U.S. NEEDS TO RECOGNIZE PALESTINE AS MEMBER OF UNITED NATIONS

Here's what I want Pres. Barach Obama to do during his new term.  Support the Palestinians in their just desire to achieve informal membership at the United Nations.

Perhaps the latest flare-up of fighting is a result of Bib Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, determined to stop the desire of the Palestinians to be recognized by the U.N.  Perhaps he is afraid that the U.N. will then condemn Israel for its harsh and cruel treatment of Palestinians.  Or for its use of collective punishment against civilians in Gaza for the acts of a few.

NETANYAHU SEEMS INTENT ON STARTING ANOTHER FOOLISH WAR

Israeli prime minister, Bibi Netanyahu, seems intent on starting another conflagration in the Middle East.  He ordered a targeted assassination of Hamas leader, Ahmad Jabari, last night.  Now he is calling up 30,000 Israeli reservists.  Can anyone be in doubt that he intends that Israel invade Gaza?

I say, stop this foolishness!  Nothing  permanent as to peace can be attained through Israeli guns and bombs.

ROMNEY PUTS ALL THE BLAME ON PALESTINIANS - HAS HE BEEN FOLLOWING THE ISRAELI CRUELTIES ON THE NEWS?

Ewen Mac Askill writes in The Guardian online about Mitt Romney's comments blaming the Palestinians for not wanting peace with Israel.  Writes Mac Askill:

"The latest clip shows Romney dismissing the chances of peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, not an unusual view, but he then goes on to firmly put the blame solely on the Palestinians.

"He contentiously described the the Palestinians as "committed to the destruction and elimination" of Israel and indicated he was unlikely to pursue, as president, the creation of a Palestinian state, warning that Iran would use it as a base for attacks on Israel."

I guess that Romney, in putting the blame on the Palestinians, has never heard of Israeli soldiers firing tank shells at Palestinian civilians, or Israeli warplanes wantonly destroying essential infrastructure in Gaza, or Israeli hardliners cruelly forcing Palestinian families off their land, so that Jewish settlers can illegally and immorally move in.

PRES OBAMA, DON'T LET NETANYAHU MAKE A FOOL OF YOU

Why does it seem that the Obama administration kowtows to bellicose Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel?  Netanyahu threatens to bomb Iran, so Obama and his ministers obsequiously promise they will increase economic sanctions.  Who cares about the people of Iran, the ones who are severely and unjustly hurt economically by U.S. sanctions?  These American sanctions are really economic warfare waged against all Iranians.

Netanyahu in his threats against Iran wants to divert attention away from the real problem of Israeli persecution of the Palestinians.  No wonder the Palestinian economy is one tenth or less of the Israeli economy.  Netanyahu and his cobelievers in Israel's divine right to a greater Israel won't allow Palestinians to export their goods and services to the rest of the world, and they block construction materials from entering Gaza.

WARNING TO PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS: NO KILLING INNOCENT CIVILIANS

Instead of Def. Sec. Gates and Pres. Obama telling Netanyahu that the Israeli government can take any steps "necessary" to defend itself against Palestinian rockets fired from Gaza, Gates and Obama should have warned Israel against attacking Palestinian civilians in a form of "collective punishment."

I condemn those Palestinians who fired rockets into Israel endangering innocent Israelis. I also strongly condemn acts of collective punishment inflicted by Israel against Palestinian society and civilians in Gaza.

OBAMA NEEDS TO DO MUCH MORE THAN URGE RESTRAINT BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PALESTINIANS

I condemn those Palestinians who set off a bomb on an Israeli bus and I equally condemn the government of Israel for authorizing the Israeli army to fire tank mortar shells and kill a Palestinian playing football with his two grandchildren. Both are war crimes and should be punished. Obama and Clinton merely recite uselessly that, "Both sides should use restraint."

END ISRAEL'S COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT OF PALESTINIANS

The militaristic government of Israel and many of its supporters here in their U.S. try to argue that Israel has every right to impose a blockade of food, petroleum, medicine and building materials on the Palestinians in Gaza. Their argument is that Israel's blockade is an effort to deny Hamas, a terrorist organization, materials that could in any way be used for attacks on Israeli towns and cities.

But if that were true, Israel could deny everything shipped to Gaza - medicines, construction materials, food, fuel, every thing. Because Israel could argue that anything allowed into Gaza helps Hamas.

Recall that the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza freely and democratically elected representatives of Hamas in January 2006. By blocking necessities of life to the ordinary Palestinian, Israel is trying to punish those who voted for Hamas as well as Hamas itself.

This is clearly a good example of odious "collective punishment."

No nation, including Israel, is allowed under international law to punish civilians as a way to punish the political government.

True, the U.S. and Britain did just this during WWII when Allied airplanes carpet-bombed Berlin, Dresden and Dusseldorf. Talk about "war crimes." Each German city suffered more than 50,000 souls incinerated in one night. We are talking women, children, men, all non-combatants.

Israel has no legal or moral right to continue the blockade. I congratulate the peace activists in recent days who tried to bring Palestinians some relief in their miserable existence caused by the Israeli government's foolish quest to punish citizens who voted for Hamas.

CRITICS OF GOLDSTONE REPORT CLAIM IT IS UNFAIRLY AGAINST ISRAEL, BUT THEY NEVER SAY WHY

I don't understand the criticism of Judge Richard Goldstone for his Report on the Israeli attack on Palestinians in Gaza in January 2009. The U.S. State Department, the NYT's David Brooks, as well as the liberal J Street group -- all say that the Goldstone Report is biased against Israel. But they never say why or give examples. Have any of these critics ever read the Report? If so, they need to cite examples by giving page numbers and specific overstatements or untruths. Otherwise, their comments are what we called in law school worthless and "conclusionary."

Barry Bearak writes in The New York Times on some fallout faced by Judge Goldstone in his desire to attend his grandson's bar mitzvah in Johannesburg.

Writes Bearak:

"Judge Goldstone, 71, is certainly no grandpa retreating into retirement. After the end of apartheid, he served on South Africa’s highest court until 2003. He was also the chief prosecutor for the United Nations’ war crimes tribunals on Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.

"In early 2009, the United Nations Human Rights Council selected him to lead an investigation into possible violations of international law during the three weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in late 2008 and early 2009. He said he was “shocked, as a Jew” to be chosen.

"The Goldstone Report, released last September, concluded that, based on the available evidence, both Israel and Hamas had taken actions amounting to war crimes. But the findings focused mostly on the Israelis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel later said, “We face three major strategic challenges: the Iranian nuclear program, rockets aimed at our civilians and Goldstone.”

"Here in the judge’s home country, many Jews suddenly viewed him as a heretic. He was accused of faulty reasoning. He was accused of being co-opted. He was accused of being the worst kind of anti-Semite, a self-hating Jew."

The point of all of this is that these critics of Goldstone and his Report are engaging in all sorts of name-calling and slander. If a person disagrees with the Report, it is not enough to say that Goldstone is biased or self-hating Jew. The most important part of any argument especially this one is what follows "because," as in, "This report is biased against Israel because . . ."

NETANYAHU UNBELIEVABLY CLAIMS SETTLEMENTS DO NOT "HARM" PALESTINIANS

Israel's prime minister, Bibi Netanyahu, claims that building 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem would in no way "harm Palestinians," Matthew Weaver and Daniel Nasaw report for The Guardian today.

"Speaking to Israel's parliament, Netanyahu said the construction of homes for Jews in the city's eastern sector "in no way" hurts Palestinians. His comments came after an admission by the Israeli ambassador to Washington that Israel's relations with the US are at their worst for 35 years."

I guess Netanyahu means that building settlements on someone else's land is not as destructive as exploding white phosphorous in the streets or shooting missiles at someone's roof.

But if you were Palestinian and you had your land seized during the 1967 War, and then you saw Israelis building settlements on your land and moving in, I think that you would feel the pain.

ISRAEL EVICTS NINE PALESTINIAN FAMILIES TODAY IN EAST JERUSALEM

Why must the Israeli government approve the eviction of nine Palestinian families from occupied East Jerusalem? Almost immediately after the eviction, Jewish families moved in. Is there any better example of "ethnic cleansing"?

The BBC reports:

""Israeli police have evicted nine Palestinian families living in two houses in occupied East Jerusalem.

"Jewish settlers moved into the houses almost immediately. The US has urged Israel to abandon plans for a building project in the area."

This portion of Jerusalem was seized during the 1967 War. International law prevents the victor, in this case Israel, from annexing the territory and considering it its own. Land seized during an armed conflict must be returned to the defeated peoples. So far Israel refuses to return the land to the Palestinians from whom it was taken. Now Israel is evicting Palestinians who live there.

Reports the BBC:

"The evictions were quickly condemned by the United Nations.

""I deplore today's totally unacceptable actions by Israel," the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert H Serry said. "These actions are contrary to the provisions of the Geneva Conventions related to occupied territory.

""These actions heighten tensions and undermine international efforts to create conditions for fruitful negotiations to achieve peace," Mr Perry said.

"Palestinian negotiator Saed Erakat said: "Tonight, while these new settlers from abroad will be accommodating themselves and their belongings in these Palestinian houses, 19 newly homeless children will have nowhere to sleep.""

ISRAEL TURNS AWAYS PHYSICIANS FROM AIDING GAZA

Why must Israel continue to inflict pain and harm on the Palestinians in Gaza? Yesterday, Israel refused to allow a team of physicians organized by the French government entry into Gaza for medical and humanitarian purposes.

Vikram Dodd writes in today's The Guardian webpage:

"Israel was yesterday criticised after it refused to allow a group of doctors on a humanitarian mission organised by the French government to enter Gaza.

"The team, including three British medics, was turned back by Israeli border guards on Sunday and Monday. They say their mission is purely humanitarian, aimed to helping those in medical need, and some of whom were left injured and in need of surgery after Israel's attack on Gaza earlier this year."

The whole Israeli blockade of Gaza is itself a war crime, and specifically, when the Israeli government turns away medics looking to provide medical help and relief to Gaza's population. Israel refuses to allow in basic necessities of life, like medical assistance, as well as needed construction materials so that Gazans can rebuild their homes and apartments, destroyed by Israel in its incessant bombing this past January.

"One of the Britons refused entry to Gaza, Sonia Robbins, who is a reconstructive plastic surgeon, said: "I don't know why we are being refused permission to enter.

""The consequences are that patients will not be operated on, children will have to wait until next time for surgery, and that won't happen until six months time.

""I think it is unacceptable to refuse a humanitarian mission.""

I don't understand why Israelis are not demonstrating in the streets against this cruel and inhumane policy. Each time that Israel tries to tighten the screws by some unthought out policy like turning away physicians and surgeons, the whole world sees how mean and cruel it is towards its one million plus captives in Gaza.

NETANYAHU'S PRIME REQUIREMENT - RECOGNITION THAT ISRAEL IS A JEWISH STATE - IS UNREASONABLE

From the BBC, here is the essence of what Benjamin Netanyahu said about recognizing a Palestinian state:

"The key condition is that the Palestinians recognise in a clear and public manner that Israel is the state of the Jewish people. The heart of the conflict has always been the Arabs' refusal to accept the existence of the Jewish state.

"If we have guarantees on demilitarisation and if the Palestinians recognise Israel as a state of the Jewish people, then we arrive at a solution based on a demilitarised Palestinian state alongside Israel.

"Each will have its flag, each will have its anthem. The Palestinian territory will be without arms, will not control airspace, will not be able to have arms."

If I were a Palestinian, I would find the key condition to be unacceptable. Israel today is the home of thousands of Palestinian Israelis. Why must the Palestinians acquiesce to say that Israel is "a state of the Jewish people." It would be like forcing Italian Protestants to admit that Italy is the state of Roman Catholics. This requirement is totally unnecessary and contrary to the identity of any secular democracy.

As to Palestine being a "separate state," but not able to control its own airspace or possess armaments, this is also unreasonable. Netanyahu's implication here is that Israel will retain the right to send its war planes and bombers over Palestine any time it wants without asking Palestinian permission. Furthermore, if Israel has tanks and guns and warplanes, why not the Palestinian state?

We all know that Netanyahu has no expectations that the Palestinians will ever accept his harsh conditions. But then, Netanyahu does not really want a separate Palestinian state, nor does he want to ever accept peace with the Palestinians.

WORLD NEEDS TO HEAR OBAMA'S SPEECH IN CAIRO

It is on occasions like this one today in Cairo that I take great joy in knowing that George W. Bush is back in Dallas and no longer at the White House. Obama's speech was a masterpiece in its message to both the Muslim world and Americans back home. I want to comment on several facets in this post.

First, Obama talked about the Israeli/Palestinian problem. He said that calling Jews vile names and denying Israel's right to exist was counter-productive:

"Around the world, the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries, and anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented Holocaust. Tomorrow, I will visit Buchenwald, which was part of a network of camps where Jews were enslaved, tortured, shot and gassed to death by the Third Reich. Six million Jews were killed - more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless, ignorant, and hateful. Threatening Israel with destruction - or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews - is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve."

Obviously the above was intended for Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who has caused a lot of friction and talk of war by his imprudent and unhelpful comments about Israel and the Holocaust. But note that Obama did not take Ahmadinejad's words and use them as a threat of future war. Obama did not say that denying the Holocaust was a casus belli. Rather he put Ahmadinejad's comments in their proper place without sounding threatening or demeaning.

But Obama went on to talk about the plight of the Palestinians:

"On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people - Muslims and Christians - have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than sixty years they have endured the pain of dislocation. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations - large and small - that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt: the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own."

There is no way that we would have heard these sentiments from Bush. And when was the last time that anyone has heard an American president acknowledge that the Palestinians have been homeless for more than 60 years? Never! The U.S. has continuously supported the Israeli side, looked the other way when they dropped bombs on Palestinians in Gaza, winked at Israeli building of illegal settlements on Palestinian land, termed Hamas, democratically elected by the Palestinians in Gaza, as a terrorist organization. So for Obama to admit the obvious about the plight of the Palestinians is indeed new realistic policy.

Obama went on to say that both Palestinians and Israelis must accept the right of the other to exist:

"At the same time, Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine's. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop."

Obama also noted the current devastation in Gaza where many Palestinians are living in make-do huts and shelters because Israel refuses to allow Palestinians to bring in building materials to re-build after the devastation caused by the Israeli attack this past January:

"Israel must also live up to its obligations to ensure that Palestinians can live, and work, and develop their society. And just as it devastates Palestinian families, the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza does not serve Israel's security; neither does the continuing lack of opportunity in the West Bank. Progress in the daily lives of the Palestinian people must be part of a road to peace, and Israel must take concrete steps to enable such progress."

How can Israel think it will secure peace by denying essentials of life to a million Palestinians in Gaza? This is what Obama is saying - Israel's cruel blockade is ultimately against its own self-interest in peace and security.

Obama goes on to address the low state of diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States:

"This issue has been a source of tension between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. For many years, Iran has defined itself in part by its opposition to my country, and there is indeed a tumultuous history between us. In the middle of the Cold War, the United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically- elected Iranian government. Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has played a role in acts of hostage-taking and violence against U.S. troops and civilians. This history is well known. Rather than remain trapped in the past, I have made it clear to Iran's leaders and people that my country is prepared to move forward. The question, now, is not what Iran is against, but rather what future it wants to build.

"It will be hard to overcome decades of mistrust, but we will proceed with courage, rectitude and resolve. There will be many issues to discuss between our two countries, and we are willing to move forward without preconditions on the basis of mutual respect. But it is clear to all concerned that when it comes to nuclear weapons, we have reached a decisive point. This is not simply about America's interests. It is about preventing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East that could lead this region and the world down a hugely dangerous path.

"I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not. No single nation should pick and choose which nations hold nuclear weapons. That is why I strongly reaffirmed America's commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons. And any nation - including Iran - should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. That commitment is at the core of the Treaty, and it must be kept for all who fully abide by it. And I am hopeful that all countries in the region can share in this goal."

Note that Obama acknowledges the role of the U.S. in the overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian government led by Mossadegh in 1953. I personally would have like Obama's words to be stronger in their admission of American misdeeds than "In the middle of the Cold War, the United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically- elected Iranian government." But at least Obama said what all Iranians think the U.S. should have said and admitted a long time ago. The American CIA wrongfully and illegally manipulated the overthrow of a government democratically elected by the people of Iran.

Note that Obama not only says that Iran having nuclear weapons would destabilize the Middle East but also admits that it is unfair that some countries possess nuclear weapons and others do not. So Obama reiterates that the U.S. government will work to rid the world of all nuclear weapons. By this Obama means not just the putative ones that some neo-cons say are in the hands of Iran but all weapons whether held by the U.S., Russia, or even by Israel.

This was an important speech that will have repercussions over the next days, weeks and months. It can and should be held up next to Obama's forthcoming actions as a checklist for what Obama does and what remains to be done.

HILLARY CLINTON TELLS ISRAEL, "NO NEW SETTLEMENTS"

It's about time that the U.S. government tells Israel in no uncertain terms that it must stop expanding its settlements onto Palestinian land or land that was seized in the 1967 War.

As Hillary Clinton put it, no outposts, no natural expansions, no new settlements, period.

Mark Landler and Isabel Kershner report in today's The New York Times:

"The Obama administration reiterated emphatically on Wednesday that it viewed a complete freeze of construction in settlements on the West Bank as a critical step toward a peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians.

"Speaking of President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said, “He wants to see a stop to settlements — not some settlements, not outposts, not ‘natural growth’ exceptions.” Talking to reporters after a meeting with the Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, she said: “That is our position. That is what we have communicated very clearly.”

"Mrs. Clinton’s remarks, the administration’s strongest to date on the matter, came as an Israeli official said Wednesday that the Israeli government wanted to reach an understanding with the Obama administration that would allow some new construction in West Bank settlements."

I commend both Clinton and Pres. Barack Obama for not bowing down and rolling over to Israel and Netanyahu in the matter of settlements. We know that the Netanyahu government really has no intention of pursuing a two-state solution, especially if the U.S. goes along with its relentless and illegal expansion of settlements.

OBAMA TELLS ISRAEL THAT PEACE WITH PALESTINIANS MUST COME BEFORE SOLVING IRANIAN DISPUTE

Pres. Barack Obama met with Israel's hawkish premier Benjamin Netanyahu today at the White House. Scott Wilson reports on washingtonpost.com about the meeting. Writes Wilson:

""We want to pursue this on two fronts simultaneously -- the front of peace and the front of preventing Iran from getting nuclear capability," Netanyahu said.

"Although Iran's leaders say they are working to create nuclear power for civilian use, Netanyahu and others believe the program is designed to produce nuclear weapons, which Israel's government views as an existential threat to the Jewish state. Israel, which receives nearly $3 billion in annual military aid from the United States, has its own undeclared nuclear arsenal."

I was happy to see Obama repudiate Netanyahu's requirement that the Iranian nuclear development be resolved before Israel makes a deal with the Palestinians. Obama said it was just the other way around. Israel must first develop peace with the Palestinians. What a crock of crap from Bibi protesting his desire for peace. Netanyahu would love to bomb Iran.

ISRAEL AT THE BEGINNING OF CAMPAIGN OF ETHNIC CLEANSING - NO PALESTINIANS ALLOWED

I understand Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to AIPAC last night via TV hookup and said that the Palestinians must accept Israel as "the Jewish State."

This is an outrageous and unreasonable demand. No one should be forced to recognize a state as ethnic or religious in character.

What Netanyahu really means is that Israel is off limits to any Palestinians, that only Jews should be allowed to live in Israel, and that Netanyahu wants all Palestinians to leave Israel.

Netanyahu's demand that Palestinians recognize Israel as the Jewish state is really the beginning of an Israeli campaign of ethnic cleansing. First seize Palestinian ancestral lands, then build Jewish settlements, then put up at 20 foot wall, then demolish Palestinian homes and claim they were illegally put up.