A project of dispossession can never be a noble cause

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Written by Ahdaf Soueif Ahdaf Soueif

Published: 17 November 2006 17 November 2006

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Israel's liberal intellectuals lament the malaise that grips their country - but refuse to face up to the ethnicide at the heart of it


The world can look forward to more of the same. According to Weizman, the chief of staff of the Israeli armed forces, Dan Halutz, confirms that the Israeli army sees the conflict as "unresolvable". It has "geared itself to operate within an environment saturated with conflict and within a future of permanent violence ... it sees itself acting just under the threshold of international sanctions ... keeping the conflict on a flame low enough for Israeli society to be able to live and prosper within it." So here's another function for the separation wall Israel is building: to shield Israeli society from too close a knowledge of the brutal acts their army carries out in their name.

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Carter Discusses New Book on Israel and the Middle East

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Written by Jennifer Siegel, Forward Jennifer Siegel, Forward

Published: 16 November 2006 16 November 2006

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Q: Lately there has been a lot of discussion about the role of the ‘Israel lobby.’ Can you say a little bit about how that impacted you as president? Has it changed over time?

A: Well, I think the Israel Lobby — so-called to use your phrase, that’s not my phrase — is much stronger now and much more effective now than it was when I was in office. I felt, for instance, that we should sell F-16 airplanes to Saudi Arabia so Saudis could defend themselves against threats from Iran, and Aipac and others were adamantly against it, but we finally prevailed. And I called within three months of when I went into office for a Palestinian homeland. And I worked for the Camp David accords, which called for Israel’s political and military withdrawal from the occupied territories, and so forth, and I think that that kind of independence was also exhibited by George Bush Sr., who condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank and even withheld funds from Israel, which I never did, by the way.… That’s almost an impossibility now in the present political environment of America.

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Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid

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Written by Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter

Published: 16 November 2006 16 November 2006

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If the Democratic leadership is ALREADY condemning this book before it is was released mid November, then it MUST be worth reading!

" The overriding problem is that, for more than a quarter century, the actions of some Israeli leaders have been in direct conflict with the official policies of the United States, the international community, and their own negotiated agreements.Israel's continued control and colonization of Palestinian land have been the primary obstacles to a comprehensive peace agreement in the Holy Land. In order to perpetuate the occupation, Israeli forces have deprived their unwilling subjects of basic human rights. No objective person could personally observe existing conditions in the West Bank and dispute these statements. (pp. 207-9)"

To Order

Powells.com (Portland's own):
http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-0743285026-0

Amazon.com (via counterpunch's link) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743285026/counterpunchmaga

Interview with Abuna Elias Chacour, author of "Blood Brothers"

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Written by Peter Rashkin interviews Abuna Elias Chacour Peter Rashkin interviews Abuna Elias Chacour

Published: 15 November 2006 15 November 2006

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"Either we stop claiming we are children of Abraham, or we act as brothers and try to reconcile." Peace is not a goal in itself. Peace is the result of a certain quality of human relations. And if you want peace and security, pursue justice and integrity. And justice does not mean to settle accounts. Justice means to learn how to forgive, to make concessions, to reconcile.

Otherwise if I stand for my justice, and the Jew stands for his justice, the only one who decides is the one who has the might. Might makes right. And this is the most cruel thing.

Read more: Interview with Abuna Elias Chacour, author of "Blood Brothers"