Tag Archives: israel

Talking to the Forward

Posted on April 24, 2012 by dedc79

There’s a desire among those pushing for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement to find evidence that Hamas is moderating its position.  The reason is obvious – Hamas is now a part of the Palestinian government and without its assent, no agreement … Continue reading →

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Tragedy of the Nuclear Commons

Posted on February 8, 2012 by dedc79

It’s a mistake to look at the current nuclear hot spots (India-Pakistan and Israel-Iran) in isolation.  There’s a potential domino-effect in play: A senior Saudi Arabian diplomat and member of the ruling royal family has raised the spectre of nuclear conflict … Continue reading →

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Israel’s Current Path

Posted on December 8, 2011 by reflectionephemeral

As I’ve said before, I don’t use the term “apartheid” when talking about Israel’s policies, or those of a hypothetical future Israel. It’s a loaded charge that polarizes & inflames. But when as committed a defender of Israel as Jeffrey … Continue reading →

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A Relationship Built On Common Traditions And Heritage

Posted on December 1, 2011 by reflectionephemeral

Jeffrey Goldberg describes an ad campaign: The Netanyahu government’s Ministry of Immigrant Absorption is sponsoring advertisements in at least five American communities that warn Israeli expatriates that they will lose their identities if they don’t return home. … I don’t … Continue reading →

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War?

Posted on November 2, 2011 by reflectionephemeral

I can’t think of Avigdor Lieberman without thinking of Marty Peretz’s description: The New Republic’s Martin Peretz, a passionate Zionist and critic of the peace movement, calls Lieberman a “neo-fascist … a certified gangster … the Israeli equivalent of [Austria's] … Continue reading →

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My Final Offer Is This: Nothing

Posted on September 7, 2011 by reflectionephemeral

Former Bush Jr. and Obama Defense Secretary Robert Gates sums up the advantages to the US of its relationship with Israel, according to this column by the wildly erratic Jeffrey Goldberg. As with this morning’s post about the decline and … Continue reading →

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Ummm…I Blame King James

Posted on August 17, 2011 by dedc79

At work we have software that can compare two versions of a document and tell you what has been added, deleted and moved in the rewrite.  This is pretty standard business software, and I’m sure many of you use something … Continue reading →

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Thoroughly Postmodern Media

Posted on August 10, 2011 by reflectionephemeral

A long while ago, conservative columnist John Leo criticized postmodernism on college campuses, writing that it obscured the ability to admit that some things are true and some things are false. In particular, Leo was appalled by students at elite … Continue reading →

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Interview With Tzipi Livni

Posted on August 5, 2011 by reflectionephemeral

A few folks at the Atlantic interviewed Kadima leader Tzipi Livni. She seems to agree with me that Benyamin Netanyahu is a product of an era where calibrated talking points in lieu of strategic thinking have defined the right-wing approach … Continue reading →

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Character Issue

Posted on August 4, 2011 by reflectionephemeral

This, via Freddie, is rather chilling: Forty lawmakers from both the coalition and opposition Wednesday submitted a proposal to the Knesset for a new Basic Law that would change the accepted definition of Israel as a “Jewish and democratic state.” … Continue reading →

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Netanyahu: Kenyan Anti-Colonialist

Posted on August 2, 2011 by reflectionephemeral

Longtime readers will recall that there was much consternation around here over Israeli PM Netanyahu’s deep upset about Pres. Obama’s continuance of longstanding US (& Israeli) policy that Israel’s 1967 borders should be the starting point for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Well, … Continue reading →

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The Message On The Tablets Was “Valium”

Posted on July 13, 2011 by reflectionephemeral

Via the reliably infuriating as to Israel Frum Forum, a pack of lies in Tablet Magazine. Lee Smith accuses the US of “pushing out Mubarak,” and writes: Iran’s Green Revolutionaries begged Obama for support for weeks, only to be greeted … Continue reading →

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Our partners in democracy

Posted on July 12, 2011 by nickgb

Here at PYM, we definitely have some differing views on Israel, its policies, and what America’s role should be there. That said, I’m pretty sure all of us will agree that this is bad news: The Knesset voted 47-38 in … Continue reading →

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Libya’s Other Refugees

Posted on June 20, 2011 by dedc79

My office purchases office plants through a service that also comes by to prune/water the  plants once a week.  The man who waters the plants is an Israeli ex-pat who has lived in the US for the last 30 years … Continue reading →

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A Surprising Endorsement

Posted on June 13, 2011 by dedc79

The IMF needs a new leader, for some reason, and one candidate that is getting some buzz is Bank of Israel’s Stanley Fischer.  An Israeli becoming  head of the IMF is basically a conspiracy theorist’s wet dream and who knows … Continue reading →

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Breakdancing Israel Into Submission

Posted on June 2, 2011 by dedc79

A friend of the blog alerted me to the group Freedom One World’s introduction of a new, unprecedented weapon in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.  I don’t think even Israel’s Iron Dome defense stands a chance against the awfulness that is this song.  I expect … Continue reading →

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No Permanent Allies But Fear Itself

Posted on June 2, 2011 by reflectionephemeral

Some are trying to attribute Netanyahu’s decision to pick a fight with his most important ally for no reason to his permanent siege mentality: Netanyahu interprets Jewish history as a series of tragedies and near-annihilations of our civilization. While not inaccurate, it … Continue reading →

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Mission Accomplished

Posted on May 26, 2011 by reflectionephemeral

From an NYT article about the reception of Netanyahu’s trip back at home: The praise here for Mr. Netanyahu’s oratory skill on Tuesday in Congress was overwhelming, even from his enemies. Disputes about his performance were limited to how many times he … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign Policy, News and Current Events, Politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment