dagblog - Comments for "Bibi: Putin's inspiration?"

Oh yeah, that Messiah/rapture

PeraclesPlease — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 15:39:23 +0000

In reply to Unfortunately, there are some

Oh yeah, that Messiah/rapture bit inspires all the loonies. Not content to believe in beautiful metaphors, they live their lives and *ours* trying to fulfill it. The line about no love without a bit of criticism is eagerly latched onto by those who bring only hard-nosed criticism and nothing approaching love.

One of the weird things for me is that the Holocaust was largely incomprehensible - how could people do and think such things, especially presumably civilized people? whereas the situation in Palestine is nowhere near as complex - it's simply a fight over land with a bit of religion thrown in to spice it up for a largely backwards impoverished batch of nomads. But this cant that Flynn & others latch onto, for example Iran can't be negotiated with or the latest veto of whatever Palestinian for some rights position - it's just balmy. Yeah, the Iranian leadership is a bit antiquated and backwards, but they've largely been rational and stable the last 25 years at least. Hezbollah takes care of basic hygiene, lobs a few missiles, and power & status quo are thus maintained. In short - these people are boring as fuck, riding their earlier reputation to a boring grave (ignoring the real recipients of their half-assed firepower). Bibi & Hezbollah are flip sides of this same crooked agreement. Obviously Israel comes out better, but I'm sure if the Hezbollah leadership can get Netflix on Sat TV they're satisfied.

Unfortunately, there are some

Bruce Levine — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 15:19:44 +0000

In reply to Thanks for both of these,

Unfortunately, there are some who believe that this is sustainable forever, and this is pyschoanalyzing from afar perhaps, but I think for some people sustainability is sustained by that which is unsustainable -- they like the fight, they like the cause, you know what I mean.

Edited to add. . .note Rabbi Jeremy's repeated references to "messianic" which I think is appropos.

Thanks for both of these,

PeraclesPlease — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 15:06:00 +0000

In reply to I just want to add a little

Thanks for both of these, Bruce. For Israel I think it's a nightmare - a "solution" that provides no solution at all, a guarantee of generations more arguing, fighting and insecurity all around. I'm not naive enough to think even an ugly compromise will put everything to rest, but jeeze, we've now been through another 8 years wth 0 progress, and the only thing to come out of it is "let's be more strident"? And while that's over there, it will inform the US' official Mideast policy with all the saber rattling at Iran and the horrible optics in Palestine and in general some of the worst PR available for both the US & Israel. (And for US Jews, from what I understand a worsened cognitive split between a generally liberal worldview combined with a more-and-more unrelenting conservative outlook in Israel to somehow come to grips with, support without being too supportive, accept without being too accepting...)

And for all this talk about radicalized Muslims, we've really been fortunate that since 9/11 and earlier there have been so few coordinated attacks outside the Muslim world (and of course within Israel). With 1.6 billion Muslims, can you imagine what would happen if even 0.01% or even 0.001% got pissed in an outward direction? Do people really think this is sustainable forever, just string along the charade? And at what cost?

I just want to add a little

Bruce Levine — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 14:48:11 +0000

In reply to Bibi: Putin's inspiration?

I just want to add a little more context to Bibi's meeting with the president today. This is from a blog written by Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky, my rabbi at Congregation Ansche Chesed ("AC") in New York, written in the immediate aftermath of the security council resolution criticizing Israeli settlements in early January. Below are some excerpts worth sharing:

Several AC members expressed dismay about America’s abstention from a UN resolution critical of Israel and Sec. Kerry’s extremely blunt speech about whether the two-state solution has any future. Others are panicked that David Friedman will be America’s ambassador to Israel, given that his political and religious views align him roughly with the far-right Tekumah faction – a few steps to the right of Bibi Netanyahu.

As rabbi, I avoid trying to be political pundit. I read Israel news intensely, but so do many of you. I claim no expertise about diplomacy or security policy. Still, I think it is appropriate to share some reflections on Jewish communal discourse and recent news.

. . .

Personally, I agreed with every single word in Kerry’s speech. Every single word. The parts where he urged Fatah to condemn terrorism instead of valorizing it. The parts where he urged Hamas to build Gaza instead of building terror tunnels. The parts where he said that settlements are only a feature of the long-term conflict, not its source. (All there.)

And the parts where he reminded Israel that there simply is no way to square the circle of occupation, settlement, and military dictatorship with human rights and democracy. Israel needs to hear it. And from true and loyal friends. The only thing I would have added to Kerry’s speech is the Midrashic teaching [Bereshit Rabbah 54.3]:

עמה תוכחה, אינה אהבהכל אהבה שאין

“Any love unaccompanied by criticism is not love at all.”

. . .

On a related but different matter: let me join with some – though not all – of you, to express my personal horror at the nomination of David Friedman as American ambassador. As our friend JJ Goldberg wrote in the Forward and Bernard Avishai wrote similarly in the Times, Friedman represents a sector of American Judaism, aligned with a sector of Israeli Judaism, that espouses a dangerous ideology, that does not take seriously the diversity of Jewish public opinion on this very difficult problem, let alone the claims of Arabs living under Israeli military dictatorship.

For them, only a maximalist vision of Jewish possession of its ancestral homeland is acceptable, and everything else is treason. Friedman considers me and people who share my views “worse than kapos,” Nazi henchmen. We only think we’re center-left Zionists; actually we are nothing but “smug advocates of Israel’s destruction.”

Remarkably, the class of traitors includes the majority of Israelis who continue to favor two states, with peace and justice for Jews and Arabs alike. And more than 240 generals – including several former IDF Chiefs of Staff, heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad – who this past summer publicly argued that territorial compromise will enhance, not diminish Israeli security. But as we know, the new administration knows a lot more about security than the generals.

Disagree with me on the merits? Please persuade me. Present some alternative, reasonable, non-messianic scenario for Israelis to live in peace and for Palestinians to live with basic dignity. But I don’t believe Friedman and his friends have one. Or even want one.

Edgy but fair Peracles.

Bruce Levine — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 14:26:53 +0000

In reply to Bibi: Putin's inspiration?

Edgy but fair Peracles. Really nice work, thanks. Putin and BB are two peas in a pod indeed. Ironically, at the same time BB is trying to tamp down expectations from Naftali Bennett and other members of the farthest right portion of his right-wing Knesset coalition. But that's really beside the point on this side of the pond, because, to many so-called (to borrow a phrase) Israel supporters, all is cool because the Administration that gives succor to holocaust denial is going to let Israel build settlements anywhere in the WB and throw what's left of any real hope for a two-state solution in the toilet (aka "terlet" bc it sounds better in this context).

In any event, that's the good news. Tomorrow (I think), David Friedman, a 57 year-old bankruptcy barker (thank you for that phrase :)) will appear for a hearing on his nomination to be the U.S. Ambassador to Israel. His nomination has literally ripped the American Jewish community in two or three or four or more gaping parts. Folks like me who have been known around here as someone prone to give Israel the benefit of the doubt on occasion (joke) are mortified by his nomination. There are inside baseball issues and issues involving the interests of the United States of America. As to the latter, Friedman openly opposes two-states and has publicly pushed for unnecessary and divisive symbolic things like moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. And he's openly and proudly advocated for and raised funds on behalf of settlement growth in the West Bank. Needless to say, that's not my Daddy's version of the zionist dream, but more importantly, why is it in America's interest to have an ambassador who holds such views? I cannot think of a worse choice--and I'd like to think I'd come to the same view even if I agreed with him on the merits.

A bonus on the inside baseball front, because I'm not interested in pivoting down this rabbit hole, but it's important. David Friedman has called Jews like me "worse than Kapos" for supporting J Street and/or supporting many of J Street's positions. You know me PP, and for this limited purpose you can use me as the template. No words man, except that I was once told by someone and I forgot who, but that person told me that "with crisis comes opportunity." Today's meeting will be overshadowed by other gossip like concerns about the Russian takeover of our government, but there will be quite a bit of chatter going on in the dugout at the ballpark tonight and tomorrow.

Let me close with a humble appeal to folks to let their senators know (preferably with a phone call) that Friedman is the wrong choice for the United States and that you oppose his nomination. Those of us in New York should take solace in presuming that our two senators will oppose him, but calls do work. Also, calls to Senator Corker's office directly would help because he's chair of the Foreign Relations Committee. Sorry for the pitch, but I think it's timely and important.

Better days.