Jackson Jambalaya

Jeffrey Goldberg on Netanyahu's speech:

If I were a Palestinian (and, should there be any confusion on this point, I am not), and if I were the sort of Palestinian who believed that Israel should be wiped off the map, then I would be quite pleased with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s performance before Congress this morning. * * *

In fact, I would make support for Netanyahu the foundation stone of my patient campaign to dismantle the world’s only majority-Jewish country. I would support not only Netanyahu, but the far-right parties of his governing coalition, the parties that seem uninterested in democracy and obsessed with planting more Jewish settlements on the West Bank.

Whole column here.

Would help if as he said, they would take those clauses about wiping out Israel out of their charters.

Let me see, Israel becomes a country in in 1948. The Arabs immediately attack and try to destroy the new country. The Arabs attack again in the 50's, then there is the Six Day War, then Yom Kippur, you do remember that was a sneak attack on Israel by Egypt and Syria, right? Then there was the bloody terrorism of the 70's. Does Black September ring a bell, Anderson? Munich? Entebbe? Not to mention the so-called Palestinians left their homes when the Arabs said they would wipe out every Jew in 48 and they would have more land for themselves. Yet, people like you never condemn the Arabs for lying repeatedly to the Palestians- its always the fault of Israel.

When in doubt, ask one question: If Israel conquered Jordan or Syria, what would happen to the native population as compared to what would happen if the Arabs conquered Israel. I'll give you a clue: See the Grand Mufthi and his pogrom around WWII.

Kingfish,you seem to want to overlook history from the origin of the Zionist movement to 1948.

If American Indians decided to reclaim their "homeland", I think we'd get a little pissy about it.

Exodus is a novel and a movie, not history. The massacres on both sides are well documented. Sadat and Begin were both honest enough to admit their roles in very ugly incidents and to do so with sadness not pride.

Netanhayu is no Begin. He is to Palestinians what Arafat was to Jews. To put it kindly, a stubborn kind of fellow who won't concede anything.

And, we like to overlook that Egypt and Israel have gotten along and that it was two leaders who tired of " right fighting" that made that happen.

This has become The Hatfield's and McCoy's where hatred and anger and violence breed more hatred and anger and violence.

I'm tired of the who did what to whom and choose up sides and decide whose worst. I'm tired of each side being perpetual " victims". Both sides have alot to be ashamed about over the course of the history of this conflict. It's time for both to stop wallowing in the past and look for a peaceful future.
And, it's way past time for the rest of the world to either butt instead of choose up sides.

Your telepathy skills are off today, KF. Check your wireless connection!

Kevin Drum is much closer to my point of view:

My instinctive reaction is revulsion over being treated this way, and that's despite the fact that I've always fundamentally blamed Arabs for the lack of a peace agreement. They've started and lost three wars against Israel, they've turned down every peace agreement offered to them, and they've adopted terrorist tactics against Israel that no country in the world would tolerate. Israel, obviously, bears a considerable share of blame for this state of affairs too, but it's a distinctly minority share.

At least, that's how I've always seen it. But now? After watching Netanyahu in action; after watching his orchestrated attack on an American president who quite plainly is on Israel's side and proposed nothing new in the way of negotiating parameters; after watching the almost fawning reception he got from Congress; after watching him make it belligerently clear that he will concede nothing for peace; and after watching his almost smug recognition that he can singlehandedly direct American foreign policy — after watching all that, I just don't know anymore. Rationally, I still think that Palestinians are the ones who need the bigger reality check, but in my gut it's now a much closer call than it's been in the past. The last few days have been pretty sobering ones.

Israel has no good choices, but the least bad is OBVIOUSLY to curb the settlers and allow a quasi-sovereign state in the West Bank. The alternatives are, as Goldberg lays out, (1) apartheid or (2) the swamping of Israel by a majority-Palestinian population. And yet Likud has given the settlers free rein. That is not the act of someone genuinely concerned for Israel's future.

As Disraeli is supposed to've said, a politician looks to the next election; a statesman looks to the next generation.

Yes, Kingfish and rest of the reactionary, knee-jerk Israeli supporters on this blog like to think that the world began in 1948. What about the country that was called Palestine that was wiped off the map? Can any of you imagine WHY the Arabs are so upset? Of course not, your blind allegiance to Israel is based on ancient, superstitious scripture and religious allegiances and not reason.

The American Indian analogy is a good one. What if - after hundreds of years - the rest of the world decided that the American Indians deserved to reclaim their homeland and the Europeans settlers were forcibly removed elsewhere? Do you support that, Kingfish? Are you willing to give up all land to the Indians? If not, I would love to hear how the Palestinian issue is any different.

I like Israel and want them to survive. They are going about it the wrong way and are becoming increasingly stubborn, intransigent, and isolated from the rest of the world. That is a recipe for disaster. The sooner they agree - and make the correct actions, like dismantling their settlements and agreeing to a Palestinian state (based on the 1967 borders but with negotiations to handle appropriate land swaps), the better for them and the rest of the world.

What about the country that was called Palestine that was wiped off the map?

You are a historically challenged idiot.

5:45 SIGH...I know your " argument". You will argue that The Palestinian Mandate was not a country, those Arabs that had lived there for hundreds of years were no more than " nomads".

REALLY, you shouldn't let JDL be your source of information.

All Americans are "nomads" with that argument. They landed at ports in " The New World" and migrated from there. How many centuries/decades owning and working one patch of land works for you.

REALLY...read real history books .

It seems foolish to suggest that giving land to Palestinians would inspire any peaceful existence. It never has. Even Netanyahu has done this twice in the past with the same results of all the other prime ministers giving land for peace. Israel will never be awarded peace nor will they be acknowledged by the new "Palestine" country ever. (That is a quote by the Palestinians- not me.)

(BTW, the new "Egypt" has ALREADY removed Israel from their maps TOTALLY! Just like it never existed and would soon disappear.)

Aside, Netanyahu's speech reminded me of something from the past. A real man and a real statesman speaking his truth and not some mumbo political jumbo that will be revised next week for the newest audience to sway them. Long ago, I do remember honorable men once speaking and standing by their words and worth.

REALLY...read real history books.

Really, you should pull your head out of your ass.

7:39pm Aside from the fact that creation of Palestinian state has been a part of a suggested solution for decades by those we hope are more informed than we, what , pray tell, are the alternatives being presented?

How does allowing settlements on disputed land and in agreed upon neutral zones and in what is supposed to be Palestinian terrority furthering resolution?

Is violating past negotiated agreements the hallmark of a " real man" and " great statesman"?

Are you aware of what is going on in Jerusalem...which is supposed to be an international city?

Have you talked to Christians over there about how their ability to protect/have authority over Christian holy sites is being threatened/eroded by this Israeli administration?

Do you know any Druze? The Druze are Arab Christians who hardly are fans of Islam.Their views on Israel are interesting.

My nose is in books that aren't written by those with an agenda other that presenting historically accurate information.

As a result, I also learned that when you have to resort to crude insults in a discussion,it's because you can't defend your position.

One attacks the messenger when one can't attack the message.

Netanyahu is a much bigger man than me - I see all this a lot differently since 911.

A fun read:

Fact: The notion of free elections in Muslim countries has always been a joke (until Iraq). Let's get that on the table right now.

Fact: there are so-called "Palestinaian" members of the Knesset in Israel. ("Palestinian" is a BS term; the correct term is "Israeli Arabs.") Israeli Arabs enjoy full citizenship rights and full government health benefits, and equal protection of the law.

Ask an Israeli Arab whether his life would be better living under Israeli, or Hamas/Fatah controlled areas. It's not even close. I've been there, I've asked every Arab I had a chance to talk to. This is reality.

People -- here and everywhere -- who embrace the cause of the so-called "Palestinians" do so out of either some effed-up underdog syndrome, or just anti-semitism.

Because an honest look at Islam tells you it's a pagan death cult with no respect for law, women, human rights, or human life.


Got that, Democrats: women are property under Islam. And don't hand me an argument about the Old Testament, blah blah. That was thousands of years ago. Muslims act like freaking animals, all over the world, TODAY.

Israelis are human beings, surrounded by equivalent hyenas. Whose side are you on?
Wake up. Deal with it.

Yep, happening just like this....

11 And the angel of the Lord said to her,

“Behold, you are pregnant
and shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael
because the Lord has listened to your affliction.
12 He shall be a wild donkey of a man,
his hand against everyone
and everyone's hand against him,
and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”

Genesis 16:11-12 (ESV)

Check this link for a fun read - somebody didn't want the "wild donkeys" to have nukes:

For some reason that link will not show up on this comment page, hopefully not because of censorship.

To read the article, google "the secret agent that crippled Iran's nuclear ambitions" and read the foxnews link - pretty amazing stuff!