Author Archives: Soccerdad

About Soccerdad

I'm a government bureaucrat with delusions of literacy.

Taking the smart out of smart diplomacy

Washington Post reporter Scott Wilson writes of President Obama’s new approach to diplomacy “Shared interests define Obama’s world. Wilson starts: President Obama is applying the same tools to international diplomacy that he once used as a community organizer on Chicago’s … Continue reading

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Haveil Havalim #241

Co-blogger Snoopy is hosting the latest Haveil Havalim on his site. Comprhensive. How can he go wrong if he starts off with a picture by Dzeni? If I may emphasize a few posts for special mention, I’d recommend this one … Continue reading

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Conceived in sin

According to Al Jazeera, the impetus for the Goldstone Commission report came from the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). (h/t My Right Word) Al Jazeera: The UN’s Goldstone report has been in the headlines in the past few weeks … Continue reading

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

J-street cleaning

What happens when you try to present yourself as something you’re not, and then events conspire to show your true colors? Well you go to a sympathetic reporter and get him to present your side of the story. It’s very … Continue reading

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Despair and hope / 2001 and 2009

Back in 2001, Yossi Klein Halevi wrote State of Despair for the August 6 issue of the New Republic (no link available): Rachel Dahan left her native Kiryat Shemonah 18 years ago and settled in her husband’s town, Sderot, near … Continue reading

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Time after Time about Israel

I was looking for something else when I found an article about published in the June 9, 1967 issue of Time Magazine. (Despite the publication date, the article was clearly written beforeThe tone towards Israel was a lot more sympathetic … Continue reading

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Orwell, antisemitism and Egypt

Barry Rubin observes about antisemitism: Orwell noted that anti-Semitism had been driven underground by the war and that the authorities and media went out of their way to avoid offending Jews in order to establish their credentials as not being … Continue reading

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Ignoring a decade

Matthew Yglesias (via memeorandum): I was debating with Jon Chait at a J Street panel this morning on the subject of “what does it mean to be pro-Israel?” As expected, we disagreed on a number of points, most of which … Continue reading

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Temple Mount clashes

In its report on the violence in Jerusalem, the Washington Post reports: Israeli police firing stun grenades faced off Sunday against masked Palestinian protesters hurling stones and plastic chairs outside the Holy Land’s most volatile shrine, where past violence has … Continue reading

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Wear the label proudly

David Bernstein offers some friendly advice to J-Street. I certainly agree with his advice. However, I disagree with one of his premises. Second, from approximately 1988 to Fall 2000, I held views on the Arab-Israeli conflict that would put me … Continue reading

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

Weymouth interviews Netanyahu

In the Washington Post the other day, Lally Weymouth interviewed Benjamin Netanyahu. The first page of the interview was on the subject of the Goldstone commission report. Netanyahu was emphatic. Q: What did you think of the Goldstone report? A: … Continue reading

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The whiner that roared

You may not be aware, but the NJDC just had a conference. It was attended by many Democratic legislators, an advisor to the President and even, yes, Ambassador Michael Oren. But if you didn’t know about it, you won’t read … Continue reading

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Gaza report’s author is really full of himself

Today the New York Times reports Gaza Report Author Asks U.S. to Clarify Concerns. The article is flawed for what it gets wrong and for its failure to scrutinize any of Justice Goldstone’s self-aggrandizing claims. What’s wrong with the first … Continue reading

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Degrading self-defense

Twenty years ago In “Legitimizing the PLO,” the late Jeane Kirkpatrick wrote about how international law was subverted over the years by the PLO and its advocates to excuse terrorism. One of the earliest steps in this process was the … Continue reading

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The passive aggressive peace dynamic

In an odd analysis yesterday, titled Painful Mideast Truth – Force trumps Diplomacy, Ethan Bronner of the NYT wrote: Through relentless commando operations and numerous checkpoints, the Israeli Army ended suicide bombings and other terrorist acts from the West Bank; … Continue reading

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