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The Only Democracy? » Entries tagged with "Benjamin Netanyahu"

Gaza Ceasefire: Giving Thanks to President Obama

There is a ceasefire in Gaza. It remains to be seen if and when the promise to open Gaza to normal civilian movement, laconically stated in the ceasefire agreement, will be fulfilled. On Friday, less than 48 hours after its enactment, the first bad sign appeared. In at least two locations near the border fence, Gaza residents assuming that now Israel’s unilateral 500m “buffer zone” inside the Strip was history – after all, it said so in the agreement (read in the link above) – and one man was shot dead, others wounded. It seems that enforcing the ceasefire and its follow-up will demand some engagement from third parties. But still, we can be thankful. The last several days of the military operation, renamed “Operation Cast Ballot” by Israeli anti-war bloggers, … Read entire article »

Filed under: Featured

Netanyahu’s UN Speech also had REALLY-NOT-FUNNY parts…

…but they were completely upstaged by his Wile E. Coyote climax. These parts are highly worth revisiting. Bibi’s brazen, out-and-out racism and lunatic brand of nationalist-supremacy, were expressed in no uncertain terms upon the United Nations stage. The man’s true colors were there for all to see. I owe the discovery of the lesser-known first half of Bibi’s speech, to Palestinian-American comedian Amer Zahr, a.k.a. The Civil Arab. Myself, I was probably going to ignore the Bibi speech altogether – had the Web not suddenly exploded with images of Acme bombs. But Zahr, as he says, must listen: As a Palestinian, I tuned in. It’s my duty. Plus, I say the guy’s name at least 3-4 times a day (I won’t tell you how), so the least I could do … Read entire article »

Filed under: Featured

Bibi’s Wile E. Coyote UN Speech: a Symbol of Right-Wing Politicians’ Disdain for Everyone

Bibi’s Wile E. Coyote UN Speech: a Symbol of Right-Wing Politicians’ Disdain for Everyone

Beyond everything else, it was a good laugh. Here he is, the Village Idiot that my countrymen and women back home cannot find a way to get rid of, standing on the United Nations podium with the smug self-importance only a Village Idiot can muster, and drawing a red line on Wile E. Coyote’s cartoon bomb: On the first, second and third looks, none of us could stop laughing – My wife, me and our 15- … Read entire article »

Filed under: Featured

Sheldon Adelson has already bought a politician: Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu

Newt Gingrich’s South Carolina primary victory has brought onto the spotlight his campaign’s main benefactor, Sheldon Adelson. Relatively to his wealth and the manner in which he has acquired it, Adelson has managed to stay away from the limelight – despite his quoted bragging of being “The world’s richest Jew” (he’s not, btw; but his wealth is currently estimated at >$20B). Because of this relative obscurity, Adelson’s political exploits in Israel remain unexplored. Robert Scheer might wonder about the details of the “business” transaction between magnate Adelson and candidate Gingrich. For a casino billionnaire, it is amusing to see Adelson put his pocket change ($10M and counting) on such long odds. His bet in the Israeli scene has been much larger – yet far safer and more successful. Well, over there … Read entire article »

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Israel’s Tahrir[3]: Ripple Effect on Politicians, Financiers Continues…

In late August, after first sending proxies to defame Israel’s social-justice protesters as “radical lefties” – a move that backfired spectacularly; then trying the silent treatment, hoping that the Israeli public known for its short attention span will lose interest – only to get served with repeated bouts of unprecedented nationwide protests; Prime minister “Bibi” Netanyahu tried a third trick: appoint a committee. The move won him a partial reprieve, mostly from the mainstream media. And using the quiet and the back-to-school period, local governments began dismantling the tent cities one by one. Now the committee, headed by Prof. Manuel Trachtenberg – a well-meaning, former-Argentine-radical, but nevertheless neoliberal economist – has submitted its conclusions. They include partial restoration of some of the social safety net that Bibi has worked so hard … Read entire article »

Filed under: Victories for Democracy

Israel’s Tahrir [1]: Will the Revolution End “Bibinomics”?

Ok… a little bird told me there was this teeny, modest wavelet of demonstrations in Israel, so maybe it’s time I write something about it. (snark, snark; actually my mom, two of my siblings and a couple of nieces were among those 4-5% of Israel’s population, over 300,000 people, taking to the streets on Saturday night) There is so much to write, and things are moving so fast. Seemingly out of nowhere, this protest wave has snowballed, or – considering the season and physical location – sweatballed, right into prime minister Netanyahu’s (hereafter, “Bibi’s”) face. But of course, this is anything but “out of nowhere.” In an open-ended diary series, I will try to explore some key processes and issues at the heart of this wave, with an emphasis on those that have … Read entire article »

Filed under: Featured, Victories for Democracy

Bibi, Obama and Israel’s A-Historical View of Itself

“It’s time to recognize this basic truth: Israel is not what’s wrong about the Middle East. Israel is what’s right about the Middle East.” I’m guessing this Bibi gem won one of those 29 Congressional standing ovations on Tuesday. Probably a facepalm – or laugh-out-loud – moment for many Israelis. Here’s our PM in plain view of the entire world, demonstrating in first person what is domestically known as the Ugly Israeli: a ridiculously arrogant, pushy, free-riding, zero-self-awareness caricature of a person. (For Americans, think about that rude sloppily dressed Yankee tourist barging into a vegetarian restaurant in India and demanding a hamburger.) Or as Carly Simon would put it: “You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about YOU.” But seriously. Leaving aside the pitiful circus that Congress becomes when they do … Read entire article »

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The Deadly Fires: Israel’s Katrina?

The Israeli authorities announced Sunday night that the fire ranging in the Carmel hills since Thursday, Israel’s most devastating fire on record, is now under control. An even worse disaster was averted. The fire did not seriously spread into Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city, or its suburb Tirat HaCarmel. The main reason for the unacceptably high death toll, estimated at 40+ persons – far larger than any single terror attack on Israelis since 1978 – was irresponsibility in sending unprepared unprotected personnel right into the fire, esp. one tragic bus of prison-service cadets. Will this disaster open Israelis’ eyes like Hurricane Katrina did for many Americans? Some obvious questions are, how come a nation with the world’s most celebrated air force has zero air firefighting capabilities and relies on outside help? Or, why … Read entire article »

Filed under: Featured

Bibi, Stop Racist Talk against Turks and Release All Footage!

(expanded version of Occupation Magazine post) Today (Saturday), Israeli PM `Bibi` again claimed, in rather crude terms, that the reason why the IDF killed 9 activists on Monday but today boarded the MV Rachel Corrie peacefully, is because of “…the difference between a ship of peace activists, with whom we don’t agree but respect their right to a different opinion from ours, and between a ship of hate organised by violent Turkish terror extremists…” This continues a race-baiting campaign against the Turkish ship and IHH, which started well before Monday’s attack. As CindyCasella’s excellent diary shows, just like in previous controversies the Israeli PR machine churns mostly lies. They are already backtracking from a claim IHH has Al Qaeda ties. But they’re still at it. Call Bibi’s racist bluff: demand that Israel release all … Read entire article »

Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs

Contact Obama to Cancel Tuesday’s Israeli PM Visit!

I wrote here some 40 hours ago, that Israel is determined to act as brutally and stupidly the UK did in 1947 when its troops stormed a Palestine-bound ship called “Exodus” and killed 3 passengers. But even I didn’t dream they would be this stupid, this brutal. As I write this, the IDF keeps changing versions about its act of piracy every few minutes. They still believe they can lie their way out of this one, too. You know what? They might. Because the Israeli strategy known as “Pissing from the High Jump” has worked so far. For about a decade, no one in the world that Israel cares to count, has dared put their money where their mouth is and force Israel to become a better (rather, less terrible) global … Read entire article »

Filed under: Human Rights Activists in the Crosshairs