Donald Trump announces plan to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Does not go over well.

'Jerusalem is Israel's capital' - US President Donald Trump announces, overturning decades of official US policy https://t.co/HoqKpCq3Dv pic.twitter.com/zGhdvdX5NU

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 6, 2017

Courtesy of the New York Times:  

President Trump on Wednesday formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing nearly seven decades of American foreign policy and setting in motion a plan to move the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to the fiercely contested Holy City. 

“Today we finally acknowledge the obvious: that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital,” Mr. Trump said from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House. “This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do. It’s something that has to be done.” 

The president cast his decision as a break with decades of failed policy on Jerusalem, which the United States, along with virtually every other nation in the world, has declined to recognize as the capital since Israel’s founding in 1948. That policy, he said, brought us “no closer to a lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.” 

“It would be folly to assume that repeating the exact same formula would now produce a different or better result,” Mr. Trump declared. 

Recognizing Jerusalem, he added, was “a long overdue step to advance the peace process.”

Yeah, I don't think Donald Trump understands what the word "peace" means, because this is not how you go about attaining it.

Courtesy of Al Jazeera:  

Mahmoud Abbas has lambasted the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying the Palestinian leadership refuses to acknowledge President Donald Trump's contentious move. 

Calling Jerusalem the "eternal capital of the State of Palestine", the president of the Palestinian Authority said on Wednesday the US could no longer be a mediator in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. 

His comments were in response to an earlier announcement by Trump during which he said the US was formally recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and would begin the process of moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to the city. 

"This is a reward to Israel," Abbas said in a televised address, adding that Trump's move encouraged Israel's "continuing occupation" of the Palestinian territories. 

Earlier in the day, Palestinian leaders called for three days of rage against the move.

Boy that sounds peaceful, doesn't it?

There was also this:

President Abbas just ordered his Palestinian team located in Washington DC to come home, saying that the United States has “withdrawn” from it’s role in the peace process. Abbas considers this to be the end of America acting as a mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

— Scott Dworkin (@funder) December 6, 2017

Trump had said earlier that he had the support of Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations, but according to news reports there is NOBODY on the Arab side who is cool with this, or anybody else for that matter.

Courtesy of the BBC:

The US decision comes despite vocal opposition in the Muslim world, even among US allies. 

On Tuesday Saudi Arabia's King Salman had said that the move "would constitute a flagrant provocation of Muslims, all over the world". 

Demonstrations have already taken place in Gaza and outside the US consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. 

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said it was "a moment of great anxiety". "There is no alternative to the two-state solution. There is no Plan B," he said. 

In other reaction: 

Prime Minister Theresa May said she disagreed with the US decision, which was "unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region" 

French President Emmanuel Macron said France did not support the move and called for calm 

EU chief diplomat Federica Mogherini voiced "serious concern" 

Boy color me confused.

Here I thought that Trump was just focused on trying to start a nuclear war with North Korea, but  it appears the tiny fingered multitasker is also going to try and create a conflagration in the Middle East as well.

What was it that Michael Caine said in that Batman movie?

“...some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” 

I think Vladimir Putin and the deplorables have placed such a man into the White House.

Donald Trump thinking about pulling out of Middle East peace talks after his unqualified son-in-law screws up meeting with Palestinian leaders.

Courtesy of The Hill:

The London-based Arabic daily al-Hayat reports that Kushner's meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was “tense,” according to a translation from the Jerusalem Post, and Abbas was reportedly furious at Kushner relaying the demands of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Israeli newspaper Haaretz also reports that Palestinian officials were “greatly disappointed” by their meeting with Kushner and Trump’s Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt. 

"They sounded like Netanyahu's advisers and not like fair arbiters," a senior Palestinian official told the newspaper. "They started presenting Netanyahu's issues and then we asked to hear from them clear stances regarding the core issues of the conflict." 

The report also claims that the Trump delegation was also upset with Abbas for refusing to denounce a recent stabbing attack in Jerusalem. 

A Palestinian official reportedly told al-Hayat that Kushner will report back to Trump on the meetings and Trump will then make a decision on continuing with the talks. 

“(Kushner) will submit his report to the president and, after it is submitted, Trump will decide if there's a chance for negotiations or it might be preferable to pull out of peace talks," the official said, according to a translation by the Post.

Earlier Trump had said this about Middle East peace:  

“I want to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians,” Trump told Reuters Thursday. "There is no reason there’s not peace between Israel and the Palestinians — none whatsoever.”

Trump also claimed that making peace would be a lot easier than people claimed.

So with this in mind he sent a trust fund baby with absolutely no experience to negotiate a peace deal which has eluded expert negotiators for decades, and now that it has hit a snag he is considering just saying fuck it to the whole thing.

Gee, no wonder the Russians wanted this guy in charge of our country. 

Israel decides to celebrate Donald Trump's victory by defying international law and further oppressing the Palestinians.

Courtesy of BBC: 

Israel has approved hundreds of new settlement homes in occupied East Jerusalem, after the staunch pro-Israel US President Donald Trump took office. 

Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Meir Turgeman told AFP: "Now we can finally build." 

Israel's PM reportedly delayed approval given the opposition of Barack Obama, who infuriated Israel by allowing a UN resolution against settlements to pass. 

Settlements in East Jerusalem are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. 

For his part Trump just invited Netanyahu to come hang.

Courtesy of Politico: 

President Donald Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and invited him to the United States in February, according to a statement released by Netanyahu’s office. 

“The Prime Minister expressed his desire to work closely with President Trump to forge a common vision to advance peace and security in the region, with no daylight between the United States and Israel,” the statement said.

Gee maybe Trump will also invite Putin and they can all sit around laughing about all of the human rights they plan to stomp on. 

Bibi Netanyahu goes hard right and sabotages peace negotiations with Palestine in order to win reelection. So of course that makes him Sarah Palin's hero.

Courtesy of the poor man's Queen Esther's Facebook page:  

Congratulations, Prime Minister Netanyahu. Thank you to the good people of Israel for supporting a leader who will stand up and fight for all the free world while other leaders sit down. The Heartland of America will sleep better knowing Bibi remains the voice of reason and strength in the beautiful nation of Israel; for when Israel is safe, we are safe.

 - Sarah Palin

Yeah I think Palin has that backwards.

When America is safe Israel is safe.  I think if Israel were bombed out of existence tomorrow most Americans would not even notice.

And speaking of bombed out of existence, that is exactly what Netanyahu did to any peace talks with the Palestinians. This from The New York Times:  

Benjamin Netanyahu was poised to return to power. But there was a cloud over his apparent turnaround, the result of an increasingly shrill campaign that raised questions about his ability to heal Israel’s internal wounds or better its standing in the world. 

He said there would be no Palestinian state under his watch. 

He railed against Israeli Arabs — because they had gone out to vote. 

From the capitals of Europe, to Washington, to the West Bank, to the streets of Israel, even while his critics said Mr. Netanyahu had reaffirmed his reputation as a cynical, calculating politician, it appeared that his approach succeeded in drawing votes from other right-leaning parties. 

But along the way he angered the president of the United States with a speech to Congress and infuriated European leaders eager to see the peace process move ahead to create a Palestinian state.

In one fell swoop Netanyahu has undermined any possibility of a lasting peace between Israel and their Palestinian neighbors. 

Going hard right and fomenting the possibility of military conflict in order to win an election. No wonder he has the support of Sarah Palin and the Republicans. 

All Americans mourn the death of Kayla Mueller who was recently killed while held hostage by ISIS. Well, unless you are a rabidly pro-Israel conservative American that is.

Courtesy of Raw Story:  

On Tuesday, the radical Islamic group the Islamic State announced that 26-year-old hostage Kayla Mueller was dead, reportedly in a Jordanian bombing raid. 

As Talking Points Memo reported, while much of the world reacted with horror and grief at the death, many conservatives took to social media to celebrate the killing and call the young aid worker a terrorist sympathizer and “anti-Israel bitch” because of her work on behalf of the occupied people of Palestine. 

In a piece titled “Kayla Mueller: Dead ISIS Hostage Was Jew-Hating, Anti-Israel Bitch,” conservative blogger Debbie Schlussel wrote, “No tears for the newly-departed Kayla Mueller, the ISIS hostage whose parents confirmed today that she is dead.” 

“Mueller was a Jew-hating, anti-Israel piece of crap who worked with HAMAS and helped Palestinians harass Israeli soldiers and block them from doing their job of keeping Islamic terrorists out of Israel,” Schlussel wrote. 

“I have no sympathy for any of these ‘American’ (in name only!) hostages of ISIS,” she went on. “And my attitude when I hear they’ve been snuffed out is, so sad, too bad.” 

One conservative website urged readers to pause before they mourn Mueller’s death and ask whether her support of Palestine was ultimately what killed her. 

“People should be asking is why this young American girl was in Syria in the first place,” said Conservative-Headlines.com. “The fact is that Kayla Mueller was a Cultural Marxist who talked about her ‘privilege.’”

Damn you would think that this deeply religious young woman would be somebody who conservatives would identify with, but since there seemed to have been ideological differences concerning the Israel-Palestinian situation they are almost gleeful that she has died.

I think the word for that is "disgusting."

Sarah Palin chastises American Jews for supporting President Obama's peace efforts in Israel, instead of siding with Netanyahu's attempts to essentially push the Palestinians into the sea.

So Alaska frosty Queen Esther posted this on Facebook today: 

Amazing how our leadership continues to get this wrong. The liberal agenda that would support religious discrimination in Israel's capital is another glaring example of leftist hypocrisy; the claim that Israel is to blame for unrest in the region is another glaring example of White House naiveté; and that false claim continuing to go unchecked by the media, thus perpetuating the lie, is another glaring example of how the lapdogs work. I hope our Jewish friends who continue to support President Obama's failed liberal agenda will take the time to answer my question by posting a comment below: The Obama Administration's position discriminates against Jews while it supports Arabs living freely in Jerusalem, so how will Israel strengthen its capital when an ally bullies Jews to cower and apologize, and how can our Jewish friends support those who are leading this deluded, dangerous charge?

 - Sarah Palin

Now we know that Palin, like many Evangelicals, is desperate to makes sure that war in the Middle East continues in order to kick start Armageddon so that she can meet Jesus before she is too old to maintain her balance in her red Naughty Monkey Pumps.

She could really care less how many Palestinians or Israelis have to die in order for her to get Jesus to sign his biography for her. and she simply cannot understand why all Jewish people are not taking her side.

The most recent conflict between Netanyahu and the President has to do with this:  

The White House issued a sharply worded warning to Israel on Wednesday over proposed settlements in a disputed part of east Jerusalem, hours after President Obama met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

"This development will only draw condemnation from the international community, (and) distance Israel from even its closest allies," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. 

The spokesman also said the proposed housing project would "poison the atmosphere, not only with the Palestinians but also with the very Arab governments with which Prime Minister Netanyahu said he wanted to build relations."

Of course Netanyahu claims that the Obama administration is making a mountain out of a little encroachment, and that once these new houses are built by Jewish developers that the Arabs are totally free to buy one as well. You know if they can procure a down payment, talk the Jewish owned banks into giving them a loan, and promise to keep their camels off of everybody's lawn.

You know whenever I hear a conservative complain about a lack of support for Israel, or that the Palestinians have no right to try and hold onto their land I always think of this image.

Yeah the Palestinians can be so unreasonable sometimes, can't they?

For those who think that Elizabeth Warren is the liberal candidate that can beat Hillary Clinton, you might want to read this.

During a town hall meeting last week Senator Warren defended her vote to provide $225 millino ins support of Israel in its ongoing conflict with Israel, despite evidence of numerous civilian deaths at the hands of the Israeli army.

This courtesy of the Cape Cod Times: 

"We are disagreeing with Israel using their guns against innocents. It's true in Ferguson, Missouri, and it's true in Israel," said Harwich resident John Bangert, who identified himself as a Warren supporter but said the $225 million could have been spent on infrastructure or helping immigrants fleeing Central America. 

"The vote was wrong, I believe," he added, drawing applause from several in the crowd. 

Warren told Bangert she appreciated his comments, but "we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one." 

"I think the vote was right, and I'll tell you why I think the vote was right," she said. "America has a very special relationship with Israel. Israel lives in a very dangerous part of the world, and a part of the world where there aren't many liberal democracies and democracies that are controlled by the rule of law. And we very much need an ally in that part of the world." 

Warren said Hamas has attacked Israel "indiscriminately," but with the Iron Dome defense system, the missiles have "not had the terrorist effect Hamas hoped for." When pressed by another member of the crowd about civilian casualties from Israel's attacks, Warren said she believes those casualties are the "last thing Israel wants." 

"But when Hamas puts its rocket launchers next to hospitals, next to schools, they're using their civilian population to protect their military assets. And I believe Israel has a right, at that point, to defend itself," Warren said, drawing applause. 

Noreen Thompsen, of Eastham, proposed that Israel should be prevented from building any more settlements as a condition of future U.S. funding, but Warren said, "I think there's a question of whether we should go that far."

I, like a lot of you I believe, have been somewhat surprised by he unconditional support for Israel coming from  just about everybody, including Joan Rivers, Howard Stern, Seth Rogen, and yes Hillary Clinton,

However it was because of that support that some felt that Clinton was a warmonger out of touch with liberal America, and that a more progressive candidate cloud challenge her for the Democratic nomination and beat her.

Of course for many the person they imagined coming at Clinton from the Left was Elizabeth Warren.

However after reading those statements up above it is clear that Warren is essentially in lockstep with Clinton when it comes to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Personally I think that there is quite a bit of blame for the conflict on both sides, however to blindly support Israel without holding them accountable for the numerous avoidable deaths and their continued encroachment into Palestinian lands is unfair and makes us partly culpable for the deaths yet to come.

There are always two sides to every conflict, and to turn a deaf ear to one, means we care little about really working towards peace in the Middle East.

Hillary Clinton throws Obama to the wolves as she moves to define herself for a future 2016 presidential run.

Courtesy of Salon:  

During a long and in-depth interview with the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, former secretary of state and likely future presidential candidate Hillary Clinton distanced herself from President Obama’s foreign policy, implying the Islamist extremist group ISIS would not be so powerful had the president listened to her advice and thrown American power more forcefully behind “moderate” Syrian rebel forces. 

“The failure to help build up a credible fighting force of the people who were the originators of the protests against Assad — there were Islamists, there were secularists, there was everything in the middle — the failure to do that left a big vacuum, which the jihadists have now filled,” Clinton said. 

Clinton was known at the time to support a larger American investment in the Syrian civil war, and reiterated her belief that not doing so was a mistake in her recently released book about her time as secretary of state, “Hard Choices.”

Look I understand the importance of making distance from a President whose poll ratings are down when you are planning to run for his job in two years, but this really seems tacky. Especially considering how the Right Wing press is going to use this to beat up the President even more than before.

The conservatives have been attacking Obama over his decision in Syria for quite some time now, and this will give them that "I told you so" moment that they have been hoping for.

I mean just imagine how happy John McCain will be to read this.

I think former UK foreign secretary David Miliband was more honest in his assessment that the war in Iraq was really the destabilizing force which led to the rise of ISIS:  

"It's clearly the case that the invasion of Iraq, or more importantly what happened afterwards, is a significant factor in understanding the current situation in the country," Miliband told the Observer.

He said that he accepted that the consequences of the Iraq war had left the majority of the public in the US and the UK unwilling to support interventions in the Middle East, even to prevent humanitarian catastrophes, such as Syria. 

"You have to, you have to take responsibility," said Miliband. He added: "You can't press the rewind button."

In other words the President was responding to the desires of the American people when he made his choices in Syria, and those desires were the result of war fatigue and anger over our interventionist war in Iraq. (Hell even Laura Ingraham agrees with this.)

And who was it again who voted FOR that war?

Clinton's response to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is also troubling: 

Pressed on whether Israel was doing enough to limit civilian casualties, she answered: “It’s unclear. I think Israel did what it had to do to respond to the rockets. And there is the surprising number and complexity of the tunnels, and Hamas has consistently, not just in this conflict, but in the past, been less than protective of their civilians.” 

She said anti-Semitism was a factor in the unfair international reaction against Israel: “There are a number of factors going into it. You can’t ever discount anti-Semitism, especially with what’s going on in Europe today. There are more demonstrations against Israel by an exponential amount than there are against Russia seizing part of Ukraine and shooting down a civilian airliner. So there’s something else at work here than what you see on TV.” 

So our response to the over 1,000 dead Palestinians, mostly civilians, is due to antisemitism?

You know I am going to support Clinton during her run for President, as I think that any Republican that won the White House would be a disaster, but I am going to have a hard time ginning up any enthusiasm while doing so.

There are other ways that Hillary could have fielded these questions, and I think it speaks to certain troubling signs in her character that she chose to answer them in this manner.

Joan Rivers has absolutely NO sympathy for the Palestinian people.

Courtesy of Alternet:  

Joan Rivers is known for her scathing sharp tongue, and yet her take on the Isaeli-Gaza crisis is one of her most controversial views to date. When told by a TMZ reporter than almost 2,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, she raised her hands in mock shock. 

“Oh my God! Tell that to the people in Hiroshima,” she says. “Good. Good. When you declare war, you declare war. They started it. We now don't count who's dead. You're dead, you deserve to be dead. Don’t you dare make me feel bad about that.” 

“They were told to get out. They didn’t get out. You don’t get out, you are an idiot. At least the ones that were killed were the ones with low IQs.” 

She goes onto describe Gaza’s Hamas government as “terrorists.” 

“They were re-elected by a lot of very stupid people who don’t even own a pencil,” she said.

Later Rivers tried to suggest that this was taken out of context.

However TMZ has the footage and it is clear that the context was that Rivers despises the Palestinian people.

Rivers also issued this statement on Facebook: 

“I am both saddened and disappointed that my statement about the tragedy of civilian casualties was totally taken out of context. What I said and stand behind is, war is hell and unfortunately civilians are victims of political conflicts. We, The United States, certainly know this as 69 years later we still feel the guilt of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The media, as usual, has decided to only quote the most out of context and inflammatory non sequitur rather than giving an accurate account of what my intentions were behind the statement. Along with every other sane person in this world, I am praying for peace. It is stupid and wrong and I am tired of bearing the brunt of attacks by people who want to sell newspapers or gain ratings by creating a scandal about me that is non-existent.”

You know while it is hard to have too much sympathy for either the Palestinians or Israelis in this conflict, since the conflict seems to be based mostly on religious  differences and therefore completely ridiculous in my eyes, you still, as a human being, have to have compassion for the thousands of dead who did nothing wrong except be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As for what started this conflict the answer to that goes back well over a hundred years, but establishing a Jewish state right in the middle of what had traditionally been a predominantly Muslim area certainly did not help matters.

I think Rivers reaction is shameful and demonstrates a lack of empathy for a people who feel bullied and displaced by the Israelis.

And I find it reprehensible that Sarah Palin, in her bid to associate herself with more mainstream celebrities, supported Rivers earlier rant against the Palestinians.

UN official breaks down on camera while discussing the Israeli shelling of UN run school in Gaza strip.

Courtesy of the Washington Post: 

As my colleagues report, Palestinian officials and a U.N. agency say Israeli artillery shells on Wednesday hit a U.N.-run school that was sheltering Palestinian families, killing at least 20. A U.N. statement pinned the blame on the Israeli military, which says it's investigating the incident. "Today the world stands disgraced," the statement read. 

For Chris Gunness, a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which has numerous facilities in Gaza, it's all too much. This is the sixth time UNRWA sites have been hit during Israel's current campaign. He broke down sobbing during an interview, footage of which was screened by Al Jazeera Arabic. Watch above. 

So far in more than three weeks of fighting, 1,340 Palestinians have died, the majority of whom were civilians, including many women and children. Fifty-three Israeli soldiers have perished, as have three civilians in Israel, one of whom was a farm worker from Thailand.

Of course the Israelis are now denying that they had anything to do with this attack and are blaming it on the Palestinians.

However earlier they did more or less admit firing in the school's direction: 

Lt. Col. Peter Lerner of the Israeli military said no United Nations facility had been targeted. A military spokeswoman said that Palestinian militants had “opened fire at Israeli soldiers from the vicinity” of the school on Wednesday morning, and that Israeli troops had “responded by firing toward the origins of the fire.”

Simply put, killing children in their sleep is indefensible.

“That’s where I found this two-and-a-half-year-old with panda-sized, huge, suppurating, round, panda-like wounds that almost prevented her eyes from opening at all. They were the consequence of a broken skull and a fractured nose.” – U.K. news reporter Jon Snow at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital. Photo: Screen grab U.K. Channel 4 News report.

Indefensible. 

The best musical explanation for the Israeli-Palestinian crisis ever!

This Land Is Mine from Nina Paley on Vimeo.
Here is a description of the characters from True Activist.

I don"t think I have ever understood what is going on in Israel as fully as I do now.

And just try getting that song out of your head today.

CNN removes reporter after she tweets that Israelis cheering the bombing of Gaza are "scum." Apparently no truth telling for CNN reporters.

Courtesy of the Huffington Post: 

CNN has removed correspondent Diana Magnay from covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after she tweeted that Israelis who were cheering the bombing of Gaza, and who had allegedly threatened her, were “scum.” 

“After being threatened and harassed before and during a liveshot, Diana reacted angrily on Twitter,” a CNN spokeswoman said in a statement to The Huffington Post. 

“She deeply regrets the language used, which was aimed directly at those who had been targeting our crew," the spokeswoman continued. "She certainly meant no offense to anyone beyond that group, and she and CNN apologize for any offense that may have been taken.” 

The spokeswoman said Magnay has been assigned to Moscow. 

Magnay appeared on CNN Thursday from a hill overlooking the Israel-Gaza border. While she reported, Israelis could be heard near her cheering as missiles were fired at Gaza. 

After the liveshot, Magnay tweeted: “Israelis on hill above Sderot cheer as bombs land on #gaza; threaten to ‘destroy our car if I say a word wrong’. Scum.” The tweet was quickly removed, but not before it had been retweeted more than 200 times.

 I am not going to argue whether or not in her capacity as a CNN anchor Magnay should have chosen her words more carefully, but her feelings toward those who would celebrate the killing of innocent people with bombs seems quite reasonable.

These people are fighting a conflict based almost entirely on their differing religious views, and the fact that people are still killing each other over the belief that their faith is right while all others are false is shameful and should not be supported or excused by rational people.

Sarah Palin upset that President Obama is tired of protecting Israel while they resist working on a peace deal with Palestine.

Courtesy of Queen Fester's Facebook page:  

I find this stunning – scary, sad, and stunning. On the eve of Netanyahu's visit, President Obama announces to the world that he shall tell Israel's prime minister what to do; he'll lay blame for regional unrest on Israel and command they adopt an Obama-sanctioned "peace plan" that requires Israel to concede even more land and authority. Truly stunning.

Well of course she finds it stunning, scary, and sad. After all if Obama stops allowing Israel to continue yanking America's chain, and forces it to make real peace with the Palestinians, she might not get that important war that was predicted in the Book of Revelations and she won't get to meet Jesus.

After all Palin would not piss on Israel if it was on fire, if she did not believe that it was instrumental in ushering in the Second Coming of Christ.

For those who may not know what has Palin's crusty panties all in a bunch, this is what has been reported about Obama's plans: 

President Obama plans to urge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to support the U.S. framework for peace with the Palestinians when the two men meet in the Oval Office on Monday, according to aides familiar with the agenda. 

But Obama may also offer tougher talk than ever before on the importance of reaching a peace agreement and ending Israeli settlement construction in the occupied territories. 

In an interview published by Bloomberg News on Sunday, Obama told journalist Jeffrey Goldberg that the U.S. is still willing to defend Israel before the international community but that his ability to do that effectively may wane without a peace deal. 

“If you see no peace deal and continued aggressive settlement construction -- and we have seen more aggressive settlement construction over the last couple years than we’ve seen in a very long time,” Obama said. “If Palestinians come to believe that the possibility of a contiguous sovereign Palestinian state is no longer within reach, then our ability to manage the international fallout is going to be limited.” 

If Netanyahu doesn’t believe that a peace deal is the right thing to do for Israel, Obama told Goldberg, “then he needs to articulate an alternative approach.” 

“It’s hard to come up with one that’s plausible,” he added.

In other words after decades of US Presidents spending tons of time, money, and wasted political capital trying to broker a peace deal between Israel and Palestine, Obama is upping the stakes by suggesting that if Netanyahu is not serious about working towards peace in the Middle East, then he should have the guts to admit it.

And that once he does, America might not be able, or perhaps even willing, to protect them from the aggression that is surely going to come their way.

To my way of thinking this kind of tough talk is EXACTLY what Netanyahu needs to hear.

Perhaps once he realizes that THIS President is unwilling to continue being jerked around, he will put a stop to the aggressive settlement construction and start negotiating in good faith.

After all wasn't it the conservatives and Fox News who said that President Obama needed to start talking tougher and backing it up with action?

With so much negativity today I thought I would leave you with something to inspire you, and make you proud of your country. At least the way your country is today.

President Obama with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu

Touring the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

Meeting with Palestinian children.

The children know, they always know.

And lest you think that the President's visit was all photo ops and inspirational speeches, there was also this rather amazing outcome:

Friday, on the last day of Obama’s trip to Israel, Netanyahu finally called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to apologize, as Obama has urged since 2010. The three-way call ended with a bit of goodwill and some policy changes: Israeli payment to the families of the victims, an easing of the Israeli embargo on Gaza (which the flotilla had sought to break), the “cancellation” of Turkey’s “legal steps” against the Israeli military and, most importantly, the restoration of full diplomatic relations. It’s a big deal.

Gee no WONDER Fox News refused to report on this visit. It must burn their ass to know they just lost one of the favorite avenues of attack.

I am proud of my President and I don't care who knows it.

What's more, I think ALL of us should be proud of the job he has done, and yes, that also means the Republicans, who if they were honest with themselves would HAVE to admit that the country is certainly a HELL of a lot better off today then it would have been if their candidate had won in 2008 OR 2012. ESPECIALLY in 2008!

(Photos courtesy of the Obama Diary.)

President Obama to receive Presidential Medal of Distinction from Israel. Conservative heads will be poppiing like champagne corks at this news, bet on it!

Courtesy of HuffPo:  

Israel will award President Barack Obama the country's Presidential Medal of Distinction during his upcoming visit. 

Israeli President Shimon Peres' office said Monday that Obama will be recognized for his "unique and significant contribution to strengthening the State of Israel and the security of its citizens." 

Obama is scheduled to visit Israel in March – his first as president. Obama has often had a tense relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Jewish state's West Bank settlement policies and the lack of peace process with the Palestinians. 

But Peres and the committee behind the award noted Obama's overall friendship and backing of the Iron Dome missile defense system.

Okay if I could have one wish right now I would dearly LOVE to be a fly on the wall when Sarah Palin reads this.  She is going to lose her damn mind!

And you know that after Obama gets back from this trip that he will garner even more support from the Israelis then he already has, which is right now pretty substantial with different groups campaigning against each other in attempts to get him address them directly instead of simply speaking to the politicians.

Israeli soldiers complain that presence of video cameras is "intolerable" because it makes it harder to simply kill the Palestinian protesters.

Courtesy of Ynet News:

According to S., orders to open fire address situations of a clear and present danger and only if there is a person with the means and intent to kill. "But what is an angry mob throwing stones and sometimes rocks at you if not a life threatening situation? I wouldn't order opening fire at a crowd of people but we can't have a situation where you stand in front of a person with a rock and start to ask yourself is this person life threatening. If I shoot at him I go to jail." 

T., a combatant in an infantry brigade, also claims that soldiers are not equipped to handle the complex situation on the ground. "There's nothing more humiliating for a combatant than to see his friends run," he says. 

He criticizes the army for sending such a small group of soldiers to Qaddum on Friday at a particularly volatile time. 

T. says the cameras on the ground undermine the forces' efforts. "A commander or an officer sees a camera and becomes a diplomat, calculating every rubber bullet, every step. It's intolerable, we're left utterly exposed. The cameras are our kryptonite."

So to be clear, the problem is that with the Palestinians now more capable of documenting atrocities against them, it makes it a hardship on the Israeli troops to dish out those atrocities.

Uh huh. And remember this is taking place on the West Bank, which is essentially land now occupied by the Israelis that the Palestinians historically believe to be their birthright, and which 164 countries refer to as "Occupied Palestinian Land."

Boy it just sucks having to treat human beings like human beings doesn't it?

Here perhaps I can offer the Israelis a little advice. "You know if there is something that you want to do to another human being, that you DON'T want captured on video, perhaps you shouldn't be doing it in the first place. I'm just saying."

(H/T to The Electronic Intifada.)

UN votes to implicitly recognize a Palestinian state.

Courtesy of RT News:  

The UN General Assembly has voted to upgrade Palestinians’ diplomatic status to a “non-member observer state,” thus implicitly recognizing a Palestinian state. This comes despite strong opposition from the US and Israel. 

The Palestinian bid has been upheld with 138 votes in favor, 9 against and 41 abstentions. 

Addressing the General Assembly on Thursday Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the historic vote was the last chance to save the two-state solution. He also told the meeting that it “is being asked today to issue the birth certificate of Palestine.” 

In his speech Abbas mentioned Israel’s deadly assault on Gaza that took place this month and stressed that the Palestinians would accept "no less than the independence of the state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital." 

The Israeli government has described Abbas’s speech, which was met with a standing ovation at the General Assembly, as “defamatory and venomous.”"The world watched a defamatory and venomous speech that was full of mendacious propaganda against the IDF (army) and the citizens of Israel," the Israeli PM’s office said in a statement. 

Israeli UN ambassador, Ron Prosor, warned the General Assembly that “the Palestinians are turning their backs on peace.'' 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the parties to renew their commitment to negotiating a peace deal. 

However the US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice said the UN's vote on the Palestinians’ status places further obstacles in the path of peace. "Today's grand pronouncements will soon fade and the Palestinian people will wake up tomorrow and find that little has changed," she told the assembly with a somber voice. "This resolution does not establish that Palestine is a state." 

The vote could be seen as an embarrassing defeat for Washington, which has always been a staunch ally of Israel.

The other day I was watching a news program, you know like I am always, and one of the commentators mentioned that while it may seem to appear that America has always presented itself as a neutral arbitrator concerning the conflict that exists between the Palestinians and Israelis, such is not the case.

In fact the United State's unabashed support for all things Israeli, has made them favor Israel over the Palestinians is virtually ALL negotiations going back to the birth of Israel itself.

The effect of that is dramatically illustrated in the maps below.

So what does this mean? Well it means that the Palestinians can now go directly to the UN and have their voice heard. This recognition constitutes an important endorsement of the legitimacy of their claim to statehood, potentially strengthening their hand in talks with Israel on major sticking points.

In terms of substantive gains, it will assist a Palestinian attempt to join the International Criminal Court and to be able to ask the body to investigate acts committed by Israel as potential war crimes.

This is going to make it harder for the Israelis to dismiss them as simply a "terrorist network" and provide Palestine with the opportunity to present their case on a more equal footing.

To quote Joe Biden, it is "kind of a big fucking deal." Even if Israel and America refuse to publicly recognize it as such.

Good news for the holidays as Secretary Clinton helps negotiate Middle East cease-fire. Update!

Courtesy of NBC News:

 Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire, the Egyptian foreign minister said Wednesday in a news conference, after eight days of fighting that have killed more than 140 Palestinians and five Israelis. 

The cease-fire is set to start at 9 p.m. Cairo time, Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr announced alongside visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. 

“The United States welcomes the agreement today for the cease-fire in Gaza," Clinton said, adding that Egypt's new government was exerting responsibility and leadership in the region. 

"This is a critical moment for the region," she said. 

In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the agreement.

I don't have a great deal of confidence in this lasting for very long, but perhaps it will keep people from dying until a more permanent agreement can be worked out.

It looks like Hillary will have really earned that rest she is looking forward if THIS is what is going to be occupying her time before she steps down from her position IF that is even still an option for her considering how delicate these negations may be.

Personally I have far more confidence in HER ability to work out a solution than I do any of the people named as her possible successor.

Up[date: Oh THIS is going to piss off a certain crazed half-term governor:  

“I have to say all this was done with the firm support on the part of the leaders of the international community," Netanyahu said during the press conference. "And I would like especially to thank President Barack Obama for his unreserved support for Israel’s actions in the operation and for Israel’s right to defend itself, as well as his support for the Iron Dome systems." 

Netanyahu offered similar praise for the work of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and expressed his "appreciation" for Egypt's role in the agreement. 

As has been mentioned before this is undoubtedly simply Netanyahu kissing up to Obama because he is  coming up for reelection soon, and right now I understand that Obama is substantially more popular that Bibi is right now.

Do you hear that clanging sound? You KNOW where that is coming from!

Gee I can hardly wait for the Israeli government to get to the bottom of this mystery.

From the AP:

Israel has proposed an inquiry commission into its bloody attack on a Gaza-bound flotilla two weeks ago, to be headed by a retired Israeli judge and to include two high-ranking foreign observers.

A government statement said the "independent public commission" proposal would be brought before Israel's Cabinet on Monday for approval.

First we allowed BP to lead the operation to plug the leak in the Gulf and clean up the spilled oil, now Israel is going to look into why they illegally boarded a humanitarian flotilla in international waters, and next I assume that Wile E. Coyote will be assigned to find out why the roadrunner has suddenly turned up missing.

When did everybody get so damn gullible?

You knew it was coming, Sarah Palin tweets support for Israel over controversial boarding of humanitarian vessels in international waters.

From Sarah's Twitter page:

Assume u WON'T get straight scoop on Israeli flotilla incident via mainstream media;PLEASE read Krauthammer,Horowitz,et al 2learn other side

I have tried NOT to leap to any conclusions over this incident, but I have to admit that I am fighting instinct to not take the opposite side from the one that Sarah has taken.

Here is the Charles Krauthammer article about the incident. He makes some interesting points, but once again I am taking it with a grain of salt because he is fixture on Fox News and I have very little trust left for that particular cable"news" channel.

The UN Security Council is demanding an end to the blockade.

Here is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's response.

At this link you can see a number of videos released by BOTH sides showing what happened during the boarding.