A post is doing the rounds, from a right-wing Zionist offering a $100,000 donation to J Street and/or Peter Beinart “to speak to Arabs [in Arab countries] as they do to the Jewish community.” It’s much less a contribution to the debate than grandstanding and mudslinging. I offered this response to a friend, and post it here, too.
Related reading:Tags: Democracy, Diaspora Jewry, J Street, Occupation, Palestinians, Peace Process, Peter Beinart, Right-wing Zionism, Settlements, Western world, Zionism Permalink: http://liamgetreu.com/2012/05/16/a-right-wing-zionists-100k-donation-offer-to-j-street-and-peter-beinart/
“If we build all over the place, we lose. Even if we don’t have an agreement [with the Palestinians], we need to have a rational policy.” This proposal, if accepted by the new Bibi-Mofaz coalition would be a major step forward. Certainly a confidence-building measure at the least.
Tags: Bibi Netanyahu, Israel, Jerusalem, Kadima, Likud, Occupation, Palestinians, Peace Process, Settlement freeze, Settlements, Shaul Mofaz, West Bank Permalink: http://liamgetreu.com/2012/05/12/likud-deputy-pm-meridor-no-settlement-freeze-is-most-damaging-of-all-policies/
My response to the Zionist Council of Victoria’s letter in the Jewish News denouncing my column from two weeks ago. The ZCV, writing purportedly on behalf of the entire community, attempted to sideline my Zionist views, instead of backing their inclusion within the Zionist community’s discourse. A better communal path would be to embrace these differences of opinion and structure a forum to debate these issues. Every Zionist view, no matter how confronting, should be encouraged; doing so will allow everyone to discuss the future of Zionism and say what it means for them to support Israel as a Jewish-democratic state. Our community will be demonstrably stronger for it.
Related reading:Tags: Australian Jewish News, Australian Jewry, Crisis of Zionism, Diaspora Jewry, Israel, Occupation, Palestinians, Peace Process, Settlement boycott, Settlements, Zionism, Zionist Council of Victoria Permalink: http://liamgetreu.com/2012/05/06/response-to-the-zionist-council-of-victorias-letter-in-the-ajn/
A bunch of Israelis have come up with an idea that involved unilateral actions to begin ending the occupation, given the lack of direct and fruitful negotiations taking place. Their ideas are very interesting and worth consideration. If things continue like they’re going, I think we’ll see more, not less, of this type of out-of-the-box thinking.
Permalink: http://liamgetreu.com/2012/04/25/peace-without-partners/
How within government ranks can there be this kind of disdain for a High Court ruling? How can Michael Oren claim that the Supreme Court is a bastion of democracy with Jews and Arabs serving side-by-side when members of the government he represents doesn’t recognise its authority?
Related reading: Permalink: http://liamgetreu.com/2012/04/24/likud-split-over-whether-to-demolish-illegal-outpost/
Peter Beinart’s book — “The Crisis of Zionism” — is a book that has to be read. It outlines the major ills that befall Israel and the Jewish world today: an Israel that is unethically embedded in the Palestinian territories, and a Jewish world that is complicit in the status quo. How do we find the way out? Just how bad is it? This is an analysis of his book, but most importantly, takes out his prescriptions for how we, and Israel, can change. These are uncomfortable things to talk about, but they’re necessary for the future of Jewish-democracy in Israel.
Tags: AIPAC, American Jewry, Apartheid, Ariel, Australian Jewry, BDS, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Crisis of Zionism, Diaspora Jewry, Ehud Barak, Ehud Olmert, Gen Y, Hamas, Israel, Jewish day schools, Liberal Zionism, Likud, Occupation, Palestinians, Peter Beinart, Settlement boycott, Settlements, West Bank, Zionism Permalink: http://liamgetreu.com/2012/04/19/the-crisis-of-zionism-and-the-diaspora/
Bob Carr condemned increasing settlement activity, and the “retrospectively legalising … rather than evacuating” of illegal outposts (by Israeli standards). Some might deride this as grandstanding, but I think Australia has an important middle power role to play and this is part of that. I’m liking Carr more and more.
Related reading: Permalink: http://liamgetreu.com/2012/04/16/bob-carr-says-israeli-settlements-undermine-peace-process/
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, New Israel Fund’s flagship grantee, has produced an insightful and important document that sheds more light on home demolitions in the West Bank (of Palestinian homes, and Jewish illegal outposts) and unrecognised Bedouin villages.
Permalink: http://liamgetreu.com/2012/04/02/whats-the-difference-illegal-outposts-palestinian-towns-and-unrecognised-bedouin-villages/
Last night’s J Street conference opening was incredible — 2500 people (inc. 650 students) listening to social justice activist Stav Shaffir, Yerucham Mayor Michael Biton, and writer Amos Oz. The videos should be up soon, so if you can, I’d watch the keynotes from last night.
Related reading:Tags: 2011 Israeli social justice protests, AIPAC, Amos Oz, Diaspora Jewry, Israel, J Street, J Street Conference 2012, Liberal Zionism, Michael Biton, Peace Process, Peter Beinart, Settlements, Tikkun Olam, USA, Video, Yerucham Permalink: http://liamgetreu.com/2012/03/26/j-streets-2012-conference-making-history/
My reflections on the outrage many have launched at Peter Beinart and how absurd they are. What they ignore is that we’re all on the same team – end the occupation, etc. – and there are so many ways to skin a cat (settlement boycotts and other) that by turning on each other we let the far-right, no-Palestinian-state people win.
Related reading: Permalink: http://liamgetreu.com/2012/03/21/reaction-to-reactions-to-beinarts-settlement-boycott-proposal/
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