found a friend. I'm happy for them both. Mazel tov.
5
They remind me of two kids in the Principal's Office for the same miss-behavior; (Gee, we have to stick together, Donnie! I'll lie for you if you'll lie for me). Do you suppose they will order identical custom prison uniforms and become bff?
1
A “neutral guy”? If Trump and Bibi were any closer they’d be joined at the hip. As for Kushner and ignoring history his comment further explains why nothing is going to happen on his watch. It was once very well put, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it”, Kushner has no idea of what he is doing and will only make things worse.
22
Of course Kushner is about to be thrown under the bus by his father in law
5
"The president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who was leading the effort for him, just lost his top-secret security clearance. And the Palestinians are angry about the embassy."
Talk about simplistic. Let's just talk a little about the US 'negotiating' team here.
Kushner and his family are strong supporters of illegal West Bank settlements. David M. Friedman, the current ambassador to Israel has as his qualifications a distinguished career as a bankruptcy lawyer. Before becoming Ambassador he volunteered to be the head of American Friends of Bet El Institutions. This organization is devoted to blocking a two state solution and it financially supports Bet El (illegal) settlement to the tune of two million dollars a year.
165
Jews lived for centuries in Hebron & Gaza. In 1929, Hebron & Gaza were ethnically cleansed of their Jews. In 1948, the West Bank & East Jerusalem were ethnically cleansed of their Jews. Why is it illegal for Jews to rebuild their homes in Hebron, Gaza, the West Bank & East Jerusalem?
4
Because it is illegal for an occupying power to settle their people in occupied territories as a matter of international law.
3
Israel did not settle their people in occupied territories. The settlers moved there of their own volition.
2
Aside from Egypt and Jordan virtually ALL the countries of the Middle East officially do not recognize the existence of Israel.
List: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_Israel#No_recognition...
The "Jerusalem Issue" is a distraction.
Jerusalem, east and west, covers a large area. The ancient city is small and only covers a small part of it. Since the 1949 Armistice, which established Israel borders as recognized by the UN, Israel has had all its central government functions in WEST Jerusalem. If Israel and the Palestinians were to return to the pre-1967 borders the new Palestine would be able to have its capital in EAST Jerusalem.
There would be no logistical/geographic problem with both countries could having their capitals in Jerusalem, on either side of the '67 line.
So there is no justifiable reason for the international community NOT to accept WEST Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Doing so will in NO WAY prevent the formation of a future Palestine capital in EAST Jerusalem.
Until about 2-3 years ago it was normal in the press and among politicians to make this distinction between East and West. But the Palestinians and their allies have stopped doing so, in what appears to me to be an attempt to claim a right to ALL of Jerusalem. The international press such as the NY Times has been happy to tag along.
When with The Times return to a more accurate approach to this subject and start differentiating East and West again?
10
Perhaps if Israel would publicly accept the existence of a Palestinian State, remove all of its illegal settlement from Palestine, and actively negotiate a real settlement and peace treaty the Muslim world might change its mind.
6
Cyrus of Persia? Come on, Bibi. You and Trump are helping Israel destroy the profound post-War resurgence of the moral reputation of Judaism and the Jewish people. New generations of world populations are emerging, ignorant or forgetful of the Holocaust. Meanwhile America's increasingly a-religious families and educational systems are busy producing new generations of Americans utterly ignorant of the Jewish and Christian scriptures. Popular support for Israel is already declining America, right underneath your noses. What a spectacle!
10
The rational reason to be becoming more ignorant of the Christian and Jewish scriptures is that a good part of those scriptures are nonsensical, misogynistic, racist, and completely anachronistic. Not being bound by such things is one of humanity's best hopes for the future. And being bound by them is part of why there will be no peace between Israel and Palestinians.
16
So long as the Arab "Palestinians" can achieve their political aims by circumventing Israel they have no incentive to negotiate an end the conflict. By dealing with Israel and not the "Palestinians", we further the peace process, because the Arabs have to come to the table and deal with Israel.
29
Israel has to deal in good faith, something they haven't done.
2
Before the creation of the Modern State of Israel, all of the region's residents were technically Palestinian. Only some were Jewish, though.
Has the other side?
1
For someone who supposedly knows the 'Art of the Deal', Mr. Trump doesn't seem to realize his deal has gone south.
13
Netanyahu, from the beginning of their relationship, has played trump like a cheap violin. The president, unable to accept his limitations, blathers on in every direction.
27
“The Palestinians, I think, are wanting to come back to the table very badly,” he said, despite evidence to the contrary. Then he acknowledged what would happen if he is wrong. “If they don’t, you don’t have peace.
What a disgrace they both are to the nations and the people they were elected to serve. They are cut from the same cloth, and once again the president demonstrates his total lack what it means to be a world leader, not to mention his inability to express himself in an intelligent, informed manner. " I think they are wanting to come back to the table', is another of his nonsense remarks with apparently little or no basis in fact.
15
Trump's hopes? Please. Just hope he doesn't notice you because everything he touches turns to ashes.
7
I agree, but I don't think its ashes......
6
Donald and Bibi share a true hatred of Obama and have acted upon this hatred and racism for years. They also share their love for their adopted prince of a son, Jared, who was noticeably absent from the photo op yesterday in the Oval Office.
Two corrupt men in power who still think they've got it all and more.And of course prince Jared, looking for money from Bibi's friends.
There is no neutrality here. We have 3 men conning their way to their own desired ends (mostly financial) while ignoring, bullying and being incredibly obtuse about Palestine.
I fail to see how this is going anywhere.
22
Two Potzes that really should be put in the same prison cell together, Whatever the US proposal is, it is DOA due to Trumps total anti Palestinian anti Mulsim proclivities, Not that Palestinians haven't put up roadblocks to a real two state solution, but for sure this Kusher Trump cycle moving the embassy to Jerusalem and telling Palestinians to get over it put the nail in the coffin,
And many of us of course are wondering if all this is about a new Trump tower with Israel giving him incentives. Oy, such a president we have.
15
Plotting with Netanyahu will end up being a short lived exercise, as he is likely headed to an Israeli jail in the foreseeable future. As for Trump our misery may last a bit longer, but in the end, he'll likely experience all the ignominy he deserves.
14
Neutral? Trump never had any hopes of being neutral. He and his Zionist son-in-law were bought and paid for by the likes of Sheldon Adelson, who spent $150 million in the last election, and Israeli financiers who got what they paid for: unstinting support for Netanyahu and a promise to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Which is why the Palestinians won't even talk to us any more.
28
Dear Christy,
All of that is true, however, when the Palestinians were talking to us there was no chance whatsoever of peace. So it really makes no difference.
2
it was long gone when he assigned "senior adviser" Jared Kushner to lead the "negotiation", and he goes and gives Israel what it wants.
9
Two corrupt, venal and pathological liars at the helm.
What could possibly go wrong?
Perfect bedfellows.
26
These two corrupt men are sitting there waiting for their kickbacks.
16
The matter of fact is that no US administration was neutral in Palestinian problem since Truman recognized the newborn Israel. Our politicians from both parties including the president are scared to death of AIPAC, the Jewish political lobby. AIPAC is equally strong as NRA. Trump is not a normal president and he is not even a normal person. Trump's crazy decisions make me disturbed but not surprised. Recognizing Jerusalem Israel's capital and moving our embassy there against the whole world is totally bizarre and insane. It is true that Egypt, Jordan , UAE and Saudi Arabia governments have total consent and encouragement behind this insane move. Those Middle East countries governments are hypocrites , stupid and selfish.
75
". Our politicians from both parties including the president are scared to death of AIPAC..."
And why isn't this issue addressed by the media? AIPAC is much stronger than NRA because any and all legislation written by AIPAC gets almost unanimous support from both parties. There's no way NRA can claim that. Congress is just as occupied as the West Bank, but discussing that is apparently a taboo in the so-called free press in US.
1
Both sides in Palestine had the CHANCE to be this President's friends. The thieves and terrorists who run Arab Palestine know that they are either useless or dead if they actually try for peace with Israel.
Patriotic Americans have been bonded with Israel since its founding and the progressive Democrats only minimize their influence by playing the ignorant game Mr. Obama did.
But I don't think Pres. Truman would have ever thought that American Jews would refuse to support Israel as one voice this many decades later.
As much adapting to their new life as Israel's Jews have had to go through, American Jews have only isolated themselves from what we thought were their kindred.
4
Yes, don’t we just love the part about spending $500 million of taxpayer money on a new embassy?
That’s almost as good as doing the Trump “Love the Mideast” jig with the Saudis.
No money in the coffers for healthcare, public education, homeless, food stamps, environment, but lots to keep Donald and no security clearance Jared happy with their Mideastern pals.
Trump supporters, are you really willing to keep your approval for Trump while he wastes your money and mine on the Mideast? I mean, what’s it getting for you? Certainly not jobs, as he promised you.
13
Recognizing the legitimacy of each other is rooted in Tribal Legacy - Abraham being the shared father -- the first born was Ishmeal (out of wedlock)- the second born: Issac (within wedlock) --
According to Tribal Law - the first born son is The Leader of The Family - the second born is the Follower and Supporter of the Leader of The Family.
Ishmael is the first born son of Abraham (out of wedlock) - Issac is the second born son of Abraham (within wedlock) - neither son through out time has recognized the other as the legitimate leader of The Family.
The 2 sons have always been in a deep Tribal quandary: If, Ishmael recognizes Issac as legitimate; then Ishmael will be undercutting his own birthright - If, Issac recognizes Ishmael; then Issac will be undercutting his own birthright.
The truth is - both Ishmael and Issac share the same father: Abraham - hence, Ishmael and Issac are 1/2 brothers - from the SAME FAMILY.
They should begin acting like brothers from the same family - and - share leadership for the well being of their whole shared family.
This is the true divine lesson to be learned - it is no accident they share the same father. It is more than 2,000 years to learn this lesson - let's learn it - recognizing each other's worth and Co-Lead - Together.
2
Will USA grant Netanyahu asylum?
How about reciprocity from Israel?
16
Trump being neutral regarding Israel is like Marco Rubio being neutral regarding Cuba. They are both biased and interested.
13
Why is condoning an illegal land grab in our national interest anyhow?
19
Remember when house republicans invited Netanyahu to address the congress without consulting Obama? a black president was under a foreign head of state, Trump must have loved that episode of humiliation!
Israel has always been part of the USA, and for the republicans maybe the other way.
5
While Israeli Jews seem to worship Donald Trump - here Mr. Trump along with his GOP collaborators - have awaken every Nazi, white nationalist, and anti Semitic monster hiding in the shadows. Further, individuals with known anti Semitic leanings have worked in the Trump white house.
As a Jewish man I have seen anti Semitism before in this country - but have not seen it given refuge in the white house since Richard Nixon. And don't tell me about Jared Kushner - the fact that Trump knows or is related to a Jew doesn't change his stripes. Read Malcolm Gladwell and learn about moral license.
Israel wants to continue an endless war with Palestinians and start a war with Iran: If that means American Jews have to tolerate a president collaborating with anti Semites, Netanyahu is fine with it. Israel has plenty to say about Polish anti Semitism but nothing about it here. It is clear to me Israeli and American Jews are not aligned.
Israel is playing a dangerous game for American Jews by appeasing the very forces that left millions dead in the 1940's - because it serves their interests at this moment.
18
What a couple of big shots they are. They pretend to know what is best for the Palestinians while they are both under investigation for corruption. These two bullies should be banished from the playground of world affairs
17
Trump was in the pocket of Adelson and Bibi from Day 1. Trump is not only a Manchurian Candidate puppet of Putin. He's also a Manchurian Candidate puppet of Likud and AIPAC. In other words, a total disaster for Israel's future. Like having a Manchurian Candidate for the Afrikaners in the White House the last decades of apartheid.
8
Place your bets. Which one will seek asylum in the other's Country, first??? I'll go with Bibi. Donald has " friends " in Russia.
8
Israel vs the Palestinians has turned into a tiny sideshow.
In the main ring, its the Saudi Arabia vs Iran. Battles rage in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. The Islamic State rises and falls. Egypt needs a brutal dictatorship to suppress its militants. Various proxy militias buy weapons and fire missiles at each other.
Israel? Is Henry Kissinger still alive? Just barely....
3
I am a Muslim. I am GLAD that the US has cut aid to the Palestinians. I do not want the US to buy the Palestinian leadership through its aid or a better word would be bribes. US never gives "aid." US manipulates, and controls people by throwing money at poor folks. So, this is a huge favor to the Palestinian folks. They need to learn to stand on their feet, find their true friends, and not live off the bribes from the US in a prison (the refugee camps, or that Gaza strip) created by Israelis and USA.
4
When Palestinians talk of peace, they are talking about the destruction of Israel, or at least her shrinkage to the point of insensibility. While I oppose Unstable Trump's move of the embassy to Jerusalem, it must be admitted that years of keeping the embassy in Tel Aviv has done nothing at all to advance the peace process.
It is possible that Unstable Trump correctly believes that the way to encourage genuine negotiation from the Palestinians is to increase the pressure- and this might not be a bad strategy. Define Jerusalem as Israel's capital, withhold aide, "you better start negotiating before your position gets worse and worse." Israel is willing to sit down tomorrow. Where are the Palestinians?
6
Two thoughts:
1. Trump's and the conservative affinity for Netanyahu (and vice versa) make clear that Israel is an ethno-religious state that privileges Jews over non-Jews, and denies the latter even nominal political rights in the occupied West Bank (i.e settlers enjoy the protections of Israeli civilian law while Palestinians are governed by military law). Perhaps this is the point of a "Jewish State" that some commentators here assume is a given. And, yes, the PLO is corrupt, non-democratic, and flawed in many ways. And perhaps it made sense in 1948, when ethnic cleansing was the norm (see India and Pakistan, the redrawing of borders in Eastern and Central Europe after WWII). But it is at odds with notions of democracy and pluralism that were the norms in the U.S. and Western Europe at least prior to the Trump presidency.
2. From Trump's point of view, an embrace of Netanyahu makes political sense. The people who are troubled by Netanyahu (including progressive and secular Jewish Americans) are not going to support Trump and the Republican party anyway. But the evangelical and religion-driven part and the white nationalist part of his base will (even though the latter is antisemitic with regard to Jews in the U.S.) . And Trump gets a wedge issue to split off conflicted Jewish American donors and voters from the Democratic party.
5
The TOP standard of living for Arabs in the Middle East is found in Israel.
Were Palestine to change its mind, there would be a stable peace. But were Israel to give in to Arab demands, there would soon be no Israel.
7
L'osservatore -- Separate and unequal, but better than they'd get elsewhere? That is not really an argument to Israel's advantage.
2
Glad our quality of life and opportunity in the US is both so equal and available to all.
1
The US can't be the peace broker in the Israel/Palestinian conflict. The US should stop all aid (both military and economic) to both sides and let another party or parties take a crack at forging a peace deal.
4
To say Trump is neutral is a joke. His love making to Israel is disgusting however it is true to course as they have turned away from democracy as they occupancy and surpress another people.
11
Both of these leaders have a common worldview and common vocabulary all revolving enhancing themselves and their family at the expense of the governments they are supposedly serving.
6
So Trump is not going to bring peace to the Middle East? I am shocked - who knew?
5
For all the comments about the evils of the settlements, the Arabs wanted to destroy Israel before there were any settlements. Clearly, that is not the issue.
The real issue is the refusal of the Arab countries to recognize any sovereign Jewish presence in the area.
As soon as the Palestinians start printing school books that talk about how Jews lived in the area for the last 3000 years, an agreement will come pretty quickly
9
The lede is a bit misleading: Trump is not neutral about anything or anybody----it is always first and only about Trump. Trump uses Netanyahu to appear strong, and Netanyahu uses Trump to appear strong. Two self-serving criminals who both think they have the upper hand----it would be nothing more than a pathetic example of the worst in human behavior if it did not involve so much pain and suffering for so many others.
8
Why do we continue to waste our time, energy and money on these places and issues? Because of some books that are slightly different that these people read and block them from critical thoughts. Get woke America.
1
It’s time to stop pretending that any US administration is a neutral arbiter. Over the last 10 years, settlement population has increased 800%, in violation of international law. The placement of these settlements has been specifically intended to make a contiguous Palestinian state impossible. It’s time to stop with the fiction that “peace” will ever be possible, or is even desirable by the parties involved. Netanyahu’s entire tenure has been based on crushing the Palestinian “threat.” At this late date, Israel has all the cards. The status quo suits Bibi just fine, and with the US refusing to hold him accountable in any way, nothing will change.
14
As one who believes in true Democracy based on one person , one vote I do not think we should provide any aid to Israel until they work sincerely towards a two state solution
12
No more money to religious extremists!!
None!
3
Sadly, neither Israelis nor Palestinians seem ready for peace, they both reject the necessary compromises thinking that they can eventually get their way. But neither side will give up or can be made to. Those who think they are helping Palestinians by demonizing Israel are wrong, they only encourage Israeli rightists to do more. Those who think Trump and Netanyahu are good fro Israel are also wrong, they think only short term but strengthen the Arab resistance gathering even more weapons. Netanyahu's blatant partisanship also undermines Israel by weakening support for Israel with Democrats including many in the Jewish community. Unless we slide into a one-party dictatorship, Democrats will eventually return to power less inclined to help Israel.
The only way forward is compromise, compromise on all sides, but Trump, Netanyahu, and Abbas are clueless.
5
This impasse, the latest in decades of stalled negotiations, is what happens when American foreign policy towards the Mideast is shaped in large part by the financial contributions of Las Vegas mogul Sheldon Adelson.
Adelson doesn't make investments in politicians unless they are a sure bet to do what he wants. In the case of Trump, that means moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, supporting Bibi's continued settlement expansion and, overall, insuring that rapprochement with the Palestinians never happens.
Which helps explain why Trump designated Jared Kushner to solve the Mid East. A figurehead at best, Kushner had no experience whatsoever to bring the two sides together, a stalemate that Bibi and his doppelgänger Trump wanted.
9
Why should the U.S. be neutral? Shouldn't we support our ally? Maybe it's time to bring the pressure down on the Palestinians to take what they can get at this point. It gets worse for them every year and their leaders seem quite comfortable with the status quo while their people feed on hatred and impossible hopes. Take a deal, live in peace, build you country and see where that leads. But that would require taking responsibility and uniting your people. There is no 'peace' process that could be milked for that... Better to keep blaming Israel and taking money from the UN, Europe and the Arab world.
7
How can Trump be 'neutral'?
He backs Israel whatever they do, right or wrong.
He backs the Saudis, whatever they do, right or wrong. Including the annihilation of Yemen, creating the worst epidemic since WWI.
10
Trump really has no clue what is going on in the Middle East, much less Israel. What's worse, he doesn't really care to learn the intricacies of this intractable issue. His loyalties are to people who can keep him in power and enrich him and his family.
8
For Trump, swearing eternal and undying loyalty to him above all other considerations is the only currency in which he trades. In Trump's world, 'ethics' is found only in the dictionary.
4
We used to be the country that the free world looked to for guidance, we were not only a superpower with influence, but with great international respect, but not anymore.
Donald Trump has done to this great country with his incompetence and the help of this submissive Republican Congress a great deal of potential long-term damage, Trump has diminished our countries sphere of influence and credibility like never seen in our lifetime, and at the same time has turned our Presidency into the same type of Mom & Pop Shop, that was indicative of Donald Trump's third rate real estate business.
7
The issue is not the precise role of the U.S. The issue is that the Arabs of the West Bank and Gaza, and their backers do not regard this as a boundary dispute. I see signs of things changing, as evidenced by tacit cooperation with Israel on various issues by certain Arab governments. But we have a way to go. And the hate these days arises from an unholy alliance of some Islamic extremists and academics and media that sacrifice genuine morality in favor of the perceived virtue of the day.
4
Anyone willing to be patently honest would have to acknowledge that the United States has since the immediate recognition of the Jewish state of Israel in 1948, not been credible as an honest and neutral broker for legitimate Arab and or Palestinian interests.
The time is long overdue for some other, clearly more capable and far less biased intermediary to broker a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian impasse.
8
Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria and Iran -- all of them by their own admission absolutely devoted to the destruction of Israel -- have thus far succeeded only in grossly damaging, if not fully destroying, their own societies.
Three cheers for Mr. Netanyahu who has consistently leveled with his people about the dangers facing them. Three more for the people of Israel for continually returning him to office,
10
Neutral? Objective? Measured? Nuanced? Historically Informed? Innovative? Emphatic?
Really? Can any of these terms be used in one sentence with the name Donald Trump unless one wants to point out stark contrast?
5
How is Kushner performing his mediating duties when one of he parties won’t talk to the US as they don’t trust the US as being impartial?
4
It has NEVER been the intention or goal of the US to bring about "peace" in the Middle East. Peace in the ME is not in the US's national interests. The US wants to ensure that all those countries return to the stone age so there is no one to challenge the land grab by the Israelis.
These last few administrations, sans Obama, are related to the Jews. Clintons have given their daughter to a Jew. Trump's daughter is married to a Jew, and there are many many others in a similar situation. So, is it possible that people in "power" in the US could possibly want anything that would curtail the expansion of a Jewish state? Absolutely not and to think otherwise insults the intelligence of sane persons.
Everyone in the entire world knows that the US is not an entity that would be a peace broker or a neutral deal maker in that region. It would serve the Palestinians much better to find another deal maker and cut the US out of the picture.
5
Trump relies on Fox News to make foreign policy. Kushner's used his position to fix finance issues with his real estate. Nothing in his background suggests he could negotiate peace. He's not an independent broker: his family financed illegal settlements on occupied territories.
A year has passed without even a shred of a plan. Kushner's an amateur lacking wisdom or judgment, as in the Qatar blockade resulting over loans not granted to his family. And scholars view the embassy move as a likely appeasement to Trump's donors and evangelical base.
Most experts believe Kushner's a pipeline of classified information to the Kremlin. Trump's unqualified daughter just briefed South Korea on sanctions & decisions that risk nuclear war. Leadership is faked, just like television & movies. Having vowed to end cronyism in D.C., Trump runs the least capable administration in history.
7
Well, Physicians like to say: "patient states/asserts/ claims" in their record-write-ups.
It's called Attribution Theory; no need to posit- fained emotions or claims--- or assume that mere words from a Grifter mean anything truthful.
Aside from being a total Liar, being just plain mean andbeing a person under a foreign tyrants control, why should the current situation be an occasion to pretend that the current 'Administration' wants nice things for anyone but a few cronies.
Didn't David Byrn have a group called "Thievery Corporation" for a while?
I mean why can't our words reflect reality, and be skeptical of this kind of political actor?
-HBfE
At last! A US president who is truly 'neutral'. That is, in the sense of being an arbiter who calls the infringements by whichever side has committed them. The Palestinians' fouls, continual cheating and deceptions deserve sanction by the rules of the game they're playing. So chalk one up for the good guys today.
4
Two corrupt right-wing Zionist ideologues - one indicted, the other unindicted (for the moment) - extolling the joys of imperilaism, domination and raw political power.
What could be finer ?!
May the God of Prison Time bless both of them.
302
Agreed. They will make a nice foursome with Clinton and Obama.
1
Trump an ideologue? Not possible for a man with no ideology other than making money.
3
Except for the 'Zionism', I thought you were referring to leaders of Hamas and the PLA. Why don't you ask the suffering Palestinian people if your 'G-d of Prison Time', is cute to them, based on their own leadership?
2
'Neutral' is not the same as being 'Objective', and we do NOT want our President to be neutral.
Objectively, we have one side that shares our values of democracy, human rights and economic development, and we have another side that is mired in violence, human rights violations and corruption.
Far from being a fan of Trump, I consider that he and Nikki Haley are right that putting reality back on the table of the Israeli-Arab Palestinian conflict will actually help chances of success.
58
"we do NOT want our President to be neutral."
Who is we?
2
I'm actually having trouble making sense of your comments. Which side is which and what does "put reality back on the table" mean?
1
What military secrets have the Palestinians stolen? Who has turned traitor for the Palestinian Authority? Why do people repeat the lie that Israel is a close American ally? It behaves like an opponent.
5
A few months ago, Kushner told his team that they should not be taking history into account as they worked on their peace proposal. Instead, the framework should be developed around today's reality. What is the source of conflict in that region if not history? Israel claims God gave the land to them. The Palestinians claim their lands were taken away from them. Settlements only take away more of their land.
To ignore history is to ignore reality. As long as that mindset exists (and Kushner remains in charge, if he can be in charge of anything right now....), the conflict will continue. With the USA supporting Israel.
219
Modern Israel is not formed on the basis of 'G-d', per se -- it's formed on the basis of UN Resolution 181, as the 'homeland of the Jewish people'. Just curious Tom... isn't that 'history' too?
2
I had read elsewhere that Kushner was particularly not interested in history in general as relevant to international affairs. But this is the first I have heard that he preaches that those those working on the Israeli-Palestinian file.
You are of course correct, Tom. This issue is entirely about history, both deep ancient history and recent history.
1
The fact that the Israel says that God gave the land to them flies in the face of reality. Are they saying that God physically drew up a transaction record and there is actual proof of this ? Please, I don't think so.
3
Just two comrade/criminals in arms plotting how to "contain" (aka attack) Iran, no doubt. The abandonment of the Palestinians, not only by Israel and the U.S., but apparently by the Arabs as well is a tragedy that continues to smolder. It seems that Egypt now a military dictatorship, Saudi Arabia now even a more militaristic dictatorship, have joined with Israel and the U.S. to plot against Iran while abandoning the Palestinian cause. The U.S. involvement in supporting the Saudi invasion and now almost complete destruction of Yemen under former President Obama was a major mistake. The real potential for an all-out region Islamic war between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iraq is there and would be a disaster for Israel on the order of the Babylonian exile. Let's hope the local authorities catch up with these two before the whole region explodes.
27
Of course Trump has only fueled the flames.
First, he has clearly demonstrated that he is not, in fact, a brilliant deal maker.
Second, Trump used to express hope not that the Middle East would see peace, but that he would be the one to broker an agreement no one else had. Thus his motive was selfish, not diplomatic. So of course he let himself be had by Netanyahu, who is also self-serving but more cunning than Trump.
182
The issue that has plagued all attempts to end the stalemate in Palestinian-Israeli discussions is Palestinian refusal to accept Israel's existence as a Jewish State with defensible borders. It's that simple.
85
If Palestine acknowledges Israel as a Jewish state, then where will the boundaries be? Will Israel stop building homes for Jews on disputed lands and lands that belong to the Palestinians?
6
They keep expanding their borders so it is not simple.
7
The Palestinians have accepted the State of Israel's right to exist "in peace and security" multiple times, most recently in 1993 -- 25 years ago. You can read those documents, as I did, on the website of the Israeli Foreign Ministry. If Israel now wants to move the goalposts and claim it needs recognition as the "Jewish State of Israel," it might change its name and demand the same of all the nations of the world, including those with whom it has negotiated peace treaties, i.e., Egypt and Jordan.
4
Trummp lost all credibility within months of taking office. He has shown himself to be 100% untrustworthy.
33
Trump lost all credibility on the day he took office, with his claim that his Inauguration crowd was the biggest in the history of the Universe, and then his disgusting behavior in front of the CIA Memorial Wall. He's has shown himself to be 100% untrustworthy since Day One; not months later.
6
You mean he lost all credibility within weeks.
3
Netanyahu refuses to see Palestinians have rights to this land and that military occupation for all these years has not and will not quiet their fight. When Palestinians uprise, they get mowed down mercilessly and there are called terrorists. Then Netanyahu changes the subject, as he has always, to Iran. Netanyahu has been successful at it too because the US has enabled this. The US is complicit in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict because it sides with Israel's unjust positions.
Meanwhile the Euros and the UN pick up the bill for this long occupation and we put the squeeze on them. Israel get's off the hook not having to care for the people it occupies.
62
... if I'm not mistaken, it was Eliyahu Eilat,
the first Israeli ambassador to the US in 1948, who,
when asked about his greatest achievement, replied:
"I convinced the American public that anti-zionism
is anti-semitism."
Ever since then, even outside the US, criticizing Israel
for its policies ... takes quite some courage
[and apparently has not pacified the region yet].
Eradicating corruption might help as well, but ...
2
They're called terrorists because they ARE terrorists. What do you call a man who randomly begins stabbing innocent women at a bus stop? Or a motorist who intentionally mows down soldiers along the side of a road? Or a suicide bomber who blows himself up in a crowded market, made up mostly of women?
Potter, I can see you don't know a lot about the details of these "so-called" terrorists.
3
What do you call people who bomb indiscriminately killing 2,500 women and children in a single "Operation."
We have never been genuine about constructing a peace in the middle east. Israel and the Israeli lobbies in the U.S. simply don't want peace until Israel has taken possession of all of their "historic biblical lands." And we've appointed officials to "represent" the U.S. in the "peace process" who are creatures of the Israeli lobby. Why you might ask? It's money and its corrupt influence in our political process. Trump's corrupt regime approved the transfer of Israel's capital to Jerusalem, without any "negotiation" with the Palestinians, not because he cared about it, but because his "advisors" organized the deal at the behest of a corrupt casino billionaire whose only expressed interest was Israel. And his $100,000,000+ contributions did it. That's become the "American Way".
43
Israel has no intention of peace because that would mean giving up settlements and the right flank which runs successive governments would revolt.
The plain truth is that we have been lied to and taken down dead end streets for decades while Israel maps out more enormous land grabs with all the infrastructure accoutrements to sustain them as permanent structures.
We are facing a one state solution, there is no other option now.
23
Previous left wing Israeli governments have made generous offers to the "Palestinians" and were outright rejected.
7
There is no negotiating table without international law on the table. The Palestinians should never be asked to compromise any of their rights under the law. Victims do not make concessions to the criminals.
55
The criminals are the Palestinians who refuse to recognize Israel and the Arab nations that forced them into refugee camps in 1948.
8
You've got it backwards. Israel was attacked five times, and won five times. Since when does the LOSER dictate the terms??
9
I've tried to do my part as an American citizen; I've paid my taxes, served in the military during a war, and devoted my adult life to teaching at a large state university. My admiration for our country's founders and great men like Lincoln is unabated. But I've had with this sick country. The US ganging up with Israel to persecute a hapless minority. Every elected representative bought by AIPAC, NRA, or some other nefarious organization. A president who makes me profoundly ashamed of my country. I'll stick around for the 2018 and 2020 votes, but if they go the way I fear, it's time to just bunker down and try to survive as a liberal Democrat with as few ties to the government as I can manage. It's hard to give up on this crazy country, but the time to do so may be coming soon.
101
To be neutral you have to acknowledge reality. President Trump is neutral.
2
What Trump sees as "reality" has little resemblance to reality; sort of like reality TV.
1
It is amazing how the occupied have to behave themselves before being set free. These people should be the last ones to oppress and humiliate others considering their history.
19
Instead of wagging our collective fingers at Iran, the Saudis, Arabs in general, or the Poles, the Russians and maybe the Martians, we need a US President strong enough to tell the Israeli leadership the way it is: that 2018 is not 1948, nor the day Christ was born; that thousand year old religious dogma cannot form the basis of any rational discussion in the secular world of the 21st century; that the only way Israel can not only survive, but also prosper requires that it makes peace with all its neighbours, the Palestinians included.
South Africa could do it and so can Israel.
But for that it needs a leader, like Yitzak Rabin.
302
Yeah, and look where South Africa has ended up!
1
NY Denizen -- That puts you with South Africa's Apartheid, and the chant of George Wallace, "Segregation Now, Segregation Forever."
6
Israel did make sustainable peace agreements with it's neighbors... Jordan and Egypt. And Israel did propose a bonofide peace agreement with the Palestinians via PM Olmert in 2008. Do you remember the Palestinian response? That's right, there wasn't one, even to this day.
The Palestinians have not been able to even make a peace agreement among themselves - Hamas and Fatah still don't have 'unity'.
500,000+ have been killed in Syria, Lebanon is ruthlessly ruled as proxy to Iran, Egypt is a military dictatorship and violently suppressed 'revolution', and 10s of thousands of Palestinians were massacred in Jordan. And Israel is the 'problem'? Really? Where's (your common sense) Waldo?
3
It is depressing, but not surprising, to witness such large numbers of Americans who have been brain-washed by the pro-Israel Hasbara machine. There are reports that many hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent in the US to establish and maintain the pro-Israel narrative. As a result far too many Americans have the following beliefs:
Both sides must make "painful compromises" .... when in fact the Palestinian position is fully backed by long-established international law.
Israel is “just defending itself”…. when in fact it has been the aggressor and has frequently been so aggressive that it’s actions are under investigation as war crimes.
The Palestinians are engaged in acts of “terror”….when in fact they are simply resisting the illegal occupation of their lands and the abuse of their human rights, resistance by all means at their disposal being entirely legal under international law (UN Resolution 3314).
Critics of Israeli policies and actions are anti-semitic …. when in fact they are just supporting Palestinian human rights and international law, and/or trying to protect Israel’s future.
Iran is a “state sponsor of terror” ….. when in fact Iran is supporting those resisting the illegal occupation of Palestinian lands, a resistance authorized by international law (UN Resolution 3314).
54
What is this "illegal occupation" of which you speak? The land was GIVEN to Israel. It was illegally occupied by Jordan from 1948-1967.
8
No land anywhere on this globe was "given" to Israel. Israel unilaterally declared independence in 1948 and voluntarily described its borders as those in UN Res. 181 Part II. Those borders did not and do not include Jerusalem, Gaza, the West Bank or Golan Heights. The acquisition of land via conquest was outlawed in 1949. The West Bank is, in fact, illegally occupied by Israel according to international law, and Gaza is encircled, isolated, blockaded and in ruins, thanks to Israeli bombings.
6
Iran is a state sponsor of terror. You may agree with their stance on the occupation, but that doesn’t justify their support of Assad or their actions in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.
3
Trump and Netanyahu are birds of a feather. Both are under investigation for corruption and may be removed from office. The only difference is Trump is also a possible traitor for conspiracy to hack the 2016 election with Russia.
What a pair of winners.
27
Birds of a feather? not exactly. Netanyahu is the Cuckoo who pushed the other eggs out of the nest, Trump on the other hand is the Dodo bird who should have gone extinct a century ago.
7
Wouldn't it be a coincidence if both Trump and Netanyahu are thrown out of office on the same day.
24
Never say never but Trump's hope of being the great mideast compromiser is about as likely to happen as Saddam H.'s PR comical mouthpiece after America invaded in Iraq 2 war reporting that Iraq was winning every battle.
5
Water seeks its own level. Tawdry, both of them. With leaders like these, who needs enemies?! These two are logrolling peas in a pod, foxhole buddies, maybe even will get housed in the same cellblock. (Bibi's a US citizen, isn't he? Seems half of Likud is, or thinks they are? The 51st State, with none of the responsibilities and obligations...)
16
I'm not sure what it is about Liberalism--which allows its adherents to hold two competing ideas in their heads at the same time.
--They claim to care about the working class--but want open borders, allowing illegal aliens to depress the wage scale--of the working class
--They claim to care about education-but opposed charter schools, at the same time supporting unions--which resist any and all ideas for improving education
--They claim to believe in democracy, human rights, freedom and peace--while opposing the only freedom-loving democracy in the Middle East (Israel)--and supporti countries which are essentially dictatorships that violate human rights and support terrorism.
--They claim to be tolerant, multi-cultural, and oppose racism--but so many are openly anti-semitic on the issue of Israel.
Israel is surrounded by countries who have historically tried to wipe them off the face of the earth. Many still promise to do so today. The Palestinian leadership claims to want a 2-state solution--all the while denying the legitimacy of the other state! On a daily basis, they send rockets over the border--in an attempt to kill any innocent Israeli who may get in the way.
It leads me to wonder, why Is there not an ounce of admiration, commiseration, or sympathy in the Liberal mind--for the State of Israel? Why does the Left support the interests of savages and terrorists--over the rights of a democratically elected, freedom-loving country?
14
Supporting Palestine's rights to its own lands is not an "anti-semitic" position as you accus. Those labels serve as scapegoats to complicate and defend the issue.
9
You conflate Israel and Netanyahu. Just as the reactionary Trump isn't the USA so Netanyahu's destructive policies don't define Israel. To the extent the "Left" has a single view of the Israel/Palestinian conflict it is shaped by a pragmatic desire to see a peaceful solution for all parties. How does the myopic conservative need to view the issue as being between "a democratically elected, freedom-loving country" and "savages and terrorists" benefit anything other than the military/industrial complex?
3
Bizarre blanket statements aside, I think the biggest problem with the state of Isreal is that it wasn't the UN's to create. The lands were already occupied by people no less deserving to be there. All problems stem from that. Any solution moving forward is doomed to disappoint, but it should at least try to be as considerate as possible to all parties involved.
8
The remnants of the Jewish people have had enough of Christian & Muslim hospitality, & decided to return to their homeland & named it Israel, The UN gave them a sliver of land, & we celebrated.All their Arab neighbors led by the Grand Mufti a friend of Hitler went to war against them with the intention of annihilating them. By some miracle they survived the Arab aggression, and to this day the Arabs have continued to kill their Jewish neighbors.Every President since their existence took a neutral position between Israel & their neighbors & tried to get them to live peacefully, however the Arabs wanted no part of a Jewish State in the region. After Three wars that the Arabs lost & with their losses they lost control of the Land that the UN Allotted them. They have given up going to War against Israel & now act as victims & want to start all over again.Along came Trump the Liberals whipping boy, who like Solomon would not cut the Land in two, & recognized who was the victim & who was the aggressor, & in his wisdom has sided with Israel, which has destroyed any hope that the Arabs can annihilate the Jewish State.Now if only the 70% of American Jews that can’t give up their Fathers Party, will open their eyes and support the Party that unconditionally supports the survival of Israel.A X Liberal Democrat.
8
Trump as wise as Solomon, that's a hoot!
5
The Hebrews/Israelites lost their sovereignty, lands and rights of residency in the Levant in 70 CE. But now, in the 20th-21st century, they want to return to the moment in history 2,000 years ago when they were on top. Their ancient kingdoms actually ruled for only some 520 intermittent years between 1000 BCE and 70 CE, interrupted 11 times by conquest. They were never the only tribe in the region nor were they indigenous if you believe the bible. How is any claim of "exclusive" possession be justified?
Do modern Mongols also get to reclaim the kingdom of Genghis Khan? The French get back the empire of Charlemagne? Maybe the Persian can restore the world's first empire, stretching from India to Egypt? And Rastafarians can take over a small African country as their "ancestral homeland?" No? If not, why not? Makes as much sense as claiming you "own" any land where your religious clan might have lived in the Bronze Age.
10
"Iran must be stopped." "The Ultimate Deal." What a pair. I am sure they are both scheming to see how they will outmaneuver each other to get the biggest turkey leg at dinner tonight.
7
We tried to be the nice guy and attempt to actually get peace, we got disrespect and violence from one side, and respect from the other. So one gets our help the other does not.
3
Two corrupt leaders under investigation for bribery, ethics violations and obstruction of justice. Of course they're pals. But trying to put the presidential seal on tee markers at Mar-a-Lago is really a low point.
6
We got respect from Israel? When was that. I missed that brief moment.
7
What Trump says and what he does are two different things.
It is only a question of time before world leaders and Congressmen realize that his photo ops negotiating sessions are just a publicity stunt, using them as props.
11
If by “neutral,” you mean telling hard truths, then perhaps Trump fits the bill. If nothing else, there is no balance between an indigenous population’s restoration to a quarter of its internationally recognized historical homelands (see League of Nations Mandate for Palestine of 1922, before Jordan was carved out leaving 22%) and returning 99.75% of the lands of the defeated Ottoman Turks to an Arab sovereignty that last existed in the 11th century. One hard truth that the Palestinian Arabs still refuse to acknowledge is that the Jewish people have a long history in the land and are entitled to self-determination. Denying even that Jerusalem was always the capital city when Jews were sovereign is indicative of this mindset. Oddly, Israel affords its Arab citizens far more civil and religious rights than any Arab country - consistent with its obligations under the Mandate.
If Russia demanded the return of Alaska because Putin now decided that the Tsar had no “right” to sell Russian (forget the Inuit people) land in the first place and the UN’s automatic anti-West majority passed resolutions demanding its return to Russia, I doubt The NY Times would demand a similarly neutral stance. As I said, sometimes the two sides are not equally balanced.
Simply put, Israel has the stronger legal and historical connection to the land. The Arabs claim is based on a 7th century conquest, though they lost their sovereignty by the 11th. How is that the superior claim?
20
Your analogy is bad and you should feel bad. To compare restoring ancient homelands based of biblical texts and religious sentiment is absolutely nothing like Russia trying to forcefully take back Alaska. Russians werent systematically and forcefully removed from their traditional homes. Large swaths of Russians weren't suddenly refugees watching their homes get bull dozed. Maybe a hard truth for you is that Israel's inception was in fact very wrong. The mistreatments of the Jewish populations don't justify further mistreatment of an innocent populace. To clarify further, by your exact logic, if my house burns down I can just move to yours. i have this made up paper that says your land is mine, so yeah....start packing your bags. That is the the lens you are using to find truths to accept. Its tarnished and wrong, but hey, its yours...
22
If Israel didn't build and continue to build settlements in the Occupied Territories they would have total moral authority. Settlements were both a moral failing and a serious strategic mistake.
22
The irony being for generations Arabs and Jewish people lived side by side in harmony not like today as sworn enemies. Not really helpful trying to sort out history and Biblical references. So if Israel has a "stronger legal case" that would acknowledge that there is a legal case for Palestinian territorial rights. An international court might offer a chance for peace over stages over 100 years. Zionism seems like a hard-sell. Digging-in your heels and stating PALESTINE only a Jewish homeland and any Arab claims are laughable not really solving the historical problem. Both sides need to pause for a moment. Granted when the British in 1922 asked the Arabs politely to negotiate with the Jewish groups the Arabs totally refused and so Israel became a reality.
I’m glad President Trump cut aid to the Palestinians. Giving money to any sort of Arabic cause is like throwing cash right into the fire.
10
Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign assistance since World War II. To date, the United States has provided Israel $127.4 billion (current, or non-inflation-adjusted, dollars) in bilateral assistance. Almost all U.S. bilateral aid to Israel is in the form of military assistance, although in the past Israel also received significant economic assistance.
source: https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33222.html
86
Any sort of “Arabic cause” is off limits? Arabs are a racial group. This is outward bigotry and should not have been published. Had this been said about any other ethnic group, it would have been flagged.
113
Sure that is an over statement, giving anything to those that support terror and oppose our interests is foolish.
5
Israel recognized as a powerful democracy with a bit of help from the USA. Now the world expects Israel to confront the issue of Palestine and their plight living in poverty in GAZA and the Occupied Territories for a long time. Such a suggestion alarm some people. But Trump has showed no inclination to build bridges for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East. As for Iran posing a threat to Israel; that seems improbable given the Iran nuclear deal with international weapons inspectors. Any war between Israel and Iran will be a catastrophe and unthinkable. One doubts Trump's sincerity on this question which lingers on from one US President to the next. True or false?
14
I think False but your question is not that clear to me. And a war between Israel and Iran is something that Iran is thinking of, otherwise they would not be arming terrorists and building bases. Those who think reality is unthinkable are dangerous. Perhaps Nazi invasions were unthinkable back in the day, perhaps is someone had thought and done they might not have occurred.
4
does that mean he will take money from either side ?
10
What hopes? For years the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has meddled in the most openly partisan fashion in American politics, all the while aided and abetted by the Republican Party, which sought to use him as a political weapon. Trump should simply be done with it and end the fiction by making Netanyahu US envoy to the Middle East.
167
Agree....
Now is the time for investigation into Israel meddling in US elections in addition to the Russian inquiry.
There is no better evidence than foreign leaders addressing their lobbyists like Netanyahu speaking to AIPAC.
7
“For years the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has meddled in the most openly partisan fashion in American politics, all the while aided and abetted by the Republican Party,”
-And Americans are up in arms about Russia attempting to influence elections!
6
Trump is just being open and honest about it. We have never been a neutral broker between Israel and the Palestinians.
Even if Obama wasn’t Israel’s biggest fan, our country has always provided Israel with strong support versus the Palestinians, especially having mutual enemies like Iran, and at long last now there is no doubt of our position.
12
Obama literally was the strongest backer of Israel ever. Any US president. That people of all sides dont realize this is just evidence of refusing to attend to *policies* as opposed to *PR*—anyones PR.
Sorry, I cant do apostrophes on this site for some reason. :)
8
There won't be any peace between Israel and the Palestinians until Netanyahu and Trump are long gone.Trump shows his bullying style, similar to Netanyahu. How successful has that been? Trump’s bias towards Israel including moving the embassy to Jerusalem is absolutely the wrong signal to the Palestinians. So much for the "art of the deal”.Paletinian have their backs up.
When those who want a just compromise prevail for two viable states with mutual cooperation including over Jerusalem we will have a peace deal. And then there will be implementation and acceptance in Israel amongst with all the divisions (including the settlers and their supporters) as well as the divisions within the Palestinians.There will be kicking and screaming. The Palestinians will agree more easily if the plan is just because they are weaker. But they want and deserve justice. Israel on the other hand has not been willing to relinquish the occupied territories including Gaza which it still de facto occupies because well, "might makes right” “we won they lost” “we are the victims” etc.
So this peace deal won't happen during Trump's time in office and talk of it is just a waste of time while Israel’s hold on all the land between the Jordan River and the sea grows stronger.
Israel will have to deal with one state that includes it's Arabs/Muslims under occupation fighting for their equal rights.
47
It sends a message, that is the "deal" will only get worse for you the longer you resist making one. The faster it gets worse perhaps some will make a deal, or it will get so bad for them that one can be imposed on them. If you are disarmed, and isolated peace of a sort will happen. Not that I want this, but such peace is better than say no peace, or giving in to terrorists.
3
Well terrorists or resistance to occupation? Many, including myself, who wants to see Israel survive, feel that the Palestinians have actually given all they can and just want a viable state, to share Jerusalem, and for a token number to return to Israel within the '48 lines. They have even agreed to having some settlements as part of Palestine.
From this article, again, Netanyahu has no intention of allowing a Palestinian state. It's a catch 22, because Palestinians are not going to stop resisting even though there has been relative quiet considering all during Israeli ongoing oppression. And Israel is not going to stop settling territory with such weak meaningless US criticism and objection. What a way for kids to grow up on both sides!
5
Auferre, trucidare, rapere, falsis nominibus imperium; atque, ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.
or
They plunder, they slaughter, and they steal: this they falsely name Roman government, and where they make a wasteland, they call it peace.
Tacitus
2
"Who knew the ME was so complicated" Impeach the imposter, enough is enough, whereever his "Midas" touch turns everything into the opposite of gold....
39
You live in a fantasy alternative reality where impeachment is done due to not approving of style, rather than some actual legal basis. Mentioning that makes you a dangerous radical that wants the constitution destroyed.
3
now that you say [or write] it:
the opposite of MIDAS reads
SAD I M ...
...$ 250.000 for an embassy update, perhaps he could use Carson's $ 31.000,00 dining room set....
56
North Korea, South Korea, Bibi and Jerusalem: pinching myself. Cannot stand Trump, but today I’m taking a rest.
Bad people do good things. Good people do bad.
Back to parenteral, subcutaneous, MicroBiome microbiologists, obesity and that insanity.
2
It’s difficult to be seen as neutral when you start the process by giving one side it’s key demand while giving the other side nothing in return. The Israelis were once interested in negotiating a real agreement with the Palestinians. Now, their goal seems to be taking all the Palestinians’ land and giving them nothing in return. As Trump seems to share this view, why would the Palestinians view him as neutral?
277
The land grab has been going on for many years. We have sat back and watched while walls have partitioned off large parts of the occupied territory. The settlements have been established in such a way that there is no access to a majority of the territory without long detours or checkpoints.
36
The Billions of aid dollars given to the Palestinians have gone for what? Enriching it's corrupt politicians, paying off terrorists and building tunnels and armaments aimed at civilians. Very little to their own people who suffer greatly.The last experiment in peace is when Israel moved out 30,000 settlers ot of Gush Kativ and gave it the Palestinians. Israel left all the new infrastructure that they built from scratch and left them beautiful, state of the art hot houses and orchards, And what happened...within 1 year it was all gone, destroyed by the Palestinians. At some point in the life of a people, they must begin to take ownership of their failures. Enough with the Israel bashing because it is beginning to smell a lot like Antisemitism.
8
A future Trump resort, perhaps?
5