Author Archives: Soccerdad

About Soccerdad

I'm a government bureaucrat with delusions of literacy.

… or forever hold your peace

In The Palestinian Authority Struggles to Sabotage Any Chance for Peace, Barry Rubin observes: And here, too, is the PA openly thwarting President Barack Obama, who publicly bristles at the tiniest Israeli disagreement, yet seems to accept this disrespect without … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, The One | Tagged | 7 Comments

Flattery will get you nowhere, but keep talking

In an uncredited article, that seems largely based on Robert Mackey’s account, the New York Times once again reports: Using unusually blunt language for a British prime minister speaking about Arab-Israeli tensions, Mr. Cameron added: “Let me also be clear … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Israeli Double Standard Time, Turkey | Tagged | Comments Off on Flattery will get you nowhere, but keep talking

Rethinking the administration’s views towards Israel, Iran

Last week, based on some upbeat articles, I wondered if the administration was changing its approach. Now Caroline Glick argues against that proposition in The New Improved Obama. The basic notion informing both of these nearly identical articles is that … Continue reading

Posted in Iran, Israel | Tagged | Comments Off on Rethinking the administration’s views towards Israel, Iran

Beware of Turks bearing glass houses

PM David Cameron of England, yesterday, gave a speech in Turkey in which he pandered to the Islamist Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan, in which he alleged, among other things, that Gaza was a “prison camp.” As is typical of the … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Israeli Double Standard Time | Tagged | Comments Off on Beware of Turks bearing glass houses

Barak on withdrawals, peace

Yesterday’s Washington Post featured an interview with Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak. Meryl noted a too typical assumption made by the reporter. Israel Matzav played up a threat made by Barak, but has little confidence that the Defense Minister will … Continue reading

Posted in Israel | Tagged | 1 Comment

If you’re happy and you know it …

… you’re Israeli. How the results were determined.. As summarized at the Daily Alert Blog: Israel tied for 8th place with Australia, Switzerland, and Canada in a Gallup World Poll survey of 155 countries that measures well-being. Denmark, Finland and … Continue reading

Posted in Israel | Tagged | Comments Off on If you’re happy and you know it …

Two positive developments from Iran

I’ve recently been following some developments on the Iranian front. There appears to be another effect the most recent round of sanctions have had on Iran – Sanctions Slow Development of Natural Gas Field in Iran Threatened by tougher international … Continue reading

Posted in Iran | Tagged | 2 Comments

Lazy Sunday post – Deadliest Warrior

h/t Aussie Dave From the “weapons” preview: The main difference between how the Israeli Commandos would blow something up versus other commandos is how they deliver the explosive. Instead of destroying an entire block by fitting a cell phone with … Continue reading

Posted in Israel | Tagged | Comments Off on Lazy Sunday post – Deadliest Warrior

The “undisciplined”

The New York Times has a brief item: Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, said Thursday that he had been told that members of the group would be indicted by a United Nations tribunal investigating the … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Lebanon | Comments Off on The “undisciplined”

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

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

Posted in Israel, Media Bias | Tagged , | Comments Off on The “idiot wind” blows back

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

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

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

Posted in Iran | Tagged | Comments Off on Bazaar behavior

Do you believe in the Nobel Peace Prize, if Facebook tells you so?

A number of bloggers have noticed that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is campaigning for a Nobel Peace Prize. I would have thought it was absurd, because 1) He is a doctor of Holocaust denial. 2) He provided the funding for … Continue reading

Posted in Israel | 3 Comments