Monthly Archives: July 2010

Have the administration’s Israel and Iran policies changed?

Yesterday Meryl observed that once again: Mahmoud Abbas has said the Palestinians will not resume direct talks until… and now you get to fill in the blank, because he keeps on changing the rules. Rabbi Kaufman wondered if the administration … Continue reading

Posted in Iran, Israel, The One | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Thursday Israel snarks (because the world just needs more snark)

They were against smuggling weapons before they were for it: Say, remember a long, long time ago when the news media used to say Israel says Hamas is smuggling weapons through tunnels from Egypt? Like they really weren’t and Israel … Continue reading

Posted in AP Media Bias, Gaza, Israel | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Changing Opinions

As Meryl wrote yesterday morning, Abbas is refusing to hold direct talks without preconditions that amount to determining the end game of discussions about borders. This is in no small part due to the perception that both the Obama administration … Continue reading

Posted in Israel | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

I wish I had an Ivy League education

Then I could say genius things like this: Requiring 60 votes rather than 50 to pass legislation in a body with 100 members is a terrible idea. It’s always been a terrible idea. Nobody would design a legislature that way. … Continue reading

Posted in Bloggers, Juvenile Scorn | 12 Comments

The “idiot wind” blows back

Prior to the presidential election in 2008 the editors of the Washington Post objected to charges that there was something wrong with candidate Obama’s relationship with Rashid Khalidi. It’s fair to question why Mr. Obama felt as comfortable as he … Continue reading

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Abbas’ strategy: Preconditions, preconditions, preconditions

Benjamin Netanyahu has called for direct talks with the Palestinians, with no preconditions. Israel, he says, is ready to sit down right now and discuss all of the issues. Mahmoud Abbas has said the Palestinians will not resume direct talks … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Israeli Double Standard Time, palestinian politics | Tagged | 1 Comment

J Street’s New Ad – The Community of Hypocrisy

J Street’s new 30 second TV ad begins with “While chaos and violence in the Middle East grow….” The ad then actually pretends to condemn “fear mongering.” This is a profoundly hypocritical path. I say “pretends” because clearly the opening … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Media, Television | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Briefly

If it’s Monday, it must be time for another AP Gaza sob story: (Yes, I know it’s Tuesday, but this came out yesterday.) This time, it’s all about the family that struggles to survive in a tent. That’s the headline. … Continue reading

Posted in Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Media Bias, Terrorism, Turkey | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Briefly

Could you please shut up?

Thomas Friedman, in Can We Talk? regrets the firing of Octavia Nasr. I find Nasr’s firing troubling. Yes, she made a mistake. Reporters covering a beat should not be issuing condolences for any of the actors they cover. It undermines … Continue reading

Posted in Lebanon, Media Bias | Tagged | 2 Comments

Catherine Ashton: Still an ashhole

The EU head of something-or-other, Catherine Ashton, is back in Gaza and demanding that Israel open all crossings completely, and allow exports, too. Because the fact that Gaza is run by terrorists who are stockpiling weapons and rockets to use … Continue reading

Posted in Gaza, Hamas, Israel, World | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Israel makes Gazans shop until they drop

One of my proudest accomplishments in my blogging career was publicizing a photograph of Tony Blair’s repugnant sister-in-law (and British media celebrity) Lauren Booth shopping in a fully stocked store in Gaza. Others, such as Israelly Cool! and Elder of … Continue reading

Posted in Gaza, Media Bias | Tagged | 3 Comments

Lies, damned lies, and Turkish lies

Apparently, lying runs in the Erdogan family. Mrs. Prime Minister Erdogan hosted a meeting with Palestinian businesswomen, and told them that Shimon Peres’ response to her husband at Davos in 2009

Posted in Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Turkey | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

What? No new posts?

Whoops. I was out having a life today. I’ll be doing more of that tomorrow.

Posted in Site news | 6 Comments

Bazaar behavior

The New York Times reported earlier this week about protests against the Iranian government. The Iranian government declared a sudden, two-day national holiday on Sunday and Monday, after a long-simmering dispute between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Tehran bazaar erupted … Continue reading

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The IHH and Erdogan: Partners in crime

The New York Times has investigated the IHH and discovered that it has deep ties to the Islamist Turkish government, including its Islamist Prime Minister—the one who has been working hard at ending Turkey’s relationship with Israel and cozying up … Continue reading

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