This commentary is especially written for those who thought that the Secretary of State (SoS) John Kerry’s speech at the State Department on December 28th, 2016 was very reasonable, and also for those who are so incensed about it, that they cannot find the words to debunk it, who just know that this is not completely right or true but feel confused, powerless or speechless (pun not intended).
Let us tress that this is not an attempt to convince arch enemies of Israel. Rather, this is to give arguments to refute them when they challenge the Jewish State in public: to show the wider public why they should discard their hatred and lies. (There are no honest virulent Jew haters!)
It easily will take easily over 10,000 words to analyze the almost 10,000 words from the SoS to show their value and implication. We hope that our commentary is not only clarifying but also will inspire others to re-find their voice against such talk – an exercise in hasbara (explaining Zionism).
For those who will not read everything, but want to know what this speech was all about, here a summary of background, context and analysis:
Background: SoS John Kerry used 73 minutes in a State Department speech to “explain” US abstention at the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2334 vote. This passive approval was unexpected because President Obama is on his way out and not supposed to take revolutionary action, yet not surprising because he’s been increasingly antagonistic to Israeli Prime-Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Letting the Resolution pass, and this apologetic Speech were fiercely condemned across the Israeli political board and also by US Congress.
Content: *Blaming Israel and Arab Palestinians equally for not negotiating peace, but especially being critical of Israel, explaining that this Resolution was urgently needed because of sharply increased building plans for Jewish settlements in the West Bank. *Talking to Israelis, trying to explain that this is criticism of a friend and also a honest broker. At the end, proposing a plan for reaching peace, against asking Israel to give in more.
Analysis: Numerous articles can easily be found on the Internet analyzing this Speech and the US abstention at UNSCR 2334 vote, all of them critical. At the end of this document, you’ll find some dozen of them. The main points of our running commentary are: *This abstention was only punishing the Israelis, and the SoS is only addressing Israelis. *This Resolution supports BDS openly. *This Resolution is a complete break of US policy: 1. Labeling Israeli presence at the Wailing Wall illegal occupation (down from: illegitimate control) by Israel and implying that Israel must return the Golan Heights to Syria. 2. Pressuring Israel about the Peace Process via the UN, instead of leaving the outcome to direct negotiations between the parties. (Previous negative UN Resolutions critical of Israel were about selective points, not about the PP.) 3. The US Administration coordinated this attack with the Arab Palestinian delegates and left Israel in the dark. 4. US Congress was against this but because President Obama and his Administration are on their way out, there are no repercussions for them. *This attack speaks of being bad losers in the White House and trying to limit future options for President-elect Trump. *Sorry to say that this Speech is a bag of lies, full of twists and turns, full of false equivalence, and convinced no one, of any good US or UN intentions. *These kinds of UN resolutions are not binding, but they still have international standing as “the opinion of the world.” *The six points at the end of this Speech are unacceptable for the Arab Israeli leaders, but Israel should still make the concessions demanded of them? *This is the total denial of the total failure of this Administration towards the Middle East (including Syria!) and putting all the blame and chagrin on Israel, erasing any last appreciation for or doubt about President Obama, who now acted like someone who screams at his deathbed: I hate you! You can’t make love of it, it can’t be undone and it stains his whole life.
The below text is a stenographer’s work (the text the SoS actually spoke) that we found at: timesofisrael.com and that no doubt has copyright – so support the Times of Israel and visit their website.
Scribal errors or confusing text, we checked and if needed corrected in blue [between] from the SoS’s prepared text, as we found here: haaretz.com or from the SoS’s speech as it can be heard at: youtube.com.
My 30-page blow by blow refutation of this speech you’ll find here: drive.google.com!!!
Sharp analyses, very much worth reading and hearing, here:
An Open Letter to John Kerry
Ten Most Hateful Points About Kerry’s Post Abstention Speech
12 reasons the US should never have allowed UN Resolution 2334
Alan Dershowitz: Kerry’s Speech Will Make Peace Harder
Kerry’s Biased Anti-Israel Speech Ignored Facts, Promoted Falsehoods
Analysis: Are Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem legal under international law?
How the EU’s settlement policy legitimises mass dispossession
Israeli Deputy Minister for Regional Cooperation Ayoob Kara: “The settlements are not the problem”
Analysis: Are Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem legal under international law?
Two Statism Gone Mad
NO HOLDS BARRED: OBAMA AND ISRAEL: THE FINAL INSULT
FULL SPEECH: Israeli PM Netanyahu Responds to US Sec of State John Kerry on Middle East Solution
MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. *
As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. *
This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2000 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog, to which one may subscribe too, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. *
Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. *
Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. *
Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. *
He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. *
He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. *
He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. *
His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. *
To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. *
His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1