Category Archives: Middle East

Israel and the Anti-Boycott Law: The Wider Implications of Popular Indifference

Posted on 20/07/2011 by

This piece is cross-posted from openDemocracy where it was published on 19 July. A small part of it appeared in my earlier post on the anti-boycott law (13 July). The motivation for the law is not primarily to give voice … Continue reading →

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IJV Panel on the Arab Uprisings and the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Posted on 19/07/2011 by

This piece is cross-posted from the Independent Jewish Voices blog Chaired by Professor Jacqueline Rose (Queen Mary, University of London), the IJV panel event discussing the impact of the Arab Spring on developments in Israel-Palestine, which was held at Birkbeck, University of … Continue reading →

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The Anti-Boycott Law Crosses a Line: Will Israel’s True Friends Now Wake Up?

Posted on 13/07/2011 by

Only a few days ago I was talking about the issue of boycotting Israel with Jewish friends at a party. All could be defined as critical friends of Israel or liberal Zionists, deeply disturbed by the intransigence of the Netanyahu … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East | 2 Comments

Black Propaganda and Violent Rhetoric: Israel is Shooting Itself in the Foot over the Gaza Flotilla

Posted on 28/06/2011 by

Some first rate bloggers and journalists are covering the Gaza flotilla and revealing the lengths to which the Israeli authorities are prepared to go to stop the entire enterprise in its tracks. Not being party to any additional information about … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East | 2 Comments

There is a Path to Two Sovereign States, But the Gate Giving Access is Closed

Posted on 24/06/2011 by

Two very interesting pieces were published in the last few weeks essentially explaining why there’s now virtually no possibility of achieving a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. On the Magnes Zionist blog, the pseudonymous Jerry Haber posted ‘Some of what’s wrong … Continue reading →

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A Damp Squib?: Doubts About the New UK ‘Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace’ Movement

Posted on 15/06/2011 by

Yachad, a new ‘pro-Israel, pro-peace’ movement, inspired by the American J Street liberal, political lobby group, was launched in the UK in April. Much heralded and anticipated, since its website went live, little has been heard from it. Is Yachad … Continue reading →

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A Millstone Round His Neck: Obama’s Yes to Bibi’s ‘No Negotiations Unless Palestinians Recognize Israel as Jewish State’

Posted on 30/05/2011 by

I watched live coverage of the press conference given by President Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron at Lancaster House on 25 May. Towards the end, a journalist asked Obama an intelligent question about the Middle East speech he made … Continue reading →

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Bibi’s Speech to the US Congress: A Flagrant Denial of the Autonomy and Diversity of Jews Worldwide

Posted on 26/05/2011 by

There were so many fictions and distortions in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to the US Congress on 24 May, so many demagogic assertions and flourishes, so much self-aggrandisement and self-promotion and so much that insulted and demeaned Palestinian hopes and … Continue reading →

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From ‘Yes We Can’ to ‘No We Can’t’: Obama’s Middle East Speech Lowers Expectations of American Power

Posted on 22/05/2011 by

In a relatively low-key speech on his administration’s Middle East policy, deliberately short on high-flown rhetoric and, in terms of grand design, more Heath Robinson than Isambard Kingdom Brunel, President Obama set out to lower expectations of American power. In … Continue reading →

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‘Push and Press Israel’ New Israel Fund President tells UK Jews. So Why is NIF Supporting a Whitewash Israel conference?

Posted on 11/05/2011 by

Naomi Chazan is a class act. Professor emerita, former Deputy Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, former Member of the Knesset for the Meretz civil rights party, feminist, President of the New Israel Fund – I doubt whether anyone can better … Continue reading →

Posted in British Jews, Middle East | 3 Comments