Idiotic Quote of the Day
Ugh:
Israel on Sunday rejected a U.S. demand to suspend a planned housing project in east Jerusalem, threatening to further complicate an unusually tense standoff with its strongest ally over settlement construction.
On Sunday, Netanyahu told his Cabinet there would be no limits on Jewish construction anywhere in ”unified Jerusalem.”
”We cannot accept the fact that Jews wouldn’t be entitled to live and buy anywhere in Jerusalem,” Netanyahu declared, calling Israeli sovereignty over the entire city ”indisputable.”
”I can only imagine what would happen if someone suggested Jews could not live in certain neighborhoods in New York, London, Paris or Rome. There would certainly be a major international outcry,” Netanyahu said.
Good lord. You don’t need to be a Middle East scholar to take issue with this particular charge. Israel has no legitimate claim to East Jerusalem. The only reason that this contentious settlement is being constructed is because Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1967 and has since decided to seed the area with settlements in an effort to secure an illegal land grab. None of this has to do with anti-Semitism!
No one is saying that Jews shouldn’t be allowed to live in East Jerusalem by virtue of being Jewish. These settlements have drawn an international outcry because they’re being built on stolen land in violation of international law. Netanyahu’s willingness to toss around hyperbolic statements about anti-Semitism like this is shocking and belies his failure to take the peace process seriously.
you should make a michelle bachmann quote of the day feature
You said – “Israel has no legitimate claim to East Jerusalem”.
The question one should ask is – who does then? Who has a legitimate claim over E Jerusalem?
The area was rightfully occupied from the aggressor, Jordan, in the ‘67 war. Jordan now has peace with Israel, and removed any claims to further territory. The Arabic settlers in Jerusalem are all Israeli citizens, and would like to remain so. Some of them still have Jordanian citizenship as well. So, if Jordan doesn’t want Jerusalem, the Palestinians of E Jerusalem already own it (since they are Israeli citizens, unlike other Palestinians from other occupied territories) – who should claim ownership for it?
Is it possible that this area will go over to the new state of Palestine that Netanyahu promised to establish? It’s possible, it will be part of negotiation. It’s also possible that it will remain in Israeli hands. Why then, only jews are forbidden (mind you – not even the arab citizens of Israel – only jews are forbidden there) to keep building in that area? Either freeze the entire area, without considering race, religion or nationality, or allow it to everyone. Otherwise it’s up to you to prove you are not racist.
And no one can stop them
@Amit
by legitimate claim, the OP means politically… this should go to the Palestinian state that’s yet to be created. But the point of the settlements is so that day never comes…
I’m glad that Amit already made most of my comments for me. I would agree with your assertion, David, that this has nothing to do with Anti-Semitism per se, but I disagree with everything else. East Jerusalem was rightfully won (notwithstanding the UN Resolutions which tell Israel to withdraw, but if you want to give weight to Security Council Resolutions in this case, you’ll be entering a world of complications). This isn’t an “illegal land grab” but legitimate (that’s not to say agreeable) use of the spoils of war.
You can’t honestly suggest that Israel has no claim to East Jerusalem and concurrently believe that the Palestinian people have a right to Gaza and the West Bank. That’s simply illogical.
I think a freeze on ALL building in East Jerusalem (and of West Bank settlements, while we’re at it) is necessary, but it should be fairly executed, and moreover, accurately reported upon.
On the other hand though, as little as I agree with you regarding Israel, I’m glad you’re talking about it. It gives us Zionists a chance to win you over (I know it won’t happen, but a man can dream).
I’m a little perplexed by your claim Bill that I can’t simultaneously claim that Israel has no right to EJ and that Palestine has a right to Gaza and the West Bank. The Gaza and the West Bank and EJ have ALWAYS been associated with a Palestinian state– EJ was grabbed by Israel through military force. We obviously disagree about this but I don’t think you can consider a military land grab to be ‘legitimate.’ At least not if you’re a liberal.
Sure, I’ll grant both of you that the exact identity of who owns EJ is a bit murky but I can bet you that most people who don’t have an ethnic horse in the race would tell you that the Palestinian people have more of a claim to EJ than do the Israelis.
Look, at the end of the day, despite the smoke and mirrors that Netanyahu and his ilk throw up with charges of anti-semitism, everyone knows what’s going on: Israel is trying to illegally annex EJ. This is why the UN has passed numerous resolutions telling the Israelis to leave and why a confidential EU report says that the “Israeli government [uses] settlement expansion, house demolitions, discriminatory housing policies and the West Bank barrier as a way of ‘actively pursuing the illegal annexation’ of East Jerusalem.