Middle East Watch

475 Article

• Legitimizing Netanyahu? - The Pope’s Pilgrimage

  15 May 2009, by Jonathan Cook
  Pope Benedict XVI upset the schedule on his first day in Israel by leaving an interfaith meeting in Jerusalem early on Monday night after a leading Muslim cleric called on him to condemn the “slaughter” of women and children in the recent assault on Gaza. The pontiff walked out, a spokesman noted, because Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi’s speech was a “direct negation” of dialogue and damaged the Pope’s efforts at “promoting peace”. Before he arrived in the region, the Pope declared that he was (…)  continue
  

• Pope challenges Israel to give Palestinians homeland

  14 mai 2009, par Donald Macintyre
  Pope Benedict used a visit to a West Bank refugee camp yesterday to issue his most resonant plea yet for an independent Palestinian state, while describing the Israeli military’s separation barrier as a "tragic" manifestation of years of conflict. The 82-year-old Pope went out of his way at an open air mass in Bethlehem, and in a later politically charged visit to the crowded Aida refugee camp, to identify with the plight of Palestinian civilians declaring : "I know how much you have (…)  suite
  

• Ban Ki-Moon advises Israel to change Its Policies

  12 mai 2009,
  The U.N.Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said "time has come" for Israel to "fundamentally" change its policies in the occupied Palestinian territory and said its "genuine" readiness to negotiate "all core" issues will be the true test of its commitment to the two state solution. Addressing a Ministerial meeting on the Middle East under the Presidency of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov here last night, Ban said "the time has come for Israel to fundamentally change its policies (in (…)  suite
  

• Netanyahu, Obama et l’épreuve du changement

  8 mai 2009, par Emilie Sueur
  Le 30 avril, Barack Obama passait le cap des 100 jours de sa présidence. Chiffre symbole qui a donné lieu à toute une série d’analyses sur la politique du nouveau président. Le vrai test néanmoins, le cap au passage duquel il sera intéressant de juger la politique étrangère d’Obama et sa volonté, revendiquée lors de la campagne, de « changement » par rapport à l’administration Bush, aura lieu dans quelques jours, lors de sa rencontre, prévue à la mi-mai, avec le Premier ministre israélien, (…)  suite
  

• Israel - a Jewish State or a state of its citizens ?

  by Oren Medicks
  Israel is possibly the only state where such a question could have any meaning. According to the declaration of Independence, Israel belongs to the entire Jewish people, not only to those who choose to live here. This is the foundation for the ‘law of return’, under which every Jew has, upon arrival, the right to immediate Israeli citizenship. This means that Israeli actions are carried out on behalf of the Jewish people and that the Jewish people shares responsibility for Israeli policy. (…)  continue
  

• Criminalizing Criticism of Israel

  7 May 2009, by PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
  On October 16, 2004, President George W. Bush signed the Israel Lobby’s bill, the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act. This legislation requires the US Department of State to monitor anti-semitism world wide. To monitor anti-semitism, it has to be defined. What is the definition? Basically, as defined by the Israel Lobby and Abe Foxman, it boils down to any criticism of Israel or Jews. Rahm Israel Emanuel hasn’t been mopping floors at the White House. As soon as he gets the Hate Crimes (…)  continue
  

• The Emperor’s Old Clothes

  2 May 2009, by Uri Avnery
  EVERYBODY IS talking about the first 100 days of Barack Obama. And there’s a lot to talk about. Like a young bull he stormed into the arena. A deluge of new ideas in every direction, a tsunami of practical initiatives, some of which have already begun to be implemented. Clearly he had been thinking about them for a long time and intended to put them into practice from his first moment in office. He put his team together long ago, and his people started to act even before his triumphal (…)  continue
  

• Israël, le sionisme et l’antisémitisme

  13 juillet 2004, par Oren Medicks
  "En tant qu’Israélien, concerné par son pays, je crois que l’avenir d’Israël dépend de notre capacité à promouvoir une paix juste et durable avec nos voisins, d’abord et principalement avec le peuple Palestinien. Étant donné les inégalités énormes qui distinguent, dans tous les domaines, les deux sociétés, Israélienne et Palestinienne, seule une intervention efficace en provenance de l’extérieur peut empêcher Israël de continuer sa politique oppressive envers les Palestiniens. Malgré la (…)  suite
  

• U.S. drops spy charges against two ex-AIPAC officials

  2 May 2009,
  Federal prosecutors moved Friday to dismiss espionage-related charges against two former pro-Israel lobbyists accused of disclosing classified U.S. defense information, ending a tortuous inside-the-Beltway legal battle rife with national security intrigue. Critics of the prosecution of Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee accused the federal government of trying to criminalize the sort of back-channel discussions between government officials, (…)  continue
  

• US Hides Behind Iran Sanctions Threat

  1 May 2009, by Kaveh L Afrasiabi
  Whereas United States President Barack Obama promised in his new year message to Iran that he was committed to a new diplomacy that "will not be advanced by threats", a month later this is precisely what is happening. This is in light of new White House-backed legislation in the US Congress that aims to impose "crippling sanctions" on Iran by targeting its energy imports. The Iran Sanctions Enhancement Act, introduced by a bipartisan group of US senators, states in its preamble that its (…)  continue