I think the American and Australian governments at least see danger in alienating the local Jewish voters – as if Jews all vote as a bloc. Young Jewish journalist and commentator of middle east affairs, Antony Lowenstein is often scathing of Israel’s actions but then he might be more representative of Jews who are more morally focused than monetary focused.
Lownstein is on the money and is most likely on the money with most Israeli’s The Jewish block in the US is very powerful and they seem to hold a lot of sway here too.
Yes, Lowenstein seems to be a voice crying in the wilderness. The US seems to set great store by the thinking of Neocons (who seem to be largely pro-Israel). It’s as though they won’t be re-elected if they piss off the neos.
I’m reminded of a trip to Israel in 1986. Mrs A and I were in Jerusalem looking for accommodation in the Arab quarter just outside the old city. An apparently friendly Israelli Jew approached us asking if we needed help, were we asked where a certain street was. His face changed to a different colour and he said he didn’t know and walked away. We looked down, it was a demarcation line, Crossing the road was like walking from the first to the third world where well paved roads lead to potholed goat tracks. The street we were looking for well we were standing on it.
This incident and the ensuing couple of weeks in Israel changed my attitude towards Israel and the plight of the Palestinians ever since. We know that Gaza has been used as a virtual open air prison since 1967 and where Gazans are allowed out to work in the surrounding areas only to have the gates slammed shut at Israel’s whim. We know that $b’s are pored into Israel from the US to prop up the economy and military no questions asked. We know that Israel has built walls which have destroy hundreds of year old olive grove thereby dispossessing their Arab owners from the land they’ve tilled for centuries. We also see fundamentalist illegally building new settlements on land.
These fundamentalist will tell you that it is land given to them by god. Huh. Well to start off with Jews didn’t live in the area from around AD70 till the late 1800’s. The Jewish religion to AD70 and the reorganised religion that came a couple of centuries after are completely different. The land of Moses promised is a small pocket that sits between Jerusalem and Gaza. It is not the land they try to occupy.
Last night on Lateline they invited a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir who proceeded with his hate filled rant to put their point of view after earlier in the day when Polly the boy loving Parrot spoke to Adolf Turd about having them banned. Adolf of course took his orders and found they probably couldn’t probably a good thing. Keep your enemies close. Yet war criminals like the Israelli PM and his military advisor were also allowed onto the same program to spread their message of hate to justify the fact that 1300 Gazan lives are the equivalent of one Israelli.
Israel is little more than an apartheid state nowadays. It controls the press which is little more than a propaganda machine for the government.
For all of this there is a solid cohort (like half the country) of Israelis who abhor what their government does in their name. On that trip in 1986 we met some wonderful people probably more than the man who couldn’t read the street sign.
I don’t understand the West’s cossetting of this aggressive military state. Perhaps there’s no oil in it!
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I think the American and Australian governments at least see danger in alienating the local Jewish voters – as if Jews all vote as a bloc. Young Jewish journalist and commentator of middle east affairs, Antony Lowenstein is often scathing of Israel’s actions but then he might be more representative of Jews who are more morally focused than monetary focused.
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Lownstein is on the money and is most likely on the money with most Israeli’s The Jewish block in the US is very powerful and they seem to hold a lot of sway here too.
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Yes, Lowenstein seems to be a voice crying in the wilderness. The US seems to set great store by the thinking of Neocons (who seem to be largely pro-Israel). It’s as though they won’t be re-elected if they piss off the neos.
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I’m reminded of a trip to Israel in 1986. Mrs A and I were in Jerusalem looking for accommodation in the Arab quarter just outside the old city. An apparently friendly Israelli Jew approached us asking if we needed help, were we asked where a certain street was. His face changed to a different colour and he said he didn’t know and walked away. We looked down, it was a demarcation line, Crossing the road was like walking from the first to the third world where well paved roads lead to potholed goat tracks. The street we were looking for well we were standing on it.
This incident and the ensuing couple of weeks in Israel changed my attitude towards Israel and the plight of the Palestinians ever since. We know that Gaza has been used as a virtual open air prison since 1967 and where Gazans are allowed out to work in the surrounding areas only to have the gates slammed shut at Israel’s whim. We know that $b’s are pored into Israel from the US to prop up the economy and military no questions asked. We know that Israel has built walls which have destroy hundreds of year old olive grove thereby dispossessing their Arab owners from the land they’ve tilled for centuries. We also see fundamentalist illegally building new settlements on land.
These fundamentalist will tell you that it is land given to them by god. Huh. Well to start off with Jews didn’t live in the area from around AD70 till the late 1800’s. The Jewish religion to AD70 and the reorganised religion that came a couple of centuries after are completely different. The land of Moses promised is a small pocket that sits between Jerusalem and Gaza. It is not the land they try to occupy.
Last night on Lateline they invited a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir who proceeded with his hate filled rant to put their point of view after earlier in the day when Polly the boy loving Parrot spoke to Adolf Turd about having them banned. Adolf of course took his orders and found they probably couldn’t probably a good thing. Keep your enemies close. Yet war criminals like the Israelli PM and his military advisor were also allowed onto the same program to spread their message of hate to justify the fact that 1300 Gazan lives are the equivalent of one Israelli.
Israel is little more than an apartheid state nowadays. It controls the press which is little more than a propaganda machine for the government.
For all of this there is a solid cohort (like half the country) of Israelis who abhor what their government does in their name. On that trip in 1986 we met some wonderful people probably more than the man who couldn’t read the street sign.
The cartoon is apt and says it all really.
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Says it all doesn’t it. But it’s been going on for decades. Been following it since 1966.
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