David Singer: The Real Key To Peace

Here's the latest article by Sydney lawyer and international affairs analyst David Singer.  It's entitled "Obama Gives Up On Bush’s Two-State Solution".

 Writes David Singer:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House this week has confirmed President Obama’s assessment that the much vaunted two-state solution proposed by Obama’s predecessor President George W. Bush on 30 April 2003 (the Roadmap) will not happen whilst Obama is President – or indeed ever. Obama’s conclusion was announced by White House Middle East Advisor Rob Malley ahead of Netanyahu's arrival at the White House after an absence of thirteen months.

"The president has reached the conclusion that right now – barring a major shift - the parties are not going to be in a position to negotiate a final status agreement,"

The major shift required – recognition of Israel as the Jewish State – is a pure pipedream. Speaking the language of diplomatic doublespeak – Netanyahu told Obama that Israel’s negotiating position was immutable:

“I want to make it clear that we have not given up our hope for peace. We’ll never give up the hope for peace. And I remain committed to a vision of peace of two states for two peoples, a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state."

Israel had flagged demilitarization and Jewish statehood as non-negotiable positions it required for concluding successful negotiations with the Palestinian Authority when Israel listed its 14 Reservations to the Roadmap’s terms twelve years ago.

Israel only agreed to open negotiations under the Roadmap after Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice gave the following assurances from the White House on 23 May 2003:

“The roadmap was presented to the Government of Israel with a request from the President that it respond with contributions to this document to advance true peace. The United States Government received a response from the Government of Israel, explaining its significant concerns about the roadmap. The United States shares the view of the Government of Israel that these are real concerns and will address them fully and seriously in the implementation of the roadmap to fulfil the President’s vision of June 24, 2002.”

America has never wavered from supporting Israel’s position that the Palestinian Authority – itself disbanded on 3 January 2013 – recognize Israel as the Jewish State.

President Bush declared on 14 April 2004:

“The United States is strongly committed to Israel's security and well-being as a Jewish state.”

Bush’s commitment was subsequently approved by an overwhelming majority of Congress in June 2004.

Obama reaffirmed America’s support on 19 May 2011:

“What America and the international community can do is to state frankly what everyone knows -- a lasting peace will involve two states for two peoples: Israel as a Jewish state and the homeland for the Jewish people, and the state of Palestine as the homeland for the Palestinian people, each state enjoying self-determination, mutual recognition, and peace.”

Hamas and the PLO reject Israel’s long-held non-negotiable position on recognition. PLO head Mahmoud Abbas declared on 11 January 2014:

“We won’t recognize and accept the Jewishness of Israel. We have many excuses and reasons that prevent us from doing…”

Two such reasons are:

1. The PLO Covenant – Article 20: “Claims of historical or religious ties of Jews with Palestine are incompatible with the facts of history and the true conception of what constitutes statehood.”

2. The Hamas Charter  – Article 11: “Palestine is an Islamic Waqf land consecrated for Moslem generations until Judgement Day.”

These two provisions – oozing unadulterated Jew-hatred – represent a permanent roadblock to ever concluding negotiations with the PLO under the Roadmap.

Negotiations between partners-in-peace Israel and Jordan on the allocation of sovereignty in the West Bank still remains the key to ending the 100 years old Jewish-Arab conflict.

Debunking Bunkum (video) (updated)

Thanks to a commenter on my latest Tuesday article for Elder of Ziyon for this one:

And hat tip to the same blog (well, that amazing resource Ian, actually) for linking to this by Professor Alan Johnson entitled "The Left and the Jews ...".

Regarding BBC bias, a magnificent piece here by a maestro, David Collier,  Beautifully written, compellingly argued.

"The Great Replacement":

Boris & BDS

Much publicity today about London Mayor Boris Johnson's uncomplimentary remarks about the BDS crowd.

Below, two press releases pertinent to his remarks:

The first is sure to raise the usual suspects' hackles, while no doubt we can expect more in the vein of the latter.

Mick the Knife

One of our old friends, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign chief Mick Napier, seems to have swallowed hook, line and sinker the odious canard (blood libel, really) expressed in this cartoon:

Over the weekend, in Glasgow, Mick, who like fellow-Scot Gorgeous George is no slouch in the demagogic stakes (George is a much snappier dresser, though), repeated the canard at a rally called by Israel-haters in Scotland to plug BDS, the right of return, and the ultimate eradication of the Jewish State.

Mick's time in the spotlight begins at 15.35 and runs until the end of the video.  Previous speakers shown in this video are Issam Hijjawi, an SPSC member and chair of the umbrella group Palestine Alliance, and the chair of the Muslim Council of Scotland, Azam Abu Jaffar.  Where from the outset Mick plays "bad cop" they appear to cast themselves in the role of "good cop".  Needless to say, the assembled faithful eats it all up.

As usual, talk only of Palestinian Arabs as victims and perpetual refugees; no mention of Arab rejectionism and other awkward facts of history and politics ...

 Apparently there were other speakers, of whose speeches further videos will be forthcoming.

Another knife attack for Mick to spin:

BDS: Ben attempts a Whitewash

Remember this from 2013?

Or this from Professor William Jacobson of Cornell University?

 Or this from the amusing and estimable British writer Howard Jacobson? 

 Or this from the intense and sardonic Pat Condell?

All make fine points about and against the BDS movement.

As does Alan Dershowitz here:

And here:

And now, perhaps alarmed by Professor Dershowitz's triumph last Sunday at the Oxford Union and article here (also available here), young Ben White, British Israel-basher extraordinaire, has issued guidelines to his faithful on how to combat opponents of the unconscionable movement that is BDS.

Here's young Ben's attempted whitewash.

Expect it to be parroted by the usual suspects in the days, weeks, and months to come.

"A Very Insane Situation, A Double Standard" (videos)

Two videos here.

First, Jamie Glazov talking to pro-Israel London-based Jordanian Palestinian leader Mudar Zahran and a former Imam about the "Third Intifada":

Second: In the wake of this article of his, entitled "Don't Make The Muslims Angry," Middle East commentator Daniel Greenfield talks to Jamie Glazov about what he insists is the Obama Administration's connivance in Muslim supremacist attitudes that undermine and deny Jews' rights to Judaism's holiest site:

Misogyny & Mass Muslim Migration (video)

Here's that man again:

Funny that most of the West's feminists ignore what's happening in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe, isn't it?

They rant and rave about violence against women, but with honourable exceptions they are shtum when the violence emanates from certain imported "cultures".

By "feminists" I don't only mean the female variety, but  males who view themselves as "progressive," like a certain Reform rabbi who writes in a certain Jewish newspaper today of his pride in his community's commitment to the cause of "refugees and asylum seekers" without any thought of how those "refugees and asylum" seekers regard the female of the species.

Look, for instance, at this lecture on how to honour your wife:

As for so many leftist men, who should be expected to speak up against Muslim misogyny but don't, I wonder whether in the case of some of them the British journalist Julie Burchill, who's known for her philosemitism by the way, has a valid point here