Antiwar.com

As the violence escalates in the Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians, the pressure for intervention by the United States or some other force increases as well. I listen mostly to NPR while driving, but the experts they have on repeat a drumbeat similar to what one gets on the cable and network news. Greta … Continue reading “Middle East Bloodshed: The U.S. Role”

The situation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank territories deteriorated into virtually all-out war in the past week, with both sides escalating the rhetoric and the violence. The continued leadership of PLO Chairman Arafat seems doomed. The administration now finds itself in an uncomfortable but familiar role as peacemaker for the Middle East conflict; Presidents from … Continue reading “American Foreign Policy and the Middle East Powder Keg”

Is the statement, ‘America’s position as pre-eminent world power will not last indefinitely’ a truism? That is to say, is this a statement too obviously true to be worth making? It was not blindingly obvious to Nately, Catch-22‘s embodiment of east coast rectitude and privilege. Whilst visiting his whore he was taunted by an old … Continue reading “Nately’s Old Man”

Sorry to disappoint some of my readers: terrorists haven’t got me yet. Yesterday (Saturday) in Tel-Aviv they were close, but no cigar. A minute ago, my parents called from Haifa saying they just survived another attack. “May they move next to your home”, an American reader identifying himself as “Baba” recently wished me. Thank you, … Continue reading “The Auschwitz Logic”

The leering ugliness of the Israelis’ Easter blitzkrieg is darkly illustrated by the news that, having marched into Ramallah, the IDF prepared a special Easter television broadcast for this historically Christian city: "Porn movies and programs in Hebrew are being broadcast by Israeli troops who have taken over three Palestinian television stations of Ramallah, irate … Continue reading “Putting Israel First”

What do we need an “Office of Strategic Influence” for when we have the Wall Street Journal? Not to mention the rest of the American media, which just can’t be as gullible as they seem to be. The latest anthrax stories – Al Qaeda was mixing huge vats of the stuff in the Afghan hinterlands, … Continue reading “Anthrax as a Metaphor”

The established Israeli “Peace Camp” – Peace Now, Meretz, parts of the Labour Party – is under pressure. The “refuseniks” movement – soldiers who refuse to serve in the occupied territories – is growing steadily, in what seems to be the most important development in Israeli public life for at least a decade. More than … Continue reading “Against Negotiations”

IDF Soldiers fired live ammunition into the crowd of people, stalled cars, trucks, taxis, buses, and UN vehicles just south of the Deir al-Balah checkpoint in the Gaza Strip this morning. This is a "no news" day. I’m writing about it because I was standing in the crowd, and then crouching in the dust to … Continue reading “Cease Fire?”

Conservative columnist George F. Will is upset, claiming that "The war on terrorism is suddenly going terribly wrong." He thinks that "more than six months into the war on terror, terror is more indicated as a tactic than ever before." Will is upset, as are many conservatives and neocons, that the United States is once … Continue reading “The Terrorists Are Winning”

Eight tanks rolled into Rafah (southern Gaza Strip) early this morning to quell a "disturbance" by the people. It seems some Palestinians were upset over the death of a four year old girl. Did the news there even bother to inform you that she was shot? Yes, on Thursday a four-year-old girl became one of … Continue reading “Gaza Panorama”