"US diplomacy in the Middle East is bound with hoops of iron to the most chauvinist advocates of a greater Israel. Not an onion skin separates the White House from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When the time comes, for example, it's hard to see the administration resisting annexation of the West Bank. Any pretence at an honest-broker role is abandoned and the alliance with the Saudi royals is the one other pillar of US strategy. Links between Jared Kushner and Saudi's Crown Prince resemble a romance between royal houses." (Trump's overriding success is as radical agent for change, Bob Carr, The Australian, 29/12/18)
"I spoke with Bibi. I told Bibi, you know we give Israel $4.5 billion a year. And they are doing very well at defending themselves. I'm the one that moved the embassy to Jerusalem. I was the one who was willing to do that. So that's the way it is - we are going to take great care of Israel. Israel is going to be good. We give Israel $4.5 billion a year. And we give frankly a lot more than that if you look at the books. They've been doing a good job." (Donald Trump quoted in Trump on Syria withdrawal: We give Israel billions of dollars, they'll be OK, Amir Tibon, Haaretz, 27/12/18)
Monday, December 31, 2018
Saturday, December 29, 2018
The Zionist Occupation of the American Mind
I've quoted Norman Finkelstein's groundbreaking work The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering (2000) several times before in this blog, but his words bear repeating as a preface to that which follows:
"'The Holocaust' is an ideological representation of the Nazi holocaust. Like most ideologies, it bears a connection, if tenuous, with reality. The Holocaust is not an arbitrary but rather an internally coherent construct. Its central dogmas sustain significant political and class interests. Indeed, The Holocaust has proven to be an indispensable ideological weapon. Through its deployment, one of the world's most formidable military powers, with a horrendous human rights record, has cast itself as a 'victim' state, and the most successful ethnic group in the United States has likewise acquired victim status. Considerable dividends accrue from this specious victimhood - in particular, immunity to criticism, however justified." (p 3)
Later in his book, Finkelstein demolishes the dogma that The Holocaust "marks a categorically unique historical event." (pp 41-6)
He then asserts that "the claims of Holocaust uniqueness have come to constitute a form of 'intellectual terrorism' (Chaumont)," adding, "Those practicing the normal comparative procedures of scholarly inquiry must first enter a thousand and one caveats to ward off the accusation of 'trivializing The Holocaust'." (p 47)
I can think of no better example of this kind of intellectual terrorism than the following mea maxima culpa recounted in former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer's book, Briefing: Politics, the Press, and the President (2018). Smell the fear, feel the terror:
"I've had many roles as a communication director or press secretary in my career, and I have helped countless candidates, party officials, and elected officials undergo media training. Media training [is] basically teaching people how to prepare for an interview, especially on camera... And there are some basic rules. If you're preparing for an in-studio interview, you look at the interviewer, not the camera; if your interview is in a remote studio, you look directly at the camera. Don't move your hands too much. Don't repeat a question. Don't validate a premise with which you disagree. And the number one rule I gave every Republican was don't ever, ever... compare anything or anyone to Hitler or the Holocaust. Ever.
"I can't tell you how many times I've repeated these rules to everyone from candidates to state party chairmen. But on April 11, 2017, I violated my number one rule, setting off another controversy from the White House podium.
"Earlier, I had been part of a small, impromptu briefing in the dining room off the Oval Office where Secretary Mattis had explained to the president the degree of the current atrocities committed by Syria's leader, Bashar al-Assad. He noted that not even Adolf Hitler had dared to use chemical weapons on the battlefield (note the word 'battlefield'). I left the meeting wanting to make sure that the horror of Assad's actions was fully communicated. I wanted everyone to understand just how evil Assad is and why the president had acted so swiftly.
"When I went into the briefing room to begin the daily briefing, echoes of Mattis's words were still with me... I opened up the briefing for questions. Eleven of the first fifteen questions focused on Syria. The video showing the pain and suffering of the Syrian people that had gone viral was clearly on the minds of the reporters. I was doing well, talking about the president's reaction and concern. But then came the sixteenth question. 'The alliance between Russia and Syria is a strong one; it goes back decades. President Putin has supplied personnel. He's supplied military equipment to the Assad government. What makes you think that at this point he's going to pull back in his support for President Assad and for the Syrian government right now?'
"I thought to myself, 'I got this.' I had been in a groove expressing the president's concern and Assad's horrific actions. But instead of staying on the messages that had been working just fine, I tried to turn it up a notch: 'I think a couple of things. You look - we didn't use chemical weapons in World War II. You had someone as despicable as Hitler who didn't even sink to using chemical weapons. So, you have to, if you're Russia, ask yourself is this a country that you and a regime you want to align yourself with? You have previously signed on to international agreements rightfully acknowledging that the use of chemical weapons should be out of bounds by every country. To not stand up to not only Assad, but your own word, should be troubling. Russia put their name on the line. So, it's not a question of how long that alliance has lasted, but at what point do they recognize that they are now getting on the wrong side of history in a really bad way really quickly. And again, look at the countries that are standing with them: Iran, Syria, North Korea. This is not a team you want to be on. And I think that Russia has to recognize that while they may have had an alliance with them, that the lines that have been crossed are one that no country should ever want to see another country cross.
"That was it - like the previous eleven questions on the subject, I thought I had sufficiently described the outrage we had toward both Assad and Russia. The questions in the briefing room are asked at the speed of light. I would answer one question while anticipating the next one. In my mind, I thought I had answered the question, but clearly what had come out of my mouth was not the full explanation that I had envisioned saying. I kept going, oblivious to the damage I had done.
"The next question was about the president's tax returns. Then came a question about the Easter Egg Roll. My corny response about it being 'egg-cellent' evoked laughter from the briefing room. That was followed by a question on the White House visitor logs. After that, more questions focused on Syria and North Korea, and a question was asked about taxes and infrastructure. At this point, I thought, I was doing great. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary because of the pace and intensity of the briefings.
"Then I called on ABC News's Cecilia Vega. 'Sean, thanks, I just want to give you an opportunity to clarify something you said that seems to be gaining some traction right now.' What now? Then she started reading from her phone. 'Hitler didn't even sink to the level of using chemical weapons.' What did you mean by that?' What? Frantically, I'm thinking, 'What did I do?' I responded, 'I think you come to sarin gas, there was no - he was not using the gas on his own people the same way Assad is doing, I mean, there was clearly - I understand your point, thank you.' She said, 'I'm just getting - ' but I cut her off and stepped in deeper and deeper. 'Thank you, I appreciate that,' I said. 'There was not - he brought them into the Holocaust center, I understand that. But I'm saying in the way that Assad used them, where he went into towns, dropped them down to innocent - into the middle of towns. It was brought - so the use of it - I appreciate the clarification there. That was not the intent.' What had I done. Holocaust centers? And I didn't realize until later that I had inadvertently omitted Mattis's important phrase 'on the battlefield.' Hitler, of course, had used chemical weapons to murder Jews and other victims during the Holocaust.
"I read the body language of not only the reporters but also my own staffers along the side of the room. I was beginning to realize I had misspoken badly... In the heat of the moment, I still hadn't realized what I had said wrong. I was so fully focused on condemning Assad that I failed to see how badly I had stumbled by omitting that phrase, 'on the battlefield.' By this point, I was feeling flustered, still not fully understanding what had just happened. My remarks were not quite right, I had the alarming sense that I was digging myself into a deeper hole with each word. This may have been the lowest moment I had in the White House. I alone had fumbled; no one else had made me do it. The irony is that this was a question that I had been waiting for, that I had been prepared to answer. And I had been given two chances to clarify the record.
"After the briefing, I went to my staff. I knew it was bad, but I still asked, how deep am I? Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Natalie Strom, and Raj Shah give me a look that said, 'Deeper than the Titanic.' Then I noticed the calendar on my computer. It read, 'First day of Passover.'
"Reince came into my office. 'Remember the first thing you taught me in media training?' he asked. 'Yes,' I said sheepishly. Never compare anyone to Hitler. I made a mistake, a big one, and I needed to say so.
"I went to the Oval Office to see the president. 'Mr President, I need you to know that I just stepped in it really badly, and I screwed up.' 'I saw it. But I know what you meant, Sean. It's going to be okay.' 'Thank you, sir, but I think I've embarrassed you and the administration and insulted the Jewish people. I need to make it right.' 'Look, Sean, you screwed up, but I know what you meant. You clearly didn't mean... ' He trailed off. When he spoke again, his tone was gentle. At a moment when I felt my worst, he tried to reassure me and was gracious, caring, and forgiving. Finally, he said, 'Do what you think is right.' I felt like I had a fever that was going to get worse before it broke. And despite the president's support, I was again wondering if this was my last day at the White House.
"I asked Natalie, who is Jewish, how the story was playing. Natalie is as loyal as they come, but she had to confess it was getting much worse. Many people echoed the president, telling me they knew what I meant,' but millions of other people did not and were deeply offended. In this moment, I knew I had three choices: one, do nothing and hope that it blew over; two, look for a friendly interviewer or reporter and try to put my spin on the story; or three, find the most challenging interviewer I could, own the mistake, and ask for forgiveness. I chose number three.
"I asked my team to check which news shows I could get on ASAP. They came back with several options, including appearing on CNN with Wolf Blitzer... I knew from the outset that it wouldn't be an easy interview. Wolf always asks tough questions. And he is the son of two Holocaust survivors. 'I was absolutely trying to make a point about the heinous acts that Assad had made against his own people last week, using chemical weapons and gas,' I told Wolf. 'Frankly, I mistakenly used an inappropriate and insensitive reference to the Holocaust, for which, frankly, there is no comparison. And for that I apologize.'... Wolf kept boring down on me. Wasn't I aware that in addition to the Jews, others had been victims of Hitler's poison-gas chambers? Of course, I told him. 'Have you spoken to President Trump about your blunder today?' Wolf asked. 'Obviously, it was my blunder,' I said. To think that I had offended people - especially those whose families had been victims of the Holocaust - twisted my stomach in a way I had never felt before and hope to never feel again. I had created this mess. I had embarrassed myself, my team, and the president.
"House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, other Democrats, and even a Republican congressman from Colorado were soon calling for my resignation.
"That evening, I was as down as I ever was. Some people can shrug off bad moments, but I have a hard time forgiving myself when I make a mistake, especially when I hurt others. It grates on me. Fortunately, Rebecca and the kids were waiting for me at home, and that made all the difference." (pp 195-200)
"'The Holocaust' is an ideological representation of the Nazi holocaust. Like most ideologies, it bears a connection, if tenuous, with reality. The Holocaust is not an arbitrary but rather an internally coherent construct. Its central dogmas sustain significant political and class interests. Indeed, The Holocaust has proven to be an indispensable ideological weapon. Through its deployment, one of the world's most formidable military powers, with a horrendous human rights record, has cast itself as a 'victim' state, and the most successful ethnic group in the United States has likewise acquired victim status. Considerable dividends accrue from this specious victimhood - in particular, immunity to criticism, however justified." (p 3)
Later in his book, Finkelstein demolishes the dogma that The Holocaust "marks a categorically unique historical event." (pp 41-6)
He then asserts that "the claims of Holocaust uniqueness have come to constitute a form of 'intellectual terrorism' (Chaumont)," adding, "Those practicing the normal comparative procedures of scholarly inquiry must first enter a thousand and one caveats to ward off the accusation of 'trivializing The Holocaust'." (p 47)
I can think of no better example of this kind of intellectual terrorism than the following mea maxima culpa recounted in former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer's book, Briefing: Politics, the Press, and the President (2018). Smell the fear, feel the terror:
"I've had many roles as a communication director or press secretary in my career, and I have helped countless candidates, party officials, and elected officials undergo media training. Media training [is] basically teaching people how to prepare for an interview, especially on camera... And there are some basic rules. If you're preparing for an in-studio interview, you look at the interviewer, not the camera; if your interview is in a remote studio, you look directly at the camera. Don't move your hands too much. Don't repeat a question. Don't validate a premise with which you disagree. And the number one rule I gave every Republican was don't ever, ever... compare anything or anyone to Hitler or the Holocaust. Ever.
"I can't tell you how many times I've repeated these rules to everyone from candidates to state party chairmen. But on April 11, 2017, I violated my number one rule, setting off another controversy from the White House podium.
"Earlier, I had been part of a small, impromptu briefing in the dining room off the Oval Office where Secretary Mattis had explained to the president the degree of the current atrocities committed by Syria's leader, Bashar al-Assad. He noted that not even Adolf Hitler had dared to use chemical weapons on the battlefield (note the word 'battlefield'). I left the meeting wanting to make sure that the horror of Assad's actions was fully communicated. I wanted everyone to understand just how evil Assad is and why the president had acted so swiftly.
"When I went into the briefing room to begin the daily briefing, echoes of Mattis's words were still with me... I opened up the briefing for questions. Eleven of the first fifteen questions focused on Syria. The video showing the pain and suffering of the Syrian people that had gone viral was clearly on the minds of the reporters. I was doing well, talking about the president's reaction and concern. But then came the sixteenth question. 'The alliance between Russia and Syria is a strong one; it goes back decades. President Putin has supplied personnel. He's supplied military equipment to the Assad government. What makes you think that at this point he's going to pull back in his support for President Assad and for the Syrian government right now?'
"I thought to myself, 'I got this.' I had been in a groove expressing the president's concern and Assad's horrific actions. But instead of staying on the messages that had been working just fine, I tried to turn it up a notch: 'I think a couple of things. You look - we didn't use chemical weapons in World War II. You had someone as despicable as Hitler who didn't even sink to using chemical weapons. So, you have to, if you're Russia, ask yourself is this a country that you and a regime you want to align yourself with? You have previously signed on to international agreements rightfully acknowledging that the use of chemical weapons should be out of bounds by every country. To not stand up to not only Assad, but your own word, should be troubling. Russia put their name on the line. So, it's not a question of how long that alliance has lasted, but at what point do they recognize that they are now getting on the wrong side of history in a really bad way really quickly. And again, look at the countries that are standing with them: Iran, Syria, North Korea. This is not a team you want to be on. And I think that Russia has to recognize that while they may have had an alliance with them, that the lines that have been crossed are one that no country should ever want to see another country cross.
"That was it - like the previous eleven questions on the subject, I thought I had sufficiently described the outrage we had toward both Assad and Russia. The questions in the briefing room are asked at the speed of light. I would answer one question while anticipating the next one. In my mind, I thought I had answered the question, but clearly what had come out of my mouth was not the full explanation that I had envisioned saying. I kept going, oblivious to the damage I had done.
"The next question was about the president's tax returns. Then came a question about the Easter Egg Roll. My corny response about it being 'egg-cellent' evoked laughter from the briefing room. That was followed by a question on the White House visitor logs. After that, more questions focused on Syria and North Korea, and a question was asked about taxes and infrastructure. At this point, I thought, I was doing great. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary because of the pace and intensity of the briefings.
"Then I called on ABC News's Cecilia Vega. 'Sean, thanks, I just want to give you an opportunity to clarify something you said that seems to be gaining some traction right now.' What now? Then she started reading from her phone. 'Hitler didn't even sink to the level of using chemical weapons.' What did you mean by that?' What? Frantically, I'm thinking, 'What did I do?' I responded, 'I think you come to sarin gas, there was no - he was not using the gas on his own people the same way Assad is doing, I mean, there was clearly - I understand your point, thank you.' She said, 'I'm just getting - ' but I cut her off and stepped in deeper and deeper. 'Thank you, I appreciate that,' I said. 'There was not - he brought them into the Holocaust center, I understand that. But I'm saying in the way that Assad used them, where he went into towns, dropped them down to innocent - into the middle of towns. It was brought - so the use of it - I appreciate the clarification there. That was not the intent.' What had I done. Holocaust centers? And I didn't realize until later that I had inadvertently omitted Mattis's important phrase 'on the battlefield.' Hitler, of course, had used chemical weapons to murder Jews and other victims during the Holocaust.
"I read the body language of not only the reporters but also my own staffers along the side of the room. I was beginning to realize I had misspoken badly... In the heat of the moment, I still hadn't realized what I had said wrong. I was so fully focused on condemning Assad that I failed to see how badly I had stumbled by omitting that phrase, 'on the battlefield.' By this point, I was feeling flustered, still not fully understanding what had just happened. My remarks were not quite right, I had the alarming sense that I was digging myself into a deeper hole with each word. This may have been the lowest moment I had in the White House. I alone had fumbled; no one else had made me do it. The irony is that this was a question that I had been waiting for, that I had been prepared to answer. And I had been given two chances to clarify the record.
"After the briefing, I went to my staff. I knew it was bad, but I still asked, how deep am I? Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Natalie Strom, and Raj Shah give me a look that said, 'Deeper than the Titanic.' Then I noticed the calendar on my computer. It read, 'First day of Passover.'
"Reince came into my office. 'Remember the first thing you taught me in media training?' he asked. 'Yes,' I said sheepishly. Never compare anyone to Hitler. I made a mistake, a big one, and I needed to say so.
"I went to the Oval Office to see the president. 'Mr President, I need you to know that I just stepped in it really badly, and I screwed up.' 'I saw it. But I know what you meant, Sean. It's going to be okay.' 'Thank you, sir, but I think I've embarrassed you and the administration and insulted the Jewish people. I need to make it right.' 'Look, Sean, you screwed up, but I know what you meant. You clearly didn't mean... ' He trailed off. When he spoke again, his tone was gentle. At a moment when I felt my worst, he tried to reassure me and was gracious, caring, and forgiving. Finally, he said, 'Do what you think is right.' I felt like I had a fever that was going to get worse before it broke. And despite the president's support, I was again wondering if this was my last day at the White House.
"I asked Natalie, who is Jewish, how the story was playing. Natalie is as loyal as they come, but she had to confess it was getting much worse. Many people echoed the president, telling me they knew what I meant,' but millions of other people did not and were deeply offended. In this moment, I knew I had three choices: one, do nothing and hope that it blew over; two, look for a friendly interviewer or reporter and try to put my spin on the story; or three, find the most challenging interviewer I could, own the mistake, and ask for forgiveness. I chose number three.
"I asked my team to check which news shows I could get on ASAP. They came back with several options, including appearing on CNN with Wolf Blitzer... I knew from the outset that it wouldn't be an easy interview. Wolf always asks tough questions. And he is the son of two Holocaust survivors. 'I was absolutely trying to make a point about the heinous acts that Assad had made against his own people last week, using chemical weapons and gas,' I told Wolf. 'Frankly, I mistakenly used an inappropriate and insensitive reference to the Holocaust, for which, frankly, there is no comparison. And for that I apologize.'... Wolf kept boring down on me. Wasn't I aware that in addition to the Jews, others had been victims of Hitler's poison-gas chambers? Of course, I told him. 'Have you spoken to President Trump about your blunder today?' Wolf asked. 'Obviously, it was my blunder,' I said. To think that I had offended people - especially those whose families had been victims of the Holocaust - twisted my stomach in a way I had never felt before and hope to never feel again. I had created this mess. I had embarrassed myself, my team, and the president.
"House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, other Democrats, and even a Republican congressman from Colorado were soon calling for my resignation.
"That evening, I was as down as I ever was. Some people can shrug off bad moments, but I have a hard time forgiving myself when I make a mistake, especially when I hurt others. It grates on me. Fortunately, Rebecca and the kids were waiting for me at home, and that made all the difference." (pp 195-200)
Thursday, December 27, 2018
The Zionisation of America 2
In addition to US state legislatures doing their bit to protect Israel from free speech, Congress has also been getting in on the act:
You will hopefully remember Greenwald's 2017 piece* on the AIPAC-inspired Israel Boycott Act (S. 720), "introduced by Democratic Sen. Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, that would criminalize participation in any international boycott of Israel. After the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued a statement vehemently condemning Cardin's bill as an attack on core free speech rights, one which 'would punish individuals for no reason other than their political beliefs,' numerous senators announced that they were re-considering their support." (School contractor in Texas denied work over pro-Israel loyalty oath)
Greenwald updates us here on Cardin's latest move:
"But now... a modified version of the bill is back and pending in the lame-duck session: 'Cardin is making a behind-the-scenes push to slip an anti-boycott law into a last-minute spending bill being finalized during the lame-duck session.' The ACLU has also condemned this latest bill because 'its intent and the intent of the underlying state laws it purports to uphold are contrary to the spirit and letter of the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech and association.'... While that 'new version clarifies that people cannot face jail time for participating in a boycott,' the ACLU insists that it still leaves the door open for criminal financial penalties' for anyone found to be participating in or even advocating for a boycott of Israel." (ibid)
Watch this space...
[*For the gruesome details, see my 23/7/17 post First They Came for the Palestinians. See also my 10/7/18 post Ziofascist Legislation Creep in the US.]
You will hopefully remember Greenwald's 2017 piece* on the AIPAC-inspired Israel Boycott Act (S. 720), "introduced by Democratic Sen. Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, that would criminalize participation in any international boycott of Israel. After the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued a statement vehemently condemning Cardin's bill as an attack on core free speech rights, one which 'would punish individuals for no reason other than their political beliefs,' numerous senators announced that they were re-considering their support." (School contractor in Texas denied work over pro-Israel loyalty oath)
Greenwald updates us here on Cardin's latest move:
"But now... a modified version of the bill is back and pending in the lame-duck session: 'Cardin is making a behind-the-scenes push to slip an anti-boycott law into a last-minute spending bill being finalized during the lame-duck session.' The ACLU has also condemned this latest bill because 'its intent and the intent of the underlying state laws it purports to uphold are contrary to the spirit and letter of the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech and association.'... While that 'new version clarifies that people cannot face jail time for participating in a boycott,' the ACLU insists that it still leaves the door open for criminal financial penalties' for anyone found to be participating in or even advocating for a boycott of Israel." (ibid)
Watch this space...
[*For the gruesome details, see my 23/7/17 post First They Came for the Palestinians. See also my 10/7/18 post Ziofascist Legislation Creep in the US.]
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
The Zionisation of America 1
From 'the world's greatest democracy', aka the 'Home of the brave' and 'Land of the free', further evidence of the rapid advance of that most insidious phenomenon, the Zionisation of America:
"A children's speech pathologist [Bahia Amawi] who has worked for the last nine years with developmentally disabled, autistic, and speech-impaired elementary school students in Austin, Texas, has been told that she can no longer work with the public school district, after she refused to sign an oath vowing that she 'does not' and 'will not' engage in a boycott of Israel or 'otherwise tak[e] any action that is intended to inflict economic harm' on that foreign nation. A lawsuit on her behalf was filed early Monday morning in a federal court... alleging a violation of her First Amendment right of free speech." (School contractor in Texas denied work over pro-Israel loyalty oath, Glenn Greenwald, theintercept.com, 17/12/18)
"The anti-BDS Israel oath was included in Amawi's contract papers due to an Israel-specific state law enacted on May 2, 2017, by the Texas State Legislature... The bill [authored by an evangelical Republican rep.] unanimously passed the lower House by a vote of 131-0, and then the Senate by a vote of 25-4." (ibid)
"At the time that Texas enacted the law barring contractors from supporting a boycott of Israel, it was the 17th state in the country to do so. As of now, 26 states have enacted such laws - including blue states run by Democrats such as New York, California, and New Jersey - while similar bills are pending in another 13 states." (ibid)
You won't, of course, have heard about this outrage from any branch of the Australian corporate media.
And don't dare think it can't happen here. Remember how the shit hit the fan when Sydney's Marrickville Council bravely adopted a pro-BDS position in 2011?
I'll leave you with Greenwald's assessment to ponder:
"Put simply, it is impossible to be a credible, effective, genuine advocate of free speech and free discourse without objecting to the organized, orchestrated, sustained onslaught of attacks on the free speech and free association rights undertaken specifically to protect the Israeli government from criticism and activism. Self-professed free speech defenders who only invoke that principle when their political allies are targeted are, by definition, charlatans and frauds. Genuine free speech advocates object to censorship even when, arguably especially when, the free speech rights of their political adversaries are assaulted."
"A children's speech pathologist [Bahia Amawi] who has worked for the last nine years with developmentally disabled, autistic, and speech-impaired elementary school students in Austin, Texas, has been told that she can no longer work with the public school district, after she refused to sign an oath vowing that she 'does not' and 'will not' engage in a boycott of Israel or 'otherwise tak[e] any action that is intended to inflict economic harm' on that foreign nation. A lawsuit on her behalf was filed early Monday morning in a federal court... alleging a violation of her First Amendment right of free speech." (School contractor in Texas denied work over pro-Israel loyalty oath, Glenn Greenwald, theintercept.com, 17/12/18)
"The anti-BDS Israel oath was included in Amawi's contract papers due to an Israel-specific state law enacted on May 2, 2017, by the Texas State Legislature... The bill [authored by an evangelical Republican rep.] unanimously passed the lower House by a vote of 131-0, and then the Senate by a vote of 25-4." (ibid)
"At the time that Texas enacted the law barring contractors from supporting a boycott of Israel, it was the 17th state in the country to do so. As of now, 26 states have enacted such laws - including blue states run by Democrats such as New York, California, and New Jersey - while similar bills are pending in another 13 states." (ibid)
You won't, of course, have heard about this outrage from any branch of the Australian corporate media.
And don't dare think it can't happen here. Remember how the shit hit the fan when Sydney's Marrickville Council bravely adopted a pro-BDS position in 2011?
I'll leave you with Greenwald's assessment to ponder:
"Put simply, it is impossible to be a credible, effective, genuine advocate of free speech and free discourse without objecting to the organized, orchestrated, sustained onslaught of attacks on the free speech and free association rights undertaken specifically to protect the Israeli government from criticism and activism. Self-professed free speech defenders who only invoke that principle when their political allies are targeted are, by definition, charlatans and frauds. Genuine free speech advocates object to censorship even when, arguably especially when, the free speech rights of their political adversaries are assaulted."
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
You Read What You Are
"The PM's holiday reading includes former Canadian PM Stephen Harper's Right Here, Right Now... " (Our pollies brought to book over summer, Troy Bramston, The Australian, 11/12/18)
Stephen Harper, eh? No surprises there:
"[O]ne of Harper's most polarizing foreign policy causes has been Israel. As Israel has grown increasingly isolated due to its treatment of the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories - as well as building illegal settlements on this land - the Harper government has become one of the country's most zealous supporters.
"Since Harper became prime minister [2006], Israel has invaded Lebanon - killing up to 1,125 Lebanese (as compared to 159 Israelis) and launched two invasions of the Gaza Strip, the first in 2008-09 that led to 1,434 Palestinian casualties (as compared to 13 Israelis) and then last year, leading to 2,139 Palestinian deaths and 11,000 wounded (as compared to 73 Israeli deaths and 556 wounded). In 2010, when six Turkish ships set sail for Gaza to deliver 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to relieve Israel's blockade, Israeli commandos stormed the boats in international waters and killed 10 activists. Despite international condemnation over what was seen as Israel's overkill in these instances, the Harper government has consistently rushed to Israel's defense and been quick to brand Palestinians and their organizations as 'terrorists.'...
"Harper has a close affinity with the current government of Israel, led by the hard-liner Benjamin Netanyahu, although Netanyahu's party won only 23% of the vote in the most recent election. Moreover, during that campaign, Netanyahu pledged to never negotiate a two-state solution with the Palestinians and made thinly racist comments on the eve of the vote, saying 'Arab voters are heading to the polling stations in droves' as a warning to voters to back his Likud party. In fact, Canada has sided with Israel to thwart Palestinians' efforts to have their own state: in 2012, Canada was the only one of nine countries in the UN that voted against Palestinians achieving statehood. Since 2007, it has cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority, voted against all UN resolutions recognizing the rights of Palestinians and complained bitterly when Palestine was admitted as a full member state to UNESCO.
"Not surprisingly, Harper's foreign policy has alienated Canada's Arab and Muslim communities... In 2009, the federal government cut its $1-million annual funding for the Canadian Arab Federation (CAF) due to the organization's criticism's of Israel... And then there is Harper's decision to send fighter jets to Iraq to do battle with ISIS, costing $360-million this year... " (Is Harper Canada's worst prime minister?, Bruce Livesey, nationalobserver.com, 7/6/15)
That was 2015. Lately, Harper has begun to display signs of the dreaded Jerusalem Syndrome:
"The intersection of populism and trade may be Harper's second-favourite subject on the speaking circuit after Israel. His sharpest post-political advocacy is for the Jewish state, after steadfast rhetorical support during his time in government. Maclean's counts at least 10 Israel-related speaking engagements or events Harper has attended since leaving office [in 2015]... plus a private event at the mansion of pro-Israel casino magnate Sheldon Adelson for the Republican Jewish Coalition while still MP in 2016. Harper has become director of the Friends of Israel Initiative, a group of former political leaders [inc. Howard and Downer!] - and it was through that group that he co-signed a full-page ad in the New York Times praising Trump's pulling out of the Iran nuclear accord, which Israel hotly advocated but Canada's current government didn't.
"'He's a man of principles and he's not going to let political exigencies affect his standing for what he believes is right, even if not popular,' says Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, head of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. When that charity [LOL] held its first gala, at Trump's glitzy Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, it hoped to book Nikki Haley, Trump's UN ambassador, Eckstein recalls. When she was unavailable, his board opted for Harper. According to a speech transcript provided by the charity, Harper... ripped into anti-Semitism on campuses, Iran's threat to Israel, how he would declare Jerusalem the state's capital if he were prime minister, and why unequivocal support of Israel is 'plainly and simply the right thing to do'." (What on earth is Stephen Harper up to? Jason Markusoff, macleans.ca, 12/7/18)
Stephen Harper, eh? No surprises there:
"[O]ne of Harper's most polarizing foreign policy causes has been Israel. As Israel has grown increasingly isolated due to its treatment of the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories - as well as building illegal settlements on this land - the Harper government has become one of the country's most zealous supporters.
"Since Harper became prime minister [2006], Israel has invaded Lebanon - killing up to 1,125 Lebanese (as compared to 159 Israelis) and launched two invasions of the Gaza Strip, the first in 2008-09 that led to 1,434 Palestinian casualties (as compared to 13 Israelis) and then last year, leading to 2,139 Palestinian deaths and 11,000 wounded (as compared to 73 Israeli deaths and 556 wounded). In 2010, when six Turkish ships set sail for Gaza to deliver 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to relieve Israel's blockade, Israeli commandos stormed the boats in international waters and killed 10 activists. Despite international condemnation over what was seen as Israel's overkill in these instances, the Harper government has consistently rushed to Israel's defense and been quick to brand Palestinians and their organizations as 'terrorists.'...
"Harper has a close affinity with the current government of Israel, led by the hard-liner Benjamin Netanyahu, although Netanyahu's party won only 23% of the vote in the most recent election. Moreover, during that campaign, Netanyahu pledged to never negotiate a two-state solution with the Palestinians and made thinly racist comments on the eve of the vote, saying 'Arab voters are heading to the polling stations in droves' as a warning to voters to back his Likud party. In fact, Canada has sided with Israel to thwart Palestinians' efforts to have their own state: in 2012, Canada was the only one of nine countries in the UN that voted against Palestinians achieving statehood. Since 2007, it has cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority, voted against all UN resolutions recognizing the rights of Palestinians and complained bitterly when Palestine was admitted as a full member state to UNESCO.
"Not surprisingly, Harper's foreign policy has alienated Canada's Arab and Muslim communities... In 2009, the federal government cut its $1-million annual funding for the Canadian Arab Federation (CAF) due to the organization's criticism's of Israel... And then there is Harper's decision to send fighter jets to Iraq to do battle with ISIS, costing $360-million this year... " (Is Harper Canada's worst prime minister?, Bruce Livesey, nationalobserver.com, 7/6/15)
That was 2015. Lately, Harper has begun to display signs of the dreaded Jerusalem Syndrome:
"The intersection of populism and trade may be Harper's second-favourite subject on the speaking circuit after Israel. His sharpest post-political advocacy is for the Jewish state, after steadfast rhetorical support during his time in government. Maclean's counts at least 10 Israel-related speaking engagements or events Harper has attended since leaving office [in 2015]... plus a private event at the mansion of pro-Israel casino magnate Sheldon Adelson for the Republican Jewish Coalition while still MP in 2016. Harper has become director of the Friends of Israel Initiative, a group of former political leaders [inc. Howard and Downer!] - and it was through that group that he co-signed a full-page ad in the New York Times praising Trump's pulling out of the Iran nuclear accord, which Israel hotly advocated but Canada's current government didn't.
"'He's a man of principles and he's not going to let political exigencies affect his standing for what he believes is right, even if not popular,' says Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, head of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. When that charity [LOL] held its first gala, at Trump's glitzy Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, it hoped to book Nikki Haley, Trump's UN ambassador, Eckstein recalls. When she was unavailable, his board opted for Harper. According to a speech transcript provided by the charity, Harper... ripped into anti-Semitism on campuses, Iran's threat to Israel, how he would declare Jerusalem the state's capital if he were prime minister, and why unequivocal support of Israel is 'plainly and simply the right thing to do'." (What on earth is Stephen Harper up to? Jason Markusoff, macleans.ca, 12/7/18)
Sunday, December 23, 2018
US Coalition 'Cure' Worse than IS Disease
So Trump is at last pulling US forces out of Syria. In my view, the sooner the US gets out of Syria, not to mention the entire Middle East - and stays out - the better.
If you want to know why, read the following chilling news report - keeping in mind, as you read, that it was the US invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003 that unleashed Islamic State, first on Iraq, then on Syria:
"An Amnesty International report last June said [Raqqa's] civilian casualty figures admitted by the US-led coalition were grossly under-representative. Before that report, the coalition suggested only 23 Syrian civilians had died in its campaign in Raqqa, which destroyed nearly 80% of the city. Britain's Ministry of Defence consistently and incredibly claimed it had no evidence of civilian casualties caused by the 275 British airstrikes in Raqqa or to more than 750 in Mosul, Iraq... 'At least the Americans admit to having caused civilian casualties,' Airwars director Chris Woods said yesterday. 'Britain, like Russia, France, Australia, Belgium and the Dutch, claim their bombs only kill bad people, which is ridiculous'.
"The operation by the Syrian recovery teams [of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces] suggests Amnesty and Airwars are accurate in their assessment of civilian casualties. Data shared with The Times, which was up to date on December 11, said teams had recovered 3280 corpses since work began in January. This included the bodies of 604 children younger than 16; 538 adult civilian women; 1251 civilian men; and 792 fighters. In 95 cases, it was not possible to identify age or sex. Thousands of civilians were wounded during the operation, in which US forces fired more than 30,000 artillery shells into the city as well as airstrikes by jets from Britain, Australia and France. American units fired more artillery into Raqqa than into any other city since the Vietnam War...
"Hannan Mukhlaf, 27, lost two brothers, two sisters, two sisters-in-law and their five children in a coalition airstrike on her family's home in August last year... 'Islamic State were cruel to all but the coalition used airstrikes against us as if we were animals. If just one person in the West was killed in such a way, everybody would be talking about it. But thousands of us died like this here - bombed like we were animals'. The grim work of recovering bodies goes on." (Raqqa's dead tell a haunting tale of coalition civilian casualties by the thousands, Anthony Lloyd, The Times/The Australian, 21/12/18)
The fact is that the US is directly responsible both for inflicting the IS contagion on Syria, and for inflicting on its hapless Syrian victims an aerial and artillery bombardment infinitely worse than the disease itself.
Typically, there are those who either don't get it or don't care. One such is Australia's prime minister. Fresh from his Jerusalem debacle:
"Scott Morrison has vowed to stay the course in the war against terrorism in the Middle East, warning that 'we cannot be complacent' about the threat of a resurgence of Islamic State, a day after Donald Trump withdrew US troops from Syria and amid reports he is planning to draw down forces in Afghanistan." (PM's vow on terror alliance, Paul Maley/ Cameron Stewart, The Australian, 22/12/18)
Apparently, this stems from the dogma that we must "deny terrorist organisations safe havens in which to plan and export terror attacks across the globe, including the Indo-Pacific." (ibid)
Whenever you hear this kind of simple-minded rhetoric about "denying terrorist organisations safe havens," please remember the fate of the thousands of mangled and maimed civilians in Raqqa and Mosul.
If you want to know why, read the following chilling news report - keeping in mind, as you read, that it was the US invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003 that unleashed Islamic State, first on Iraq, then on Syria:
"An Amnesty International report last June said [Raqqa's] civilian casualty figures admitted by the US-led coalition were grossly under-representative. Before that report, the coalition suggested only 23 Syrian civilians had died in its campaign in Raqqa, which destroyed nearly 80% of the city. Britain's Ministry of Defence consistently and incredibly claimed it had no evidence of civilian casualties caused by the 275 British airstrikes in Raqqa or to more than 750 in Mosul, Iraq... 'At least the Americans admit to having caused civilian casualties,' Airwars director Chris Woods said yesterday. 'Britain, like Russia, France, Australia, Belgium and the Dutch, claim their bombs only kill bad people, which is ridiculous'.
"The operation by the Syrian recovery teams [of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces] suggests Amnesty and Airwars are accurate in their assessment of civilian casualties. Data shared with The Times, which was up to date on December 11, said teams had recovered 3280 corpses since work began in January. This included the bodies of 604 children younger than 16; 538 adult civilian women; 1251 civilian men; and 792 fighters. In 95 cases, it was not possible to identify age or sex. Thousands of civilians were wounded during the operation, in which US forces fired more than 30,000 artillery shells into the city as well as airstrikes by jets from Britain, Australia and France. American units fired more artillery into Raqqa than into any other city since the Vietnam War...
"Hannan Mukhlaf, 27, lost two brothers, two sisters, two sisters-in-law and their five children in a coalition airstrike on her family's home in August last year... 'Islamic State were cruel to all but the coalition used airstrikes against us as if we were animals. If just one person in the West was killed in such a way, everybody would be talking about it. But thousands of us died like this here - bombed like we were animals'. The grim work of recovering bodies goes on." (Raqqa's dead tell a haunting tale of coalition civilian casualties by the thousands, Anthony Lloyd, The Times/The Australian, 21/12/18)
The fact is that the US is directly responsible both for inflicting the IS contagion on Syria, and for inflicting on its hapless Syrian victims an aerial and artillery bombardment infinitely worse than the disease itself.
Typically, there are those who either don't get it or don't care. One such is Australia's prime minister. Fresh from his Jerusalem debacle:
"Scott Morrison has vowed to stay the course in the war against terrorism in the Middle East, warning that 'we cannot be complacent' about the threat of a resurgence of Islamic State, a day after Donald Trump withdrew US troops from Syria and amid reports he is planning to draw down forces in Afghanistan." (PM's vow on terror alliance, Paul Maley/ Cameron Stewart, The Australian, 22/12/18)
Apparently, this stems from the dogma that we must "deny terrorist organisations safe havens in which to plan and export terror attacks across the globe, including the Indo-Pacific." (ibid)
Whenever you hear this kind of simple-minded rhetoric about "denying terrorist organisations safe havens," please remember the fate of the thousands of mangled and maimed civilians in Raqqa and Mosul.
Friday, December 21, 2018
Zionists Put Shorten on Notice
If, as I suspect, federal Labor leader Bill Shorten will simply ignore his party's 2018 National Conference call "to recognise Palestine as a state," will he at least have the fortitude to resist Zionist threats such as this?:
"The Zionist Federation of Australia has written to Bill Shorten and opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong to express concerns about the party's position after they confirmed Labor would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital only in the final stages of of a two-state solution... In the ZFA letter, obtained by The Australian, president Jeremy Leibler seeks clarification of Labor's position after Australia became one of the few countries to formally recognise West Jerusalem as Israel's capital while pledging to recognise a future Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem. 'A move by a future Labor government to reverse such an important position would be considered a hostile act to Australia's strongest ally in the Middle East,' Mr Leibler writes. 'Should Labor form government, we... urge the ALP not to reverse the decision to recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel'. Senator Wong has tweeted that Labor did not 'support unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and in government would reverse this decision'." (Labor warned against undoing Israel move, Rosie Lewis, 17/12/18)
Watch this space...
"The Zionist Federation of Australia has written to Bill Shorten and opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong to express concerns about the party's position after they confirmed Labor would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital only in the final stages of of a two-state solution... In the ZFA letter, obtained by The Australian, president Jeremy Leibler seeks clarification of Labor's position after Australia became one of the few countries to formally recognise West Jerusalem as Israel's capital while pledging to recognise a future Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem. 'A move by a future Labor government to reverse such an important position would be considered a hostile act to Australia's strongest ally in the Middle East,' Mr Leibler writes. 'Should Labor form government, we... urge the ALP not to reverse the decision to recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel'. Senator Wong has tweeted that Labor did not 'support unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and in government would reverse this decision'." (Labor warned against undoing Israel move, Rosie Lewis, 17/12/18)
Watch this space...
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Two (State) Cheers for the ALP
Wring what joy you will out of this resolution of the Australian Labor Party's 2018 national conference on Palestine:
1 Notes previous resolutions on Israel/Palestine carried at the 2015 ALP National Conference and the 2016 NSW Labor Annual conference,
2 Supports the recognition and right of Israel and Palestine to exist as two states with secure and recognised borders,
3 Calls on the next Labor government to recognise Palestine as a state, and
4 Expects that this issue will be an important priority for the next Labor Government.
But please remember that:
a) Israel is an apartheid state - from the River to the Sea - and, like apartheid South Africa before it, has no "right" to exist as such.
b) The two-state solution has long since passed its use-by date. (The ALP's resolution doesn't even refer to the 1967 borders.)
c) Israel is firmly in the grip of Greater Israel fanatics for whom a Palestinian state, however small and compromised, is simply anathema.
d) The recognition of even a hopelessly compromised, rump Palestine depends ultimately on Labor leader Bill Shorten, AIJAC's Rambam Fellow of 2005 and a protege of the late Zionist cardboard king, Dick Pratt (a convicted price-fixer and generous donor to LibLab and assorted Israeli 'charities'). Shorten has been aptly described by Bob Carr as "umbilically attached to the cause of Israel." I need only quote here the assessment of that other umbilically-attached-to-Israel gentleman, Greg Sheridan, writing in today's Australian: "On foreign policy, the genius of the federal ALP conference is that it has not transgressed the authority of a Shorten Labor government to function properly." (Conference sidestep leaves leaders free to govern, 20/12/18)
1 Notes previous resolutions on Israel/Palestine carried at the 2015 ALP National Conference and the 2016 NSW Labor Annual conference,
2 Supports the recognition and right of Israel and Palestine to exist as two states with secure and recognised borders,
3 Calls on the next Labor government to recognise Palestine as a state, and
4 Expects that this issue will be an important priority for the next Labor Government.
But please remember that:
a) Israel is an apartheid state - from the River to the Sea - and, like apartheid South Africa before it, has no "right" to exist as such.
b) The two-state solution has long since passed its use-by date. (The ALP's resolution doesn't even refer to the 1967 borders.)
c) Israel is firmly in the grip of Greater Israel fanatics for whom a Palestinian state, however small and compromised, is simply anathema.
d) The recognition of even a hopelessly compromised, rump Palestine depends ultimately on Labor leader Bill Shorten, AIJAC's Rambam Fellow of 2005 and a protege of the late Zionist cardboard king, Dick Pratt (a convicted price-fixer and generous donor to LibLab and assorted Israeli 'charities'). Shorten has been aptly described by Bob Carr as "umbilically attached to the cause of Israel." I need only quote here the assessment of that other umbilically-attached-to-Israel gentleman, Greg Sheridan, writing in today's Australian: "On foreign policy, the genius of the federal ALP conference is that it has not transgressed the authority of a Shorten Labor government to function properly." (Conference sidestep leaves leaders free to govern, 20/12/18)
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Jerusalem Syndrome
Denis Michael Rohan (1941-1995)
Scott Morrison (1968 -):
Denis was an Australian.
Scott is an Australian.
Denis set fire to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque on 21 August 1969.
Scott recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital on 15 December 2018. (Let's not beat around the bush here: Morrison's blather about "acknowledging the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a future state with its capital in East Jerusalem" is mere face-saving verbiage.)
Denis was a member of the California-based sect the Church of God.
Scott is a member of the Australian branch of the Montana-based Assemblies of God.
Denis was big on the Old Testament.
Scott quoted the Old Testament in his maiden speech.
Denis was stark, staring mad.
Scott is...
Scott Morrison (1968 -):
Denis was an Australian.
Scott is an Australian.
Denis set fire to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque on 21 August 1969.
Scott recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital on 15 December 2018. (Let's not beat around the bush here: Morrison's blather about "acknowledging the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a future state with its capital in East Jerusalem" is mere face-saving verbiage.)
Denis was a member of the California-based sect the Church of God.
Scott is a member of the Australian branch of the Montana-based Assemblies of God.
Denis was big on the Old Testament.
Scott quoted the Old Testament in his maiden speech.
Denis was stark, staring mad.
Scott is...
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Some Gems from Morrison's 'Address to the Sydney Institute'
The complete text may be accessed at pm.gov.au, 15/12/18:
Look at this sentence from Morrison's lengthy (and thoroughly USraeli) tirade against the UN General Assembly and tell me what it means:
"We won't turn a blind eye to an anti-Semitic agenda masquerading as defence of human rights as a nation like Australia."
Here he plays the Doc Evatt card (without of course mentioning the former Labor foreign minister's name):
"We proudly recall that it was Australia that chaired the Committee that recommended to the UN General Assembly the creation of the state of Israel and then voted in favour of the partition of Mandate Palestine."
To begin with, Evatt's Committee (UNSCOP) didn't recommend "the creation of the state of Israel." It recommended that Palestine be divided into Jewish and an Arab states. And there was no implication that the said Jewish state was anything other than those parts of Palestine where Jewish settlers had congregated. In fact there were almost as many Arabs living in the proposed 'Jewish' state as there were Jews - with no implication, of course, that they would be ethnically cleansed, as indeed they were the following year.
And another thing: to the extent that Evatt involved Australia in recommending that Palestine be partitioned over the heads of its people, we were complicit in depriving the Palestinian Arab majority of its right to national self-determination, in violation of the UN Charter, and in setting the scene for Zionist terror gangs to create the Palestinian refugee problem, still unresolved to this day.
Speaking of which refugee problem:
"And we continue donations to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East of $41 million in 2017-19."
Which begs the question: why is Morrison touting this as some kind of virtue when, in fact, thanks to Evatt, Australia was complicit in creating the very Palestinian refugee problem which UNRWA was set up to deal with?
"Though a two state solution remains the only viable way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, the obstacles, we must admit, to achieving such a solution are becoming insurmountable."
And they are? Morrison shies away from telling us. Elsewhere in his speech, however, we find this clue: "[Israeli] settlements undermine peace - and contribute to the stalemate we now see." But, hey, you wouldn't expect a rapture-ready fool to see, let alone forthrightly state, the bleeding obvious, would you?
Now here's a curious thing. For Morrison, while the General Assembly is a seething hotbed of anti-Semitic bullies, the Security Council (with its trusty US veto!) is quite another matter:
"I also required that their [ie, departmental secretaries from Prime Minister and Cabinet, Foreign Affairs and Trade, Defence and Home Affairs] deliberations respect Australia's obligations under international law and UN Security Council resolutions - two things that are fundamental, I think, to Australia's interests in in a rules-based order... respect for UN Security Council resolutions is a relevant factor for Australia that we can't put to one side as we consider our position on these issues. Now, Australia is subject to UN Security Council resolutions that apply to the Jerusalem issue, including Resolutions 478 and 2334."
Indeed, but is Morrison aware that Security Council resolution 478, adopted (14-0) in 1980 in response to Israel's illegal annexation of occupied East Jerusalem, included a call for "those states that have established diplomatic Missions in Jerusalem to withdraw such Missions from the Holy City"? And if so, does he really think that his ploy of a "Trade & Defence Office in West Jerusalem" passes muster as "respect" for a resolution containing these words?
As for resolution 2334 (2016), which condemned (14-0) Israeli settlements as a "flagrant violation" of international law, does he really expect his mealy-mouthed talk of "insurmountable obstacles" to a two state solution to fool anyone?
"At the end of the day, it all comes down to what you believe in."
Well, he's right there. Without doubt, Morrison is the most Zionist prime minister this country has ever had.
Look at this sentence from Morrison's lengthy (and thoroughly USraeli) tirade against the UN General Assembly and tell me what it means:
"We won't turn a blind eye to an anti-Semitic agenda masquerading as defence of human rights as a nation like Australia."
Here he plays the Doc Evatt card (without of course mentioning the former Labor foreign minister's name):
"We proudly recall that it was Australia that chaired the Committee that recommended to the UN General Assembly the creation of the state of Israel and then voted in favour of the partition of Mandate Palestine."
To begin with, Evatt's Committee (UNSCOP) didn't recommend "the creation of the state of Israel." It recommended that Palestine be divided into Jewish and an Arab states. And there was no implication that the said Jewish state was anything other than those parts of Palestine where Jewish settlers had congregated. In fact there were almost as many Arabs living in the proposed 'Jewish' state as there were Jews - with no implication, of course, that they would be ethnically cleansed, as indeed they were the following year.
And another thing: to the extent that Evatt involved Australia in recommending that Palestine be partitioned over the heads of its people, we were complicit in depriving the Palestinian Arab majority of its right to national self-determination, in violation of the UN Charter, and in setting the scene for Zionist terror gangs to create the Palestinian refugee problem, still unresolved to this day.
Speaking of which refugee problem:
"And we continue donations to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East of $41 million in 2017-19."
Which begs the question: why is Morrison touting this as some kind of virtue when, in fact, thanks to Evatt, Australia was complicit in creating the very Palestinian refugee problem which UNRWA was set up to deal with?
"Though a two state solution remains the only viable way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, the obstacles, we must admit, to achieving such a solution are becoming insurmountable."
And they are? Morrison shies away from telling us. Elsewhere in his speech, however, we find this clue: "[Israeli] settlements undermine peace - and contribute to the stalemate we now see." But, hey, you wouldn't expect a rapture-ready fool to see, let alone forthrightly state, the bleeding obvious, would you?
Now here's a curious thing. For Morrison, while the General Assembly is a seething hotbed of anti-Semitic bullies, the Security Council (with its trusty US veto!) is quite another matter:
"I also required that their [ie, departmental secretaries from Prime Minister and Cabinet, Foreign Affairs and Trade, Defence and Home Affairs] deliberations respect Australia's obligations under international law and UN Security Council resolutions - two things that are fundamental, I think, to Australia's interests in in a rules-based order... respect for UN Security Council resolutions is a relevant factor for Australia that we can't put to one side as we consider our position on these issues. Now, Australia is subject to UN Security Council resolutions that apply to the Jerusalem issue, including Resolutions 478 and 2334."
Indeed, but is Morrison aware that Security Council resolution 478, adopted (14-0) in 1980 in response to Israel's illegal annexation of occupied East Jerusalem, included a call for "those states that have established diplomatic Missions in Jerusalem to withdraw such Missions from the Holy City"? And if so, does he really think that his ploy of a "Trade & Defence Office in West Jerusalem" passes muster as "respect" for a resolution containing these words?
As for resolution 2334 (2016), which condemned (14-0) Israeli settlements as a "flagrant violation" of international law, does he really expect his mealy-mouthed talk of "insurmountable obstacles" to a two state solution to fool anyone?
"At the end of the day, it all comes down to what you believe in."
Well, he's right there. Without doubt, Morrison is the most Zionist prime minister this country has ever had.
Monday, December 17, 2018
The Making of Morrison
Some gems from Scott Morrison's maiden speech, 14/2/08:
"Growing up in a Christian home, I made a commitment to my faith at an early age... "
Indoctrinated from birth...
"My personal faith in Jesus Christ is not a political agenda... "
OK...
"In recent times it has become fashionable to negatively stereotype those who profess their Christian faith in public life as 'extreme' and to suggest that faith has no place in the political debate of this country."
Contradicts himself...
"This presents a significant challenge for those of us... who seek to follow the example of... Desmond Tutu... [This leader] stood for the immutable truths and principles of the Christian faith."
My goodness, is this the same Archbishop Tutu who wrote "I have been to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and I have witnessed the racially segregated roads and housing that reminded me so much of the conditions we experienced in South Africa under the racist system of apartheid"? (Divesting from injustice, huffingtonpost.com, 25/5/11)
And who praised the work of UC Berkeley BDS activists "in support of divesting the university's money from companies that enable and profit from the injustice of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and violation of Palestinian human rights"? (ibid)
And who pointed out that "these students are doing the right thing... the moral thing... which is incumbent on them as humans who believe that all people have dignity and rights, and that all those being denied their dignity and rights deserve the solidarity of their fellow human beings"? (ibid)
Mr Morrison, you're no Desmond Tutu.
"Growing up in a Christian home, I made a commitment to my faith at an early age... "
Indoctrinated from birth...
"My personal faith in Jesus Christ is not a political agenda... "
OK...
"In recent times it has become fashionable to negatively stereotype those who profess their Christian faith in public life as 'extreme' and to suggest that faith has no place in the political debate of this country."
Contradicts himself...
"This presents a significant challenge for those of us... who seek to follow the example of... Desmond Tutu... [This leader] stood for the immutable truths and principles of the Christian faith."
My goodness, is this the same Archbishop Tutu who wrote "I have been to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and I have witnessed the racially segregated roads and housing that reminded me so much of the conditions we experienced in South Africa under the racist system of apartheid"? (Divesting from injustice, huffingtonpost.com, 25/5/11)
And who praised the work of UC Berkeley BDS activists "in support of divesting the university's money from companies that enable and profit from the injustice of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and violation of Palestinian human rights"? (ibid)
And who pointed out that "these students are doing the right thing... the moral thing... which is incumbent on them as humans who believe that all people have dignity and rights, and that all those being denied their dignity and rights deserve the solidarity of their fellow human beings"? (ibid)
Mr Morrison, you're no Desmond Tutu.
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Don't Be Fooled
If we juxtapose the key words in Morrison's definitive speech on moving Australia's embassy to West Jerusalem, we can see that there is no parity between what he says about West Jerusalem and what he says about East Jerusalem.
When it comes to West Jerusalem, Morrison is all ACTION ("recognising West Jerusalem is the capital of Israel"), but when it comes to East Jerusalem mere WORDS suffice ("acknowledging the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a future state with its capital in East Jerusalem").
If Morrison were serious about East Jerusalem, he would have said: 'recognising East Jerusalem IS the capital of Palestine'.
Don't be fooled.
When it comes to West Jerusalem, Morrison is all ACTION ("recognising West Jerusalem is the capital of Israel"), but when it comes to East Jerusalem mere WORDS suffice ("acknowledging the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a future state with its capital in East Jerusalem").
If Morrison were serious about East Jerusalem, he would have said: 'recognising East Jerusalem IS the capital of Palestine'.
Don't be fooled.
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Pain in the Neck
There's a preliminary report - PM locks in shift to West Jerusalem (Simon Benson) - in today's Australian which quotes what Morrison will say later today when he announces his much-anticipated decision on relocating Australia's embassy to Jerusalem. In it I note these words in particular:
"The Australian government has expressed our strong concern over Israel's land appropriations, demolitions and settlement activity. The settlements undermine peace - and contribute to the stalemate we now see."
To sheet home to Israel the extent of his "strong concern" for "settlement activity," which "undermines peace," Morrison has therefore declared that:
"The Australian government has decided that Australia now recognises West Jerusalem, as the seat of the Knesset and many of the institutions of government, is the capital of Israel. And we look forward to moving our embassy to West Jerusalem when practical in support of, and after, final- status determination. We have decided to start work now to identify a suitable site for an Australian embassy in West Jerusalem." (ibid)
I'm sorry, readers, I can't proceed any further on this subject at this point in time. You see, I've badly twisted my neck trying to get my head around the above.
"The Australian government has expressed our strong concern over Israel's land appropriations, demolitions and settlement activity. The settlements undermine peace - and contribute to the stalemate we now see."
To sheet home to Israel the extent of his "strong concern" for "settlement activity," which "undermines peace," Morrison has therefore declared that:
"The Australian government has decided that Australia now recognises West Jerusalem, as the seat of the Knesset and many of the institutions of government, is the capital of Israel. And we look forward to moving our embassy to West Jerusalem when practical in support of, and after, final- status determination. We have decided to start work now to identify a suitable site for an Australian embassy in West Jerusalem." (ibid)
I'm sorry, readers, I can't proceed any further on this subject at this point in time. You see, I've badly twisted my neck trying to get my head around the above.
Something for a Religious Freedom Commissioner to Chew On?
Scott Morrison's proposed legislation to 'protect' freedom of religion has The Australian's editorialist scratching his head:
"How would the new religious freedom commissioner (who must also defend those of no faith) deal with an arrogant, Richard Dawkins-like assault on Christianity? Could a Shia Muslim haul a Sunni before a tribunal for 'conciliation'? Would Scientology or Falun Gong qualify as religions? If a critic faults Islamism on political grounds, could a radical make a complaint of religious discrimination? Would a court ruling that a witness in a niqab or burka show her face come under challenge?" (Scott Morrison's big ideas and the problem of detail, 14/12/18)
These, of course, are all just hypotheticals. And yet, there on the front page of the same edition, The Australian featured a matter anything but hypothetical:
"Sending her three children to Leibler Yavneh College at Elsternwick, in Melbourne's southeast, is a form of 'life insurance' for Zoe Goodhardt. But this is an insurance policy like no other. It is the guarantee Ms Goodhardt says that her family's Jewish faith and way of life can continue untrammelled. So it is no surprise as rising secularism clashes with the beliefs and values of traditional faiths that Ms Goodhardt, 32, has rushed to support Scott Morrison's pledge to protect religious freedom... 'I think that it's our right, and the right of the school, to cultivate a community at the school in line with their ethos and values,' Ms Goodhardt says... At Yavneh College, that community is based around the modern orthodox school's mission to adhere to Jewish law (Halacha), ethical behaviour (Derech Eretz) and Zionist ideals." (Keeping religion alive lies at heart of family's values, Brad Norrington, The Australian, 14/12/18)
Since Zionism is the ideological driving force behind the settler-colonial, apartheid state of Israel, could this not be grounds for a Palestinian complaint to a future 'religious freedom commissioner' that the school's Zionist focus is aimed at producing students who, in one way or another, could conceivably go on to aid and abet, or even become directly involved in, the violation of Palestinian rights?
And if you think this is a stretch, keep in mind that "Modern Orthodox Jews form the core of the religious Zionist settlement movement in Israel." (See 5 key takeaways... from new survey of US Modern Orthodox Jews, Ben Sales, The Times of Israel, 30/9/17)
How typical of Murdoch's Australian to instance "Islamism", while ignoring political Zionism, with its blatant conflation of religion and politics, even when (on this rare occasion) it makes it to the front page.
(On this matter of Palestine/Israel in court, readers might like to trawl through my posts Sixteen Angry Men 1 (25/9/10), Sixteen Angry Men 2 (28/9/10), and Sixteen Angry Men 3 (29/9/10). These are well worth a re-read.)
"How would the new religious freedom commissioner (who must also defend those of no faith) deal with an arrogant, Richard Dawkins-like assault on Christianity? Could a Shia Muslim haul a Sunni before a tribunal for 'conciliation'? Would Scientology or Falun Gong qualify as religions? If a critic faults Islamism on political grounds, could a radical make a complaint of religious discrimination? Would a court ruling that a witness in a niqab or burka show her face come under challenge?" (Scott Morrison's big ideas and the problem of detail, 14/12/18)
These, of course, are all just hypotheticals. And yet, there on the front page of the same edition, The Australian featured a matter anything but hypothetical:
"Sending her three children to Leibler Yavneh College at Elsternwick, in Melbourne's southeast, is a form of 'life insurance' for Zoe Goodhardt. But this is an insurance policy like no other. It is the guarantee Ms Goodhardt says that her family's Jewish faith and way of life can continue untrammelled. So it is no surprise as rising secularism clashes with the beliefs and values of traditional faiths that Ms Goodhardt, 32, has rushed to support Scott Morrison's pledge to protect religious freedom... 'I think that it's our right, and the right of the school, to cultivate a community at the school in line with their ethos and values,' Ms Goodhardt says... At Yavneh College, that community is based around the modern orthodox school's mission to adhere to Jewish law (Halacha), ethical behaviour (Derech Eretz) and Zionist ideals." (Keeping religion alive lies at heart of family's values, Brad Norrington, The Australian, 14/12/18)
Since Zionism is the ideological driving force behind the settler-colonial, apartheid state of Israel, could this not be grounds for a Palestinian complaint to a future 'religious freedom commissioner' that the school's Zionist focus is aimed at producing students who, in one way or another, could conceivably go on to aid and abet, or even become directly involved in, the violation of Palestinian rights?
And if you think this is a stretch, keep in mind that "Modern Orthodox Jews form the core of the religious Zionist settlement movement in Israel." (See 5 key takeaways... from new survey of US Modern Orthodox Jews, Ben Sales, The Times of Israel, 30/9/17)
How typical of Murdoch's Australian to instance "Islamism", while ignoring political Zionism, with its blatant conflation of religion and politics, even when (on this rare occasion) it makes it to the front page.
(On this matter of Palestine/Israel in court, readers might like to trawl through my posts Sixteen Angry Men 1 (25/9/10), Sixteen Angry Men 2 (28/9/10), and Sixteen Angry Men 3 (29/9/10). These are well worth a re-read.)
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Morrison Warned Off
"The Morrison government has been advised by key bureaucrats and retired 'wise elders' against moving its embassy to Jerusalem or making other significant changes to Australia's stance on the status of the city central to the Middle East peace process... The government departments and agencies consulted are understood to be aligned in support of Australia's existing position in having its embassy in Tel Aviv. Those include the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Defence Department and ASIO. That was also the majority view of of a small, handpicked group of former top officials or 'wise elders'... These included former Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet head Michael Thawley, former Defence Department head Dennis Richardson and former Chief of the Defence Force Sir Angus Houston." (Officials warn off embassy relocation, David Wroe, Sydney Morning Herald, 13/12/18)
"The Indonesian Muslim groups behind a one-million-strong rally in Jakarta this month have warned that any move by the Australian government to formally recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital - even if the embassy remains in Tel Aviv for now - would spark mass protests and a boycott of Australian products." (Holy city as capital to spark boycotts, Amanda Hodge, The Australian, 13/12/18)
"The Indonesian Muslim groups behind a one-million-strong rally in Jakarta this month have warned that any move by the Australian government to formally recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital - even if the embassy remains in Tel Aviv for now - would spark mass protests and a boycott of Australian products." (Holy city as capital to spark boycotts, Amanda Hodge, The Australian, 13/12/18)
The Joke
From the rambammed international editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, Peter Hartcher:
"The leader of Tibet's government-in-exile has been telling his story about Bob Carr around the world for years and always gets a laugh. Last week he recounted it during a visit to Parliament House in Canberra... In 2013 [Lobsang] Sangay visited Canberra and a reporter asked him whether Carr, Australia's then foreign affairs minister, would be meeting him. A government that meets the Dalai Lama or Sangay risks the wrath of the Chinese Communist Party, which has claimed to be the sole representative of the Tibetan people since its army invaded Tibet in 1950. 'I said I'd love to, but I haven't asked for a meeting, not wanting to put Carr in a difficult position', he recalled last week. 'I'm sure that, given the choice, Bob Carr would like to meet because that's the Buddhist culture - we like to believe people are good.' Later in his visit, the Tibetan leader was in the lift from Parliament's car park when it stopped. 'The doors open and Bob Carr walks in,' he tells me. The Labor backbencher Michael Danby, Sangay's escort for the visit, introduced the two men in the lift: 'I had to decide at that moment whether to extend my hand or not. The Tibetan way is not to cause inconvenience, so I nodded and smiled. He kind of nodded - a little bit - then walked past. I like to say that we didn't have a formal meeting but we had a karmic meeting. No matter how powerful the Chinese government may be, it can't prevent the foreign minister of Australia from meeting me'." (Tide is turning on Tibet, 11/12/18)
Hartcher goes on in his opinion piece to describe Carr as "now a cheerleader for the Beijing government as head of the Australia-China Relations Institute."
Actually, the joke here is on Sangay.
Here we have a man who is apparently so immersed in what he calls "Buddhist culture" - "we like to believe people are good" - that, on the face of it, he is blissfully unaware that his "escort" is Australia's most vocal Zionist cheerleader for Israeli apartheid - which can only mean that he's either a complete fool or he's being disingenuous.
"The leader of Tibet's government-in-exile has been telling his story about Bob Carr around the world for years and always gets a laugh. Last week he recounted it during a visit to Parliament House in Canberra... In 2013 [Lobsang] Sangay visited Canberra and a reporter asked him whether Carr, Australia's then foreign affairs minister, would be meeting him. A government that meets the Dalai Lama or Sangay risks the wrath of the Chinese Communist Party, which has claimed to be the sole representative of the Tibetan people since its army invaded Tibet in 1950. 'I said I'd love to, but I haven't asked for a meeting, not wanting to put Carr in a difficult position', he recalled last week. 'I'm sure that, given the choice, Bob Carr would like to meet because that's the Buddhist culture - we like to believe people are good.' Later in his visit, the Tibetan leader was in the lift from Parliament's car park when it stopped. 'The doors open and Bob Carr walks in,' he tells me. The Labor backbencher Michael Danby, Sangay's escort for the visit, introduced the two men in the lift: 'I had to decide at that moment whether to extend my hand or not. The Tibetan way is not to cause inconvenience, so I nodded and smiled. He kind of nodded - a little bit - then walked past. I like to say that we didn't have a formal meeting but we had a karmic meeting. No matter how powerful the Chinese government may be, it can't prevent the foreign minister of Australia from meeting me'." (Tide is turning on Tibet, 11/12/18)
Hartcher goes on in his opinion piece to describe Carr as "now a cheerleader for the Beijing government as head of the Australia-China Relations Institute."
Actually, the joke here is on Sangay.
Here we have a man who is apparently so immersed in what he calls "Buddhist culture" - "we like to believe people are good" - that, on the face of it, he is blissfully unaware that his "escort" is Australia's most vocal Zionist cheerleader for Israeli apartheid - which can only mean that he's either a complete fool or he's being disingenuous.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Morrison Postpones the Apocalypse
Apparently, it's just way too expensive:
"The Morrison government is expected to formally recognise Jerusalem as Israel's legitimate capital following a cabinet meeting today, but may delay the relocation of Australia's embassy from Tel Aviv. Senior government sources have confirmed a final decision was made by cabinet's national security committee last night... It is understood the cost of relocating the embassy, with estimates of up to $200 million, was a factor in deliberations... " (Cost may delay Israel embassy move, Simon Benson, The Australian, 11/12/18)
Mind you, it's not like he wasn't hot to trot on this one:
"The Jewish lobby had been consulted about the potential move long before the [Wentworth] by-election, with the Prime Minister long having a conviction on the issue." (ibid)
It's just that he was in a terrible bind. While raring for the Rapture, had he not staked his political reputation on being a fiscal conservative?
Meanwhile, in case you've forgotten, the Devil, as always, is in the detail:
"Labor MP Michael Danby, who has been deeply involved in the issue, has said Mr Morrison could move to recognise West Jerusalem as Israel's capital but leave the embassy shift 'until some progress in negotiations with Palestinians'."
"The Morrison government is expected to formally recognise Jerusalem as Israel's legitimate capital following a cabinet meeting today, but may delay the relocation of Australia's embassy from Tel Aviv. Senior government sources have confirmed a final decision was made by cabinet's national security committee last night... It is understood the cost of relocating the embassy, with estimates of up to $200 million, was a factor in deliberations... " (Cost may delay Israel embassy move, Simon Benson, The Australian, 11/12/18)
Mind you, it's not like he wasn't hot to trot on this one:
"The Jewish lobby had been consulted about the potential move long before the [Wentworth] by-election, with the Prime Minister long having a conviction on the issue." (ibid)
It's just that he was in a terrible bind. While raring for the Rapture, had he not staked his political reputation on being a fiscal conservative?
Meanwhile, in case you've forgotten, the Devil, as always, is in the detail:
"Labor MP Michael Danby, who has been deeply involved in the issue, has said Mr Morrison could move to recognise West Jerusalem as Israel's capital but leave the embassy shift 'until some progress in negotiations with Palestinians'."
Monday, December 10, 2018
The Frydenberg Declaration
As federal environment minister, Lord Frydenberg had reportedly decided to hand Queensland's Moreton Bay wetlands, the ancestral homeland of sundry shorebirds and waterfowl, to the Walker Corporation.
Citing Mammon's ancient promise to the Capitalist people, the Corporation, it seems, had convinced him that, without Capital, the birds would never in a million years have built anything as vibrant as 3,600 apartments, a hotel, a convention centre or a marina, and that the development would "form a rampart of Capital against the natural world, an outpost of civilization as opposed to the barbarism of nature."
The Corporation, moreover, had apparently secured from him a declaration that his government "view with favour the establishment in the Moreton Bay wetland of a national home for the Capitalist people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Capitalist communities in the wetland."
Citing Mammon's ancient promise to the Capitalist people, the Corporation, it seems, had convinced him that, without Capital, the birds would never in a million years have built anything as vibrant as 3,600 apartments, a hotel, a convention centre or a marina, and that the development would "form a rampart of Capital against the natural world, an outpost of civilization as opposed to the barbarism of nature."
The Corporation, moreover, had apparently secured from him a declaration that his government "view with favour the establishment in the Moreton Bay wetland of a national home for the Capitalist people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Capitalist communities in the wetland."
Sunday, December 9, 2018
What a Payne!
While wetting herself over the failure of Trump's anti-Hamas stunt to pass muster in the UNGA on December 6 ("egregious and ongoing violent acts of the terrorist organisation Hamas"), and mere days after Australia voted with USrael, Liberia, Marshall Islands, and Nauru against the following UNGA resolution in favour of a two-state solution ("a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on relevant UN resolutions... an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967... unwavering support for the two-State solution based on the pre-1967 borders"), Morrison foreign minister Marise Payne declared that "Australia supports a two-state solution that allows Israel and a future Palestinian state to exist side-by-side, in peace and security, within internationally recognised borders." (Payne's swipe at UN over Hamas, Simon Benson, The Australian, 8/12/18)
Go figure.
Go figure.
Saturday, December 8, 2018
More Morrison at the UN
Seriously now, how hard is this?:
In a 6 December draft resolution, Comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, "the [General] Assembly reiterates its call for the achievement, without delay, of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East based on relevant United Nations resolutions. It also reiterates its call for an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967, including of East Jerusalem, and reaffirms its unwavering support for the two-State solution based on the pre-1967 borders." (General Assembly adopts text reiterating call for comprehensive Middle East peace, after failing to pass resolution condemning actions by Hamas in Gaza, un.org/press)
For Morrison's Australia way too hard, since it lined up with Israel, the United States, Liberia, Marshall Islands and Nauru to vote against, while 156 countries voted in favour and 12 abstained.
Could anything be clearer? Morrison's Australia does not believe in the application of UN resolutions/international law when it comes to the Palestinians, supports the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and rejects a two-state solution. Any talk to the contrary by Morrison & his minions back home in Australia is therefore pure deception.
Finally, on the same day, Trump's US tabled Activities of Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza. Had this text passed, it "would have had the Assembly demand that Hamas and other militant actors... cease all provocative actions and violent activity." (ibid)
But not, you'll note, the world's most innocent bystander.
87 countries voted in favour to 57 against, with 33 abstentions - which is to say 90 countries couldn't bring themselves to vote for it.
Needless to say, Morrison's Australia...
In a 6 December draft resolution, Comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, "the [General] Assembly reiterates its call for the achievement, without delay, of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East based on relevant United Nations resolutions. It also reiterates its call for an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967, including of East Jerusalem, and reaffirms its unwavering support for the two-State solution based on the pre-1967 borders." (General Assembly adopts text reiterating call for comprehensive Middle East peace, after failing to pass resolution condemning actions by Hamas in Gaza, un.org/press)
For Morrison's Australia way too hard, since it lined up with Israel, the United States, Liberia, Marshall Islands and Nauru to vote against, while 156 countries voted in favour and 12 abstained.
Could anything be clearer? Morrison's Australia does not believe in the application of UN resolutions/international law when it comes to the Palestinians, supports the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and rejects a two-state solution. Any talk to the contrary by Morrison & his minions back home in Australia is therefore pure deception.
Finally, on the same day, Trump's US tabled Activities of Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza. Had this text passed, it "would have had the Assembly demand that Hamas and other militant actors... cease all provocative actions and violent activity." (ibid)
But not, you'll note, the world's most innocent bystander.
87 countries voted in favour to 57 against, with 33 abstentions - which is to say 90 countries couldn't bring themselves to vote for it.
Needless to say, Morrison's Australia...
Friday, December 7, 2018
Morrison at the UN
"The General Assembly today [30/11/18] concluded its annual debate on the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East by adopting six resolutions... " (Calling for final peace settlement of Israeli Palestinian conflict, General Assembly adopts six resolutions on Middle East, un.org/press release)
The first, Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine, "calls for intensified efforts by the parties... to conclude a final peace settlement. It also calls upon Israel, as the occupying Power, to comply strictly with its obligations under international law and stresses the need for an immediate and complete cessation of all acts of violence." (ibid)
So how did Australia, which is to say our Christian Zionist, Netanyahu-backed PM Morrison, vote on this most unremarkable resolution? No surprises:
While 156 nations voted for it, with 12 abstentions, Australia lined up with Israel, the United States, Canada, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Nauru to vote against it.
The second, Jerusalem, "reiterates that any action by Israel to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Holy City of Jerusalem are illegal and therefore null and void." (ibid)
Clearly a slap in the face for all who want Apocalypse Now, Morrison's Australia just couldn't help itself:
While 148 nations voted for it, with 14 abstentions, Australia lined up with Israel, the United States, Canada, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands and Guatemala to vote against it.
The third, The Syrian Golan, "declares that the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan is null and void and demands that Israel withdraw from the territory." (ibid)
As you'd expect, Syria's Golan Heights would be a mere bagatelle for those who believe that Greater Israel runs from "the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates":
While 99 nations voted for it, with 66 abstentions, 10 voted against it. These were (cut & paste).
There were, of course, 3 others, "dealing with the United Nations system's own provision of support to the Palestinian people" - Committee on the Exercise of the inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Special information programme on the question of Palestine of the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat, and Division of Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat - but these need not detain us here. You know how, and with whom, we voted on them. Just cut & paste, OK?
The first, Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine, "calls for intensified efforts by the parties... to conclude a final peace settlement. It also calls upon Israel, as the occupying Power, to comply strictly with its obligations under international law and stresses the need for an immediate and complete cessation of all acts of violence." (ibid)
So how did Australia, which is to say our Christian Zionist, Netanyahu-backed PM Morrison, vote on this most unremarkable resolution? No surprises:
While 156 nations voted for it, with 12 abstentions, Australia lined up with Israel, the United States, Canada, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Nauru to vote against it.
The second, Jerusalem, "reiterates that any action by Israel to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Holy City of Jerusalem are illegal and therefore null and void." (ibid)
Clearly a slap in the face for all who want Apocalypse Now, Morrison's Australia just couldn't help itself:
While 148 nations voted for it, with 14 abstentions, Australia lined up with Israel, the United States, Canada, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands and Guatemala to vote against it.
The third, The Syrian Golan, "declares that the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan is null and void and demands that Israel withdraw from the territory." (ibid)
As you'd expect, Syria's Golan Heights would be a mere bagatelle for those who believe that Greater Israel runs from "the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates":
While 99 nations voted for it, with 66 abstentions, 10 voted against it. These were (cut & paste).
There were, of course, 3 others, "dealing with the United Nations system's own provision of support to the Palestinian people" - Committee on the Exercise of the inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Special information programme on the question of Palestine of the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat, and Division of Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat - but these need not detain us here. You know how, and with whom, we voted on them. Just cut & paste, OK?
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Who Invented the 'Terror Tunnel'?
Why, Hamas and Hezbollah, of course! Everyone knows that. Especially the Murdoch press:
"The Israeli military launched an operation yesterday to 'expose and thwart' tunnels built by Hezbollah that it said stretched from Lebanon into northern Israel... 'We see Hezbollah's activities as a flagrant and blatant violation of Israeli sovereignty,' said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus. 'This activity is another example of the negative effects of Iranian entrenchment in the region'." (Israeli troops unleash on Hezbollah tunnels, AP, The Australian, 5/12/18)
The world's most innocent bystander could never, in a million years, dream up such a fiendish thing as the dreaded 'terror tunnel'!
Oh, wait:
"An explosion was heard* by the Coldstream [Guards] in [their] Citrus House [headquarters] emanating from a building across the road, opposite the gate. The dead body of a man was found near the entrance of a tunnel which began in the basement of the building and led in the direction of Citrus House... The Coldstream Regimental History states: 'The IZL [Irgun Zvai Leumi] had decided to blow up Citrus House'... Terrorist tunneling had been discounted by those who thought they knew, because the predominant sandy nature of the earth was considered a barrier to any such operation." (A Captain's Mandate: Palestine 1946-1948, Philip Brutton, 1996, p 99)
[*12/6/47]
"The Israeli military launched an operation yesterday to 'expose and thwart' tunnels built by Hezbollah that it said stretched from Lebanon into northern Israel... 'We see Hezbollah's activities as a flagrant and blatant violation of Israeli sovereignty,' said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus. 'This activity is another example of the negative effects of Iranian entrenchment in the region'." (Israeli troops unleash on Hezbollah tunnels, AP, The Australian, 5/12/18)
The world's most innocent bystander could never, in a million years, dream up such a fiendish thing as the dreaded 'terror tunnel'!
Oh, wait:
"An explosion was heard* by the Coldstream [Guards] in [their] Citrus House [headquarters] emanating from a building across the road, opposite the gate. The dead body of a man was found near the entrance of a tunnel which began in the basement of the building and led in the direction of Citrus House... The Coldstream Regimental History states: 'The IZL [Irgun Zvai Leumi] had decided to blow up Citrus House'... Terrorist tunneling had been discounted by those who thought they knew, because the predominant sandy nature of the earth was considered a barrier to any such operation." (A Captain's Mandate: Palestine 1946-1948, Philip Brutton, 1996, p 99)
[*12/6/47]
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Saving Morrison's Bacon
O what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to take our marching orders from Benjamin Netanyahu*:
"Scott Morrison is leaning heavily on the nation's most senior bureaucrats, and a top-secret panel of 'wise elders', to find a way through the political and diplomatic minefield he created by suggesting Australia could move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem... Conversations with more than a dozen members of the bureaucracy, cabinet, and the foreign policy policy and defence communities suggest the Prime Minister has ordered a whole-of-government review... The head of the Department of Foreign Affairs Frances Adamson, Defence boss Greg Moriaty... Attorney-General's boss Chris Moraitis are involved, while spy agency ASIO and the Office of National Assessments have input too.
"Unusually, once the review has been completed it will be handed on to so-called 'wise elders', including former Defence and Foreign Affairs boss Dennis Richardson and former chief of the defence force, Sir Angus Houston, to further examine the implications and consider the regional and domestic ramifications... Once the additional advice is received from the 'wise elders', the national security committee of cabinet will examine the issue before the full cabinet makes the final decision, expected before Christmas.
"A senior source in the foreign affairs community summed up the challenges for those leading the review: 'They will recommend doing something... to preserve the dignity of the Prime Minister. It will be some sort of compromise,' the source said. Another member of the foreign policy establishment said the government 'would be working overtime to find anyone in DFAT who thinks moving the embassy is a good idea' and 'they will be looking for a face-saving measure'. One of the compromise solutions being canvassed is the establishment of a small consulate in Jerusalem, rather than an embassy, that could be upgraded to the status of full embassy in the future. Another option would be to announce a firm intention to move the embassy to Jerusalem at an ill-defined date, when other outstanding issues, such as Palestinian statehood, are resolved.
"The prospect of a total backdown on the proposal - which would preserve the status quo - is considered unlikely at this stage. A spokesman for the Prime Minister declined to comment." (Morrison taps wiser heads on Israel embassy, James Massola, Sydney Morning Herald, 5/12/18)
[*See my 18/11/18 post Morrison's 'Circle of Trust'.]
"Scott Morrison is leaning heavily on the nation's most senior bureaucrats, and a top-secret panel of 'wise elders', to find a way through the political and diplomatic minefield he created by suggesting Australia could move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem... Conversations with more than a dozen members of the bureaucracy, cabinet, and the foreign policy policy and defence communities suggest the Prime Minister has ordered a whole-of-government review... The head of the Department of Foreign Affairs Frances Adamson, Defence boss Greg Moriaty... Attorney-General's boss Chris Moraitis are involved, while spy agency ASIO and the Office of National Assessments have input too.
"Unusually, once the review has been completed it will be handed on to so-called 'wise elders', including former Defence and Foreign Affairs boss Dennis Richardson and former chief of the defence force, Sir Angus Houston, to further examine the implications and consider the regional and domestic ramifications... Once the additional advice is received from the 'wise elders', the national security committee of cabinet will examine the issue before the full cabinet makes the final decision, expected before Christmas.
"A senior source in the foreign affairs community summed up the challenges for those leading the review: 'They will recommend doing something... to preserve the dignity of the Prime Minister. It will be some sort of compromise,' the source said. Another member of the foreign policy establishment said the government 'would be working overtime to find anyone in DFAT who thinks moving the embassy is a good idea' and 'they will be looking for a face-saving measure'. One of the compromise solutions being canvassed is the establishment of a small consulate in Jerusalem, rather than an embassy, that could be upgraded to the status of full embassy in the future. Another option would be to announce a firm intention to move the embassy to Jerusalem at an ill-defined date, when other outstanding issues, such as Palestinian statehood, are resolved.
"The prospect of a total backdown on the proposal - which would preserve the status quo - is considered unlikely at this stage. A spokesman for the Prime Minister declined to comment." (Morrison taps wiser heads on Israel embassy, James Massola, Sydney Morning Herald, 5/12/18)
[*See my 18/11/18 post Morrison's 'Circle of Trust'.]
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
The Cause that Dare Not Speak its Name
Four heartfelt and highly apposite tweets from Palestinian-Australian journalist Jennine Khalik, posted in response to CNN's firing of commentator Professor Marc Lamont Hill for daring to call for a "free Palestine, from the river to the sea" at a UN gathering for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (29 November):
"It is scary that to simply say that Palestinians are human and deserving of dignity, safety, security and justice is a fireable offence. Blacklisted even. Something must change. It terrifies me, as a Palestinian in the media industry, to simply own my identity, culture, history.
"I write this now with great hesitation. It might be okay to be like teehee hummus! Teehee I love the Old City of Jerusalem! Teehee I come from a family of refugees coz of a thing that happened! But to talk about it properly, to elaborate, makes me targetable. And I know this.
"It's been made clear to me many times, in many different ways, that to be Palestinian and to be a journalist is incongruent & incompatible. My, our narrative, is off-limits. I have had people try to disrupt my career many times. Many tears and anxiety-filled days later, I'm still here.
"But I'm a little tired, hey."
"It is scary that to simply say that Palestinians are human and deserving of dignity, safety, security and justice is a fireable offence. Blacklisted even. Something must change. It terrifies me, as a Palestinian in the media industry, to simply own my identity, culture, history.
"I write this now with great hesitation. It might be okay to be like teehee hummus! Teehee I love the Old City of Jerusalem! Teehee I come from a family of refugees coz of a thing that happened! But to talk about it properly, to elaborate, makes me targetable. And I know this.
"It's been made clear to me many times, in many different ways, that to be Palestinian and to be a journalist is incongruent & incompatible. My, our narrative, is off-limits. I have had people try to disrupt my career many times. Many tears and anxiety-filled days later, I'm still here.
"But I'm a little tired, hey."
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Roll on Up...
The full page Webjet ("Australia's largest Online Travel Agent") advertisement on page 23 of this weekend's Australian is headed a "25 day Grand Arabia tour."
Grand Arabia? Meaning? The Arabian peninsula? Colourful head-loppings in Saudi? Rivers of blood in Yemen?
No, not really. The ad goes on to explain, in blissful defiance of geography, "Experience the ancient treasures and history of Egypt, Jordan and Israel... "
Apart from these words, the top half of the page is devoted to the famous panoramic view of Israeli-occupied (and annexed) Arab East Jerusalem with its unforgettable feature, the magnificent, golden Dome of the Rock, atop the Haram ash-Sharif. The caption accompanying it, however, ignoring completely the Dome of the Rock, reads: "Day 20: The Western Wall and Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel."
Moving on down the page, we come to "Tour highlights." These include "Cross into the Holy Land and discover the sights of Jerusalem including the Way of the Cross, Lion's Gate and the Cardo in the Jewish Quarter," and "Journey across the Judean Desert to Masada, see the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were uncovered at Qumran, and day trip to Nazareth."
And all of this for just $6,999!
What was that about travel broadening the mind?
Here we have an example of rambamming for the terminally bored, cashed-up hoi polloi.
Grand Arabia? Meaning? The Arabian peninsula? Colourful head-loppings in Saudi? Rivers of blood in Yemen?
No, not really. The ad goes on to explain, in blissful defiance of geography, "Experience the ancient treasures and history of Egypt, Jordan and Israel... "
Apart from these words, the top half of the page is devoted to the famous panoramic view of Israeli-occupied (and annexed) Arab East Jerusalem with its unforgettable feature, the magnificent, golden Dome of the Rock, atop the Haram ash-Sharif. The caption accompanying it, however, ignoring completely the Dome of the Rock, reads: "Day 20: The Western Wall and Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel."
Moving on down the page, we come to "Tour highlights." These include "Cross into the Holy Land and discover the sights of Jerusalem including the Way of the Cross, Lion's Gate and the Cardo in the Jewish Quarter," and "Journey across the Judean Desert to Masada, see the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were uncovered at Qumran, and day trip to Nazareth."
And all of this for just $6,999!
What was that about travel broadening the mind?
Here we have an example of rambamming for the terminally bored, cashed-up hoi polloi.
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Meet Labor's Latest Faction
OMFG, what next?
"Labor senator Kimberley Kitching - a close ally and friend of Bill Shorten - is moving to create a bipartisan parliamentary group that will defend 'Judeo-Christian' and 'Western-liberal democratic' values as she launches her credentials as a new style of social conservative within the Labor Party." (Kitching caters for Labor's conservative core, Greg Brown, The Australian, 8/10/18)
"While most Labor MPs have backed this position [of not moving Australia's embassy to Jerusalem], others associated with Labor have been pressuring the party to switch its policies in favour of the move. Henry Pinskier, chair of the Labor-aligned John Curtin Research Centre has been campaigning for the move. 'He [Morrison] should move it. Finish what he started, stop back sliding, show some spine,' Mr Pinskier tweeted earlier this month. 'Get this done Josh before you lose government. Don't be swayed by what Indonesia or Malaysia say. A country that has no ties to Israel diplomatically cannot and should not dictate Australia's foreign policy interest.' Labor's senators Kim Carr and Kimberley Kitching and MPs Michael Danby and Mike Kelly are listed on the think tank's board of advisers. John Curtin Research Centre director Nick Dyrenfurth yesterday said Mr Pinskier's views did not represent the official position of the think tank. 'Henry's comments are made in a private capacity only,' Mr Dyrenfurth told The Australian. Mr Danby has said Mr Morrison will look like a 'worthless dud' if he does not make some policy changes on Iran and Jerusalem as a result of his policy review." (Embassy move: voters far from convinced, Primrose Riordan, The Australian, 28/11/18)
Strike a light!
If these misbegottens had a shred of honesty, they'd stop hiding behind the phony "Judeo-Christian" label, change the name of their lair to the Vladimir Jabotinsky Centre, and openly declare themselves for what they are - Zionists.
"Labor senator Kimberley Kitching - a close ally and friend of Bill Shorten - is moving to create a bipartisan parliamentary group that will defend 'Judeo-Christian' and 'Western-liberal democratic' values as she launches her credentials as a new style of social conservative within the Labor Party." (Kitching caters for Labor's conservative core, Greg Brown, The Australian, 8/10/18)
"While most Labor MPs have backed this position [of not moving Australia's embassy to Jerusalem], others associated with Labor have been pressuring the party to switch its policies in favour of the move. Henry Pinskier, chair of the Labor-aligned John Curtin Research Centre has been campaigning for the move. 'He [Morrison] should move it. Finish what he started, stop back sliding, show some spine,' Mr Pinskier tweeted earlier this month. 'Get this done Josh before you lose government. Don't be swayed by what Indonesia or Malaysia say. A country that has no ties to Israel diplomatically cannot and should not dictate Australia's foreign policy interest.' Labor's senators Kim Carr and Kimberley Kitching and MPs Michael Danby and Mike Kelly are listed on the think tank's board of advisers. John Curtin Research Centre director Nick Dyrenfurth yesterday said Mr Pinskier's views did not represent the official position of the think tank. 'Henry's comments are made in a private capacity only,' Mr Dyrenfurth told The Australian. Mr Danby has said Mr Morrison will look like a 'worthless dud' if he does not make some policy changes on Iran and Jerusalem as a result of his policy review." (Embassy move: voters far from convinced, Primrose Riordan, The Australian, 28/11/18)
Strike a light!
If these misbegottens had a shred of honesty, they'd stop hiding behind the phony "Judeo-Christian" label, change the name of their lair to the Vladimir Jabotinsky Centre, and openly declare themselves for what they are - Zionists.
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