Jerusalem update - 10 December 2017

The US decision to give Israel the title deed to ALL of Jerusalem without diplomatic recompense will look worse and worse as time passes.  The street demonstrations breaking out in places like Beirut and Amman are just the beginning of the process of condemnation.  Almost every country in Europe has condemned the action.  The Arab League has condemned the action.  This will put the Arab states in the position of having to make basic decisions about their relations with Israel (Egypt and Jordan) and the US.  In the case of Jordan and Egypt large amounts of free money from the US and Saudi Arabia will be at stake but ... Russia, China and many European companies stand in the wings waiting to expand their influence and activity.  At the same time Sultan Tayyip Erdogan has invited the OIC to convene in Turkey to consider the Islamic World's reaction to Trump's gift to Israel.  Trump apparently decided to do this on the basis of the counsel of his Zionist son-in law acting on behalf of Likudniks who IMO want nothing more than an Israel from the sea to the Jordan River that is Arab free except for a suitable population of helots.   It has been interesting this Sunday morning to watch Jake Tapper ask Nikki Haley how it is that this land deal will promote a settlement.  She smiled a secretive smile redolent of private meetings and knowledge.   We have spoken to both sides she said and you will see that we have restored motion to the process.  Tapper pressed her on this and she could only say that Tapper will understand what a great policy change this is.  He was unconvinced.  IMO Trump, urged on by Kushner, believes that the Palestinians, have no recourse and that having been beaten like dogs will accept anything.  pl 

 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239095

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5164435/Turkish-President-Erdogan-calls-Israel-terrorist-state.html

 

Comments

[Decameron]

Yes, the repercussions of Trump's Jerusalem give-away are only beginning to be felt. But, it appears to me that wealthy Arab Royals -- at their own risk -- prefer a devil's bargain with Netanyahu than fealty to either Jerusalem or the Palestinian brothers. The Gulf oil barons have rarely lifted a finger to help Palestine, only occasionally throwing them bones of a few million with many strings attached. Ironically, this could build up Iran's status in the Islamic world. How does that help the Saudis? Questions that come to mind: was the Salman line informed in advance and gave a green light to Trump's announcement on Jerusalem? Do the Likudniks and Yesha-ists act on the belief that no one in Europe or the US dare to stop their aggression? The Israeli right does fear the BDS (Boycott, Divestiture, Sanctions -- especially Divestiture), but stupid fools in the US have passed laws declaring BDS decisions to being tantamount to hate crimes.

[lally]

That's why so many so fear HSN.

[turcopolier]

jdledell

i have explained to a number of Israelis that American Indians live on reservations of their own volition. They don't want to hear that. pl

[Babak Makkinejad]

What would happen, with certainity, in that hare-brained Jordan-is-palestine, that the liberation of Occupied Palestine would be written into the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Palestine (with temporary capital of Amman). Hashemie Kingdom will be extingished.

[Babak Makkinejad]

You would be wrong. Trump just slapped them all in the face, they have lost honor in a very public manner. They are no longer Sharif.

[Babak Makkinejad]

Ah, the Black Knights, obviously working the agents of Lord of Flies - could not have wished for anything more...

[turcopolier]

Babak

You are correct with regard to those who were actually sharif. pl

[Babak Makkinejad]

You are mistaken.
He has slapped Muslims in the face and has publicly humiliated Muslims friendly to USA.

[dilbert dogbert]

Re: Two State Solution?
Is there any continuous area in the West Bank to make a Palestinian State?

[Muhannad]

I am surprised why PL has allowed this racial abuse to go on.

[blue peacock]

The law mandating that the US recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was passed in 1996 with overwhelming support from both parties. McCain voted for it. Boxer voted for it. Feinstein voted for it. Bill Clinton signed it into law.....Let's not pretend it's all on Trump

Spot on! Let's face it the US is and has been for several decades, a zionist controlled entity.

IMO, what Trump has done to quote Valissa is "lance the boil". The fiction of "honest broker" has been removed and so has the fiction that the monarchies in Saudi Arabia, GCC, & Jordan care about the Palestinians. Even Erdogan and Sisi have to prevaricate even more.

[blue peacock]

They are no longer Sharif.

What does that mean?

Do they really care they have publicly lost face? They are monarchs and dictators and not ruling on the basis of consent of the governed. In any case they've only been pretending they care.

[turcopolier]

blue pecock

Like a lot of modern people you sadly have no sense of honor, not honor as shame but as an inherent condition of personal dignity and responsibility for the quality of your actions. "sharif" in Arabic means honorable or alternatively someone descended from the Prophet. pl

[turcopolier]

Muhannad

I think I have to strike a balance here between opposing views. Incidentally, you should address me directly and not in the third person. The abuse here so far has not been racial. It is cultural. You have not seen the worst of it. I do not post that. pl

[turcopolier]

dilbert dogbert

Not any longer. pl

[Croesus]

This undergraduate thesis on Max Nordau's "racist zionism" and "regenerative muscle Judaism" sheds some light on the present-era compulsion of many Israelis for militaristic means of settling conflicts. https://scholar.colorado.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1700&context=honr_theses">https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1700&context=honr_theses">https://scholar.colorado.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1700&context=honr_theses

As a child, Nordau was heavily influenced by the bible stories of Jewish heroes who were tall and strong and bold and brawny. The Jews he confronted in his own day were "degenerated physically and mentally." Nordau, trained as a physician w/ special interest in psychiatry, advocated that the "new Jew" develop himself through sports and gymnastics.

I speculate that this "degenerated" Judaism began to emerge in the late 19th century, in the Jewish population bubble in Eastern Europe; that is, about 150 years ago. Nordau introduced his regenerating methods about 110 years ago, so perhaps in 40 years or so Jews will achieve an equilibrium of moderation.

The thesis included discussion of some of the art work of Lilien, a committed zionist and apostle of Nordau's "muscle Judaism." Lilien depicted Herzl as the model "Assyrian ancient Semite;" Lilien's image of Moses breaking the tablets bore the features of Herzl, as did the angel in his "The Creation of Man." It is ironic that the person of Herzl the philosopher of zionism, rather than Jabotinsky, the Revisionist zionist who advocated violence, was employed to exemplify the ideal image of the new Jew; Jabotinsky despised his appearance and expended great effort to alter it.

[blue peacock]

Col. Lang

While I understand why you believe the Saudi monarch or the monarch of Abu Dhabi should have such honor as the word "sharif" implies, they've essentially paid only lip service in the past. Now that facade has been removed. Did they ever have such honor before?

I get the emotional component of Jerusalem in the hearts of both Jews & Muslims. What I am failing to get however is how what the US says is so material? What if the Chinese said this? Isn't the US really just an outsider to this religious conflict poking our nose in it?

As for me, I feel I am an honorable person, in the sense that I am true to my word and that in my day to day dealings I don't attempt to take advantage of others and place priority on truth over expedience. I have faced ethical situations in my career where I could have profited handsomely if I looked the other way or bent the truth, but I did not and had to face the consequence of character assassination. Now admittedly, I may not rise to the level of honor that you describe.

[turcopolier]

blue peacock

Probably not. pl

[fanto]

Croesus,
the link to colorado.edu does not work for me; interesting is your comment because there is a very real connection to the german "ffff" Movement (frisch fromm fröhlich frei) - which had its origins with the person Jahn, the "father" of the german Turn-Vereine (Exercise clubs) - their history is seriously linked with politics of early 19. century in Germany, with nationalisms, and antisemitism. The jewish nationalism owes probably a good deal to those national movements and Nordau is probably just rehashing the old stories (I say probably because I have no idea what he wrote). For more about these issues see
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Ludwig_Jahn
and Shlomo Sands "The Invention of The Jewish People".
IMO, the Jewish people and German people share a lot in common, both want to be the "Herren-Rasse" and that is why they have a love-hate relationship. --- and this bodes not well for the current "Herrenrasse".

[The Porkchop Express]

And this surprises you? When haven't our Middle East policies not validated the position of our "enemies"--particularly post the original sin of 2003?

Let's see if T-money actually goes through with it, though.

[Imagine]

Confirming "hey, good enough for the Native Americans, we need to do the same to Arabs" meme. But not only Palestinians: Israel recently did ethnic cleansing on the Bedouin shepherds, declaring their desert to now be a military region, and forcing them to retire to bad-motel barracks and give up their way of life in a cultural genocide. The Bedouin are Israeli citizens but this did not stand in the way.

There's a good chance the Bedouin were the shepherds described in the Bible who came to visit Jesus. Israel has built a wall through Bethlehem and is breaking the town apart. Evangelical Christians are being snookered by the Pharisees.

[falcemartello]

Okay ladies and gents lets look at what it is?
UNO:600 trillion dollars over fiat money circulating around fed by the printing presses since 2001. IE: 120 trillion fiat dollars over leveraging. Printing presses working over time from Japan ,Europe and the goodly land of the free.
Lets be frank gals and guys. By 1968 US industrial growth and exchange was the Military Industrial complex.
Today well please lets not start. When the Pentagon last year reported 10Trillion fiat dollars could not be accounted for. Sound familiar ?Pre 9/11 2Trillion fiat dollars. Well counting for inflation that sounds about right.
Jugoslavia,Syria ,Libya, Sudan,Pakistan ,Afghanistan, Iraq,Yemen,Nigeria,Malawi, Arab winter(spring). Lest face it AFRICOM 1991. POKOHAREM anybody. It was first mentioned in a paper done by u know Lobby groups, Kegan, Wolfowitz.Yeah u remember NEO-CONS (Con Job).These guys want to have the rest of the developing world bleeding themselves with war and division while they hedge their bets both ways and economically rtape and plunder them.
DUE:GEN Butler"War is a racket"> He use to have more respect for AL-Capone then all the shills that were trying to stage a coup against FDR> But then again FDR was what we could consider the one who instilled US economic hegemony(Fiat dollars redeemable at 32 dollars a troy ounce of GOLD> (After he tried to confiscate all peoples populace GOLD)
TRE: Trump the Frump is to coin a a famous song."LOOK AT THE NEW BOSS SAME AS THE OLD BOSS"> Lets admit it when did this Ponzi scheme charade begin and look at all the Presidents foreign policy since the death of JFK>
WAR IS GOOD. Famous quote back in 2001. Wolfowitz to then Argentinian Presedent.
Conclusion: By deception you may wage war and make a hell of a lot of money guns ,drugs and divide and conquer. The British empire tried it and worked for them. Remember they invented the modern term free trade. 1700's.
So sit back have some popcorn and pray that this shit doesn't go thermonuclear.Remember Israel has 200-400 nuclear bombs undeclared.

[Amir]

Would the “Nikki Haley’s secretive smile” suggest Trump Administration’s acquiescence to planned ethnic cleansing ethnic cleansing, after a provocation in order to blame the Palestinians for their own suffering and the peplanned population transfer?

[Tel]

And on top of that, I hardly believe that one statement from Trump has the awesome power to establish "the title deed to ALL of Jerusalem".

If it were that easy, I'm sure Trump would be establishing title deeds all over the world. Trump may have some influence, but only limited influence. It will be years before any real embassy is constructed, and even then it's undoubtedly going to be placed close to other government buildings. Trump's public statement is a very small part of a long process... be that for better or worse.

More likely this is designed for Trump to keep his base onside at home. The massive Muslim overreaction was predictable and suits Trump's purposes just fine. Quite a lot of Trump's base are already supportive of Israel, and even those who are not supportive, will at least frown upon the violent protests and chest beating because they tend to be "Law & Order" types.

Meanwhile the US economy has been getting a little bit better, but not so good as Trump promised (early days yet, could turn around, but could also crash). Trump has done something with his tax plan, but hardly spectacular and most tax shuffles have unexpected side effects. Trump's "wall" is turning into a bit of a fizzer... he promised to end DACA but just delayed the decision. I personally expect Trump will eventually fold on DACA.

Trump really needs a good distraction right now, give the obedient media something to talk about... hey look over there! Don't watch Yellen raise interest rates. You can expect a bit more "rally the base" fodder to come along as we move closer to the mid-term elections.

[Peter AU]

I look at the contradictions of the Trump admin, and often think along those lines.
A recent contradiction, late November an F-22 reportedly harassing a couple of SU-25's west of the Euphrates, leaving when and SU-35 appeared on the scene, to now where as reported by AMN that Ru air force is working with Kurd forces on the east bank of the Euphrates to clear the remaining territory down to the Iraq border.
What has been noticeable is Trump seems to be blowing up balloons to bursting point, then popping them.