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Special Report
The Palestinians’ Jewish-State Hang-Up
A two-state solution for two peoples? Not so fast.
A meeting in New York this week of the UN’s Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee ended on a dissonant note. The committee’s purpose is to coordinate financial aid for the Palestinian Authority. At this meeting, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon was in attendance representing Israel, and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad was there on behalf of the PA.
Fayyad, however, stormed out of the meeting over a disagreement with Ayalon, leading to the cancellation of a press conference.
Ayalon had refused to approve a summary of the meeting that used the phrase “two states” — referring to the putative resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute that is seen as the end-goal of the recently relaunched peace talks. Ayalon had demanded instead that the summary use the phrase “two states for two peoples,” and Fayyad reacted by exiting the premises.
A tempest in a teacup? Semantics? Not quite.
As Ayalon told Ynet, the website of Israel’s largest daily Yediot Aharonot, “I demanded to know what they meant. One Palestinian state and one binational state, or another Palestinian state? I made it clear that we were out of the picture if the summary didn’t say two states for two peoples.”
The question, in other words, is how the Palestinians — even as represented by reputedly moderate leaders like Fayyad and PA president Mahmoud Abbas — would regard Israel even if a two-state settlement were to be reached. If they remain unable to accept Israel as a permanently existing, fully legitimate Jewish state, there are two ramifications.
One is that the current talks — if they don’t break down before then — would likely break down on the “refugee” issue. In other words, the demand that the descendants of Arabs who left Israel in the 1948-49 war, still domiciled six decades later in “refugee camps” in Arab countries and the PA itself, be allowed to “return” to Israel. Such a demand spells Israel’s demographic demise as a Jewish state and is seen as anathema across the Israeli political spectrum.
The other ramification is that, even if the refugee issue were somehow to be finessed in the negotiations, a Palestinian state that did not accept Israel as a Jewish state would not be a factor for peace or a genuine resolution of the conflict. Instead it would keep working to subvert Israel through various means, from terror to alliances with hostile countries like Iran to stoking agitation among Israel’s sizable Israeli Arab minority, whose leadership already calls for dissolving Israel into a binational or non-Jewish state.
Since his landmark speech at Bar-Ilan University in June last year, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed the Jewish-state issue. In the speech, under heavy pressure from the Obama administration, Netanyahu broke with his own and his Likud Party’s longstanding position and accepted the principle of a sovereign Palestinian state. Netanyahu hedged this acceptance with two conditions — that the Palestinian state be demilitarized, and that the Palestinians accept Israel as a Jewish state.
The notion of the Palestinian state’s demilitarization was already long familiar, though Netanyahu had been among those raising incisive points about its feasibility. The Jewish-state emphasis, though, was new in the context. It could be interpreted either as an attempt to highlight to the U.S., and the West in general, that there is a crucial issue of Israel’s genuine acceptance by the Palestinians and the Arab world, without which “peace” agreements will solve nothing; or as a prospective negotiating tactic against Abbas, Fayyad, and crew. It was actually a combination of both.
Since then Abbas and Fayyad have indeed remained unable to get over the lump in their throats when it comes to saying “Jewish state.” Most recently Abbas resorted to mocking the idea, saying Israel could call itself “the Israeli Zionist Jewish Empire” for all he cares; and Fayyad has had the latest two-states contretemps with Ayalon.
The question is whether this is impressing anyone. In the case of Obama — despite rhetorical obeisances to “Israel as the Jewish homeland” — the answer is no, as he keeps pushing the peace talks hard despite the Palestinian recalcitrance. As for the Middle East Quartet, the international body responsible for the Israeli-Palestinian issue that comprises the U.S., the UN, the EU, and Russia, it released a statement this week that criticizes Israel for settlements and — just barely — Hamas for terrorism but says nothing about the Jewish-state matter.
Having already staked much on it, though, Netanyahu and his government should keep pressing the point home to those, including Congress and the American public, inclined to listen. Someone who, even though there are twenty-two Arab states and fifty-seven Muslim states, has grave difficulty with the idea of a single Jewish state is not much of a peace partner.
And considering that the land Israel is supposed to give up is of the greatest security and religious-historical value, and that the Middle East is characterized by volatility, ceding it is problematic and risk-fraught in any case. Ceding it to someone who remains fundamentally antagonistic is a formula for something other than peace.
About the Author
P. David Hornik is a writer and translator in Beersheva, Israel, blogging at PDavidHornik.typepad.com.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (93) | Leave a comment
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Brian Mc| 9.24.10 @ 7:03AM
Using that argument; then, let us state with emphasis that every country, now in existence must return all lands they acquired over the centuries through invasion, assimilation and migration. All the world's suffering must stop as soon as we have conquered the tide of the oceans.
Life sucks, get a grip
Bobby| 9.24.10 @ 7:36AM
Why are you even here
You should either be protesting in the west bank
or blogging at Huffington Post.
So get lost
NavyBrat | 9.24.10 @ 8:17AM
Why don't you go join one of those "peace flotillas." You know, the ones where the folks made martyrdom videos in the name of "peace?" Better yet, go hug a suicide bomber.
Alan Brooks| 9.24.10 @ 8:24AM
Wrong blog:
Sofie can't even master English yet... a bit premature for the bimbo-brain.
mzk1| 9.24.10 @ 8:32AM
Actually the reverse is true; as soon as the Jews started developing the land, Arabs started coming INTO the place. If the other Arab states hadn't attacked, no one would have had to leave.
We are definitely arrogant; we actually think the fact that we do not accept Mohammod does not make us inferior. They can't stand not to have someone inferior to them. The normal status of the Jew among the Moslem is that of the Blacks of the old south among the poor whites, except with a higher death toll.
loulou| 9.24.10 @ 11:56AM
Absolutely right. Read "From Time Immemorial" by Joan Peters.
The Arabs are opportunistic. They let others do the heavy lifting then they squat and claim the area as their own.
Will| 9.24.10 @ 7:13AM
But-but Brian, don't you see, once Palestine get's it state all the troubles will end! The bombings, the murders etc. Mullahs will no longer beat their wives, no longer preach annihilation. Islam will be transformed into a loving inclusive faith. Much the same way electing Obama healed racial issues in the U.S.!
Average Infidel| 9.24.10 @ 7:37AM
While reading this piece, I suddenly realized why it would be impossible for the palestinian issue to ever come to being. I may be wrong, but some one may see what I am referring to and please explain why this would be wrong. If the palestanian issue is resolved, it would then be reconized as a Nation, subject to international laws, right? If they then are held to account for the terrorist attacks upon the Jewish homeland without provocation, then they alone would be held responsible for the death's destruction and by extension, so to would be Iran, syria, etc... by which the other 57 state groups would be forced to acknowledge their involvement in and of incitement to violence towards the Israeli's just for being the Jewish State, thus making them a party to the damages, right?
Does anyone other than myself see the real conflict about to be exposed. If the palestinians are forced to reconize the Israeli's as a Nation of it's own, with borders, culture, democratic institutions of their own, why would the arab world not be against the one thing in their midst that they absolutly adhore to the point of destruction. This would make them the object of scorn by others of the international community as being nothing other than the terrorist they truely are and on top of it, they would be held to account under international laws for sponsoring direct acts of war against another Nation.
This leads me to the direct question someone at the State Dept. needs to ask of the 57 states representing OIS. (orginization of islamic states) do you really seek peace or do you want to be financially ruined and shunned by the modern societies as the real problem without any peace?
Alan Brooks| 9.24.10 @ 8:28AM
"I may be wrong, but some one may see what I am referring to and please explain why this would be wrong. If the palestanian issue is resolved, it would then be reconized as a Nation, subject to international laws, right? If they then are held to account for the terrorist attacks upon the Jewish homeland without provocation, then they alone would be held responsible for the death's destruction and by extension, so to would be Iran, syria, etc... by which the other 57 state groups would be forced to acknowledge their involvement in and of incitement to violence towards the Israeli's just for being the Jewish State, thus making them a party to the damages, right?"
You are not wrong-- the whole "negotiation"-thing is a ploy to buy time and weapons. Israel's enemies could move on Israel now if they really wanted to.
S.L. Toddard| 9.24.10 @ 7:54AM
I do not understand why so many conservatives support a Jewish ethno-state in the Middle East but not an American ethno-state here.
NavyBrat | 9.24.10 @ 8:19AM
Why don't you go post your tripe over at the "Stormfront" website?
S.L. Toddard| 9.26.10 @ 4:14PM
Whoa - hold up everybody. My argument is not that Jews should have their own country and Americans should have their own Jew-free country. My argument is that Jews should have their own country, and Americans (Jews and otherwise) should be allowed to have their own as well instead of the multicultural, multilingual country the Left is trying to foist upon us. It is not wrong for Jews to wish to maintain a Jewish state with a Jewish identity. Nor is it wrong for Americans to wish to maintain an American state with an American identity (that being an English-speaking extension of Western Civilization). That should be the default conservative position, but rare indeed is the GOP politician who proposes a general moratorium on immigration, or at least an immigration policy that favors Westerners over non-Westerners. Right now it favors non-Westerners - and that's not even considering illegals.
I have never argued against the right of Israelis to maintain their country. It has been my position for years that the Israelis should pull back to their lawful borders and then expel all Arabs from within them so as to avoid the impending demographic annihilation that they face from Arabs as we do from Hispanics. That danger is far more profound (in both cases) than any external threats either of us face.
Stammon| 9.24.10 @ 8:27AM
Not clever.
I am an American. I am;
Danish, Welsh, Anglo Saxon, French, Native American. And that means I am Protestant, Catholic, Wiccan and a Cherokee Indian Moon worshiper.
Jews are Jewish.
Alan Brooks| 9.24.10 @ 8:31AM
"I do not understand why so many conservatives support a Jewish ethno-state in the Middle East but not an American ethno-state here."
I do not understand why many Toddards have to scapegoat the Jewish people. I only wish Israel could be moved elsewhere, so Toddard wouldn't have Israel to kick around anymore.
mzk1| 9.24.10 @ 8:38AM
Um, not all Israelis are Jewish. I miss your point.
And George Washington said that Jews are American, no less than others who live there.
You sound very un-American. Go back to where you came from.
Alan Brooks| 9.24.10 @ 8:53AM
mzk1, you are very dishonest-- you know the Jewish people and all things Jewish cannot be separated from Israel; not the geographical location of Israel, but its Jewishness, as much as America is America regardless of its geography.
But your comments are to be expected; yours are some of the most evasive comments here, hiding behind erudition is what you do.
Stammon| 9.24.10 @ 8:57AM
mzk1;
That's fine, I'll take the USA back thank you, as my ancestors were here for the last 11,000 years.
And please show me where I mentioned Israelis?
loulou| 9.24.10 @ 12:00PM
And if it wasn't for the Europeans, your ancestors would still be living as they were 11,000 years ago.
That has to hurt. I mean, the descendents of your ancestors run casinos and drink and don't pay taxes. Any Nobel Prizes in that cohert?
canuckistani| 9.24.10 @ 3:28PM
Not too many Nobel's in the redneck cohort either....ironically your people go to casinos, drink and don't pay taxes.
Who's the idiot in that comparison?
BLACKWATCH| 9.26.10 @ 4:22PM
"ironically your people go to casinos, drink and don't pay taxes.
Who's the idiot in that comparison?"
we usually disagree on policy but I must pay a compliment when it is due:
canuckistani, well said sir.
canuckistani| 9.24.10 @ 3:32PM
His point is that Americans - us - turned the Jews down cold when they were seeking refuge and the deal was to "store" them somewhere far away. The levantine imperialists were shoved aside in favor of this solution.
The result is an enormous sucking sound on the oxygen America's foreign policy chamber. A deal needs to be made before the last act is staged by both parties. The US no longer has strategic interests there and needs to move on.
GW| 9.24.10 @ 4:25PM
Actually his point is that Americans value diversity, globalism, and multiculturalism instead of national identity and American well-being. To agree in a sense, I think conservatives could go further in restricting immigration and defending the American culture from Marxists, atheist wackos, self-hating white liberals, and Hollywood secularists. But its not like we don't. Also, defending the Jewish culture in Israel is not mutually exclusive from defending Judeo-Christian traditional values here in the US.
S.L. Toddard| 9.26.10 @ 4:18PM
Actually his point is that Americans value diversity, globalism, and multiculturalism instead of national identity and American well-being
More or less. My argument is that many Republicans argue passionately for the need for a Jewish state, and yet at the same time argue that Diversity Is Our Strength, and that it is racist to wish to maintain America's identity as an English-speaking extension of Western Civilization.
ACynic| 9.24.10 @ 11:55AM
Recall that Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, etc., did NOT exist as countries until they were created by the UK and France betwixt 1918 (end of the Ottoman Empire) and 1948 or so. The UK and France literally selected which tribes would rule each country as well as established their respective borders. In doing so, MOST other Arab tribes were screwed over. Of course, the screwed over tribes got their due when they launched bloody coup d'etats and established their own form of tyranny.
Israel was created also out of thin air by the UN and the UK; just like most other arab countries.
But since Israel is a jewish tribe - not Arab, it is subjected to "special" treatment by the Arabs.
This whole mideast mess is intractable. There will never be peace , EVER, until the palestinians accept that Israel has a right to exist.
Unfortunately, the US taxpayer provides billions of dollars to arabs and palestinians; a criminally negligent waste of taxpayer money. The Israelis can take care of themselves; they do not need our money either.
Average Infidel| 9.24.10 @ 4:19PM
" Israel was created out of thin ar by the UK and Un" Kind of hard to accept your argument when they are still to this day some 6,000 years after God made a covenant with his people, digging up ancestral belongings, huh. GO away Jew hater.
rrebell| 9.24.10 @ 4:51PM
Israel and most Europian and Asian countries are nation states based on ethnicity and language. In the new world countries ethnicity was mixed and not a basis for a state since its discovery by the Europeans. Americans are not an ethnicity but the mixture of it.
S.L. Toddard| 9.26.10 @ 4:31PM
Israel and most Europian and Asian countries are nation states based on ethnicity and language. In the new world countries ethnicity was mixed and not a basis for a state
False. The United States were founded and populated primarily by Anglo-Celtic settlers from the British Isles. No one doubted whether John Calhoun or John Quincy Adams were American - "American" was their ethnicity: English-speaking descendants of British settlers. Eventually non-British immigrants flooded into America, but for decades no one confused them with actual Americans. Thus the hyphenated qualifiers such as "Polish-American" or "Swedish-American". In time their descendants were absorbed into the American people so entirely that they were indistinguishable from the descendants of those British settlers, and so became Americans as well - unhyphenated and unqualified. In much the same way the English descendants of the Normans are no less English than the rest (as they are indistinguishable culturally).
"American" is an ethnicity, just as "African-American" and "Mexican-American" are. Ethnic Americans are those Americans whose ethnicity is "American".
Christopher Holland| 9.25.10 @ 1:31AM
A Jew is a religious believer, not a member of a race. Your reference to an ethno-state is pontificating nonsense. You are just looking for a fancy, pseudo-scientific reason for bashing Israel. Get lost, try this nonsense somewhere else.
S.L. Toddard| 9.26.10 @ 4:21PM
A Jew is a religious believer, not a member of a race.
This assertion is objectively false. "Jewish" refers to either a religion or an ethnicity or both.
Your reference to an ethno-state is pontificating nonsense. You are just looking for a fancy, pseudo-scientific reason for bashing Israel. Get lost, try this nonsense somewhere else.
Again, false. I admire the willingness of Israelis to fight to maintain a national identity.
Jim O'Brien| 9.24.10 @ 7:59AM
The Palestinians, Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran and all terrorist organizations have two objectives: destruction of Israel and the death of all Jews. All the talk about a "peace process", creating "two states", and "If only Israel would make more concessions" is total nonsense. In fact, whenever Israel makes concessions, the violence against Israel is increased. The Islamists everywhere want the world to be controlled by a theocracy in which those who are not Muslims are the enemy, the infidels. In their hatred of Jews, Islamists are continuing the despicable example of Hitler.
Alan Brooks| 9.24.10 @ 8:47AM
Here is how Israel has benefited scientific progress:
"Imagine this sci-fi scenario: A small tribe with unique literature, customs and myths believes they’ve been “chosen” for a glorious destiny. But they’re driven out of their native land, forced to wander the globe for aeons, persecuted and annihilated, until they’re impelled by a utopian novel to return to their homeland. They name their new city after the inspirational book and their country becomes a technological powerhouse… but still, they’re surrounded by enemies. They wage eternal war, they hover between hope and apocalypse… their contributions to humanity are astounding but they continue to fear total extinction. Familiar? Of course. I’ve described Israel and the Jews.
A four-millennium saga with floods, burning bushes, diasporas, miracles, massacres, temples, pogroms, holocausts, and 180+ brainy Jews receiving Nobel Prizes — 22% of the total awards garnered by only .25% of the population. Today’s Israel — a dynamic nano-nation tinier than New Jersey in size and numbers — is imagination made concrete, the material manifestation of Theodor Herzl’s futuristic, Zion-inspiring 1902 book Altneuland (translated as “The Old New Land” in English, and “Tel Aviv” in the Hebrew translation by Nalum Sokolov.)
Is Israel valuable to Transhumanism? Yes. Even though most Israelis worry about surviving next week and regard contemplation of the year 2025 as impractical because they might be “pushed into the sea” by then. Yes. Even though membership in the Israeli Humanity Plus chapter is only 50-100 with twenty regular attendees. Yes, Israel is a crucial player in H+ and here’s why:
In 1998 Newsweek named Tel Aviv as one of the Top Ten technologically influential cities in the world.Wired and The Economist rated Israel’s high tech region second only to Silicon Valley. “Silicon Wadi” — an area half the size of its California sibling — has over 3,850 startups with 120 companies on NASDAQ, the largest number outside the USA. Israel’s tech success is aided by low-rate government loans for development — Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Donald Trump and numerous global business surveys have all praised Israel’s economic environment. Another contributing factor: well-educated immigrants who arrived from the Soviet Union in the 1990’s, and abundant local grads from esteemed institutes such as Hebrew University, The Technion, Tel Aviv University and Weizman Institute of Science.
Consider this commendable data: The first cell phones were developed at the Israeli branch of Motorola. The majority of Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by Microsoft Israel. Pentium MMX chip technology was designed at the Israeli Intel. Both the Pentium 4 and Centrino processors were designed by Israelis. Dov Moran, an Israeli, invented the flash disk. Voice mail technology? Israel. AOL Instant Messenger? Israel. Highest percentage of home computers in the world? Israel. Highest ratio of university degrees? Israel. Highest per capita number of scientists and technicians in the workplace? Israel. (145 per 10,000 — second is USA with 85). Techno-progressive President Shimon Peres recently declared, “the future is in nanotechnology.” Israeli universities advance research in cutting edge fields like cognitive neuroscience, cellomics, telomerase,
On November 9, 2009, Ray Kurzweil was a guest at the Israeli Presidential Conference: Facing Tomorrow. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu credited Kurzweil for inspiring his “Renewable Energy Initiative” that seeks to replace all fossil fuel with renewable resources — primarily solar — in the next ten years. Kurzweil discussed reverse-engineering the brain with President Peres. The American futurist also proposed using nanotech to solve energy and environmental issues, and he suggested building an entrepreneurial technology incubator that would be shared collaboratively by both Israelis and Palestinians. Kurzweil has the ears of open-minded Israeli leadership. Imagine the impact if (when) his ideas are successfully enacted. Israel’s small size and tech chutzpah make it an ideal laboratory for scientific progress.
Israel has on-going military needs and a small population (5.6 million Jews, 1.9 million Arabs). It has responded to this challenge by becoming a world leader in robotic weaponry. In 1981 it successfully utilized its first unmanned aircraft. Since then, it has added unmanned speedboats, unmanned ground vehicles, border guard robo-snipers, camouflaged robot snakes, and a nine-inch tall VIPeR ’bot that climbs stairs, sniffs for explosives, disarms bombs with water spray, heaves grenades, and shoots hostiles with a mini Uzi submachine gun. Israel’s goal is to robotize one-third of its military machinery in the next 10-15 years. There’s also been non-violent success. Israeli scientists co-developed (with Europeans) the “SmartHand” (a robotic prosthetic hand), and they’ve recently invented a bionic retina implant, “Bio Retina.”
Artificial Intelligence: Michael Vassar of SIAI (Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence) notified me via email that “the main Israelis that pursued work vital to our core mission are Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky… and the computer scientist Judea Pearl for his development of Bayes Nets.” Kahneman (2002 Nobel Prize winner for his Prospect Theory) was born in Tel Aviv. Tversky was born in Haifa. Their collaboration on “Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases” is a seminal work in the Artificial Intelligence field. Singularity essays like Eliezer Yudkowsky’s “Cognitive biases potentially affecting judgment of global risks” are deeply indebted to the Israeli psychologists. Judea Pearl — computer scientist and philosopher — is also recognized as a giant in the field of artificial intelligence. He’s a pioneer in the probabilistic approach to AI and the father of slain journalist Daniel Pearl.
Israel leads the world in stem cell research papers per capita. On April 9, 2010, scientists at Hadassah Hospital achieved a crucial breakthrough. They demonstrated a new technique that can mass produce huge quantities of fetal stem cells. Two members of the Israeli Humanity+ chapter are highly knowledgeable in stem cell research: bio-scientist Dr. Danny Belkin and bio-ethicist Dr. Frida Fuchs Simonstein.
Israel aims to be the first nation with a national electric car network — they hope to have it fully operational by late 2011 (edging out Denmark). Its engineers are also developing hydrogen fuel. Israelis are world leaders in desalination and wastewater renewal. On World Water Day (March 22), the United Nations lauded Israel as the planet’s most efficient recycled water user. Tel Aviv University scientists also recently (04/22/10) discovered that ultra-violet nanoscale wavelengths are superior to chlorine for cleaning tap water. Israelis have long been leaders in solar energy technology and they export their expertise around the world. One company just signed a deal to build solar energy farms in California and Nevada. Israel is also unique in the world because every year its population of trees increases.
Israel has been described as “the birthplace of science fiction.” For chariots in the sky, eco-cataclysms, invisible voices, and other paranormality, check out the Torah. Want a hero traveling through space, searching for the secrets of creation? Examine the apocryphal books of Enoch, circa 300 B.C. In contemporary Israel, “political science fiction” dominates the genre, with the vast majority of successful books using the homeland as a setting. A utopian-intended society tottering on the edge of annihilation is obviously ideal for SF. A partial list of important authors would include Pesakh Amnuel, David Avidan, Dan Zalka, Etgar Keret, Orly Castel-Bloom, Gail Hareven, and Addy Zemach.
Mordechai Nessayahu’s “Cosmotism” depicts a future in which Israel saves humanity from eco-disasters and nuclear annihilation. Also influential as a Labor Party stalwart, Nessyahu motivated Yitzak Rabin and Shimon Peres to pursue the Oslo Accords peace plan. Shimon Peres published his own visions in “A New Beginning.” He imagines an improved Israel via peace and an information revolution. Equally optimistic is Yigal Arica’s “What’s in the Future?” Niv Ahituv’s “A World Without Secrets” presents a totally transparent world, where all information about everyone is available to everyone.
Tzvi Bisk — author of Futurizing the Jews (co-written with Moshe Dror) and The Optimistic Jew — predicts that Israel will become a model superpower. He says that it will be a “light unto nations,” with one of the world’s highest scientific, cultural, social and economic standards. He also envisions a cyber-Israel, connecting global communities to enlarge the “Jewish homeland.” Recent events have perhaps dampened Bisk’s positivity. In an email to me he remarked, “you may have noticed from media reports we in the Middle East have not yet gotten the humanist thing right yet, let alone the transhumanist thing.”
Ilia Stambler is a primary organizer of the nine transhumanist seminars in Israel. He’s a 38-year-old PhD candidate at Bar Ilan University, writing a dissertation on “The History of Life Extensionism in the 20th Century.” He’s also an intern at IEET (Institute of Ethics and Emerging Technologies). Stambler notified me via email that Israeli transhumanists are primarily focused on life extension, with the Singularity ranking second in interest. He also reports that “futuristic visions are often underplayed here in view of the more immediate concerns.”
Adi Berman is only 19 years old, but Aubrey de Grey has praised her as “exceptionally bright and intelligent.” A singer/songwriter with her tunes on MySpace, she’s a respected writer on Imminist.org forums. Her emails to me were pithy: “Israelis hope that Israel has a future.” Discussing radical life extension, she insists, “Life’s irrelevant if death overcomes us… it’s natural that we seek unlimited life spans, every organism tries to survive… each having a natural tool to help them: venom, speed, strength, camoflage, etc… we have a BRAIN, a highly developed one, that is our natural tool to survive….”
Israel is a world leader in satellite technology, often used in spying on hostile neighbors. Israel also has nuclear weapons — an estimated 75-200 warheads. It’s got the fourth largest air force in the world and the most impenetrable flight security. Israel’s “best friend” is not the United States, it’s India — a close economic and military ally, and a collaborator on space research. Israel’s also (usually) cozy with China, Russia, Germany and Mexico.
In my opinion, Israel (like South Korea) will be a tiny giant in the world of the future. Both nations have risen triumphantly from near-nothingness in the last sixty years. Although Israel is miniscule and threatened by opposition, it has used this challenge as motivation for advancement. Israel’s diminutive size and gargantuan progress is reminiscent of the small vibrant city states of history, such as classical Athens (rivaled by Sparta, Thebes and Corinth), medieval Florence (opposed by Venice, Milan, Genoa, Pisa and Siena), the Warring States of China (forward leaps in philosophy, metallurgy, government, law and military strategy), Swahili seaports (Mombasa, Malindi, Kilwa, Sofala, Zanzibar, and Mogadishu competed economically as their cosmopolitan cultures blossomed), plus myriad other mighty dwarfs that performed phenomenally under pressure.
I believe that Israel’s future will be as plucky as David with his technologically superior sling. All humanity can benefit from Israeli research and inventiveness as our planet progresses towards a metaphoric “land of milk and honey.”-- Hank Pellessier
Tim*| 9.24.10 @ 10:31AM
So Why is Brooks is a Serial Badmouther of The Tea Party and Conservatives here in The United States ?
Don H| 9.24.10 @ 12:58PM
Don't know. Don't care. That post was brilliant. Thanks Brooks.
Tim*| 9.24.10 @ 4:15PM
Spoken like a Faux Conservative .
Anti-Semite Busters| 9.24.10 @ 10:37PM
Spoken like a true fascist.
RCV| 9.25.10 @ 11:24AM
Tim has only one function in life: cheerleader and bootlicker for Jim DeMented.
Tim*| 9.25.10 @ 2:21PM
That Trumps what RCV Lawboy Licks .
Phoney Conservative Buster | 9.25.10 @ 2:24PM
Spoken like a Bullshit Israel Firster Faux American .
Anti-Semite Busters| 9.25.10 @ 2:43PM
Are you God? Do you get to judge others? Oh and just TRY and place your periods right after the sentence ends, if you can, when you want to hide from being an anti-semite.
Instead of this.. "Israel Firster ." "Faux American ." Neo-Con ."
Phoney Conservative Buster | 9.25.10 @ 2:56PM
Get Bent Slut .
Anti-Semite Buster| 9.25.10 @ 3:00PM
I have found that the anti-semites are some of the most hateful, wicked lying, despicable human beings on the face of the earth, wouldn't you agree, Tim*?
Tim*| 9.25.10 @ 3:07PM
Get Bent Crank Lady Margie
Anti-Semite Buster| 9.25.10 @ 3:10PM
Like I said, anti-semites are some of the most hateful, wicked, lying, despicable human beings on the face of the earth.
But you are Tim* again. Tim* will not agree with the stated fact, because he cannot.
Margie | 9.25.10 @ 3:17PM
Get Bent Crank Lady Margie
Anti-Semite Busters| 9.25.10 @ 3:22PM
Do you have tea and cookies while reading your morning articles at Lyndon LaRouche's website? His ilk refers to those who back Israel as "cranks". How ducky!
Margie's Hubby | 9.25.10 @ 3:36PM
Get Bent Crank Lady Margie
canuckistani| 9.24.10 @ 3:39PM
Excellent! Strong parallels to the laser focus we had during the peak of the cold war....Apollo, satellites, interstate highways, internet, cell phones.......
How do we stimulate that motivation without an existential threat?
TR| 9.25.10 @ 2:10PM
Alan, after a couple weeks of arguing with you about many subjects, I am in total agreement with this posting. You deliver a well developed commentary (although, come on, pretty long!) but I read it in full. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and logical comments. I won't be so quick to ignore you in the future.
Alan Brooks| 9.25.10 @ 6:46PM
I didn't write it- wrote at the end that it was written by Hank Pellessier at http://ieet.org
That's why the piece was in quotes
TR| 9.25.10 @ 7:16PM
Didn't notice the quotes and must have skimmed past the credit at the end. I assume the piece did concur with your views though, right? So I stand by my previous comment that even people who don't see eye to eye on many issues still can find some common ground.
Alan Brooks| 9.26.10 @ 12:47PM
Yes on all points, TR. Tn fact I concur with the piece too much considering how cynical I am. Hank P. is in no way cynical.
BTW, I didn't place his name at the top because I don't like the standard format of author's name on top. I prefer:
1) Title;
2) piece;
3) Author's name at bottom;
4) blurb on author.
hardcard| 9.24.10 @ 9:02AM
Israel is a strong ally of the United States. Israel is a freedom loving entity. If Israel were a democraticly elected Christian Nation, they would still be infidels in the eyes of the islamists. Do not submit to terror!!!!
NavyBrat | 9.24.10 @ 9:04AM
This is really simple. If we took ALL the Jews in the world & put them on an island in the middle of the ocean, there'd STILL be muzzies who'd want to nuke the whole place. And we'd still have idiots like Doddard cheering them on to do it.
davelnaf| 9.24.10 @ 10:57AM
If even the basic terms of language used in the negotiations is unacceptable to Arab ‘negotiators’ it means that a solution to the Israeli- Palestinian ‘dispute’ will never come, which is probably the way both parties want it. This is one of those games that are always being played out in the Middle-East. The dysfunctional Arab regimes need them to placate their equally dysfunctional masses. The Israelis go along with them to placate dumb Democratic administrations.
William R| 9.24.10 @ 11:18AM
Olmert to Haaretz: Two-state solution, or Israel is done for
http://www.haaretz.com/news/ol.....r-1.234201
Anti-Semite Busters| 9.24.10 @ 10:35PM
High hopes, William R.?
William R| 9.25.10 @ 12:25AM
The foul mouthed Skank has returned.
TR| 9.25.10 @ 8:00PM
Can't have a two-state solution when one state refuses to acknowledge the right to exist of the other. The simple request of two-states two-peoples is flatly rejected by the palestinians as it would require them to recognize Israel. They envision a pan-arabia without Jews. Won't happen in this lifetime without WW3 occurring.
KyMouse| 9.24.10 @ 1:31PM
The world always requires Israel to make tangible concessions to her enemies, such as giving up land; however, the world is satisfied when Israel's enemies make only promises.
Even if the question of "settlements" and which capital is located where (Jerusalem, East Jerusalem), there will still be the question of the "right of return." Arabs will claim that they should be allowed to return, and so what if they have no records to prove their claim to this or that acreage? The world will say that Israel must take their word for it, and the world's only Jewish nation will be inundated with Arabs.
In other words, not matter how hard Israel works to resolve one issue, the Arabs will always come up with another one to keep Israel on the defensive, because they do not want peace with Israel.
TR| 9.25.10 @ 8:20PM
Witness the many times that Arafat (burning in Hell this very day) was videotaped making a speech in English to his western audience, then the next day making a contradictory speech in arabic to his muslim audience. Completely contradicting his promises of the previous day.
Years ago I saw a program where a middle-eastern arab said to the host that contradiction of promises is not a problem, because in their culture "What" is said, is seen as more important than the actual results. He said that arabic is a poetic and flowery language and that they loved the words spoken more than any promised follow through.
Their promises and guarantees are null. The palestinian leaders have made it plain through their previous behavior that an agreement made with Israel is only to be observed as long as THEY see it necessary. They will never allow Israel to live in peace, as long as Jews exist in that land.
Nathan| 9.24.10 @ 7:39PM
Today,Mr Ahmadinejad again stressed for a 911 Criminal Investigation.And it is going to happen.Do you know why ? because those who are spending are doing so with borrowed money.money which should have been paid back years ago.Now.if anyone who is anyone has been listening to the silent vibs coming from wealthy Chinese billionaires Gold,and that of several other nations billionaires, then you know that it is not a threat that they say they will destroy Wall-Street ,but a promise. Crucial evidence of what did happen on 911 is in the hands of many nations.,including Iran and The Chinese.I wouldn`t count too much on the Russians..although Russia is not selling the S-300 missiles batteries to Iran.,Iran will make its own S-300.Now how would one make their own device from someone elses blue-print unless they had this blue-print.So ,Now then.How did Iran get their hands on Russia`s Blue-print ? Mr.Ahmadinejad is right when he says this cowboyism is over.The United States is in debt.Iran and other resource wealthy nations are not.The have allied.China ,Iran,Russia and many other African and South American nations have allied.These nations are not in debt ., and they see the problem stemming from New York City,being implemented upon Washington.This evaluation is so clear that the Iranian Supreme Leader has said The root to the problems in Muslim nations stems from Zionism and and its support from The United States and the West.Now,what support does zionism have in the United States ? AIPAC where is AIPAC located ? New York City. Bingo. [The Supreme Leader is a Legislative Advisor to The Iranian President and Council., and is the Islamic Spiritual leader for The Shitte Muslims,and since the ignorance of a ``holy Book burning ``,the Sunni Muslims as well,now.He is draped in a Palestinian scarf bearing the classic barbed wire design.Iran started Quds Day [Day of Israeli occupation of Palestine]. Mecca isn`t where the Most Holiest Mosque is. It is Al-aqsa.The Muslims have come to a concensus.They have agreed that The so-called war on terror is in fact Genocide on The Muslim community.They have the evidence to support and warrant a new and full investigation on 911. And they have the money to forward such an investigation. Why aren`t these Muslim nations retaliating against all this provoking ? simple math.If there was a crime., and you didn`t do it.. but people say you did.would you go to the accusers and try to solve the matter with them.,through what ever means.,or would you let the Law handle it ? Muslims don`t drink alcohol,they know math though.That`s 2 pluses to The United States minus ..seeing most all Americans drink ,and most all Americans are Math illiterate.Including our elected officials.If one would look at the evidence from 911.,which The International prosecutors now have..It goes a little something like this: Building 7,Pentagon missile batteries didn`t go off,1 piece of Pentagon footage out of all those cameras.and what it does not show,is an Air liner ,but more of an explosion from a detonated device.photgraphic frames showing the initial destruction on the Pentagon, yet,with no evidence of any damage of windows from supposed ``wing contact.The World trade center bulding should be named ..America`s dummiest crime.here`s why. after the second attack on the building,everyone started collecting evidence.,and what made it worse is that foreigners now have evidence.And there`s the most damning evidence ..and that is sattelite imagery of the event..taken by other nations.(as With Operation cast lead .~ You did read The Goldstone report ). And one other file of many..How could a rag tag group of (so-called) terrorist cause a complete breakdown of the most sensitive coded security defense system in The World and all its affiliates from NATO to NORAD USAF etc.simultaneously ? The Muslims aren`t buying it.And the world isn`t buying it.,Especially The United States.Poll numbers out today ( Fri.,Sept 24, 2010 ) says this.Tax-payer are tired of both parties.Tax-payers are tired of this war budget.Tax-payers are tired of corporate manipulation.Tax-payers want a Middle East Peace deal favorable to Palestine.Tax-payer want the government over zealous courting Israel and its support ended.,(and does not support acting in concert with Israel in any offensive.) Tax-payers want normal relations with Iran (Especially in Industry and Trade.Tax-payers want alternatives over the controlling oil barons. Tax-payer want the military budget decreased and the domestic budget increase. [There are gross opportunities for a peace time military/civilian budget] These are a few things politicians should consider,as well as the average individual.Concerning Palestine.Palestine will be Palestine.People to me who use the holocaust as a crutch ,and have never been in a concentration camp or oppressed,are disgusting.And they should be fined when caught using The Holocaust to promote dogma.$1000.00 Dollars.What we are seeing now is an impass..These No-go-ciations Do not include Palestinians.Abbas is not the representative of The Palestinian people.So they wait.If nothing comes out of this deal.Then we should all prepare for war.Not a corporate war where both side are funded by The United States and its allies.,but one of those real bugars like you read about before America was discovered.before guns..Where America isn`t safe anymore..where our military and our silence has cause oil wells vital to us to be destroyed.All Hell is about to break loose.. and if you think for one minute that our military ,which is over extended and over worked will be a match for drone -vs-drone..you are fooling yourselves.. this will be a ground operation.. one that The U.S. will not able to fight.The only U.S. option left .,which will be in no way an option,will be nukes.and with 1.6 Billion Mulsims +1.6 billion other dark people +1.5 billion Chinese, and some with nuke, will surely eliminate the west..but not all the rest. Yes the impass ..the impass..we are here.Either The United States government is going to move in a positive way and move in accordance with tax -payer demands.which are also world demands. or. tell your children not to expect to have a future..in any nation. The Lady Beruit representative said as recent as today.. The only way to get back the land is to fight ..This Woman represents Lebanon,speaking on the behalf of the Palestinians..Palestine is over-run with tresspassers who think by building on people`s property it makes it theirs..Question:What`s the difference between illegal settlement building in Israel and American forclosures ? Buildings are made to be torn down.. when unnecessary.It is a bad thing to want a law that one is bound by and not the other. this only harbors distrust.. and in an age when America isn`t the lead strongest nation on earth now.Petty scams like wars and corporate over indulging carry a short self life leaving only room for decline.It would be far wiser to be as China and Iran.. and go in peace to these nations.. and offer assistance.But no one in this era; White Black Brown or Blue or Yellow is going to tolerate a racist state.,especially when it is built on someone elses land,with someone elses money.I tried to stay away from the biblical facts.Yet it must be noted.One is not an authentic Jew,or of the faith unless he follows the codes of The Torah.In The Torah there is a passage that states that Jews are exiled from Jerusalem..from Palestine,until the return of The Messiah.In The King James version of this Book,Called The Holy Bible ,in The last book of the Old Testament;known as Malachi,It speaks of this curse and the reasons it was incurred by God.Palestine was and is today inhabited by The Orignal Blacks ( Caananites ) during the time of ancient Egypt.White Europeans came and were accepted in peace,and mingled with the Black people and from this union came The Semite.Zionism had a short shelf life of a few centuries maybe..Now it is over. The Grand Design of The Elders of zion was realized.. when mc Donald`s sold over 1 billion burgers.,and other zionist acheivements which gave them global domination..so this reality has been realized.. and like all other dynasties ,in the end, greed tends to the root at its decline.zionism is not different.. and its time has passed.Obama`s Great Hope was that he would turn swords into plogh-shares..and promote Universal Commonwealth and include every man..Globalization and Slavery are 2 different things.the latter has failed The former was to be expected.Until The United States can talk with Hamas Hezbolla and other Global Government entities,The only option left is war.There are only so many Muslims you are going to kill until they start to fight back..and they are fighting back with their money which You Don`t have.
Anti-Semite Busters| 9.24.10 @ 10:33PM
"Nathan":
"People to me who use the holocaust as a
crutch ,and have never been in a concentration camp or oppressed,are disgusting."
Still having a problem with that punctuation there , aren't we?
Do you believe, as some do, that:
"Even on a relative scale, what the Nazis did to Jewish victims was mild compared with the virtual extermination of gypsies and the butchery of Communists.”
Or do you believe along with the owner of the above quotation, Lyndon LaRouche, that the Holocaust just never really happened?
Tim*| 9.25.10 @ 2:36PM
About as many Non-Jews died in those Nazi Concentration Camps as Jews.
They're lives are not a whit less valuable .
Anti-Semite Buster| 9.25.10 @ 2:51PM
So now you are answering as Tim*.
Why do you so hate the Jews, along with other residents of AS?
Margie Buster | 9.25.10 @ 3:00PM
Get Bent Crank Lady Margie .
Anti-Semite Buster| 9.25.10 @ 3:06PM
Tim*
Are you a skin head, too? Or just a Lyndon LaRouchie?
God| 9.25.10 @ 3:08PM
Get bent Crank Lady Margie .
Anti-Semite Busters| 9.25.10 @ 3:18PM
Nathan/Tim*
You simply cannot hide your hatred of the Jews very well. Your mental instability has been revealed and continues to be revealed by your own hand. Just try a little harder with setting your periods right after the sentence ends. For example, when saying.. "Slut Israel-Firster ." Try just a little harder with the punctuation. Maybe then you could get away with hiding.
Like when you say, "Faux American ." Or "Faux Conservative ."
Really gotta watch those periods. Nathan.
Moses| 9.25.10 @ 3:24PM
Get Bent Crank Lady Margie .
Anti-Semite Busters| 9.25.10 @ 3:27PM
Aaaand Tim* gets the last revealing word.
Margie | 9.25.10 @ 3:30PM
Uh Oh ! Crank Lady Margie Thinks Tim's turned into ObamaBoy Nathan .
Fact check| 9.25.10 @ 8:31PM
A check of several encyclopedic sources in addition to Wiki and three other on-line resources of varying sympathies, I come up with a generally accepted number of 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 million Jews exterminated, about 500,00 to 800,000 Roma (gypsies), and a total of about 2 million of other races, nationalities and religions deemed unworthy (Poles, Russians, Jehova Witness, Hindi and many others in. Total killed by the "Final Solution" was about 9 million, with some as high as 11 million. A pretty large swing, but consider the era the overwhelming numbers and the act to speed up the extermination when the Nazi leadership saw the fronts closing in on them from the east and the west. But even a cursory exam of the numbers shows the Jew suffered disproportionally to the rest.
TR| 9.25.10 @ 7:23PM
A long winded diatribe of insanity. Good job nathan. You win for the most anti-semitic luantic posting of the week. Enjoy your flame-side view in Hell.
William R| 9.25.10 @ 12:30AM
"Not widely discussed in examinations of World War II is the fact that many eastern Europeans, including Ukrainians, Russians, Belarussians, and Baltic's, considered the 1941 German invasion of Russia, at least in its early stages, as liberation from Soviet communist oppression. Many prominent Soviet officials, including political Commissars, party officials, and NKVD agents would be rounded up and shot, as a form of vigilante justice and an inordinate number of these officials were Jews. Scores of Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarussians were motivated to join forces with the Germans in order to crush Stalin. "
http://www.ukemonde.com/zhydy/jewsandcommunism.html
Alan Brooks| 9.25.10 @ 1:28PM
Sure, everybody knows that. But Hitler messed it up even worse.
Jim O'Brien| 9.25.10 @ 3:37PM
Someone above suggested that the war on terror is genocide against Muslims. Wrong. To begin with, Muslims are not a race. There are Muslims of many races around the world. BTW, there is a great article in the October 2010 issue of Commentary magazine by Daniel Pipes, titled "Two Decades of Rushdie Rules". A partial quote: "Sharia contradicts the deepest premises of Western civilization."
Jim O'Brien| 9.26.10 @ 5:50PM
Pipes also provides a link to a very informative web site: http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
Facts about Islam, including details of terrorist attacks from 2001 to the current date.
Anti-Semite Busters| 9.25.10 @ 5:33PM
The above Jew haters, Wm. R., Toddard, Tim*, et al are Muslim sympathizers and share in that hatred together. The Paleo-con artists and Ron Paul con artists share together these traits with the Left and are therefore no conservatives.
True conservatives back our ally Israel, and are therefore in agreement with God.
TR| 9.25.10 @ 7:30PM
That is obvious to any rational human. That nathan loon as well as the other bottom feeding scum that you mention are the enemies the world. They will perish soon. And as a pre-empt to the scum, I don't give pig's butt for any further crap filled response you make to me or any other post. Eat pig turds and choke.
Anti-Semite Busters| 9.25.10 @ 7:57PM
"All that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing." ~ Edmund Burke
Sadly, AmSpec has no objections to these "men."
TR| 9.25.10 @ 8:03PM
They are either trolls or just waiting to be certified as lunatics and intitutionalized by force for their own protection. AmSpec seems to have no objection to these filthy swine.
Chuckie Schumer| 9.26.10 @ 3:10AM
Hi TR !
The little woman's expectin' you over for dinner Sunday night . Thanks again for the campaign donation .
Your ole pal , Chuckie
Jonny Pollard| 9.26.10 @ 2:57AM
Hey Margie are you still over on the women's cellblock ?
Moderator| 9.27.10 @ 1:45PM
Margie, post under only one name please.
Alan Brooks| 9.26.10 @ 12:31PM
The #1 issue concerning antisemitism is perhaps-- possibly-- good news: Ahmadinejad is probably bluffing. However he might paint himself into a corner and feel he has to deliver on the 12th Imam prophecy.
So there's a chance Mahmoud might get himself into the history books as the guy who finished Israel.
Alan Brooks| 9.26.10 @ 12:37PM
... sorry to double post again, yet there's something that is in the back of my mind on this. No one says tghat anyone has to like the Jewish people, but saying Israel isn't synonymous with the Jewish is tantamount to saying France isn't synonymous with the French. Such blatantly transparent propaganda demonstrates the extremely deepseated intensity of hatred felt for the Jewish.
Blackwatch| 9.26.10 @ 4:57PM
Message to Islam: Leave the Jews alone and they won't bother you.
Bigmo| 9.28.10 @ 3:59AM
So let me get this. jewish organizations lobbied hard and long for the anti White mass immigration law of 1965 to make America multi-cultural and displace Whites as a dominant majority(Euro centric culture). While now they want a Jewish ethnostate exculsively for Jews with Whitey unable to migrate there.
Let me get this. They want multi-religion but only Judaism in Israel. Even the indigenous Arabs in Israel are thrown under the bus.
Damn.
DyingTruth| 10.20.10 @ 11:19PM
israel (the non-existent state of a fake people) will always and forever be America's enemy (as well as the rest of the world's enemy), I curse israel and its people forever in the name of God(or Allah for Muslims) and in the name of Lucifer(Hell's Ruling Angel) let them be judged by both and suffer eternal punishment and infernal torment without the possibility of ever being redeemed for the atrocities and horrors they who call themselves jews have caused throughout history on God's People residing on this planet. FREE THE PALESTINIAN AND AMERICAN PEOPLE FROM PRISON AND SLAVERY! PLEASE GOD SAVE US FROM THIS EVIL!
Joanna | 6.6.11 @ 6:09AM
I agree with most of these comments too.
UTI Treatment