Archive for November 1, 2009
When Hitchens Dabbles in Hegel
“Christopher Hitchens, in his review of “Nocturnes,†by Kazuo Ishiguro (Oct. 4), misconstrues the passage he cites from Hegel about the owl of Minerva flying only with the falling of the dusk. He takes this to mean that an era cannot be judged “u…
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
Hillary
Hillary’s reversal of some positions (on house demolitions and settlements) from her last trip to Israel may indicate another political motive: she may have decided to run for president again.PS Of course, the policy itself is Obama’s but the Secretary…
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
Abu Mazen on Arabiyya TV
The half hour interview was quite a show. This station of King Fahd’s brother-in-law is so blatantly propagandistic that they don’t even try anymore. So Abu Mazen was complaining that Arab media was attacking him over the delay of the Goldstone repor…
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
What is happening in the Mubarak dictatorship?
A good report in Al-Quds Al-Arabi on the significance of the conference of the ruling party in Egypt (although it offers undeserved praise to the Egyptian military).
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
Israel: a disgrace unto the nations
“Police impersonating stone throwers assault Palestinian in East Jerusalem, beating him severely.”
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
Freedom of speech for students in Michigan
“Especially disturbing is that the resolution would give the executive board power of censorship in determining which items are a “topic of interest†for the assembly and which are not. But on quite a few occasions, whole groups of minority stud…
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
Meet J Street
“JG: Are you a Zionist?JB: I am a Zionist personally. I am deeply committed to a Jewish home, to a democratic home, to a Jewish Israel. I’m deeply committed to that and you know my family background.JG: Ben-Ami is a Jewish name, I think.JB: Exactly….
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
Hate crimes by Israelis are lauded: hell, they are the speciality of the army
“Yaakov Teitel, 35, of the West Bank settlement of Shvut Rachel, has been arrested for allegedly carrying out some of the most grievous hate crimes Israel has known in recent years.The Shin Bet and police believe Teitel, a father of four who immigrat…
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
They acted like Israelis
“The passenger intends to send a thank-you note to the hospital. “They acted a little like Israelis — in the good sense of the word.” So how do Israelis act? Tell me. But don’t be harsh on her. She just meant to say that those Arabs did not act l…
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
Blame the Lebanese for this
“A dozen chefs in France have laid claim to rustling up the world’s largest Tiramisu dessert, weighing over a tonne and having to be stored in an ice rink.” (thanks Ziad)
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
Age (ethnic) discrimination in Israel
“Shalash is not alone. Thousands of young high school graduates who want to study nursing or occupational or physical therapy have to wait until their 20th birthdays because of limitations by universities. Organizations representing the Arab communi…
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
This is Zionism
“The government should force illegal aliens out of the country, as an influx of foreigners will bring drugs and disease into Israel, Interior Minister Eli Yishai told Channel 2 Saturday evening.”
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
Boycott
“The university of Trondheim in Norway may become the first university in the West to adopt an academic boycott of Israel, if a majority of its board votes in favor of the move at a meeting on the subject next month. Three days prior to the Novembe…
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
National Lawyers Guild
“NLG President David Gespass said, “The current U.S. position is incompatible with any standard of justice. It is incompatible with President Obama’s speech to the UN General Assembly on September 23, 2009, when he said ‘The world must stand togethe…
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
Obama is stuck in the folly of his policies
Obama is stuck. If he sends 20,000 more troops, conservative will say: he did not send enough troops. If he did not send additional troops, his critics will say that he is abandoning the mission and reversing course when he argued throughout his camp…
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
Its days are numbered
“Without a new, profound sense of purpose, Israel’s days are numbered.” With or without a new profound sense of purpose, Israel’s days are numbered. (thanks Ziyaad)
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
Abu Mazen: the man of resistance
Today Abu Mazen on Al-Arabiyya TV (the private station of King Fahd’s brother-in-law), criticized Hamas because it is preventing resistance in Gaza. He later said: I am against resistance.
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
The New York Times and its Sneaky Deception
In the age of the internet, the New York Times now sneakily (without ever alerting its readers) changes headlines and even texts of stories after they appear in the hard copy. So I woke up this morning to read this most unusual headline in the New Yor…
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
Filkins and the war
“For Filkins, as for General McChrystal, success or failure in Afghanistan appears to pivot on domestic political resolve. The rest is just a matter of patience. Send in more ground forces, verse them in the kid-glove precepts of counterinsurgency and …
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad
The Ba`th in Iraq–supported by the US and Saudi Arabia
So Iyad `Allawi (the former puppet prime minister/car bomber/Saddam’s henchman/embezzler-in-Yemen) has now aligned himself with another former Ba`thist, Salih Al-Mutlaq. So the favorite candidate of the US and Saudi Arabia is now on the Ba`thist ticke…
Posted on November 1, 2009 by As'ad