In a speech to a pro-Israel lobbying group, Mr. Netanyahu reiterated that Israel had no plans to freeze housing in Jerusalem, the trigger for a recent row between Israel and the United States. He rejected the administration’s contention that Israel’s policies were impeding the peace process.
“The Jewish people were building Jerusalem 3,000 years and the Jewish people are building Jerusalem today,” Mr. Netanyahu said to the group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “Jerusalem is not a settlement; It’s our capital.”
Apparently then, the descendants of the forefathers of the Mississippians (who didn’t appear until about 1000 AD) will be building on my block with no worry about modern property rights and such because they did it a long time ago. I may be calling for friends to move quickly if that is the standard for booting people out of a neighborhood.
Being as stupid and obstinate at the Palestinian leadership is not going to create a peaceful and secure Israel. It is going to creating a toxic situation to a democracy where the rule of law and essential due process is denied to a people because of their ethnicity. The building of settlements on property currently owned and housing Palestinians is nothing more than racial discrimination.
Beyond that, it makes moving forward towards permanent peace talks with at least the Palestinians in the West Bank impossible (Hamas makes Gaza impossible regardless of Israel). It provides cover within the Muslim world for Iran to escape unanimous condemnation for expanding its nuclear program. But most of all, it tears at the rule of law that all democracies thrive on. The reason the US shares such a special relationship with Israel is an acknowledgment of its status as the only stable democracy in that area of the world. If that status chances, the entire reason for that special relationship disappears. Netanyahu seems to not care.
Yes, and the people who constantly whine that we don’t hold the Palestinians to the same standards to the Israelis never seem to get that the Palestinians are not our (putative) allies.
What standards has the U.S. government held Israel to? Israel sets its own standards. Sometimes the U.S. complains, but what form of coercion has the United States ever imposed on Israel?
Huh. All this time I thought Tel Aviv was the capitol of Israel. I guess I need a new map. Or something.