Israel 12+ and counting - Arabs 0

 
"Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said the demonstrators were challenging “the very existence of Israel” and, in nationally broadcast remarks, pledged that the country was “determined to defend our borders and sovereignty.”"  Greenberg for the Washpost

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During the first intifada someone asked a US diplomat friend of mine at a dinner party if he didn't think the media were being unfair to the Israelis in the matter of casualties on the two sides.  After a moment his diplomatic mask slipped a bit and he said that since the "score" then was - Israelis 900+ bagged, versus Palestinians - 9, he did not find her question to be meaningful.  Those with a tribal interest in that quarrel may think that those were good numbers, but for the rest of the world, not so much.

Now, in the midst of the "Arab Spring,"  Bibi has pronounced on his willingness to do "whatever it takes."  The boxscore will be impressive.

September or October will probably see widespread recognition of Palestine as a state.  In that context, sanctions and the ICCJ loom on the horizon for the Bibi "solution."  The Israelis will just ignore the world?

Sure they will.  pl

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/israeli-troops-fire-at-palestinian-protestors-on-borders-killing-at-least-12/2011/05/15/AF9lnF4G_story.html?hpid=z4

Comments

[Matthew]

Notice the WH silence on the use of deadly force on protesters. America: the only Empire afraid of its own satellites.

Please explain how Zionland is the "villa in the jungle" (to use Barak's racist phrase)? It looks a lot like the rest of the "jungle" to me.

Last week, I expected hundreds of Palestinians to be murdered between now and September. I'm now upping my estimate.

And the WH? (Sound of crickets....)

And Obama will give a meaningless speech.....

[JJackson]

Israel can not ignore the world without help. Real change will not come from/in Israel it must come in the US first. I see little willingness of the executive to apply any financial pressure and even less chance of Congress allowing it even if it did occur to the WH. Even not using the SC veto would be a sign that the US thought Israel ought to at-least try and behave in a vaguely civilised manner.

[Patrick Lang]

JJackson

How will the US keep individual countries from applying boycotts and sanctions and how would the US block an ICCJ action? I am curious. pl

[Walrus]

At some point, not too far in the future, the question will be publicly asked as to why America believes it is in its interests to continue to support Israel?

The same question is already pointedly asked in relation to the repression in Bahrain and contrasting that with the response to Libya.

Be aware that these questions will be asked in the context of international concern for the financial health of the USA and the stability, or lack of it, of the US dollar and international efforts to save it.

[JJackson]

Carrots and sticks – I suspect.
If we are talking about EU countries I suspect the current mob are not too much of a problem. UK, France and Italy are all on right-wing ticks of the pendulum at present and unlikely to wonder off the reservation. If they did show some backbone my guess is they would be asked not to rock the boat as the US ‘was making progress behind the scenes and pushing too hard would jeopardise this’ and doing so would ‘not be the act of friend of the US’ etc.
The more local countries are more interesting. While they had Iron-men who could ignore public opinion and take the weapons and cash then they could also be trusted not to rock the boat. While I do not think Egypt will tear up the peace treaty I would not be surprise me if a government came to power that attempted to regain Egyptian pre-eminence as the voice of the Arab World by leading the charge for change and asking the US to recuse itself from any Israeli/Palestinian negotiations. The US has ‘led’ the peace negotiation for years but is about as neutral as the USSR would have been mediating a dispute between the US and Cuba. The Rafah crossing could also become even more porous.
Israel/US has always accused Iran & Syria of supplying arms to Hamas but as state sponsers of terrorism they seem to leave a lot to be desired. You gave a ‘score card’ for the 2011 Nakba but Goldstone gave 1400 vs 9 (and of the nine 4 were own-goals) which begs the question why is no one giving them any viable weapons? At least the US gave the Northern Alliance Stingers but I have not seen Hamas taking out tanks or aircraft but Iran is hardly short of the odd manpad. I am curious too.

[steve]

@Walrus

Given the irrational behavior of the US in the past 10 or so years regarding both foreign and domestic issues--and the fact that things seem to increasingly veer that way--I suspect that it would take something virtually cataclysmic for any US change in Israeli policy.

[Fiorangela]

Israel is not a member of ICCJ --it never ratified.

US status re ICCJ is even less burdensome; US does not even have fingerprints on ICCJ.

Nevertheless, when word got out that an Israeli corporation was supplying mercenaries to defend Qaddafi, US inserted a clause in the first of the UN resolutions re Libya (1970, iirc) that (anonymously) protected states in Israel's position. Thus, even tho Israel would not be subject to ICCJ for activities in Libya because Israel has not ratified ICCJ, US went the extra mile to provide cover for Israel. Again.

Israelis -- especially Bibi--are insurance hounds. When US Congress was still deciding whether to wage war on Iraq or not, Bibi told a House Committee, "Hell yes; real men get a spine; take down Saddam." Oh, and by the way, Bibi said, "Saddam has chem and bio weapons; Israel will need vaccines. If US wages war on Iraq, Israel will be at risk; it is the obligation of the US to provide vaccines to protect 6 million Israelis."

US provided the vaccines, tho not for 6 million. (Interesting that Bibi demanded only 6 million doses -- for the Jewish population, but none for the 4 million Palestinians that Israel is legally responsible as an occupying power).

look it up.
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Conflictw

npr dotorg/programs/atc/transcripts/2002/nov/021101.northam.html

[TamBram]

Col.,
I think it's 12-1--the truck-driver killed an Israeli Sunday morning in his "accident."

[blowback]

The White House is no more than a megaphone for the Israelis these days:

ynet:

Israel: Syria responsible for border incident

Foreign Ministry gears for PR campaign following violent events of 'Nakba Day'; says only way protesters could approach Syrian border was with Damascus' consent.

Israeli embassies worldwide received a memorandum from the Foreign Ministry Sunday evening, detailing Israel's planed PR approach to the violent events on the Syrian border.

The memorandum asked all Israeli officials stationed abroad to emphasize in interviews with the foreign media that since the Syrian military is in control of the northern border crossings, the protesters who rushed the border would not have been able to approach the border – let alone infiltrated the village of Majdal Shams – without the Syrian military's knowledge and consent.

Haaretz:

U.S. accuses Syria of inciting Israel border clashes.

The White House on Monday accused Syria of inciting deadly border clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian demonstrators, saying Damascus was trying to distract attention from its own violent crackdown on protests.

Not that Downing Street is any better.

Oh, and if the Syrian government had stopped the Palestinians, the White House and Downing Street would have complained that it was suppressing the Palestinians' right to peaceful protest!

[jr786]

BDS (boycott, divest, sanction) is the best method. Of course Americans have to deal with the Ribicoff Amendment, which prohibits US citizens/companies from participating in any boycott against Israel. Liberty, etc.

Any successfull international boycott against Israel will end up with US taxpayers buying all their surplus production. Still, it's about all we as citizens can do at the moment.

To my knowledge, no one has challenged the Ribicoff Amendment, I doubt many people even know about it, but forcing it into public consciousness may help people realize the extent that a foreign power controls their personal sovreignty.

Btw, 729 is the numerical symbol for Israel on barcodes.

[robt willmann]

The Washington Post article says: "Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu ... pledged that the country was `determined to defend our [Israel's] borders and sovereignty'."

I have read that the State of Israel has never declared its borders.

Perhaps Netanyahu has made, in the legal sense, an "admission against interest" that can be used by other countries as they recognize a Palestinian State.

[toto]

1- Is there a realistic chance of China or Russia joining an international embargo against Israel?

2- Even if the EU broke all relationships and suspended all trade with Israel tomorrow, would it really have more than a nuisance impact on Israelis?

The common wisdom is that Israel can live on US support alone, indefinitely. The only country that can impose anything on Israelis is the US. The rest of the world (realistically, Europe and perhaps some developing nations like India and Brazil) simply doesn't have much pressure power on Israel.

[William R. Cumming]

Firoangela! Your comment makes me realize that Israel and its followers could be behind the lack of the USA signing up for the ICCJ. Strange that the country that led in establishing Crimes
Against Humanity and the Country that probably most needs that protection NOW would be opposed to the logical consequences of the HOLOCAUST and Nuremberg Trials. Thanks for making this new connection for me. So now hoping that an open source carefully researched book on the lack of USA participation in the ICCJ is produced. Given all the trivia written about this was, is and will be an important topic for the rest of the century.

[William R. Cumming]

Hey perhaps that is the solution and will assist in preventing any new "final" solution. Just keep a crew of international experts on Crimes against humanity sitting and warmed up in Nuremberg awaiting all perps that try to destroy Jews generally or Israel as an announced NOW crime against humanity. Deterrance?

Personally if the time and energy of the peoples of the middle east is spent on Israel issues the rest of this century then I would have to argue that those peoples really are going to dry up and blow away when the oil runs out.

And the NUREMBERG crew can just keep posting names of people that if they deliver on their promise to destroy Israel will be brought to the dock! Little late for the Israelis of course. Oh that's right those with dual citizenship will be spared any new HOLOCAUST?

[Stanleyhenning@mac.com]

We've got to get beyond the social nonsense in the Middle East - let them bleed to death on it. It really is their problem and if Israel cannot find a way to work with them then so be it, but it is not our problem. Considering the economic conundrum we are now in, partially aggravated by our own silly excursion into Iraq and totally nonsensical fiddling in COIN in Afghanistan, while Pakistan stands by with a totally porous border and tolerant manipulation of Taliban while they are slowly blown away by their own small minded fear of India - let's get a life and quit wasting our time on this totally meaningless borderland of infantile nonsense! let's maneuver our SEALS/Commandos, etc. as may be necessary, but quit the massive waste in lands with no foreseeable meaningful future.

[Norbert M Salamon]

Unfortunately for Bibi and Israel firsters June 30th is approaching, when the USA Government /Federal Reserve will have two choices: Cut the defict by at least $1 Trillion, or print $ 1 trillion, either way it is game over for any financial [or other] help for Bibi's cause.

Please recall that the Fed's QII and revamped QI just about covered the USA Federal deficit for the last few months - indeed in one month the Fed purchased over 110% of the monthly shortfall.