End of occupation

Israeli envoy calls Thomas Friedman & Dennis Ross spokesmen for Israel (who’ve now been replaced by an algorithm)

By Philip Weiss,  April 29, 2020

We always said that Tom Friedman (the New York Times columnist) and Dennis Ross (the former White House Middle East negotiator) were propagandists for Israel; well, a longtime former Israeli ambassador has confirmed the roles.

Ido Aharoni, former consul general in New York, gave a webinar to the Streicker Center of Temple Emanu-El in New York today about threats to Israel and how they are changing. The elites aren’t working for us in the same way, he said, since the smartphone came along. (more…)

The article below, written by Philp Weiss, highlights the hypocrisy of so-called ‘Liberal’ Zionists. Here is a suggestion: everywhere in the article where you read phrases such as ‘overwhelmed by Palestinian births,’ ‘comparing Jewish and Palestinian fertility rates,’ ‘a substantial Palestinian minority jeopardizing the Jewish majority,’ ‘an entity that cannot threaten us demographically,’ substitute ‘White’ for ‘Jewish’ and ‘non-White’ for ‘Palestinians’ and what Liberal Zionists really represent behind the mask of ‘liberal’ attitudes, will jump right out at you.

Bruce Katz

PAJU

Palestinians are a ‘demographic’ threat to Israel, say leading advocates

by Philip Weiss

The “demographic” argument for a two-state solution is the expressed fear that Jews will become a minority in Israel, and so the “Jewish people” will lose a claim to sovereignty.

It is explicitly a racial argument about Jews being overwhelmed by Palestinian births, or voters, and it is one that ought to be very hard to advance in mainstream U.S. forums. The scholar Ian Lustick lately confessed his shame at making the demographic argument for a two-state solution. It was a “deal with the devil,” Lustick said. “My mother would not approve.” (more…)

Palestinian children detained by Israel increases amid COVID-19 pandemic

Ramallah, April 21, 2020—The number of Palestinian child detainees in Israeli prisons and detention centers increased since January despite the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and widespread calls to decrease the number of people in custodial detention globally.

At the end of March, 194 Palestinian children were detained in Israeli prisons and detention centers, an increase of six percent from January, according to data released by the Israel Prison Service (IPS). The IPS data from a headcount on March 31 shows that only 28 percent of Palestinian children in IPS custody were serving sentences. Over 60 percent (117 out of 194) of Palestinian child detainees were held in pre-trial custodial detention, according to IPS data. (more…)

Israel’s Anti-annexation Warriors Should Simply Surrender

Gideon Levy

Kahol Lavan’s Benny Gantz faction will not give up their last stronghold. Its leaders will fight it until the last drop of blood (except, of course, by refusing to join the government): Annexation. Annexation is extreme right, and they’re not. Annexation means diplomatic disaster and they’re opposed to that. This is how the story of annexation has turned into the last obstacle on the way to forming a government.

A struggle has been born, a seemingly ideological one. Ideology has returned from the land of the dead. Even the old boys’ network is aghast: Hundreds of members of Commanders for Israel’s Security publicized a petition this weekend against annexation. There is hardly a single general or brigadier general in the reserves who hasn’t signed it. Look at what an enlightened Kahol Lavan we have and what just and peace-seeking officers. Anyone who still dreams of achieving a settlement can rest assured. Kahol Lavan is on guard. There won’t be any annexation. (more…)