Uri Avnery, a longtime dove and gadfly of the Israeli establishment, is often quoted by people on the anti-Israel far left and Arab intellectuals. There are few Israeli Jews who have fought harder for the Palestinians or have taken a more uncompromising stand against Israel’s treatment of them. So it is worth reading a persuasive […]
Israel
Progressive answers to anti-Zionism — Part 2: Alternative visions
Some respondents to my previous post on “What Israel Could Be” were predictably furious that anyone could associate the word “progressive” with the word “Zionism.” They described Zionism as a movement that was, by its very definition, murderous and evil. “Zionism” is one of those elastic words or phrases that have long since lost a […]
Progressive answers to anti-Zionism — Part 1: A vision of what Israel could be
There are perfectly reasonable, articulate, well-meaning people who share many of the values of progressive Zionists but do not believe the Jewish state should exist. It is possible to believe this without being anti-Semitic. It is possible to believe this and still denounce protestors against the Jewish state who treat Palestinians suicide bombers as freedom […]
Worth reading: “Reclaiming the Z Word” (i.e., Zionism)
On Sunday, I am going to argue that it is important to start answering the claims of educated anti-Zionists with cogent, calm and respectful arguments, rather than engaging in frenzied efforts to deny them platforms. In the meantime, the following essay by Chris MacDonald-Dennis on why he calls himself a Zionist is worth reading. It […]
Philip Weiss and the straw man of Jewish “separatism”
On April 1st, I remarked that a post by Philip Weiss had conveyed the far left’s discomfort with Jewish identity. Weiss’ response created so many straw men that it would take hours to torch them. But one of his ideological scarecrows deserves comment, because it is based on a notion of Jewish identity that is […]
Golda ignored an opportunity. Will Olmert?
The fact that the Egyptians offered a peace initiative to Israel in 1970-1971 and were rebuffed by Golda Meir and Moshe Dayan should be better-known. One reads and hears about this diplomatic blunder periodically in the Israeli media. But my impression is that the story hasn’t sunk into the consciousness of American Jews and other […]
The far left’s discomfort with Jewish identity
Philip Weiss, a casual friend and often an ideological nemesis, has a fascinating, typically disturbing post about Jewish identity on his blog, MondoWeiss. In his magazine articles and his blog, he has been asking very provocative, often necessary questions about American Jews and Israel. As a result, he has become an increasingly important figure to […]
Wes Clark says attacking Iran will hurt Israel
A new video blog on Wesley Clark’s “Stop Iran War” web site is, alas, rather amateurish, but he briefly articulates why launching an attack on Iran will hurt Israel. He makes sense. Assuming he is running for some kind of higher office, it is refreshing to see at least one nationally recognized political figure articulating […]
Petition to remove settlers from Hebron marketplace
Ameinu, together with Meretz USA and the Union of Progressive Zionists, has sent the following letter to Israel’s Defense Minister, Amir Peretz, calling for the immediate removal of hundreds of settlers who recently seized a Palestinian home in Hebron. You can add your signature to the letter. Come on folks, don’t just sit there and […]
Hope for Palestinian refugees…and Israel?
Who knows if the following “exclusive” from today’s Yediot Aharonot is true? Someone somewhere in the Saudi Arabian power structure wants it to be true. That alone is reason for a tiny bit of hope. Translation that follows is courtesy of Israel News Today: NEW INITIATIVE TO OFFER COMPENSATION TO REFUGEES WHO DO NOT RETURN […]