gdp's Comments

KABOBfest : Dude, Where is Hassan?

Wed, 2 Sep 2009 06:21:47 +0000

Amazing post, Hani. Thanks for sharing this. You weren't kidding that Hassan is a "stand-up guy" -- risking his life to help a relative who obviously has conflicting (if not outright opposing) views on the present and future of Palestinian politics get out of Gaza. What compounds the desperation of this situation is of course that it assumes the Israelis would let Ahmad cross Erez and get to Ramallah, something I'm sure Hassan and Ahmad discussed. I hope they're both safe and everything works out for the both of them.

KABOBfest : O Rly Orly?

Sun, 9 Aug 2009 23:21:38 +0000

If a majority of Americans wanted to ape some other country, that's what would happen. Except that that's definitely not true. Even if we just look at something less drastic than an overhaul of the political system, and even less drastic than a complete tearing down of the health care model, we can see that the views of the majority are not being represented or acted upon by our elected leaders. A CBS/New York Times poll conducted through June 12 - June 16 of this year showed that 64% of Americans believe that the "government should guarantee health insurance for all Americans", which could be construed as implementing a form of universal health care, thus "aping some other country". The earliest figure listed was for 1996, showing 56% in favor of the same question, with rates steadily increasing since then. As far as the two-party duopoly goes, a USA Today/Gallup poll from 2007 showed that 58% of Americans want a viable third party in the political sphere, and that "just a third say the [Democrats and Republicans] do an adequate job of representing the American people." Going on opinion polls, I'd say a majority of Americans want a fair number of things that aren't getting done in Washington. *Waits for PC to ignore everything I wrote and say something about Hajj Radwan and my support of "terrorists"*

KABOBfest : Fair and Balanced

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 01:07:40 +0000

Wow, good eye...

KABOBfest : Fair and Balanced

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:41:23 +0000

I'm surprised they didn't label Jordan as the "home of the 'Palestinians'" (emphasis on Palestinians surrounded by quotes).

KABOBfest : Stop Saying “Free Gaza”

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:05:53 +0000

Great post, Fayyad. It must always go hand in hand with any Gaza-related action that the assault on Gaza and the blockade are part of a campaign perpetrated against all of Palestine for the better part of a century. It must be explained that the severity of violence against the Palestinians in the physically disconnected occupied territories (excluding the Golan, Sheba'a Farms & al Ghajar) follows a cyclical pattern, jumping from one region to the next, but the entire Palestinian people is being oppressed simultaneously at all times by Israel, through intricate, sophisticated and methodically-designed means. I too worry what the next generation of activists are learning and what they're not learning, and that's why we try to recruit and take those recruits "under our wing", so to speak, and disseminate literature and quality reading lists, along with having discussions at organizers' meetings, social functions, and over e-mail. One can't control how everyone thinks though. As long as we each do our part, I think we'll facilitate the next generation to educate themselves properly on the truth facing Palestine today as well as a factual account of its history, and train them to be effective and passionate activists. As far as pronunciations go, well, barely anyone in the U.S. pronounces "Gaza/3'aza" correctly even now, and that hasn't stopped anyone from getting out to demonstrations :P

KABOBfest : Message to PETA from KETA (Kabob-enthusiasts for the Ethical Treatment of Akeel Arabi): You Can Mess

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 05:27:48 +0000

Well, one for two ain't bad

KABOBfest : The Politics of a Paycheck

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:40:35 +0000

That's a pretty wild story, Hani. It gives one a little window into the inner politics of the PA factions and their biases. I agree it's really strange that Fatah would be okay with your cousin being associated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad but not Hamas, since the former has been known to work with Hamas in Gaza, and if I know this as an American amateur political analyst, I assume Fatah knows infinitely more about it than I do. Thanks for the post, and keep them coming!

KABOBfest : Eating Ramen Noodles in Gaza

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:48:51 +0000

So nevermind all the arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, maimings by shooting, and extrajudicial executions - nevermind all the attacks on political opponents Wait, are we talking about Hamas or Israel? Seriously though, as for the the rockets that "brought the terrible war", history has shown that even when Palestinians are being docile and accepting of the occupation, the Israeli government continues to wall them off into civil and economic hardship, and expand into their territory. With that expansion comes Palestinian reactionary violence anyway. Gideon Levy wrote about this back in 2006, that Israel and the world would simply ignore the Palestinians if they weren't firing Qassams -- and not "ignore" as in "leave them alone". You may find the "bargaining chip" rationale crude, heartless even, but it's nothing more than an explanation of a political motive behind the Qassams. How can I deny or confirm that Hamas is an "Islamofascist" organization when such a term is a completely meaningless Western Neoconservative construct with obviously pejorative connotation? It's like asking me to confirm or deny someone "hates love". Hamas has an Islamic ideology, yes, and incorporates it into its government. Fascist? I think not. The party has proven itself willing and able to participate in and honor the democratic process, even if the U.S. and Israel aren't willing to honor its participation. Any citations of "maiming by shooting" or "extrajudicial executions" you can bring forth came about during the Hamas-Fatah conflict, when the U.S. and Israel were pumping money into Fatah to violently usurp Hamas' democratically-given right to lead to the PA. As of right now, Hamas allows Fatah members fair freedom of movement in Gaza, from what I've read. The same certainly cannot be said of Fatah allowing Hamas members freedom of movement, or any other types of freedom (for instance, freedom to stay alive) in the West Bank. Would the people of Gaza vote for Hamas again if they could? I have no idea, I haven't seen any polls with questions of that nature, but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say probably yes. Fatah is still seen as just as corrupt and inept as ever, and Hamas has been working hard with international aid organizations to rebuild Gaza as best it can. I think the people of Gaza have seen this, and they well recognize the true impasse in the peace process is coming from the Israeli camp, not from their elected Palestinian leadership (Hamas). Now I have some reading material for you, since you're constantly battering us with links, and I read them every time despite suspecting I'll strongly disagree with whatever's written: Hamas Debates the Future (PDF)

KABOBfest : Message to PETA from KETA (Kabob-enthusiasts for the Ethical Treatment of Akeel Arabi): You Can Mess

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:51 +0000

What, you mean you don't share PETA's opinion that a Muslim family slaughtering a lamb in accordance with Zahiba is more offensive than KFC's campaign of raising a steroid-infused, beakless Jaish al-Frareej* for profit? * Did I say that right? I'm still learning :P

Mondoweiss : Bil'in replicates Cellcom soccer commercial with different results

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:33:02 +0000

From a source link on Muzzlewatch: The project is described in the government budget for 2009 as the “Internet fighting team” – a name that was given to it in order to distinguish it from the existing policy-explanation team, among other reasons, so that it can receive a separate budget. LOL "Internet Fighting Team"

Mondoweiss : Seham: 'I'd rather hear that the oppression is religious'

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:00:11 +0000

Dershowitz does this too. He tries to hold a monopoly on the two-state solution, on the meaning of "human rights", indeed on the definitions of just about everything in greater academic and political discourse, and then as they pertain to the Israel-Palestine issue. Then he lords over you the fact that you'll find multiple discrepancies in his definitions, and uses that to declare you an enemy of the two-state solution, of human rights, of democracy, et cetera. Richard's lines "If you believe in self-governance, then you support a democratic form..." and "You work for clarity, for reason, for integration, for mutual acceptance" are pretty much right out of the Alan Dershowitz, Esquire playbook. The curious part is that Richard doesn't make the requisite follow-ups, declaring us all enemies of "mutual acceptance", "integration", "reason", and so on. Perhaps this is because on the MondoWeiss forum, he's dealing with a considerably more well-informed and probably more intelligent audience than those his spiritual leader usually proselytizes to. That and, of course, we all have more time to refute his nonsense than a one-hour lecture with a thirty-minute Q&A which is likely to be shut down for "security reasons".

Mondoweiss : Makovsky once again volunteers as Arab mouthpiece!

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:10:29 +0000

I don't think Makovsky, in this interview, was acting as a spokesman for the Arab world, just more as an extension of Dennis Ross' toilet paper-tongue. Ironic that he places himself and his colleague ideologically in the center with their "hybrid" approach towards Iran (side note: has anyone else noticed that the neoconservative Right's buzzwords are severely lacking in creativity? "Hybrid" approach? That's what you guys came up with?) and attempts to distance himself from Bush & Co., yet the entirety of his philosophy and strategy boils down to the lamest of the neocon talking points on Iran and Mideast regional politics. In short, this interview is an exercise in neoconservative Amerocentrism. Makovsky's theories as described in this interview are really just patently absurd. As contrarian mentioned, the line that Makovsky described as "enmity between Iran and the Arabs" has been overplayed ad nauseam by the Israel Lobby as of late. I'll buy it as far as the Saudis go, but Riyadh is far too secure in the knowledge that Washington has its back to be scared by a perceived "nuclear threat" out of Iran to want to go nuclear itself, hence the still-hollow Saudi military which functions solely as an internally suppressive device. Siegel then shamelessly props up Makovsky with an outright lie that the Egyptians would opt for a nuclear weapons program themselves in the event that the Saudis did after an Iranian program was revealed, which totally goes against the common knowledge that Egypt leads the charge for nuclear decommissioning in the region. Makovsky's idea that Turkey would risk forgoing its long-sought EU membership to pursue a nuclear weapons program is equally ridiculous, and he offers nothing in the way of rationale as to what Hizbullah (or Hamas) would gain from using a "dirty" nuclear device against Israel, as the end result would be the complete and end-all genocide of the Lebanese or Palestinian people, respectively, for the gain of killing some Israelis. I suppose you don't need to delve any deeper when your audience doesn't see those groups as anything more than fanatical MOOZLIM TURRISTS hellbent on murdering as many Jews as possible, and having absolutely no other goals or raisons d'etre. Lastly, the prospect of pressuring Russia over Iran is particularly laughable as well. Putin and his hand puppet Medvedev have a new foreign policy for the Muslim world and whether or not the U.S. is on board really doesn't concern them, but Iran being on board is definitely key for Moscow. As far as France goes, Sarkozy's failing foreign policy is under heavy scrutiny as is, so I don't know what concessions Makovsky thinks the French President would be prepared to make, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were him. Then again, we might all be better off if Makovsky and Ross held their breaths in anticipation of a joint Russian-French bending on Iran...

Mondoweiss : Amid constant threats, Palestinians secure in the belief that 'this too shall pass'

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:43:45 +0000

But that's not the issue Ms. Mermelstein refers to in that passage. The issue, in this case, is Arabic script on street signs, especially in cities where there are still significant Arab populations. As far as I know, Arabic is still an official language of your country, is it not? Whether or not those Arabs can read Modern Hebrew isn't really relevant; what's relevant here is respecting Palestinian Arab cultural in Israel, respecting international consensus and Palestinian claim to East Jerusalem, and if you recognize neither of the former, respecting Israeli law in that Arabic is an official language of the State, and that it is that way for a reason: to represent the Arab population of said State. That is why, at the very least, Arabic script needs to remain on Israel's street signs. I say "at the very least" because it's clear you don't hold in the same regard any Palestinian history to cities and towns currently within the borders of the State of Israel, a historical claim I feel also warrants leaving the MSA script on the street signs.

Mondoweiss : Bil'in replicates Cellcom soccer commercial with different results

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:12:02 +0000

Brilliant response by the Bil'in movement! Of course the IDF was happy to oblige by playing the part we all knew they would play. I hope this gets widely, WIDELY circulated!

Mondoweiss : Deck the halls! JINSA says it's in 'jeopardy'

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:49:36 +0000

So, Eitan, when you neglected to respond to the bulk of Jan's comment, was that done so deliberately because in responding you would have affirmed Jan's suspicions, or because you wanted to keep a "positive" tone to your arguments?

Mondoweiss : Arab spokesman Makovsky explains that Islamists seek return of 'Hidden Imam'

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:38:00 +0000

I'm glad someone pointed that out. While many Sunni Muslimeen indeed believe in the Mahdi, there's a difference between the Twelver Shi'a take on the Mahdi in that they believe he already existed once in time and will "return" (what Makovsky crudely refers to), and the majority Sunni belief, among Sunni who believe in the Mahdi, that he is yet to be born. It would truly be quite remarkable if the majority of "Islamists" who are Sunni (note that Makovsky makes no distinction between democratic political Islam and its sub-movements in political Shi'ism and Sunni arrangements like al-Ikhwan, and militant Islamic groups of Salafi and Wahhabi tendency) threw out their dogma and took up the Twelver Shi'a doctrine in effort to bring about the return of al-Mahdi. In many ways, it's quite astonishing that this made it past Makovsky's and Ross' editors -- in other ways, it's not surprising at all. I'm not about to go buy this ridiculous book, but I wonder what the "more to come" on the Hidden Imam holds in store for all of us (laughing)...

KABOBfest : No Humour, All Hate: Racist Cartoons in the Middle East

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:44:32 +0000

Yeah that might be part of it too, but I experienced the thing about the "flood of non-IntenseDebate [account] comments" first when I commented on the Tamer vs. Amr post, and then on Will's Viva Palestina/"sickened" post.

KABOBfest : No Humour, All Hate: Racist Cartoons in the Middle East

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:57:58 +0000

How much proverbial airplay are these clowns (the creators) actually getting? I watched about an episode-and-a-half's worth, and it was completely unfunny and totally lacking in creativity and cleverness. Also, you can tell they're Israeli because, in addition to all the obvious identifiers in content, they Anglicize "Ahmed" (I think they're going for an "Akhmed/A5med" sound) as "Achmed" :P Unrelated: is anyone else having trouble seeing comments on KF posted by people without IntenseDebate accounts? For some reason some of the blog posts show up with 0 comments, or only a few comments as posted by people with ID accounts until I post something, and then I see a flood of non-ID comments that were posted hours prior. EDIT: Even as of right now, the only two comments I see are mine and Arayus'; has anyone else commented?

KABOBfest : Breaking the Silence creates an uproar

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:12:19 +0000

If I remember correctly, the Supreme Court of Israel has repeatedly chastised the IDF for using these tactics, and reminded them they violate international and Israeli law, yet the IDF continues to act, much as the larger Israeli government does, as if it is above the law. In February of 2007, during "Operation Hot Winter" in Nablus, the IDF was caught on camera using human shields. A longer interview with Jihan, the young girl near the end of the video, can be found here. Arayus is astute to note, as many others have, that these as well as the instances he mentioned in his post are what truly constitute the use of a "human shield", not fighting from civilian buildings as the IDF accuses Hamas of doing.

Mondoweiss : very bland, and apologetic, map in the 'Times'

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:43:08 +0000

Abu Khalil plastered Bronner yesterday as well, this time for being the voice of Israeli propaganda in the NYT on the Lebanon issue. Spot on, that As'ad.