Thursday, 3 June 2010

see addendum below.

In "It hurts to be in love" Avedon writes:

There's one thing that's really changed dramatically since I started this blog, and that's the fact that it is no longer impossible to discuss flaws in Israel's policies without being completely hammered for antisemitism by otherwise rational people. I can remember having huge arguments with friends who did not get that some of the prime movers behind "support" for Israel were right-wing antisemites who actually want to foment a war in the Middle-East that would annihilate Israel; they simply did not see that Israel's increasingly immoderate policies were laying the groundwork for an escalation of hostilities in the region. Most of them no longer stomp on questions about "support" for Israel or criticism of Israel's policies. Now, they, too, want questions answered about why the US continues to encourage Israel's suicidal approach. But, as is so often the case, Americans are way ahead of our "progressives" in Congress.

She adds,

"I'm not always comfortable with the way people talk about fear as if it is in itself always a bad motivator. The problem isn't fear, it's fear of the wrong things (e.g., scary swarthy foreigners or people who look like them) rather than the right things, such as Malefactors of Great Wealth wrecking our lives."

an addendum-JV:

At first I posted the above as all for today because I thought it might generate comments, because initially I didn't know what I wanted to say. I've noticed that a lot of lefty establishment bloggers have been discussing their mystification at Israel's excess, and describing the attack on the flotilla as a blunder. ( a typical example is Jonathan Zasloff, here.)

I don't buy this. Per the Overton window, it occurs to me that the Israeli government chose this strategy because of the negotiations regarding nukes in the mideast, which Israel's neighbors have intelligently forced, and which would put pressure on them to declare their nuclear arsenal, and in turn put pressure on Obama to renounce or at least modify US support for Israel. And maybe even shelve the war on Iran. Monday's hideous event, with Israel coming on defiantly unrepentant and strong at first, gives them the opportunity to soften their stance and eventually, grudgingly, admit a "mistake" after much coaxing by Obama and Hilary. And at that point, asking for Israel to also admit to having a stash of nukes and join the nonproliferation treaty would be pretty fucking ungrateful.

Also:"Can Americans be murdered by the Israeli government with impunity?" (It seems at least one has. (link via X.)