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Archive for the 'Israel and Palestine' Category

Evil Goals and Evil Tactics

Friday, May 16th, 2008

by Mike

All evil can be separated into one of two categories: goals and tactics. An evil goal might be excessive power, excessive wealth, etc. An evil tactic might be violence, torture, etc. (Some would argue that the morality of the tactic is in large part defined by the goal–hence the phrase “the ends [...]

A Forgotten Minority

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

by Mike

There is an extremely interesting article in today’s New York Times, discussing the problems and challenges associated with Israel’s Arab minority. Twenty percent of Israel’s population is non-Jewish Arab, and this large minority has long been a problem for a state that has tried to cultivate a Jewish identity. Western media tends to [...]

Foreign Policy Honesty

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

by Mike

One of Obama’s first comments that really made me start leaning his direction was his statement that if he had “actionable intelligence” that pinpointed the location of Osama bin Laden within Pakistan, that he would attack even without permission from the Pakistani government. He was roundly criticized for that remark by other Democrats and [...]

A Dicey Proposition

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

by Mike

Bush, Olmert, and Abbas have promised an Israeli-Palestine Peace Treaty in 2008.  It’s good to see the President finally taking an interest in the issue.  The thing is, I can’t decide if an agreement at these negotiations would be the best thing to happen to the peace process in a long time, or the worst.
The [...]

Gaza

Tuesday, June 19th, 2007

by Doc Opp

Here’s what I don’t understand. The press keeps talking about a looming humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip if Israel doesn’t allow food in, or Palestinians out.
But Gaza isn’t landlocked. It’s long and thin, and has a nice stretch of border along the Mediterranean Sea. Why can’t aid workers bring food and [...]

Forty Years Later

Tuesday, June 5th, 2007

by Mike

In a New York Times op-ed, Tom Segev, author and columnist for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, argues that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank was a mistake.  Moreover, he notes that Israeli analysts of the time thought that it would be a mistake.
Leading Israeli policy planners had determined six months before the Six-Day War [...]

Blame it on the sanctions

Sunday, February 11th, 2007

by Dave

I’m encouraged to hear that the Palestinians have brokered a peace deal amongst themselves to stop infighting between Fatah and Hamas. But then I came across this section of the Reuters story:
“Abbas advisor Nabil Amr said, however, that he feared the deal might not be enough to end sanctions, which Palestinians say were partly to [...]

Aid to Palestine

Friday, September 22nd, 2006

by Doc Opp

“I personally will not head any government that recognizes Israel,”
— Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh
And this is why [...]

Diplomacy and the French

Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006

by Mike

I wish someone would tell the Bush Administration that whining doesn’t make good foreign policy. The latest incident, once again, has to do with the French. The Bush Administration had hoped that France would send a couple thousand peacekeeping troops to Lebanon to enforce the ceasefire. Instead, they pledged 200, which immediately [...]

The Difference Between Winning and Declaring Victory

Tuesday, August 15th, 2006

by Mike

Invariably, the first thing that happens after a cease-fire or peace treaty takes effect is that both sides run home and declare victory. After all, most of the time there is no clear winner or loser– these things are open to interpretation. And you’d always rather be the first one to interpret the [...]